Day 1: Cebu City Tour

We took the earliest flight from Manila on June 24,and arrived in Cebu at 6am. At first, we were worried that me and my mom couldn't make it to the same flight as my brother since it was overbooked by 21 guests and we were just chance passengers. But fortunately, many did not show for their flight, so we were accommodated on 5J 559. 


Since this is my second time in Cebu, I knew that from the airport, one must go to the departure area for the metered taxi and not the yellow ones parked in the arrival area. 


Arriving at 6am, our hotel isn't ready yet to have as checked-in, so we left our luggage at SM Traveller's Lounge for a minimum fee of 30 pesos. I would really commend SM for having such brilliant idea. Of course, most of the time, there's the usual waiting time/gap on your arrival and the time you could check-in at hotel, and if you wish to proceed on your tour without the hassle of carrying your baggage, this is a very convenient place to leave your things. In addition, this is also a one-stop shop from snacks, souvenir items, hotel accommodations, and even ferry tickets. Another good thing about SM Traveller's Lounge is the free wifi which we actually availed during our brief stay in here. 

After leaving our luggage, we moved to our city tour. Visiting places in Cebu is an easy task as there are numerous taxis roaming the City. But we opted to take the jeepneys as this is less expensive. I read and asked in the forum beforehand on directions to take or jeepneys to ride. I even had it checked it in google map so as to be familiarized with the streets. But then, since I am new to the jeepney routes (I rode taxis during my first trip in Cebu), I still asked the manang that we saw to confirm it. From SM, we took the 12I jeep, if I am not mistaken, which lead us to our first stop, Plaza Independencia.

Located in the Plaza Independencia is another tourist spot which is Fort San Pedro. Since we were early, it was not yet open for viewing so we just took pictures of its facade. In addition, some were saying that it is just a mini version of Paco Park so we didn't bother to wait until 8am just to view the park. 

From there, we just walked a few street and came across Sto. Nino Church. Good thing we were just in time for the 8am mass which was in English, the mass before us was in Cebuano dialect. It is also the feast of St. John the Baptist, patron saint of my elem's alma matter.

After the mass, we went to the renowned Magellan's Cross which is just at the back of Sto. Nino Church. We took pictures, individually, and then by twos. The ate there selling candles offered to take a group picture since we didn't have one yet, saying "ako marunong akong magpicture, magaling ako" which true enough pictures came out amazing (much better than what we had taken). We were too amazed that we ended up buying the 5 candles fr 50 pesos she was selling and offered some prayers.

At that time we were aiming to visit Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and other sites near the area, but we were quite lost since I did not prepare any map for the tour. We ended up at Colon St. which is pretty much like Binondo/Divisoria in Manila but much cleaner and more organized. It is also nice to see an old city apart from the usual old streets seen in Manila. You could just pretty visualize how lives had been in those old cities. My mom actually did enjoy this part of Cebu. :)


Because of lack of sleep and we we also got tired from too much walking, we just decided to go back to SM and take our lunch. 


Of course, it's a must for anyone visiting Cebu to try the famous Cebu Lechon and one of the most popular restaurants is the CnT Lechon. Since we are already in SM, though a branch is just a few step away from the mall, we just bought one from their stall near SM Supermarket and ate at one of the available tables. We got the 1/2 kilo and 9 pcs puso (rice wrapped in coconut leaf pouch) for us three, (correction: 11 puso, 5 out of 11 was mine) and had one of the most delicious lunch ever at less than 300. Take note we are not really fans of lechon but we enjoyed savoring CnT Lechon. My mom just couldn't stop eating it and we had to forcefully get the lechon from her, since we are afraid of any possible attack of high blood (though thankfully she isn't one).




After eating, we just couldn't take anymore how sleepy we were so we went to our hotel hoping we could have an early check-in at 1pm which luckily, we were able to do. Hotel Stella is a newly opened hotel strategically located at Don Gil Garcia St, Capitol Site, Cebu. We booked for the standard room which is actually good for two at 999 pesos. The room was quite small but the bed was big enough to fit three people or the three of us are just really slim (even my brother) to fit perfectly on the bed. What I really rave about this hotel is how clean the room and bathroom are. Upon entering the room, I could already smell the fresh linens. Even the bathroom smells like downy. The room has good wifi connection as well, cable channels, and guests are provided with bath towels and soap. Staff is very nice and accommodating. Inquiries and requests are promptly answered. It is truly worth every penny. If I go back to Cebu, I would definitely take Hotel Stella again. For inquiries and booking, check http://hotelstella.com.ph/


We took a nap so we could have energy for our next tourist spot to visit, Taoist Temple. But I guess our lack of sleep from the night before our trip took a toll on us, and overslept. We woke up at around past 330pm and by the time our preparation ended, it was already 415 pm. Since Taoist temple is only open until 5pm, and taxis and jeepneys were jampacked at that time of the day, we opted to visit Ayala mall and have our dinner at Casa Verde.

As always, eating at Casa Verde is just a feast on the stomach. It's my second time eating here but still did not try their famous Brian's Ribs for we are not really fan of the juicy ribs. Instead, we chose three different steak meals and for desert, Death by Chocolate. My mom was actually shocked on how can I eat "The Dax" all by myself and even eat some portions of their steaks as well. 



For the price of 1k for a sumptuous dinner, I couldn't think of a better way to end our Cebu City Tour. oh probably, a good night sleep from a nice, comfy, and relaxing bed:)