The city of Cebu

1. Que e n Ci ty o f the So uth
Its more fun in the
Philippines
Module 5
Cebu

2. In this module…
You will learn about the city of
Cebu and also about its
neighbouring cities

3. You will learn about the city of
Cebu and also about its
neighbouring cities
You will also learn about what to
see and do in the city - from
shopping to sightseeing to
nightlife, and also getting around
within the city
In this module…

4. You will learn about the city of
Cebu and also about its
neighbouring cities
You will also learn about what to
see and do in the city - from
shopping to sightseeing to
nightlife, and also getting around
within the city
So lets get started…
In this module…

5. Cebu is an island province consisting of the island itself and 167
surrounding islandsCebu City

6. Its capital is Cebu City, the oldest city in the Philippines, which forms part of
the Cebu Metropolitan Area together with four neighboring cities of Danao,
Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay
Cebu City

7. The people of Cebu are Cebuanos and
they form the second largest group in the
Philippines

8. The people of Cebu are Cebuanos and
they form the second largest group in the
Philippines
A Cebuano chieftain called Lapu-Lapu,
killed the explorer Ferdinand Magellan and
became a local hero

9. The 20 metre bronze statue of Lapu-Lapu stands in
Lapu-Lapu City of Cebu. It was erected to honor him for
defeating the Spanish soldiers led by the explorer
Ferdinand Magellan in 1521
The people of Cebu are Cebuanos and
they form the second largest group in the
Philippines
A Cebuano chieftain called Lapu-Lapu,
killed the explorer Ferdinand Magellan and
became a local hero

10. Mactan-Cebu International Airport is the second busiest airport
in the Philippines

11. It takes about 20-30 min to get to the city of Cebu from the airport
From the airport you will need to hire a taxi
This is a view of the proposed airport

12. 2Go Travel operates passenger ferries with a capacity of 2,000
to 4,000 passengers from and to Manila
The trip takes about 22 hours

13. Exploring Cebu
As we discussed in Module 1, Philippines is a delight for tourists. We will now focus our attention on the
same elements. So let’s look at the main attractions that would appeal to the Indian tourists.
Shopping Night Life
Beaches &
Natural Beauty
Casinos
Historical
Heritage
Amazing
Hotels

14. SHOPPING

15. Cebu City has many shopping malls - SM City Cebu is the biggest

16. Cebu City has many shopping malls - SM City Cebu is the biggest
‣ It has four-levels with a huge department store, supermarket, movie theater and over 200
shops and restaurants
‣ SM City Cebu is located at the North Reclamation Area, Cebu City

17. ‣ It is the fourth largest shopping mall in the Philippines
‣ The SM City Mall is also home to a Duty Free Shopping Outlet
‣ On an average day, more than one lakh people visit the mall, and on weekends it can go up to a
lakh and a half

18. A more upscale shopping mall is the Ayala Mall, it offers more restaurants and stores
that appeal to tourists

19. Its unique feature is the Terraces, a redevelopment that transformed a simple lagoon area to a food plaza with
the landscaping and orchestrated water features

20. AMAZING HOTELS

21. BlueWater Resort, Maribago
Located on the Mactan Island of Cebu, the resort is spread across 7 hectares
It is modelled like a tropical forest and offers a variety of facilities

22. It has 158 rooms, including five royal bungalows
It has three lagoon shaped swimming pools and offers scuba diving, snorkeling and boating too

23. Marriott, Cebu City
This hotel offers a convenient location for business and leisure travel as it is located
in the financial district
Shopping, recreation and leisure activities are all available within a little distance

24. The hotel sits next to the Ayala Mall and just 10 minutes from downtown and the Cebu International
Convention Center
The grand ballroom, four meeting rooms and two boardrooms are perfect for social events and
corporate functions accommodating up to 400 guests
The Terraces of the Ayala Mall A view of the Grand Ballroom

25. About one hour from Cebu City,
Plantation Bay is spread across 11
hectares and offers one of the
largest privately-owned waterways
in the world
Plantation Bay

26. Water Edged Rooms are one of the attractions of
the resort
Guests can jump directly into the water from
these rooms

27. The sprawling resort offers scuba diving, including
night diving, para-sailing, water activities, rock
climbing and many other activities

28. Waterferont Hotel & Casino
Located 30 minutes from Mactan international Airport
is the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino
The hotel has over 550 rooms

29. The hotel has a gaming area, where Casino Filipino is
located
It also has Cebu’s second duty free shopping

30. Mactan Island is a densely populated island located a few kilometers from
Cebu Island, it’s just a 15 minute drive
Mactan Island

31. The island is separated from Cebu by the Mactan Channel which is crossed by two bridges:
the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge
Marcelo Fernan Bridge Mactan-Mandaue Bridge

