First Time Visitors in Cebu: 2D/2N Astig Itinerary!

Who says career women can’t travel and have fun? Definitely not these ladies from Calamba City!

Last month during a long weekend, friends from Laguna came here in Cebu to take that well deserved break from the office and home. It’s their special time to unwind and experience something new, but you won’t believe their 2D/2N itinerary ang bangis hahahha. Using only the commuting directions I’ve given them and the posts on this blog as reference, these adventure seekers and gutsy ladies travelled straight from the airport to Kawasan Falls!  That’s insane even I won’t do it!

But you gotta do what you gotta do. Vacation time is limited so Carpe Diem! Seize the day! Go for the big guns! And when you talk about Cebu, Kawasan is one major tourist spot I will always recommend! It’s a destination that will not be in your average first timer itinerary but Tess, Malou, Honey, Grace, Carina and Khat are not your ordinary tourists. They want the usual PLUS MORE!

Take note it was their first time to travel outside of Laguna as a big group and they’ve chosen Cebu! Yey! Te Tess said it was my pics of kawasan falls from last summer that turned the tide in favor of choosing Cebu, Boracay was the runner-up. I’ve done my part in promoting my province, yay!

Get to Kawasan Falls!

I could only imagine how tiring that trip’s been! Calamba to NAIA Terminal 3 would be about one and a half hours, then 1 hour airplane ride, then another 3.5 hours to get  Matutinao, Badian where the falls is. Just WOW! Astig talaga! 🙂

I say without a doubt that their experience was awesome judging from their smiles in their over 300+ pictures on the falls alone hehehhe. 

It’s the Falls with an “S!”

From the biggest Kawasan falls at the bottom to the 3^rd falls at the top, to the bamboo rafting and getting a free water massage, to enjoying all these as one happy group of friends is one memory I think they will remember forever. As first time group vacation goes, theirs had been spectacular!

For their first night accommodation, they stayed at a beach resort in Badian. This is the resort across the road, the one you see when you disembark from the bus. The beach sand was white but not fine, they also got there on a low tide so it was not ideal for swimming. But they were still riding high on their Kawasan experience and did not dwell much on what the beach lacks.

Getting to Know Cebu City

The following day I met up with them to tour them around, we were following Penfires recommended cheap DIY Cebu City Day Tour. This was my promise to my friends from CMC should they visit Cebu. So when I saw them alight from the bus in South Bus Terminal that Sunday noon, a huge grin was plastered on my face. The first thing I asked these ladies when they alight from their bus was that, ‘how was the ride?’ Hehehe

The road from Carcar to Barili is a pain in the butt – a rough ride so I was looking forward to what they’ll say. I kinda expected the answer, actually I was waiting for confirmation of what I suspected they will say, while smiling they shared that t’was like climbing to Baguio with endless mountain roads and scary cliffs and drivers that drive with almost wild abandon’.

Hahaha =) Part of the experience, I say!

From SBT we took taxis to their affordable hotel in Fuente. After they checked in at Sampaguita Suites in Fuente area, it was time to sample Cebu’s famous lechon so we had lunch at Zubuchon in One Mango, walking distance from their hotel. After lunch, we were ready to go on a city tour of Cebu.

If you are planning a city tour especially in the downtown area, I really recommend commuting instead of hiring a van or car rental. It won’t be practical unless you are going to Tops, Mountain View, Lantaw Busay, Mr A’s, and other popular establishments in Busay area.

Where their trip funds went? It went to experiencing Cebu as best as they can, which means tourist spots hopping, food trips and pasalubong hoarding!

Some of the historical sites sa Syudad sa Sugbo

 A Rundown on their DIY City Tour of Cebu

Got on a jeep (14D) near Abuhan and Summit Circle back door, this jeep took us all the way to the Colon Obelisk.

Walked from obelisk to Cebu Heritage Monument marker.

Walked from the marker to Yap-San Diego House and Museum.

Walked from the museum to Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

Walked from Cathedral to Sto Nino Basilica.

Walked from Sto Nino Basilica to Magellan’s Cross. They bought keychains and ref magnets here.

Walked from Magellan’s Cross to Islands Souvenirs branch where we spent more than an hour. All I can say is that they bought lots of t-shirts including personalized “LOVE CEBU” souvenir shirts.

Made me envious, I want a “Cille Loves Penfires” shirt from Islands Souvenirs waaaaaaaa.

Wait, it won’t be a typical vacation souvenir tshirt hahha. I’m saving for this, naks grabe dyud ka spendthrift haha.

Happy Shoppers!

 Back to my friends, I advised them to do the rest of the pasalubong shopping in Taboan Market since the items that they want like local delicacies will be cheaper there.

If you are not going to Taboan, you can make Islands Souvenir branches as your one stop pasalubong center, you can buy in their stores all the popular pasalubong and souvenir items that you can want from Cebu. Alternative would be SM grocery pasalubong aisle.

Jeepney ride ( 12 C ) from Islands Souvenir to Taboan Market bridge.

In Taboan, they haggled and haggled and took home lots of vacuum sealed dried danggit and pusit, dried mango and cebu chorizos at discounted prizes – their Cebu pasalubong!!!

Thanks to the espasol you brought from Laguna for me. Yey! =)

Smelling like the dried fish we’ve just haggled for, it was time to go back to the hotel to  change costume / outfit before the next set of tourist spots. 🙂

We took a taxi to get back to Sampaguita Suites for convenience since we have lots of bags by this time. If you really want to, you can still travel from Taboan to Fuente via 2 jeepney transfers.

Take note: If you are bringing danggit and other dried fish to the hotel and the smell overpowers when you get to the lobby, the Sampaguita Suites front desk clerks will request you to deposit the dried fish in their holding center. 

We were back on the streets after my friends sorted through the mounting baggage, some also took a bath to get rid of the Taboan perfume hehe. First stop was a quick pictorial in Fuente Circle with the landmark fountain and the bright colors of Crown Regency Towers as background. Pasalubong shopping was not done yet as the troop bought more pasalubong in Shamrock. You can’t forget the otap and banana chips!

Dinner was a stone throw away in Larsian, a famous sugbahan center in Cebu. Feasting on grilled barbeques, spicy chorizos, chicken skin, chicken liver, squid, chicken quarters etc which were of course paired with puso and ice cold sprite, result was sobrang busog! If you are also a first timer, don’t miss this place, its dirt cheap to have a food trip there!

Rapsa! Sarap! Sulit na Food Trip!

After that,  next and last stop was Crown Regency for the Skywalk Extreme challenge, they stayed there until 11 pm para sulit talaga hehehe. 

Look At Their Faces! Hahaha

A couple of hours after, without sleep, they headed back to Mactan Airport.  Vacation time well spent!

There are still lots of popular sites that they’ve missed during this visit but heyyy it’s understandable. It’s impossible for anyone to pack all historical sites and tourist landmarks into a limited 2 days and 2 nights vacation in Cebu.

But the awesome thing is they went somewhere unusual for first timers in the province. They can proudly say they have been to Kawasan Falls too! So Cheers!!!

 See you all again!

I will not be surprised if I hear soon or read updates on FB that they are planning their next vacation somewhere in the more than 7107 beautiful islands of the Philippines or even abroad!

Ladies, you just can’t escape the travel bug once it bits you. Aye?!  😀

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