Cebu

About an hour’s flight away from Manila is Cebu. It is an island in

central Philippines with Cebu City as its capital. The island is long and
thin with a few smaller islands off-shore. The airport is located on the
flat island of Mactan which is separated from the main island by the
narrow Mactan Channel. Cebu City is one of the main centres of
commerce, trade and industry in the Visayas and Mindanao region of
the country. Because of this and other important aspects that Cebu
City was given the moniker Queen City of the South.

For local and foreign tourist, there are

many places of interest in Cebu. One is
“Magellan's Cross” which was named after
Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer
who came to Cebu in the early 1500s.
Pieces of the original cross are believed to
be encased in the present cross. The
monument is just across the street from the
Sto. Niño Basilica in downtown Cebu City. It
used to be the only Catholic Basilica in East
Asia. The basilica houses the famous “Santo Niño” the patron saint of the
Cebuanos.

Another place to see is the Spanish “Fort San Pedro” which is where the
Lapu-lapu shrine is (Punta Engaño) it is also where the Battle of Mactan
took place.

The “Taoist Temple” is also a good place to drop by. One can see the entire city on top of the hill.
Then rent a cab to “The Top” a small park on top of a mountain where one can spend a few hours
while having a drink or two. During sunset and at night you can see glowing lights from the buildings
and houses below the mountain.

If one likes to try the local produce, go to Carbon Market, which carried a variety of fresh vegetables
and delicious fruits.

If you happened to be in Cebu City in January, don’t miss

the “Sinulog Festival” – held every third week of January,
it is the fiesta of Sto. Niño (Child Christ). The celebrations
consist of a fabulous procession of the image of the Child
Jesus followed by devotees of Sto. Niño. After which, a
fluvial procession takes place. There is also a parade of
magnificent floats along the main roads of Cebu City
followed by local groups in colorful costumes, dancing and
chanting along the route. Sinulog Festival is marked by
street dancing by tourist and locals alike under the
constant beating of drums. This festival is the Philippine
version of Mardi gras. During Sinulog week, all hotels in
Cebu City are fully booked. So if you plan to attend the festival, book way ahead of time.

The year long attraction to many tourist to Cebu are its beaches. One can find many beaches
throughout the island; north and south of Cebu City. And just across the city on Mactan Island
(where the airport is located), are several beach side resorts, hotels, bars and restaurants. Mactan
Island boast of world class diving spots to please the diving enthusiast.

To get to Cebu City, one can take the many ferry boats that ply the Manila-Cebu route (about 23
hours) at the Port of Manila -if you are on a leisurely vacation. But to get there fast, catch any of the
airlines that fly almost hourly to Cebu at the Manila Domestic Airport (all airlines except PAL) or the
Centennial Terminal (for Philippine Airlines only).
Airlines that fly to Cebu:
Air Philippines
Asian Spirit
Cebu Pacific
PAL (Philippine Airlines)

Hotels and Resorts in Cebu and Mactan:

Waterfront Hotel - casino
Centrepoint hotel - live local bands
Costabella
Maribago Bluewaters Resort
Marriott Hotel
Shangri-La Mactan hotel -fine dining. great pool and beach
Cebu Club Pacific which was famous for its so-called nude beaches
Tambuli Beach Club
White Sands

Cebu Shopping Malls:

Abacus mall
Ayala Center
Rustan's department store
Rivergate mall
SM City