Temple of Leah in Cebu

We took a quick trip to Cebu last week during the kids' sem break. To be honest, I didn't really plan an itinerary since we've been to Cebu so many times before and have already seen almost all the tourist attractions. However, one place we did visit was Temple of Leah, which is dubbed as the Taj Mahal of the Philippines.

Scenes from our Cebu trip

It's been about 2 months since we were in Cebu for my brother-in-law's wedding and I honestly almost forgot to post about it already, with everything that's been happening in our country today.

We're just so thankful that we were able to enjoy this vacation in beautiful Cebu which has given us so many wonderful memories. It's just so sad and shocking that so many calamities (the earthquake and typhoon Yolanda) have struck the Visayas region since then. But there's no doubt in my mind that with everyone in the Philippines and around the world helping out, our nation will come out stronger than ever.

Anyway, here's some photos from our trip. I'll try to blog about the wedding in a separate post. :)

we made it! we're here!

the beautiful Shangri-La Mactan

kiddie play area which the kids enjoyed so much

Miley had so much fun on the slides!

while Sabe especially loved the water fountains! and check out the lower right pic - such a little BOSS lounging with his iPad and Chippy lol! ;p

Here are some more of the places we were able to see:

Lapu-Lapu Shrine



Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod

Magellan's Cross

Sto. Nino Basilica (so sad how it was damaged in the earthquake...)

Cebu will always have a special place in our hearts. Even the kids love it there so much, Miley keeps saying that Cebu is her favorite place in the whole wide world and she wants to go back there NOW na! ;p Well, hubby has already registered for next year's Ironman Triathlon competition which will be held in August also in Shangri-La Mactan. We haven't booked anything yet, but hopefully (fingers crossed) the whole family will be able to go. :)

Back from Cebu

And we're back from our 5-day Cebu vacation! We were there for the wedding of hubby's brother which was held at Shangri-La Mactan. I can't believe it's now over since the planning of this trip and event has been a year in the making. If you remember, I posted about our trip to Cebu last year where we did an ocular of the different hotels for the reception venue (obviously, Shangri-La won ;p).

lovely view of Shangri-La Mactan

Anyway, I'll be posting about the details of our trip in the coming days. But right now, we're packing again since our family is going to Singapore in a few days! Whew, I'm so tired already but of course still excited. It's the first out of the country trip for the kids and we won't be bringing a yaya so wish us luck! ;p

Our Cebu Trip: Hotel Hopping

We had a chance to go around some of Cebu's finest resort hotels during our vacay. You see, Vins' brother (who is based in the States) is getting married next year here in Cebu, so my mother-in-law took this chance to go on an ocular to check some possible venues.

First stop was Shangri-La Mactan. We were taken around the resort in a golf cart so we could check the ballroom and also the outdoor venue. We weren't able to go to the beach though. Maybe next time since it looks like this is really where they want the reception to be.

Moving on, our next stop was Imperial Palace Cebu. I've seen pictures of this place from my friend so I was dying to see it in person. And it did not disappoint! The place was huge and sprawling and looked very new. There were also a lot more guests here compared to Shangri-La.

Although the beach area was a bit small, the waterpark made up for it! They have 5 different themed pools: Amazon River, Wave Pool, Beach Pool, Captain's Hook Pool, and Toddlers Pool. And they also have water slides! The kiddie pool looked so fun, even I wanted to jump in. Miley was looking at the water so longingly, we made a promise that we will definitely go back here. I think the day trip is about P2500, but it is consumable with a buffet meal. So better to just book a room here to really enjoy and take advantage of all the facilities.

Oh, they also have a Kids Club which I'm sure all children will enjoy. Miley started to go wild when we went inside especially when she saw the area with all the balls. We had such a hard time prying both her and Sabe away from the place. We definitely HAVE to go back! =)

Our last stop was Crimson Resort & Spa. Upon entering the premises, we instantly noted that it looked like The Palms Country Club in Alabang. We were then informed that it was owned by Filinvest Development Corp., which explains the similarities. The place was smaller and cozier than the first two resorts, but it was still fabulous.

