Cebu Thread 16 (check pg. 1 for Map/Ferry Scheds/Places to stay/Tourist Spots)

[insanelypurpleprincess]

^ Among everything that you mentioned, I have only been to Our Lady of Manaoag-St. Benedict's Monastery

[rocky]

^maganda don sis no? pag may bisita ako from manila dinadala ko sila don. effort lang talaga pagsakay sa habal2x. hehe

[Pretty_aye]

Thanks sisses, 3D/2N kami. Plan ko 1st night sa pension lang kami since more on tour so sleepover lang talaga then after one night ulit sa resort para rest and relax, Im with my mom kasi so medyo okey sana na resort upon checking maribago 6k per night not sure if include tax. Question po Meron ba silang cash deposit upon check inn ganun?

tia

[insanelypurpleprincess]

rocky: Yes, it's very pretty and tranquil over there, except that I've never tried the habal2x that you mentioned. Perhaps because we've never tried commuting to go there. Easy drive lang naman siya for us.

Pretty_aye: Usually, what you can do is to read thoroughly if it's tax inclusive or not, most often than not, base price yan then subject to 12% VAT and 10% Service Charge which is the standard for hotels / resorts. I am not familiar with the term you used as 'cash deposit', but if you meant you would also need to make a 'security deposit for possible incidentals' then yes, they normally do, as is the case for all resorts. With Maribago though, we haven't tried having to pay for a security deposit because we have a membership to the resort, so if in case anything needs to be settled, we can be billed later on. However, if non-members, I believe meron talaga. Just be ready with either a credit card where they can authorize the charge, but release later if there are no actual charges or cash in the amount of around Php1,500 (not sure for Maribago how much exactly, but as per our last visit in Crimson last weekend, we were asked for that amount). Thanks!!!

[Pretty_aye]

insanelypurpleprincess thanks sa info sis, I mean security deposit nga haha.

[ohcmon]

ohcmon: It's perfect that you're staying at Cebu Parklane... All you need to do is cross the street and you have Ayala Center Cebu na. Anyway, before I make any suggestions on activities... will you be doing these activities alone or with a group of people? Also, what kinds of activities appeal to you talaga? Are you more of a 'mall' person or foodie or touristy who is in love with history & tourist spots? Provide more info so we can direct you how to spend your free time

Dalawa lang kami ng officemate ko, sis. Food and tourist spots sana na nearby or on the way sa airport para hindi kami magahol sa oras.

Thanks sa input, sis. Evenings na lang siguro kami pupunta sa Ayala, tutal, tapat lang pala.

[insanelypurpleprincess]

^ohcmon: sis, two is a good number of people to go around Cebu City. Like what sis rocky suggested, most (if not all) trips to Cebu merit a visit to Basilica Del Sto Niño Cebu, and outside, just a mere few steps is the historic Magellan's Cross. If you'd like to pursue Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, it is a short walk... but considering the major summer heat these days here in Cebu.. not recommending any form of walking in that area. Considering also that it will be the 16th of May, so Friday, kinda expect a lot of people in general because within a week, it's Friday that has the most number of masses.. think starting 5am yung first mass followed by successive masses hourly all the way till 7.30pm for the last mass for the day, but it is indeed a sulit trip to go see, pray & light a candle in this place. If you're gunning for food, I posted also in a thread... it's just in another category, so you should be able to get ideas from there. And yes, Ayala Center Cebu is very near, so kahit na everyday ka, puede... Ayala closes at 9pm daily, except for Friday & Saturday kasi until 10pm sila. You may also want to consider the Taoist Temple Cebu, you can go by cab & just make sure that you have a plan on how to get a ride home as it is quite a commodity within the area (it being situated in a residential village). If you're considering somewhere to go to near the airport, well, there's not a lot. Though the Mactan Shrine is not a bad place to go see as well. Hope this helps!!!

[ohcmon]

^ Will take note of every thing, sis. Thanks so much for the help!

[insanelypurpleprincess]

^ Pleasure's all mine. Not in Cebu for the most of May, so unable to make an effort to help you go around. Just the same, enjoy your time there!!!

