If there is another thing that excites me aside from checking out a new restaurant or writing, it’s a ticket to a new destination. The opportunity to see another dimension of the world’s beauty is an empowering feeling that alters my perspective, while I take on unfamiliar roads outside my comfort zone.
And with a country like ours, blessed with rich natural resources and tourist attractions – the possibilities are endless. Cebu, in its charming candor unwraps my curiosities again for a new route, a different culture, and cuisine.
It was a remarkable trip for me because for the first time, I traveled with my mom and sister. I never get to travel with them often considering our conflicting schedules at work and this was an ideal moment to spend quality time with them.
I have quite high expectations for Cebu since it’s a developed metropolis as Manila and known to have great tourist attractions, activities, and food to try. But I said to myself that I’ll leave all my pre-judgments and just embrace the happenings with an open mind.
Our itinerary was not tightly packed and we didn’t commute that much for my mom’s convenience. We often traveled by bus and cab only.
Continue to read along as I relay to you my adventure series in Cebu. This post is about our first day in Cebu and my review of the hotel we stayed in Oslob.
Here’s the summary of our itinerary:
We took a hassle-free, up-to-date flight via Air Asia at the break of dawn.
I was impressed with Mactan Cebu Airport that’s bigger in size and better in facilities. There are lots of shops and food stalls too.
Day 1: Check-in at a hotel in Oslob
We intended to get settled early at Oslob on the first day because we want to be spared from the hassle of travelling too early to meet the schedule of whale shark watching.
From Mactan airport, we rode a cab to South Bus Terminal where the buses heading to Oslob are found. The taxi bay is just a five- minute walk from the airport. Travel time going to the terminal was 1 hour or more depending on the traffic. Prepare at least 200-300 pesos.
The ETA of the trip from the terminal to Oslob is 3 hours so we had enough time to rest. Ticket price for the ordinary bus is Php 134 while Php 145-Php 150 for the aircon.
We had reservations at Sascha’s lodge via booking.com. It’s safe to do advance booking so that you can already advise the driver where to drop you off and pre-select your preferred amenities according to your budget. Sascha was just along the highway but it was located at the far end of Oslob. Rates can be found here.
Sascha bested all other options, with its good reviews, reasonable price and pretty amenities. It faces the coastline of Cebu that gives a majestic view of the ocean. It also has a stunning outdoor pool and an open-garden style restaurant.
While scouting for restaurants near the hotel, I entered this Germaroze Guesthouse which is just beside Sascha. Its pretty facade is also eye-catching and the rates are the same with Sascha. Sadly, we’re already booked.
Anyway, I still admire our hotel’s simple yet sleek look. Those white-washed walls, high ceilings and white curtains give that fresh, homey vibe and neat aura. There’s even a sign outside to take off your shoes when entering the receiving area to maintain the tidiness of the place.
WiFi tends to get really slow so I stay here often to secure my net connection.
There’s nothing much on the room amenities but I appreciate that it’s clean and well-maintained. We were only provided towels and no toiletries, but that’s pretty fine with me.
The beds and pillows were comfy to give us a good sleep from the exhausting day.
We just rested at the hotel because the over-all travel time was really tiring. We took time to fix our stuff and plan our itineraries for the coming days.
The food in the hotel was way too expensive and we didn’t like the options so we rode a tricycle going to Bayan (which is 10-15 minutes away from our hotel) to have our dinner.
One side of the street has these eateries serving freshly grilled seafood, chicken and meat at very affordable prices. Seems very inviting for a heavy, sumptuous dinner we all deserved.
We ate with bare hands! We had red eggs with tomatoes, grilled eggplants, grilled Tulingan, chicken and pork barbecue, isaw and balun-balunan.
All food stalls have water basins where you can wash your hands before and after eating.
That ends the first day and there are more stories to be told about my Cebu Trip.
Read the next installment of my Cebu series: Cebu Adventure Series Part 2: Whale Shark Encounter, Chasing Waterfalls at Aguinid, Lazing Around Pebbles Beach and History Lane at Museo Oslob
Diamond in the Rough 