Conquering Cebu

Magellan's Cross

Thanks to a promo of Philippine Airlines, I was able to purchase an incredible package that includes a 3D/2N stay at Hilton Cebu inclusive of round trip airfare. I was excited to have come across the offer since I haven't been to Cebu plus its the first Hilton Hotel resort in the Philippines. I've seen the hotel in pictures with its signature pink color which even made me more excited. The thing about the offer is that you can't book it online so I had to drop by their office at Macapagal to book it. Arriving at Mactan International Airport, someone was already waiting at the arrival area with my name on it and a pink car was there to take us to the hotel. Hilton Cebu is just a short ride from the airport and you can already see the two towers from afar as you drive to it. I was happy and excited to have arrived. The lobby was very open and airy and you can already see the ocean. Our room is situated in the upper floors of the building and the view from our balcony was awesome. After settling in our room, it was time for a hearty lunch of pasta and adobo at the hotel. Both dishes were very tasty and filling. 

View from my room

My room

Hotel Lobby

Being newbies, it didn't stop us from going on an adventure in the city. Prior to coming, I did some research on the must see places, I even printed a map. The hotel provides a free shuttle service to the city with 2 drop off points, SM Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu. There is a shuttle schedule, so it's important to know the time when the service will be at a particular drop off points. You also have to advise the concierge in advance so they can reserve you a seat in the shuttle just in case there's too many folks. The trip to Mandaue from Mactan was a leisurely one and you get to see more of the city. We got off at Ayala Center, did a little strolling around the mall before hailing a cab and started to explore the city on our own. With our map at hand, we went to our first destination which was Magellan's Cross. Once we got there, there were a lot of tourist, mostly Korean or Japanese. Initially, I thought the place was big as well as the cross. Also, the monument is not as you'd expect with a manicured garden etc., it was not even on a main road or something. It's in between the cityhall and the church. We just stayed there for a couple of minutes and took pictures. There are women offering to dance the Sinulog and give prayers for our loved ones but we politely smiled and declined. We also checked out the church beside and took a peek inside. 

Magellan's Cross

Outside Magellan's Cross

Next, we headed to our next destination which was Fort Santiago. Going there wasn't really part of our itinerary but since we were there already, I said let's go. The fort is a miniature Intramuros and the entrance cost Php 40. The fort has a garden inside and you can walk around the walls in 10 minutes. There was a photoshoot going on and we watched for a few minutes before doing our own photoshoot at the walls. It was early in the afternoon and was quite hot but it didn't stop us from taking a lot of pictures.

Entrance to the fort

Inside Fort Santiago

After Fort Santiago, we were supposed to go to the Crown Regency to do the Edge Coaster and Skywalk but the cab driver suggested we go see the Taoist temple. Again, this wasn't part of the itinerary but I said go for it since we were there already. Talk about being spontaneous. The temple was located in a gated village and the name of the village was "Beverly Hills". When we got there, we took some pictures outside first not realizing that it was almost closing time. The driver forgot to tell us or didn't know that the temple was only open up to 5PM. I guess we got there at around 4:50 pm so when we wanted to go inside, we were advised it was closed already. Having been denied entry, we just took more pictures at the parking area. After a couple of pictures, we headed out and went to our original itinerary which was the Edge Coaster and the Skywalk at Crown Regency Hotel.

The ticket would cost you Php 750, and it includes the Edge Coaster, the Skywalk Extreme and buffet dinner. Once we got to the top, I thought "How scary can this be?" feeling no fear at all. We tried the Edge Coaster first and once I got in, I was already feeling a little scared. The ride will take you around the building and the first turn will til you 55 degrees and all you see is ground during that time. It was a good thing I can still smile and look good for the camera even though I was way up. It was a beautiful afternoon when we did the ride so we had a nice view of the entire city. After the ride, we were given certificates as proof that we conquered the ride.

Edge Coaster

Next, we headed to the Skywalk extreme. Valuables were to be kept in a locker and you have to be have shoes on to be able to do the walk (good thing both of us were wearing sneakers). We were given our orange suites (although mine was a little big and that was the smallest they had for me) and given our harness, and off we go. It was exciting and a bit scary especially when the photographer wanted you to do some poses for the camera. It was a nice view since it was already dark and you can see the city come alive at night. It was spectacular in the afternoon but t was even more beautiful at night. The scary part is when they have you really sit at the edge, I thought there were times that I can't feel my legs because I was so scared. Once we got back inside, again, we were issued our certificates. The pictures were quite expensive, it costs Php 550 for the pics to be put in a CD. So the pictures for both costs1000 Php. After all that thrill, it was dinner time and we were starving already. To be fair the buffet only cost Php 150 from the ticket price and it was a nice spread with choices ranging from American, Japanese Chinese and Filipino food. I must say I ate more than Php 150 and tried almost all of the dishes, hahaha. Since it was already 9PM and the last schedule of the shuttle was only up to 6PM, we had no choice but to take a cab back to the hotel that costs Php 250.

Ready

At the edge of the building

Finally, conquered Skywalk

The next day we headed out to buy dried fish and other Cebu delicacies at Tabuan market. We rode the the first shuttle going to the city and went down at the drop off at SM Cebu, did a little strolling around before hailing a cab going to the market. It was hard to choose at first since almost all the stalls basically sold the same  thing, so it was a matter of finding the one who had the cheapest prices or had a better offer. We were able to purchase a lot of dried squid as well as danggit, yum! They even sealed our purchases in a bag so that you won't be bothered by the smell of dried fish. After the market, we got a cab again and we went back to our drop off point at Ayala Center Cebu and explored the mall a little. While at the mall, we even joined a havainas contest where they took a video of us and we had to have the people vote for us so we can go to Brazil for free. It was a quick stroll so instead for waiting for the shuttle, we went back to the hotel by just utilizing the jeepney. After asking around on what jeep to ride going back to Punta Engano (where the hotel was located), we rode our jeep at the Ayala Center terminal. It was fun and we picked up a few Cebuano terms along the way. Since the hotel was located in a separate island, we had to take 2 jeepneys. Before going back to the hotel, we stopped by Mactan Shrine, which is another popular landmark in Cebu. There, you will find Lapu Lapu who is probably the first here of the Philippines. There are also stalls in the park which sell different types of souvenirs so we did a little shopping there as well. It was early in the afternoon and the sun was shining very brightly, good thing we were already near the hotel so we hailed another jeep and got back in no time.

Lapu Lapu

It was nice to be back at the hotel, we changed into our beach clothes and lounged at the pool. Hilton is a nice hotel with friendly staff. Food was great and the service was very good. Lounging at the beach, they gave us a buzzer so everytime we buzzed, they'll know where we were and ready to take our orders and serve our food and drinks. We had a late lunch at the beach and to cool down, we had ice cream for dessert. Good thing the package also has a 20% discount on food and spa services so it was nice that we saved a few extra pesos when we were there. 

View of the hotel from the beach

View of the beach

Having a fun afternoon

Night came and since we had a late lunch, we decided to just swim at the pool until dinner time. The pool is open until 10PM at night so we just enjoyed and took pictures. The water was a little chilly during that time so we decided to head back to the room for a late dinner. We decided to have room service and have dinner at our room . The package also included a complimentary bottle of wine which we enjoyed at our balcony after. 

On our last day, there was still ample time to swim at the pool and at the beach and take some more pictures. We had a blast that we just had enough time to pack our stuff and head back to the airport to catch our flight back to Manila. I loved my stay at the Hilton and would probably stay there again when I go back. And when I go back, I'll conquer the Edge Coaster and Skywalk again.

View from the top of Crown Regency