Cebu Journals

Four-day Cebu/Mactan trip

A March 2004 trip to Cebu by marseilles

Quote: Four days of discovering Cebu City and Mactan: its history, its guitar-making industry, and its urban delights.

    Four-day Cebu/Mactan trip

    Best Of IgoUgo

    Overview

    Quote:
    If you're flying into a Philippine city on the way to the paradise-like countryside, Cebu City is a wonderful alternate point of entry to Manila. On the one hand, Cebu has the conveniences of an urbanization and progress, yet without many of the accompanying problems so prevalent in Manila: overpopulation, pollution, nor traffic (it's only a 20-minute taxi ride from point A to point B anywhere in the city; Lapu-lapu City on Mactan Island is just an additional 20 minutes away).On the other hand, the areas surrounding Cebu City are still very provincial, all not more than two hours away from the city. As a result, Cebu and Mactan Islands are a good place to enjoy the beautiful na...Read More

    Quote:
    It's priced like a guesthouse, but it feels like a hotel. Spanking new (when we went), with a very nice-looking reception area, this place looks more expensive than it actually is. US$17 a night gives you a standard air-conditioned room without a window, but it's clean, new, well-kept, and has hot and cold water and cable television. The location is very convenient, on a quiet street off the main road in downtown Cebu. Service is friendly and professional, though I do think it might be a good idea to book a reservation beforehand rather than simply walk in, as it seems like a popular pension house. We were pleasantly surprised to find such good accommodations in this price range, and we do plan to sta...Read More

    Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 19, 2005

    Alegre Guitar Factories

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    Attraction | "Guitar factories"

    Quote:
    A very musical people, these Cebuanos are, and Cebu is said to be the home of the best guitar craftsmen in the Philippines: good-quality guitars at incredibly affordable prices. The trip is also a cultural excursion and will give you an up-close look of traditional guitar-making processes.Getting to the row of family-owned guitar factories is no easy feat. The easiest thing if you don't have access to your own vehicle in Cebu is to hire a taxi for an afternoon to take you to the row of guitar factories in Abuno, Mactan Island, and wait for you there so you have a ride back. Alegre Guitar Factory has the most impressive looking guitar factory in Abuno. The standard guitars and o...Read More

    Member Rating 3 out of 5 on November 19, 2005

    Alegre Guitar Factories
    Near Mactan Airport
    Abuno, Mactan Island

    Lapu-lapu Monument / Magellan Marker

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    Attraction | "Lapu-lapu Monument/Magellan Marker"

    Quote:
    If you're traveling through Mactan Island for any reason, the Lapu-lapu monument is a good place to stop-over for two reasons: the historical significance of the site, and arguably the best sinugba-tinola-kinilaw, the Cebu and Mactan's specialty seafood dish.Since this is a popular tourist spot, taxis usually ply this area, but if you want to avoid a long wait for a taxi, you can, for a bigger fee, ask a taxi to bring you there and wait for you while you visit the area and enjoy your Sinugba meal.The Lapu-lapu monument is built right on the site where, in 1521, the local datu Lapu-lapu killed Ferdinand Magellan, cutting short the latter's circumnavigation of the world. Magellan...Read More

    Member Rating 3 out of 5 on November 20, 2005

    Lapu-lapu Monument / Magellan Marker
    Punta Engano, Mactan Island
    Cebu, Philippines