These are my thoughts and short reviews about our Cebu Adventure last August 2019. This will include the accommodations, places, food trips that we had in just 4 days from August 22-25,2019. Our itinerary was mostly a result of panic planning. The tour and accommodations are booked in less than a week before the trip. This might not be the best itinerary out there. But I’m generally happy with it since we still booked the tour and accommodations in affordable rates. So If you are also in a rush, I hope this would help you.

Outline of the contents. Click the topic of interest for easy jumping.

Part I

Day 1 Arrival
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Flight through Cebu Pacific from Manila to Cebu
1. Accommodation at Reddoorz near OneMango Avenue
2. Food Trip at 10,000 Roses Cafe’

Day 2: Moalboal Tour with Cebu Travelers Tour Agency
3. Moalboal Tour (Sardine Run, Snorkeling)
4. Lunch and Chill at Kawasan Falls
5. Teofilo Kamumot Shrine
6. Dinner at Ayer’s Lechon
7. Accommodation to Sampaguita Hotel, Cebu City

Day 3: Oslob and Sumilon Island Tour with Cebu Travelers Tour Agency
8. Whaleshark sighting at Oslob
9. Sumilon Island
10. Oslob Cartel, Old Church and Heritage Park
11. Simala Church
12. Dinner at KKD STK+BBQ
13. Final Verdict for Cebu Traveler’s Agency

Part II. (Separate blog)

Day 4: Habal-Habal DIY City Tour
1. Sirao Garden
2. Temple of Leah
3. Pasalubong hunting in Taboan
3. SM Cebu City
Food trip:
4. Final Night Accommodation: Express Inn

But first of all, here’s the summary video of my entire Cebu Adventure.

1. Accommodation at RedDoorz Pluz near Mango Avenue

The first thing I won’t forget about going here is that we dropped off at the wrong RedDoorz branch first. There were a lot of Reddoorz in Cebu City and this one was quite new and not exposed at the main road. My friend booked this though Agoda.com and luckily landed a 24 Hour Sale. Below was the screenshot of our reservation. We already got two rooms at the following price for one night.

This was my first experience with RedDoorz and I really liked it. The rooms we got were quite spacious! I can even dance and tumble around. We have three beds in our own room so we didn’t have to share. It was also well lit. They provided free towels,soap, bottled water, toothbrush and toothpaste. There were restaurants, convenient stores and bars nearby. It was beyond decent for me considering the price.

What I love the most were the teddy bears lounge in their mini restaurant at the reception. I never hugged stuff toys as big as these in my whole life so don’t blame if I somewhat abused them by having a mini-photoshoot. These are just SOME of the shots.Oh if only the teddy bears could complain!

Verdict for RedDoorz Pluz Near Mango Avenue

4 out 5 stars. Satisfied!

2. Dinner at 10000 Roses Cafe‘

We arrived late at the afternoon and a city tour would deem impossible to do. I preferred to go to Sirao Garden but it was too far and it would be nighttime already if we pushed it. But 10,000 cafe’ was perfect for nighttime and it was a cafe’ too so we decided to take our dinner there as well. It took us 1.5 hour to reach it from Mango Avenue through Grab.

You probably saw a lot of pictures of 10,000 roses in the internet. And honestly, more often that not, lead to a distorted expectations of the cafe’. In most pictures, it seems like there is gigantic field of roses lamp. But in fact, 10,000 roses only cover a small 2 rectangular areas around the cafe’. It was disappointing for most visitors as I felt that myself and overheard from a massive tourists here on that night as well. Not that I intended to eavesdrop but the disappointment was loud.

By the way there’s an entrance fee of P20.00 except for some age limits.

The disillusionment of the field of roses waned when in fact, 10000 roses has great food and beverages. We all love the food we ordered there. Plus the atmosphere here was quite romantic. The cafe’ was located near seawater where you can see the city lights too!

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I love all the food! Marinara Pasta was my favorite.

FINAL VERDICT for 10,000 roses

3 out of 5 stars. Despite the disappointment, 10,000 cafe’ is actually a great cafe’. What other cafe’ has 10,000 artificial roses, situated beside the sea and to top it all with great food? Nothing else. So despite that it’s prone to distorted expectations, this cafe’ became a tourist destination because of it’s unique concept and marketing.

3. Moalboal Tour

The second day of our Cebu adventure was though Cebu Travelers Tour Agency . They picked us past 4am . At around 6 am, we arrived at Moalboal headquarters where we need to undergo a short orientation before the tour.

This was a snapshot from the short orientation before the tour. Sadly, due to unfavorable waves, our Pescador Island route was cancelled.