Their beach area was the biggest and nicest for me. I can already imagine myself drinking a mango shake on one of those lounge chairs. ;p

Now look at their villas! I mean, if we stayed here, I don't think I'll want to leave the room anymore. And to have your own private pool where you can just lounge around anytime? Winner!

Funny thing, the whole time, we felt like we were the foreigners since almost all the guests in the 3 resorts were Korean haha! Anyway, all these resorts are far from the city but I doubt you'll even want to leave to go shopping once you're in the beach.

Actually, if you do the math, it might come out more expensive if you book in one of these resorts rather than going abroad to say Hong Kong. But Vins and I are torn between Imperial Palace and Crimson. Imperial Palace definitely wins because of the waterpark and all the fun things the kids can do. But Crimson is cozier and is a great place to just relax and unwind with the fam. So we'll see! Hopefully, the reception takes place in one of these places. Either way, we're coming back here next year and we cannot wait!

Our Cebu Trip: White Sands at Maribago Beach

We stayed at Cebu White Sands at Maribago Beach for 3 nights during our vacation. FYI, this whole trip was c/o of my mother-in-law who booked our tickets months ago during a seat sale (thank you mom!). It was also her and my hubby's tita who chose and booked the hotel through Agoda.com (the rates there are so much lower than booking straight through them). Transfers were not part of the package so we ended up taking an Innova van for P500 from the airport.

We were greeted by a very accommodating staff and were served welcome drinks at the lobby.

The best part of this resort is really the pool area. The main pool was nice and big. The shallowest part of the pool was 2 ft. which was perfect for the kids. They also had a jacuzzi and another smaller pool near the spa area. There weren't a lot of guests when we were there so we had the pool almost to ourselves the whole time!

They also had lots of koi fish in the spa area. In fact, I think these were some of the biggest and most gorgeous koi I've ever seen! We really enjoyed watching them swim around, especially during feeding time.

Their beach front is really just a SMALL area so you might be disappointed if you're expecting a nice, long stretch of sand. But you can still do a lot of activities like island hopping, jet skiing, parasailing, or even ride a banana boat. The sand and water were clean so we were content just playing in the sand and chilling in the water looking for shells with the kids.

This was the restaurant area where they serve breakfast and have free wi-fi. We had lunch here and the food was good, although a bit pricey. What we did was walk to Maribago Grill outside the resort for dinner where you can get more value for money. The breakfast food was the normal spread of bacon, eggs, bread, cereal, and fruit.

The resort has many different types of rooms. I was surprised at how huge and spacious our room was. It was me, hubby, the 2 kids, and our yaya who stayed here. We really didn't need the extra bed, but the kids (especially Sabe) ended up enjoying the bed on the floor. The beds were comfortable although the blankets were super thin. I didn't like the TV since it was so small for the room and wasn't even a flat screen. Although it had all the cable channels so I could live with that. There were lots of mosquitoes though, so they provided the plug-in type of insect repellant. But all the electrical outlets in the room were the ones with round sockets. You had to ask for an adaptor to be able to charge anything. Weird! The bathroom also looked old for me and there was no hairdryer (you have to ask for it). But I have to say, we were comfortable during our stay.

This was the room of my in-laws. It had a single bed and a double bed. The bathroom was much nicer although it was smaller. All the rooms on our floor had a balcony.

All in all, we had a good time here. Like I said, the best part is really the pool area which was perfect for us since the kids enjoy swimming in the pool more than the beach. But when we do come back, I hope to stay in one of the hotels we ended up checking out, which I'll blog about next. =)

Our Cebu Trip

We had such a wonderful time in Cebu! We spent 3 nights there and it actually seems so bitin. I've been to Cebu a couple of times before for work and I've always spent it in the city. This was actually my first time to stay in Mactan and I really enjoyed just relaxing and spending time with the fam. The weather was great and we are now all sunburned since the kids (especially Miley) didn't want to get out of the pool! I'll be blogging about where we stayed in a separate post. For now, here are some snippets from our trip. I seriously cannot wait to go back!

just landed

pool time

flowers picked by Miley

a trip to Cebu wouldn't be complete without having CNT lechon

sea, sun, sand

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral

see you soon Cebu!