[rocky]

just got back from cebu, sa wakas napuntahan ko na din yong durano eco farm & spring resort sa carmen. maganda sya, mga 5 na maliliit na pool & iba iba yong lalim. grabe lang tao, sobrang dami kasi summer tapos sunday pa kami pumunta. enjoy naman family ko & maganda rin yong river don, malamig yong tubig

[minnie99]

Hi mga sis, alam ko hindi advisable mag-Bantayan if Oslob yung first trip. So, ano pa ba ang pwedeng puntahan na beach if manggagaling Oslob first thing in the morning? Alam ko pwede ang Moalboal, pero comparable ba ito sa Bantayan? Based on research kasi, Moalboal is for snorkelers/divers, pero I don't really see any comments about its beach (as in sa shore hehe).

TIA!

[insanelypurpleprincess]

^^ rocky, nice... thanks for sharing! Will surely consider visiting the places you mentioned. Thank you!

^ minnie99, yes if you're going to Oslob then planning on going to Bantayan, it's like going from end to end. Anyway, if you're going to Oslob for the Whale Sharks, you won't be spending so much time there since the actual encounter is only 30 minutes long. After Oslob, you can go travel to Moalboal. Moalboal is not exactly like Bantayan, but it's a very good spot for beach lovers. Depending on where you go, there are areas more suitable for snorkeling & diving, but do check out the following resorts: Club Serena Resort, Hale Manna or Ravenala Beach Bungalows... there are so many other options, but these 3 are the ones we frequent. Also, while in the Oslob area, if you'd like to check out falls.. you can go to Tumalog Falls.. coming from the Whale Shark interaction area, quite a short drive. Going to the falls though requires a short hike of less than a kilometer. Should you decide to go to Moalboal, check out Kawasan Falls as well. Hope this helps!!!

[minnie99]

Thanks sis! I also read that there are ruins in Oslob! Would like to see those. Thanks din for the recommendations sa hotels in Moalboal. Really a big help. I did see Hale Manna while researching, bet ko nga sana yun. If I'm not mistaken, I can take a bus from Oslob going to Moalboal? Is there a station or pinapara ito?

Another question, kamusta ba weather sa Cebu in December? Dapat kasi next week ako pupunta kasi sinasama ako ng brother ko, kaso mahal na fares, so baka i-book ko na lang sa December dahil piso fare. Hehe. But I might book Dumaguete para mas mabilis going to Oslob.

[rocky]

^nong nag-oslob kami, sidetrip kami sa tumalog falls then tingko beach sa alcoy. madadaanan nyo to pa-city. maganda sya kahit public beach lang, white sand talaga & free entrance

[insanelypurpleprincess]

minnie99, pleasure's all mine, sis. It's the least that I can do. Yes, I forgot to mention that. There's also the Ruins in Oslob... to go there, there is a small street that you have to go into from the highway, but it is totally worth visiting. Aside from the structure of the Ruins, there's also an old church that's super pretty! Hale Manna is definitely a must see, super nice and very cost efficient, too. We always get the family room kasi marami kami. As for the transportation options, di ako marunong mag bus eh. Never tried pa, pero I am sure there has got to be something. Perhaps others might be able to share din. And since matagal pa.. December pa.. you should have ample time to prepare pa for this trip. Ang nakikita ko though sa Oslob, you can just para anywhere.

Weather in Cebu is December is totally erratic. May Decembers na malamig & rainy, though there have been Decembers as well a humid. Anyway, keep monitoring lang the weather as the months roll by kasi anything can happen talaga. If you take the trip to Dumaguete, you can do that too. When you cross from Sibulan side to Santander in Cebu, quite near ka na sobra sa Oslob.

[bleudskymd]

Hello sisses!

Hubby and I just came from a 5-day vacay around Cebu - Bantayan Islands then to Oslob then to Camotes Islands.

From Bantayan Islands, we went straight to Oslob, Cebu. Took Sunrays bus (Cebu South Terminal) to Oslob-Sumilon which is a 3-hour trip. We arrived at Brgy. Tan-awan, Oslob and checked-in at MB Sunrise View Resort. Our room was aircon, P1200 good for 2 pax, matrimonial bed, with our own bathroom.

