One of the best things about Cebu City is it being the major gateway to most other destinations in the Visayas. When our family decided to visit Bohol last summer, we made sure that we stop over in Cebu to visit a famed family resort and check out the popular tourist destinations such as the Magellan’s cross.
This cross houses what is believed to be the remains of the original cross planted by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521
Window shopping, a stop over at Starbucks and a visit to Cebu city’s tourist spots are included in our Cebu city itinerary so we decided to stay at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino which is located right at the heart of the city.
Tip: Reserve at least seven days in advance so you can avail of the special price inclusive of buffet breakfast for two. We paid for our 6 year old son’s breakfast though since he’s no longer covered by the free meal.
By 9:30 am on May 18, my birthday, my family headed to Mactan for a day trip in Plantation Bay. The Plantation bay is a vast area of land mostly covered by bodies of water. There were fresh water pools with slides, a beach and man made lagoons. We preferred to swim in the pool though because the salty water from the lagoon irritates our eyes and seemed to have made us more prone to getting sun-burned.
My son Kulay had a great time with the slides at the Kilimanjaro pool caves, he would eve tug me along to slide with him. He also slid down one of the giant slides of the Mogambo falls.
Some of our photos here:
At past 2PM, we left Plantation bay for Ayala Center to buy some stuff and grab some sweets and coffee at starbucks (a must do for coffee lovers like us who are Starbucks-deprived in Davao City).
If you find an overnight accommodation at Plantation bay prohibitive for your budget, a day trip is an option. Day trip at Plantation bay costs PhP 2000 per head; children four to 12 years old pay half the price. Day trippers are entitled to use the swimming areas, gym and the game room for free and are entitled to a free lunch (not buffet) at the Kilimanjaro Kafe.
The next day, my cousin fetched us at the hotel to give us a brief tour of the City. We first stopped by the Taoist temple, a Buddist temple situated in Beverly Hills, a high end subdivision in the city.
Our next stop was at the Basilica Del Sto. Niño. The church is home of the oldest religious relic in the Philippines, a Sto. Nino given by Magellan as a baptismal gift to Queen Juana (wife of King Humabon) on April April 14, 1521. Outside of the church were vendors selling statues and dresses of the Sto. Niño. We stopped by to buy a dress for my parents in law’s Sto Niño.
Our last stop was at the Magellan’s cross shrine. The Magellan’s cross shrine houses the famous cross that the Portuguese conquistador Ferdinand Magellan is believed to have planted in the Philippine soil during the first ever catholic mass in the island. Splinters of the centuries old cross is enclosed in a bigger cross to protect it.
Another must do when one is in the city is to try the famed lechon cebu. TV host-chef Anthony Bourdain considers the roasted pigs in Cebu to be the best in the world after he tasted the slow roasted lechon of Zubuchon. Thankfully, we were able to grab a kilo of this Zubuchon lechon meat right at the airport before we headed home to Davao.
There a lot more places to see in Cebu. I am looking forward to visiting Cebu with my family soon to visit and explore the Bantayan Island, the Lapu Lapu shrine and the Olango wildlife sanctuary.
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