5 Chill To Do’s in Cebu

written on May 9th, 2013 by Jean Del Mar

 

It’s more fun in Cebu. There’s no shortage of activities and surprises here. There are world class products, hotels, festivals and cuisine. Cebu is the darling of the Visayas. It’s not named the Queen City of the South for nothing. There are a lot more than 5 to do’s in Cebu, but we’ll talk about the more chill and relaxing stuff. Of course, chill and relaxing means different things to different people.

Whale Shark Watching

If you aren’t afraid of giant animals less than a few feet away from you, then you will love Whale Shark Watching in Oslob. Locally called Butanding, these gentle giants are quite literally the size of a car… and these are the babies. But don’t worry, Whale Sharks are a friendly bunch. They won’t eat you.  It’s very safe.

Driving to Oslob from Cebu City takes about 3 hours. It’s quite a long trip, right? But it is well worth it because I bet you will enjoy. The journey to the southern tip of Cebu has plenty of scenery that will keep you busy.

Groove with Music

Is listening to music more your thing? You will love the serene music at the Radisson Blu Hotel lobby or at the Marco Polo music lounge while having a cup of tea. Or you can experience an all-out piano performance at Sally’s Piano Bar in I.T. Park, Lahug.

Maybe listening isn’t your thing. Are you more a dancer? Let your body move as you feel the beat of the 80’s and 90’s songs at the Jazz N’ Blues in Panagdait, Mabolo. Or you can be taught to dance ballroom by professional dance instructors with a live band at Level 8 in Adnama Hotel.

Walking tour

Walking is good exercise. In Cebu, you can do a walking tour. There’s no better way to learn more about this city. Just within the vicinity of the city’s downtown area, there are many tourist spots. You can start at the Cebu Heritage Monument, the 1730 Jesuit House, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Casa Gorordo, Museo Sugbo, Halad Museum and, the most visited, Basilica Del Santo Niño and Magellan’s Cross.

Food! Food! Food!

Of course, that’s not all. You need to taste Cebu’s best cuisines. Cebuanos love food. Here are a few places to choose from.

Want to have a great place to dine with a unique view of the city? Dine in Lantaw Restaurant. (Lantaw means to overlook). They just opened a new branch in Busay near Mountain View Nature Park. This branch offers a mountain view of Cebu. Their original branch is the floating restaurant in Cordova, Mactan. They also have a spectacular view of the city. Of course, you will also enjoy their sumptuous Filipino foods. Other choices for Filipino dishes should also be Golden Cowrie, Laguna Garden and Chika-an.

If you want to try the best pig ever, get the lechon in Zubuchon. They have a unique way of grilling wherein the whole pig is acupunctured to preserve the crispiness of the skin (arguably the best part of lechon). Also try their Dinuguan. It will make you shout, “Delicioso!”

Cebu also has very good Chinese cuisine. Try Ching Palace, Tin Gow  or Choi City. You can’t go wrong with any of them.

Shopping

You can’t go home without something from Cebu, right? SM City Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu are the typical shopping areas. If you want something different, visit Ferimar in Nivel Hills, Lahug. They create ultramodern products like jewelries and handbags made from natural and recycled materials that are admired worldwide. You can also visit ABS Export in Labangon, Cebu. They create high quality traditional Filipino-style fashion accessories, gift items and home decors. Don’t forget Janice Minor Export Inc. in Lapulapu. They manufacture furniture and home accessories too. All are exporters and are known internationally.

For local delicacies, Island Pasalubong has it all. They have otap, rosquillos, dried mangoes, chicharon, torta, piñato, dried fish……… you name it! You don’t need to go to Argao to taste their best torta; to Liloan for their rosquillos; to Taboan for the dried fish or to Carcar for their Chicharon. This is a one-stop shop. They have branches in Mango Avenue, Magallanes Street, Archbishop Reyes Street and Mactan Marina Mall.