I think we traveled 30 minutes by boat before we arrived at the Sardine Area. I must say cloudy weather greeted us along the way. Thank God, there was no heavy rain. But the waves were really crazy. I have no motion sickness but our boat trip made me feel dizzy. We saw “pawikans” along the way.

I have not captured  magnificent photos of Sardine Run. And I didn’t had any close encounter with the pawikans. Instead I took videos from my cellphone with the aid of a reliable P100.00 waterproof case I bought at the Moalboal headquarters. Here is the video summary of my Cebu trip. Moalboal tour is on 1:08 of this video.

4. LUNCH and CHILL at KAWASAN FALLS

After the exhausting struggle with Moalboal waves, it’s rather tiring to find out that we need a 30-40 minute walk to our lunch near Kawasan Falls. I was so hungry. But my mind became at ease at the lush greeneries heading to Kawasan. It was so refreshing not only to the eyes but to my soul. But to temporarily appease our hunger, we bought corn snack and consumed it along the way.

So here are some info about Kawasan Falls. Looks like this falls has won more awards than me. I can attest to the “Cleanest Inland Body of Water” because I am mesmerized with the sparkling cleanliness of the river.

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There are actually several carinderia stalls within the vicinity of Kawasan Falls. It was actually raining when we got there. And to tell you the truth I got a little bit discouraged to swim. I already felt cold. Much more if I emerged myself in the water. I don’t like feeling cold.

I thought I would be contented having just photos. But I eventually submerged myself in the cold waters. At first, the cold bit painfully. But I get used to it. Everybody did.
By the way, the most popular activity in Kawasan is canyoneering. But I’m not adventurous enough and I am glad that my travel buddies were not game for it too. Or else I’m screwed. To be fair, I used to be excited with extreme activities. Maybe it’s the “Tita” growing inside me.

5. Teofilo Camomot Shrine

This archbishop from Cebu is under beatification for sainthood. I heard a lot of stories about him from our tour guide. But what interest me the most was he was born at the same date as my brother and he died the exactly the day after I was born. What a coincidence! Anyway this shrine holds his original casket, personal writings among others.

6. Dinner at Ayer’s Lechon Cebu

They say Cebu has the best lechon. With the advise of our tour guide, our search for Cebu lechon taste led us to Ayer’s Lechon Cebu in Mango Avenue, just few blocks away from our accommodation.

SPICY LECHON, a must try!

Regular Lechon. I preferred the spicy one.

Lechon Paksiw. Good but I think you can skip this one.

Daing na Bangus. Must try!

Lomi. Super must try!

FINAL VERDICT

4.5 STARS! Three reasons why you should try Ayer’s Lechon
1. Their lechon tastes great without breaking the bucks.
2. Not crowded restaurant.
3. We have nothing but praises to their other offerings such as daing na bangus, lomi and lechon paksiw.

Overall, we had a very satisfying dinner to end the day. By the way the stars lacks a half-star. Damn wordpress widget, doesn’t have a half star.

7. Second Accommodation: Sampaguita Hotel

We transferred to another hotel for the second and third night. Our number reduced to four since one of us has other trip plans. It was smaller and cheaper. A lot cheaper! It is also situated in Cebu City proper and is near from City landmarks as stated below. Surprisingly, I forgot to take a single photo while we were here.

Final Verdict: 3 out of 5 stars! It is not that as spacious as RedDoorz we had the first night. But considering the price, I recommend this hotel for those who are on a budget.

Day 3

8. Whaleshark sightings at OSLOB.

The calltime for this trip is as early as 3 am in the morning. It was really hard for a morning lazy person like me. But as we arrived, we understood why we had to . Even if we were early, there was long queue of tourists ahead of us. Good thing our tour guide already had reservation number they planned ahead.

There was a short orientation on the rules and regulation for whaleshark. For one, we were not allowed to use sunblock. And we should maintain a distance from the whale shark.

I have a conflicting feelings about this experience. Sure, it was a unique experience to encounter this gigantic gentle creature. I was thrilled to see them and I had fun swimming away because I didn’t want to kick them. However I have to admit that the smell was strikingly unpleasant. I nearly vomited when I drank a little seawater. I did not regret this at all. But I might not repeat this experience.

One thing you must remember though that you need to bring action camera here for you to have assistance from the boatmen to have a photo with the whaleshark. They won’t accept mobile phones although you can bring them there. I tried to have a selfie with my mobile phone but no success. But I’m here to see them and savor the close encounter so I don’t have regrets. Here’s a screenshot of the video I took with my cellphone. I had fun taking this because the tourist was really caught off-guard that the whaleshark was already at his back. Video clip here in this link: 2:21

9. SUMILON ISLAND

Ahhhh I love this part. This is my most favorite so far. I know I’ve been a lot of beaches but everything in Sumilon was just clean and relaxing to the eye. The pristine and turquoise water was really charming. The photos I captured using mobile phone won’t need filters.

