Places to Visit in Cebu City: Cebu Tour Day 3

Cebu is the Queen City of the South mainly due to its location and its history. For tourists from the city, however, Cebu City is a glimpse of another old Manila. 

We spent our third day of Cebu Tour in Cebu City. As much as we wanted to spend one more day in Bantayan, we reckoned that we've really never been to Cebu if we didn't see the City.

We arrived in Cebu City at around 3:00 pm coming from Bantayan. (We left Bantayan at 9:30 am, Whew!) From the North Bus Terminal, we took a cab to check in at Verbena Capitol Suites. It almost took us an hour because of the traffic. Cebu City reminded me of Makati- there are a lot of stoplights. It also reminded me of the old section of Manila- narrow roads, a lot of intersection and one ways, historical buildings, etc.

I must say that we were not able to maximize our tour because of the limited time that we have. Here are the few places that we've been to:

1. Casa Gorordo

Casa Gorordo's facade sideview

Casa Gorordo is heritage house. In other words, it's an old house. If you want me to be brutally frank, it's a decrepit house. It's not that I don't have a sense of history but it's more of a personal thought- what exactly is the relevant of this house? So in short, I was disappointed when I saw the house. It's dim and small and we had to wait for the caretaker. It was like a bodega of antique things. Personally, I think the people who owned it should at least polish the wooden house. For some reason, it seems that they like to leave the house to decay to maintain its status as a heritage house. By the way, entrance fee is P50.

The Parian in front of Casa Gorordo

However, I guess it's still worth visiting the place for the monument in front of it called "Parian." I think it depicts the Spaniards conquest of Cebu.

2. Fort San Pedro

Walking on Casa Gorordo's walls

 From Casa Gorordo, Fort San Pedro is less than 15 minutes away via cab. You can also walk but it's not really walking distance. Fort San Pedro is near the Piers. It's a much smaller version of Intramuros but much cleaner.  You can take a walk on top of its thick walls. From the top, you can view the nearby surroundings including the plaza, the city hall and the highways. I like this place. I think it has a nice view of the sunset. Entrance fee is P30.


3. Magellan's Cross

From Fort San Pedro, Magellan's Cross is about 5 minutes away by foot. Feel free to ask directions from the locals. Magellan's Cross is just that- a big cross with a historical significance to Filipino Catholics. In my opinion, I find it ironic that the Cebuanos display this cross- a sign of acceptance of the Spaniards, when they are first Filipinos who showed contempt against them. Without hurting anyone's sensibilities, I think Magellan's Cross is overrated. I used to study it in elementary until high school. But upon reflection and upon seeing it, I think its importance should be downplayed.


Due to the limited time that we have we were not able to see some of the recommended sights because they are not in Cebu City.

Just in case you want to know, here are some places which you might also like to see:

1. Buddhist Temple

It's a temple on the outskirts of Cebu City. According to the cab driver, the best time to visit this place is in the morning and in the afternoon. It's also open until 9 pm.

2. TOPS

The TOPS is in Mandaue City. From your trip to the Buddhist Temple, this can be your next stop. According to the cab driver, again, the view at dusk is spectacular. You can see the sun bathing the city with its last rays for the day. The view at nighttime is also good. You can see the sparkling sights of the city.

3. Lapu-Lapu Shrine

Lapu-lapu Shrine is in Lapu-Lapu City. It's near the airport so you can drop by before your flight back. 

Things to Do in Bantayan: Cebu Tour Day 2

There are no malls and no movie theaters in Bantayan. There's only one bank-Allied Bank serving the whole town.This is where life seem simple and uncomplicated. 

Aside from enjoying the beach, here are some of things we did in Bantayan which you may also want to do.

1. Biking

I love to bike following nature trails and rough roads. When I learned that biking is a form of transportation in Bantayan, I really planned to do some explorations using bike. After all, it is so seldom to be in the place where it is safe to go biking.

Biking in Bantayan

After eating breakfast and exploring the shore on our second day, my fiance and I rented bikes from Beach Placid Resort. Rental is P30 per hour. The weather seemed to agree on what we planned to do. It wasn't hot and humid. The sky was not overcast. Just a cool breeze and some light gray clouds. Perfect day for biking!

Small park, playground and school in the background

We followed a residential trail. This is opposite of the National Road. By following this trail, we were able to see the simplicity of lifestyle in the island coupled with lush greenery. The people were friendly who readily smiled and waved at us. We also saw a small school, a small park and a chapel.

2. Town Hopping and Motorbiking

In the afternoon of our second day, we had a tour of town using a rented motorcycle. Rental was P50 per hour or P300 for 24 hours. We were the ones who also fueled motorcycle which costs P67 per liter. It was enough for a half day tour around the island.

The National Road was clean and safe. There were few vehicles and most of them were motorcycles too! I like the sight of yellow flowers lining up the highway. Be sure to gas up and make sure that your motorcycle is in good condition because fuel is far and between.

Aside from riding the motorcycle, here are the places that we saw which you might also like to see.

Bantayan Town Proper

Bantayan Town Plaza

 From Sta. Fe, where most of the resorts are located, Bantayan town is about 40 minutes to an hour away using a motorbike. What's there to see? A really old church - the St. Peter and Paul Church, plaza and market. This is also where Allied Bank is located- just before reaching the town hall on the right side. We didn't have to go down the motorbike. We just drove around the plaza and we saw everything in a glance. (Besides, we're not that interested. )

Old, old church across the Plaza at Bantayan

You can also buy your supplies here. In our case, we bought some mineral water and chips. I would also recommend to buy your pasalubong of danggit in the market here. It's cheaper than the ones in Cebu City.

