Been coming back to Cebu now for three consecutive years and what can I say, I’m still loving this province in the South. Though the primary reason for coming was participating for the first time ever in a Spartan race, I couldn’t help but cross off some must-sees before and after it with my Cebu first-timer friend Karen. This won’t be as exhaustive list as before but for reference you can check my post here and from there you can click the other links.
Cebu City (Busay)
If you’re checking out this hilly side of the city, the tip is to hire a private car and do all the attractions in this side (there are lookouts, dining area and flower gardens to name a few). You can book a Grab on the way but booking one to the next on this steep access road can be quite hard. Habal-habals (or motorbikes) are available but maybe a bit inconvenient though. We visited Sirao Flower Garden, Temple of Leah and a coffee shop called Crate that’s already close to Marco Polo where we stayed at after the race.
Sirao Flower Garden is like my temporary replacement for still not making it to Provence’s lavender fields this year. But this field of Celosia is also beautiful so I wore a lavender dress. Hehe. Temple of Leah (dubbed as Cebu’s Taj Mahal) though still half-done looks very impressive with its immaculate marble fountain and portico but getting inside and checking the details, I feel that it already needs maintenance even before its expected completion in 2020. It’s a great look out place though.
A short distance away from Marco Polo is this charming coffee shop called Crate that offers al fresco dining with green views. As for accommodation, Marco Polo service and dining is highly recommended as well as this co-working space/ hostel called Murals where we briefly stayed at for 2 nights after arrival and before departure.
With a few days allotted after the Spartan race, the big question was should we go north or south? But I guess, the southern part will always be special for me aside from the fact that there are still a few unlocked locations here (read: waterfalls). So, Malapascua/ Bantayan, wait for me next year maybe? Hehe.
A visit to the south isn’t complete without stopping by Kawasan Falls (it’s my third time already!). Tip: Try the chocolate donuts sold here for P20 each. But I prefer the quieter and less crowded falls now so I was glad to have checked out Cambais Falls and Montpelier Falls in Badian. Lambug beach is also worth a visit since my friend Karen was more into lounging than trekking to the waterfalls. We stayed at Eskapo Verde resort too – a place I blogged about last time here.
I think I love Cambais falls more now than Cancalanog. It’s beautiful in its entire wilderness. You have to go through a narrow hole to get here or jump from a high rock that encloses this area. As for Montpelier, it looks like an old gray-haired woman with its mighty waters from above. Both falls are along the same area and took about 15 minutes of trek each from the drop-off. Lambug beach and its white sand came as a surprise too as I didn’t know about this place when I went here last year.
Tip: There are cheaper homestay alternatives in Lambug beach but you can always visit this eco-friendly resort for some meals and photo-op in their famous bamboo walkway.
And that’s a wrap of my Cebu 2019 itinerary. Let’s see if a Spartan race experience post will come up soon. Ciao!