There are absolutely no store in Sumilon Island. So if you are feeling hungry, make sure you already bring snacks and water on the way.

10. Oslob Cartel

It was like mini Intramuros. Our tour guide said this used to be a headquarters for the Japanese troup.

Oslob Old Church

Oslob Heritage Park

I didn’t roamed around the park. But I love the vintage and chill vibe. If given more time and energy, I would have a photoshoot here.

11. SIMALA CHURCH

This church took me by surprise by how much big it is. The biggest I’ve seen in my life so far. Furthermore, the architecture gave me European Vibes. I never read or have seen this church in social media or anywhere else so this was pretty unexpected. The area was big it took me an hour to roam the place. Expect a lot of stairs.

Note: Shorts and sleeveless are strictly prohibited here. Trappings are available for rent at the entrance area.

If you notice, I am wearing a cloth wrapped around my waist in my pics here. There is a strict dress code upon entering here. But don’t worry, there were trappings for rent outside the church for P25.00. But Simala church itself is for free.

12. Dinner at KKD STK + BBQ

Once again, we took the advise of our tour guide for our next dinner foodtrip. They suggested KKD for affordability and great food. They specially recommended us to try Adobong Nokus(Squid) and Chorizo in Stick. Given that KKD was just near our accommodation for the night, we just walked through several blocks to reach this restaurant in  M. J. Cuenco Ave, Cebu City, Cebu .

They have a string of neighbor restaurants. This street of Cebu City is very much alive at night.

It’s time to eat!

ADOBONG NOKUS with ATA for P260.00
This is the star of the night. It is unlike the taste of Adobong pusit that I got used to. So I guess, there’s a unique Cebu touch for this dish. It is savory, but not too salty. I miss eating this. I hope there’s KKD in Manila.

BUTTERRED SHRIMP for P185.00
I am not that impressed at this one. It’s not that buttery for my taste.

SISIG with EGG for P140.00
I also love this one apart next to Adobong Nokus.

SINIGANG na ISDA for P185.00

CHORIZO for P25.00
I had high expectation with this one but it was sweet. I am not inclined with sweet meat or sausages. Personal choice.

FOUR SEASON PITCHER

FINAL VERDICT for KKD STK+BBQ

4 our of 5 stars.Just like what they mentioned int their banner, they greatly value hospitality and I do felt that with the service we have received here in this restaurant. The staff would often smile and asked us on what we need constantly. I also love the majority of the food that we ordered. Adobong Nokus is a must try. Most of all, it is indeed affordable.

CEBU TRAVELERS TOUR AGENCY REVIEW

Their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cebutravelers/

First of all, this is not a sponsored post whatsoever. I just want to thank Cebu Travelers Tour Agency for their affordable tour package. As I said earlier,we started planning the itinerary less than a week before our flight. I have inquired to numerous agencies which gave me heart attack for the final quotations. So I only find Cebu Travelers as the most affordable one so far for the exclusive tour. It is owned by a couple who also personally toured and drive for us. They entertained us with their stories during long travels. And they recommended nice restaurants for our search of Cebu flavor. For that my raiting with be 4.5 stars out of 5 stars! Below this photo are the packaged we availed from them. Go ahead and explore their other packages in Facebook.

DAY 1: OSLOB TOUR : 1,699php/person

⊙Whaleshark encounter

⊙Sumilon island

⊙Sandbar

⊙Oslob quartel

¤ Oslob heritage park

¤Oslob old church

⊙Lindogon, Simala Church

Add-on Php500 for foreign guest only, as part of tourism ordinance in Oslob.

DAY 2 MOALBOAL + KAWASAN 1,299php/person,

⊙Pescador Island

⊙Snorkelling/coral watching

⊙Sardines run

⊙Turtle watching(if they show up)

⊙Dolphin watching (if arrive early and seasonal)

⊙Kawasan Falls

⊙TEOFELO CAMOMOT SHRINE or LAMBUG BEACH

⊙(Full Course Canyoneering w/ lunch)” OPTIONAL add on 1,500 for canyoneering”

And that’s it for Part 1 of our Cebu Adventure. I hope parts of this may help you with your adventure if you’re planning. Don’ t forget also to check out the summary video of my Cebu Trip. And also please subscribe to my youtube channel “Gurezu Reviews”.

Thanks everyone! And remember that you’re awesome!

GUREZU ❤

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