 Madridejos Town and Kota Park

Walkway at Kota Park

Shore at Kota Park

The old fort at Kota Park

An hour up north of Bantayan is the other town in the island- Madridejos. It is smaller than Bantayan Town but for me, this is worthier to visit than Bantayan Town because of Kota Park. From the plaza in Madridejos, Kota Park is just about 5 minutes away. Historically, Kota Park was a fort against the attack of Moros. Then it became a town cemetery before becoming a park. What makes this place worth seeing is the view of the sea, and I think the sunset would also be a sight to behold. The sea looked untamed and wild yet looked to inviting. There's also a walkway where you can barely hear yourself when the winds are strong.

Madridejos is at the tip of the island so you'll basically pass through all the barangays when going there.

DON'T EAT HERE!

 On a side note, avoid eating at Victoria's Inn. Their food is terrible and their pizza sucks!

Ogtong Cave and Sta. Fe Beach Club

Honestly, if you're pressed for time, you can skip this. The only reason why we visited this place was because it was one of the places mentioned in a blog. There's really nothing special about this place, at least on my opinion. On our way back to the resort, we just decided to take a look after we saw a sign.

Ogtong Cave

Sta. Fe Beach Club's grounds

The cave is inside Sta. Fe Beach Club. Entrance fee is P100 per person which really is not worth it. Ogtong Cave is small and dark. We're not even allowed to enter the cave just view it from some steps. So I was really wondering why did the people in the reception allowed us to enter and got our money when it was closed at that time. (Normally, people can swim in the cave)

To at least compensate the P100 we paid, we just explored the grounds of Sta. Fe Beach Club. I think it was one of classiest resorts in the area. The view of the sea was really nice. Actually, we're not really supposed to explore the grounds but there were no roaming guards so we might as well see the place.

3. Dining at Tristan's Restaurant

Three reasons why we enjoyed dining at Tristan's.

First, the location of the restaurant's really great. It's overlooking the sea. (Yes, I really love the sight of the sea). It's romantic! Pity that we dine here when it's already dark.

Second, the service was warm and prompt. I'm a sucker for good service so I really appreciated this place.

Pizza at Tristan's!

Third, of course the pizza was great! Their marketing catch is that they make the best thin-crust pizza. Well, it's true! 'Nuff said. And the carbonara that we ate also tasted good. Yum!

By the way, Tristan's place is at Poblacion, Sta. Fe. It's about 10 minutes away from the Wharf. It's not along the road so you have to be careful in catching their sign.



Recommendations:

• If you don't know how to ride a motorcycle, make some arrangements with your hotel or with a traysikad. 
• Allot around 5 to 6 hours for town tour. 
• Bring water! 
• Ask  a map from your hotel. 

How To Get to Bantayan Island: Cebu Tour Day 1

Fine white sand and pristine turquoise waters. Relaxation and serenity. This is Bantayan Island- a far-flung island at the northernmost part of Cebu. 


I learned about Bantayan Island several years ago from a friend who stayed in Cebu for a few months. At that time, I did not take her stories about the island seriously. Bantayan was not yet well-known and it was not one of the places I had in mind for vacation. Thanks to Cebu Pacific's promo fare to Cebu, I decided to see Bantayan Island last July. 

So let me share my Do-It-Yourself vacation:

How to Get There: 

Arriving at Mactan International Airport

From Mactan International Airport, we took a cab to North Bus Terminal. Initially, upon exiting the airport, we only saw yellow metered cabs with a P70 flag down rate. However, it was a good thing that we saw some people crossing the street and lining up for the white cabs with P40 flag down rate. (So yehey we got a cheaper deal!) We paid around P140.

It only took us 30 minutes to get to the Terminal. We had to shell out P10 for the taxi's entrance to the terminal. Upon alighting the taxi, several men swarmed us offering assistance with our luggage which we didn't need. We had to pointedly ignore them and go directly to Ceres Buses bound for Hagnaya Port. We took the air conditioned bus because based on my research it will take 3 to 4 hours travel to Hagnaya Port. Our bus fare was P150 per person. If you want a cheaper deal, take the ordinary buses. There's also a chartered plane going to Bantayan from Mactan Airport which costs P1500 per person. This is offered by Mid-Sea Air. 

Crossing the sea between Hagnaya and Sta. Fe

We arrived at Hagnaya Port at past 1 pm. From the port, we had to travel via small sea vessels for two hours going to Sta. Fe Wharf. The fare was P170 per person. Upon arrival at Sta. Fe, we were met by driver from Beach Placid Hotel where we made reservations. Personally, I think it's good that we made reservations because upon arriving at Sta. Fe, several men, again, swarmed us to offer assistance in finding transportation and accommodation. I highly recommend Beach Placid.

The resort is about 10 minutes from the Wharf. We arrived at the resort at around 4 pm. So yes, we had a very long day. Our first day was largely spent travelling, sitting and sitting in the bus! But the breathtaking sight of white shoreline and clear waters was worth the effort. It was also a good thing that we decided to stay for two nights in Bantayan. Otherwise, we would have spent all our time travelling.

Sta. Fe shoreline with low tide

As much as we wanted to go swimming, the tide was so low that the shore extended for several meters. So there was nothing to do but take pictures, eat and enjoy the view until bedtime. 

Recommendations:

• When going to Cebu, make Bantayan your first stop because of the travel time required to get ther
• Take the earliest flight you can get so you can arrive early. 
• Make reservations for your accommodations beforehand. 

See more of my Bantayan Trip in my next entry!