Expatriate Forums in Philippines

firewoman

I'm a Filipina but like you, I'm also well traveled.

I am glad at the same sad to know of your experience in Cebu. I am a Cebuana as well and I can honestly say that your perceptions of Cebu (culturally speaking) is true.

I wish our tourism people are taking the time to read or visit this forum for they seem to love to congratulate themselves too much for a lousy performance. Same as the tipping problem. Indeed, you give tips for great service, its not something one should demand for, especially not when they are being dishonest.

I like the fact that you stood up for it and you kept on saying NO to those taxi drivers.

One thing I disagree tho is the generalization. Cebu and Manila are the two largest economy in the country and yes, it is ridiculously expensive. I lived in New York for several years and its cheaper for me to stay in New York, and I get to shop for the best merchandise too. In cebu, you save because its hard to find something of value to buy. This I agree.

there are other beautiful resorts in Cebu though that have great transportation amenities - Shangri-la Hotel and Imperial Palace (this hotel is brand new). Shangri-la is kind of famous for their rooms (frankly, I am not impressed) but most people seem to be. Their food is extremely expensive - a lot of people crave for it too (I think its over priced).

There's great food in the city called "Olio" - its a little too pricy for the local people but I must admit, the food is spectacular. the name of the restaurant you were looking for was La Dolce Vita (the sweet life right?). It's gone. There's La Tegola - food is not bad...its actually quite good.

As for Filipino dishes, y0u never go wrong with Golden Cowrie in Lahug. We are very famous for our grilled food and seafoods - you should have gone to Mactan Shrine - its very near your hotel. But u have to know how to pick the right spot though. Go to Manna, they have good food there. Well, I don't really recommend it unless you are with the locals.

You have to try Island Hopping in Cebu next time. if you had, you will fall madly in love with the island. You should have taken the boat and bring your snorkels or diving gears. Have them take you to Gilutungan Island. The views are magnificent - but I'd say, Cebu in my standard is only a C or at best a B- and I have extremely high standards.

But for historical places, the best ones are in the outskirts of the city, which takes at least 2 hours drive. You need to go to the tip of the island (both ends). You'll see great ruins there and well preserved structures. I also urge you to visit Panay Island. It is so amazingly beautiful. You have to visit Miaggiao Church - its recognized as a World Heritage Site by the UN. The facade detailing are priceless. Interiors are totally awesome. I have been to Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice) - Miaggiao is totally awesome.

You haven't been to Boracay too. Pattaya is nice but not quite close to Boracay. Bora have the softest sugary white sands ever. It doesn't get hot - you will be walking on carpet soft sand, you'd want to stay barefoot all day while in the beach. The culture of the local people there are proud though so you can't push them around. I'm Filipino myself but I can't push them around. The people there are quite dignified no matter where you are coming from. You can trust that they too use their common sense. Of course, its human nature to take advantage if you allow them - where ever you go. But its less likely to happen there even if the island is not as developed. There's a tourism center there too, which is not present anywhere else in the country (except in Subic Bay - which I've never been).

Camiguin Island has plenty of amazing ruins too - from previous volcanic eruption. There's an undiscovered church there (not yet discovered by international media) that is over 20 feet tall. You'd think its the church itself. The thickness of the wall is about 1 meter thick. It's only the roof top and made up of rock structure. It's utterly amazing.

There's hot and cold springs. Hot springs can boil an egg, and you can cool your soda in the cold springs (Sto. Nino cold springs).

Public Transportation is the biggest challenge in the country. I must admit - it really sucks. Your best luck at all times is to get or rent a private car. It's always the safest and the best option.

Shopping - shop for local items - we have plenty of great stuff that you can bring back to your home. Indigenous products that are utterly lovely - lighting fixtures, pina cloth, shellcraft and many more. You have to try our local desserts. The problem is that we don't have a one-stop tourist info - I really blame our tourism industry for this. Please, keep an open mind about the country - its the people in office that sucks, not the locals and definitely not the landscape Smile