32. Being one of the major tourist Islands of Cebu, Mactan Island boasts of a diverse collection of tourist spots and
attractions and offers some of the best diving, snorkeling, island hopping, jet ski, and sailing activities

33. HISTORICAL
HERITAGE

34. Magellan's Cross is a cross planted
by explorer Ferdinand Magellan upon
arriving in Cebu in 1521
Magellan's Cross

35. The Magellan’s Cross is housed in a chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño on
Magallanes Street just in front of the city center of Cebu City
A marker at the foot of the cross A plaque at the entrance of the building

36. The Lapu-Lapu Memorial is a 20 metres (66 ft) bronze
statue in Lapu-Lapu City
It was erected to honor Lapu-Lapu, a native leader who
defeated Spanish soldiers of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521
Lapu Lapu Memorial

37. The Basílica Menor del Santo Niño is the Spanish
name for the Minor Basilica of the Holy Child
It was built in the 16th century and is the oldest
Roman Catholic church in the country
Basílica Menor del Santo Niño

38. The Cebu Taoist Temple was
built in 1972 and is located in
Beverly Hills subdivision

39. It is at a height of 300 metres (980 ft) and is a multi-tiered, multi-colored attraction accessible by three separate winding routes to the top
The temple was built by Cebu's substantial Chinese community

40. NIGHTLIFE

41. IT Park, Mango Avenue, and Crossroads are the
best areas to experience nightlife in Cebu. Since,
this area is where most people from call centers
work nearly all people here speak good English
You can see people partying here everyday and not
just the weekends

42. In the heart of Mango Avenue is El Gecko Restrobar, it’s a great local bar to start the
night out with, it has a good sound system and pool tables too

43. Cable Car is a hip and happening
pub cum restaurant with amazing
Tex Mex, Italian, Filipino food at
very reasonable prices

44. Tequila shots at 5 pesos or just 7 per shot…
it can’t get better than this!

45. ‣ The H2O Dance Club is one of the best places
to go if you're looking for a disco
‣ It is located at Waterfront Lahug
‣ The crowd here is mature and popular music is
featured. They play music from the 60’s genre
to the latest

46. A few minutes drive from IT
Park, and about ten minutes
away from Mango Avenue is ,
Crossroads
At Crossroads you can go
dancing at Club VUDU and take
some shots at Maya to enjoy
your night out

47. Crossroads Cebu is where you’ll find high-class and
international restobars and dressy party clubs like VUDU.
Party starts from 9:00pm onwards, every Thursday to
Saturday.

48. Club VUDU is the best club in Cebu
The best part of clubs in the Mango Avenue is
there are many taxis waiting outside the clubs
to pick you up. They are available throughout
the night

49. Scrapyard Lounge is a sleek and
comfortable lounge as you go easy on
intimate conversation with great food,
terrific mixed drinks and warm company.

50. The club attracts the sophisticated crowd
from the nearby corporate district
because of its main attraction of a wide
selection of drinks available at its bar

51. It is also one of the few places in the city that
does bottle-keep, a practice that originated in
Japan, which simply means that if a customer’s
purchased liquor can’t be finished in one sitting,
the establishment will keep the remaining for
later use

52. Slabadu is an icon when it comes to live music in Cebu
Friends and families will enjoy the evenings in one of the oldest
and most established live music and bistro places in Mandaue
City
From Monday to Saturday 9:00 pm until late into the night,
different life bands are performing on stage

53. • The Outpost allows you to immerse in the intense
acoustic session of Cebu’s bands
• For those who loves good food, great music and
good vibes!
• Outpost is open Tuesdays through Sundays from
6:00pm to 2:00am.

54. La Vie Parisienne is a bakery cum eating
place located on way to the Taoist Temple
in Beverly Hills Subdivision.
It looks, feels, and smells like a modern
deli somewhere in downtown Paris.
At least a dozen different flavors of
macarons are usually on display here
At night the seating area gets lit up like a
scene out of a Hollywood movie
La Vie Parisienne

55. Larsian BBQ
Larsian BBQ is an alfresco or open air eating
joint
It is right in the middle of Cebu City, in the
Fuente Osmena area.
The stalls are busy at night, when the
weather is cooler.
You have a wide range of choices here
because there are several barbecue stalls in
this area.

56. Source http://www.tripadvisor.in
Mr India
If you are looking for an authentic Indian eating place, this is a highly
recommended one.
Veggie Samosa and their Chicken Curry combo is sold at a reasonable
price
Their Chicken Biryani is fairly authentic and gives you an Indian feel
The service here is good too

57. CASINOS

58. The Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino is
the city’s best hotel known for its Casino
which is open 24 hours a day.

