So much to See in cebu
Long before Covid-19 alert levels went down to their lowest this year, Cebu, ranked as one of the islands in the world by the international travel web site Big 7 Travel and the best island in Asia by renowned magazine Conde Nast, has been jumping the gun on other tourist destinations in the race to reopen local tourism. In fact, for two years now, they have been hosting the “I Love Cebu Summer Sale,” sponsored by the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu Inc. (HRRACI).
Not even the onslaught of Supertyphoon Odette, in December 2021, could derail these efforts. In fact, just five months after Odette, media was invited to see for themselves how Cebu rose, just like the phoenix, from these double setbacks. Cebu Pacific Air, one of the sponsors of this event (as well as Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort and DOT Region 7), offered to fly us in for the 3-day media familiarization tour. Despite our early morning flight, Naia 3 Terminal was, as described by Roxanne M. Gohuico, the Cebu Pac executive who joined us, a scene of happy chaos, with people out for “revenge travel.”
Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort, a pillar of Cebu’s resort industry for over three
decades now, was to be our home for this 3-day media tour. The resort was “ground zero” during the onslaught of Odette yet, in spite of the devastation, epitomized the Cebuano’s bayanihan spirit, offering power from their generators to town folks so that they could recharge their phones and portable lamps. Though they still show some of the scars from Odette, they are now up and about, with tourist numbers now picking up. After a two-year hiatus from domestic and international travel due to the Covid-19 lockdown, it was nice to be back to this luxurious setting with its chic lodging, private beach, posh spa and multiple F&B outlets.
After a delightful breakfast and lunch at the resort, it was also nice to again explore
what Cebu has to offer. Lapu-lapu City happens to be the center of Cebu’s traditional guitar-making industry and we dropped by the well-known Alegre Guitar Factory, one of the best. Here, a guide showed us how quality guitars are made by hand using imported as well as indigenous wood.
Aside from the famed Santo Niño, Cebu has a second devotion, that of the image of Nuestra Señora De la Regla (Our Lady of the Rule) whose shrine was just a 6.5-km drive from the guitar factory. The image of the Virgin, carved from the trunk of dark Philippine hardwood, was patterned after the original located in Chipiona, Spain. The Feast of the Virgin is celebrated, with much solemnity, every November 21.
We arrived in Cebu just five days before the upcoming “Kadaugan sa Mactan” and we visited some of the activities that were part of the celebration. First, we made a short visit to the Kadaugan Trade Fair and Art Fest at Central Mall which just opened that morning. We then proceeded to the Mactan Shrine (also known as the Liberty Shrine) where we joined Lapu-lapu City First Lady Cindi King-chan and other guests in witnessing an advanced reenactment of Lapu-lapu’s victory over Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Back at the resort, I indulged in some pampering at Anuma Spa prior to seaside dinner at the Cove.
The next day, after breakfast at the resort, we proceeded to Bukawan ni Alejandra (BNA for short), Cebu’s newest pride and a must-see for flower lovers. BNA
(buwak is Bisaya for “flower”), known as the “Little Tagaytay of Cebu,” features a vibrant, 740-sq-m flower garden on a mountainside. The stunning landscape of this breathtaking and charmingly peaceful attraction is home to more than 200 varieties of colorful, locally grown flowers. Unlike the celosia flower farms in Sirao, this botanical garden takes pride in its colorful varieties of dahlia.
A short drive away was the Our Lady of Manaoag Rosary Sanctuary which, during Holy Week, was included in the Highland Pilgrimage Tour. It was built by Edna O. Toral who wanted to propagate the devotion of Our Lady of Manaoag (who she credits with curing her complicated ulcers) in the Visayas. This quiet place has a prayer room, a museum and an outdoor chapel.
Lunch was to be at Kusina Luche at the 15-hectare Adlawon Vacation Farm, owned by Atty. Danilo Ortiz and Dra. Melinda “Peluche” Ortiz (after whom the restaurant was named). Here, we dined on cabcab, chicken buko soup, bistek, binukadkad na tilapia, pandan chicken and crispy pata followed by guyabano ice cream for dessert. To burn the calories, some of us joined a 30-minute tour of the farm’s facilities as well as walking down the “Celebrity Walk” and feeding some of the animals in their pens.
After lunch at the farm, a long 45 min. drive took us back to downtown Cebu, to Robinson’s Galleria Cebu where we dropped by The Chocolate Chamber. Welcomed by president and founder Raquel Toquero-choa and managing partner du
Pantino, we tried a select set of tablea, a thick Filipino hot chocolate, creations to die for—whole Cacao Nib Praline, the Tartufini, Choco-mango Nugget, and the Chocolate Sweet Rice Surprise. Raquel also gave us her take on the country’s growing chocolate industry.
Prior to dinner, we made a photo stop, as near as we could possibly be, to Cebu’s newest iconic landmark—the P30-billion, 8.9-km (5.5-mi) long Cebu–cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX). The third road link between Cebu and Mactan Islands was inaugurated on April 27 and is the longest and tallest bridge as well as the longest cable-stayed bridge in the country. Dinner was to be at the Glasshouse, the fine dining area of the sprawling, spankingly new Marina Seaview Restaurant beside the Cebu Yacht Club. Here, we listened to a live band while dining on delectable, mouthwatering dishes.
“So much to see with so little time” is how I would describe this journey. Still, it was nice to see the “Never-say-die” attitude of the Cebuanos whose optimism, hardiness, religiosity and sense of coherence are indicators of their resilience. Using the words of the Star Trek Vulcan salute—may Cebu “Live Long and Prosper.”