The following morning, we queued & paid for the whale shark snorkeling (P500/head), and also rented an underwater cam (P550; memory card was ours). Lifevest, snorkeling mask is included in the package; fins rental was another fee. At 6:30AM, we had our 5-minute orientation then swam with the whales for 40 minutes. Husband applied sunblock on his face before the orientation & he was instructed to wash his face. Turns out sunblocks are prohibited. Afterwards, we rented a motorbike (habal-habal) to Tumalog Falls. We also visited the Baluarte, Cuartel, catholic church in Oslob town proper. We had our lunch then rode Ceres Bus back to Cebu City. At Cebu city, we were supposed to go to Cebu North Terminal but we drove all the way to Danao City to ride the boat to Consuelo, Camotes Islands. The taxi ride cost us P500. We caught the last trip to Camotes Islands. Boat ride to Camotes Islands cost P180/pax (ordinary) or P200/pax (air-con), one way.

From the port, we rode another habal-habal (fare P50/head) to Payag Beach resort (beach front) at Santiago. We checked-in at a fan room (P1000/night, good for 2 persons, matrimonial bed, communal CR). It was low tide when we arrived, thus we walked thru the expansive powdery white sand plus it was full moon.

The following morning, we rented a habal-habal (P500 per head) the entire morning and went to Mangodlong beach, Lake Danao park, Bakhaw beach, crossed to Tulang Island (fare is P10/head, one way only), Timobo cave, heritage church at Poro then back to Santiago. By lunch time, it was high tide in Santiago thus the public beach was crowded.  Afterwards, we headed back to Consuelo Port and caught the 3PM ride back to Danao City, then travelled back to Cebu City.

We checked-in at GV Hotel at Mercado area, Lapu-lapu city. The hotel is 1 of those budget hotels (similar to GO Hotels). Our room rate was P725, aircon, good for 2 pax, matrimonial bed. 

[minnie99]

^Wow! Thanks for the heads-up on the sunblock. Hehe. And happy to know that they have fins. How much kaya yung fins, sis? And can I ditch the life vest (malamang, if I get fins, haha!)? I'm not a bad swimmer but I'd love to go deeper pero I need fins to surface quickly, hehe.

--

Bigla akong kasama sa trip this weekend. Night ang dating pero gusto nila mag-stay for 2 nights sa Cebu, then overnight lang in Oslob or Moalboal. Bali ito itinerary namin:

Thursday PM - Arrival at Cebu, check-in at hotel
Friday whole day - Cebu (tour) baka manood ng Xmen. Lol. Sa Inn lang ata kami malapit daw sa mall (no idea, hehe)
Saturday AM - travel to Oslob, whale shark, tour around (maybe leave by 10AM? Kaya ba yung falls and then see the ruins from 8-10AM?)
Saturday PM - Moalboal, check-in, if pwede pa, island hopping
Sunday - if hindi nakapag-island hopping nung Sat, baka pwede isingit early morning? From Moalboal, 2-3 hours nga ba ang travel? So if 4pm ang flight, at least after lunch papunta na kami, right?

Okay na ba ito?

TIA!

[rocky]

^^grabe mala-amazing race IT nyo sis, pero nasulit nyo talaga. galing

[rocky]

^mabait sis yong taxi driver nyo. kasi kung iba yon tinaga kayo dahil malayo ang danao & wala syang pasahero pabalik

sana lahat ng sis tulad mo na nagrereport ng travel para updated info natin

[minnie99]

^^^ Thanks sis! Sige, will forego the fins, gastos pa. Hehe. Saw my friends pics, di rin naman sila nag-fins, at ayun, wala ngang vest yung iba.

Malapit ba yung ruins sa may whale shark? And how much habal-habal going to falls?

Wala na atang available rooms sa Basdaku. Ayoko naman sa Panagsama... Bet ko sana yung Dolphine House kaso ang mahal! Haha. Considering day trip to Oslob-Moalboal na lang. Hanggang gabi ba may bus from Moalboal going to Cebu?

Sana may ma-meet din kami na driver na mabait