59. The hotel has a gaming area called Club Waterfront.
The Casino Filipino is also in the hotel.
Over four hundred slot machines, over sixty table
games and seven restaurants make Casino Filipino a
popular gaming destination.

60. The Cebu International Convention Center is 3-storey structure with a gross floor area of 28,000 square metres and is
situated in the Mandaue City Reclamation Area in Metro Cebu
The site was originally intended for a sports complex called the Cebu Mega Dome

61. BEACHES &
NATURAL BEAUTY

62. Cebu island is truly blessed with magnificent
beaches and beautiful coastlines. Its laid back
beach attitude atmosphere is echoed throughout
the province

63. Beautiful White Sand Beach in Cebu: This is just one of
many white sand beaches on the Iisland
Tingko is one of the nearest beaches from the city

64. Bantayan Island is an enchanting beach with its crystal
clear water and its long stretch of white sugary sand
where apart from swimming, you can do a lot of stuff like
snorkeling, scuba diving and island hopping.

65. Tumalog Falls the falls are like a movie
set, which you can get into or walk behind
You can use a raft to explore the water
and give yourselves a massage from the
falling water.
There are also tables available for you to
keep your valuables (but make sure
there's at least one of you who will attend
to your valuables)

66. Mountain View Nature’s Park, Sitio Garahe Busay, Cebu City.
This hilltop view is a 30 minute drive from the city
It has a breathtaking view especially during the night time
wherein you can view the Whole of Cebu city.

67. Kawasan Falls is the place to begin jungle
treks in Cebu.
You might want to try a one-hour adventure
that will take you from the falls and along the
beautiful Matutinao River to its source.
In addition to the natural beauty here, you'll
come across waterfalls that are more than 70ft
high, pass through diverse jungle vegetation
and see varied wildlife that includes
butterflies, lizards and monkeys

68. You will get to see the major falls first, at the foot
of the Kawasan Falls.
Here, you can rent a bamboo raft and the rafters
will navigate the raft through the falling water,
behind the falling water, under the cave and back
to the open pool of water.

69. Nature enthusiasts can enjoy a visit to the Olango Wildlife Sanctuary
You can see a variety of exotic creatures taking shade amid the
stands of mangroves in this marshy area.

70. Guitars from Cebu are famous for their affordable price, world-class quality and durability
Cebu has a long history of guitar making due to its traditional industry
Most of the guitar manufacturers are family-owned, passed on from one generation to
another. The famous guitar makers in Lapu-Lapu City are the Alegre and Malingin families

71. Cebu-made guitars are popular with tourists, who buy them as gifts
and souvenirs
The center of the guitar-making industry in Cebu is in Lapu-Lapu City in
Mactan Island
In addition, other string musical instruments made in Lapu-Lapu City
include ukuleles, banjos, and mandolins

72. Cebu is called the Furniture Capital of Philippines
Cebu is famous for the furniture made from the Rattan family of palm trees

73. Cebu manufacturers are known for their superior
design capabilities and craftsmanship,
Cebu contributes more than 60% to the furniture
exports from the Philippines

74. Dried Mangoes is a convenient-to-carry snack. It is also
very nutritious.
Cebu is the main source of dried mangoes in the
Philippines

75. Besides the usual dried mangoes, other mango
products are strips, dried chips, cubes in syrup,
nectar, cakes and confectionery
It’s availability throughout the year adds another
attraction for tourists in Cebu

76. Danao City, in Cebu Province, is famous for its gun industry
Paltik is the name given to the homemade (and illegal) guns

77. The industry started around the early 1900s and was finally legalized in the early 1990s by the government
Two organizations in Danao have proper permits to run gun manufacturing facilities

78. The Edge Coaster is a unique ride where a coaster goes around the edge of the 38th floor of
the Crown Regency building while riders are locked onto a rail seat.
The riders get a breathtaking panorama of the entire Cebu landscape perched over 130
meters above ground

79. Let’s Recap
‣ Cebu is an island province consisting of the island itself and 167 surrounding islands
‣ Mactan-Cebu International Airport is the second busiest airport in the Philippines
‣ SM City Cebu is the biggest mall in Cebu City
‣ The Ayala Mall plays hosts to the Terraces, a food plaza with the landscaping and orchestrated
water features
‣ About one hour from Cebu City, is the Plantation Bay, a resort spread across 11 hectares and one of
the largest privately-owned waterways in the world

80. Let’s Recap
‣ Bantayan Island is a enchanting beach with its crystal clear water and its long stretch of white
sugary sand where apart from swimming, you can do a lot of stuff like snorkelling, scuba diving and
island hopping
‣ Kawasan Falls is the place to begin jungle treks in Cebu
‣ Cebu is also called the Furniture Capital of Philippines and is famous for the furniture made from
the Rattan family of palm trees