Best Travel Site for Cebu Philippines

Laze in the paradise of Cebu

On-line Travel Guides to Cebu

Having looked for a good travel guide to the Philippines on-line, specifically Cebu there was not a lot of good options. That’s why I decided to try to make the best travel site for travel to Cebu Philippines.  Rather than just only reading reviews of other travellers, which, by all accounts has a lot of controversy over whether or not the reviews are actually real.  For me, I'm a visual person, so seeing photos and video of a place really helps me to decide whether I like it or not. BeyondCebu is packed with video and photos so you can really see how beautiful Cebu really is. Some of the beaches in Cebu are just fantastically gorgeous, everything you would want from a tropical Island. You can see this from the videos on the site.

The Travel site covers all of Cebu’s best tourist destinations such as Bantayan Island, Malapascua, Moalboal, Camotes Islands and Mactan Island. Each destination having its own page listing, complete with must see tourist sites and resorts to stay at. A quick rundown to all the hotels and resorts can be found on the top menu bar. This has a listing of over 300 hotels in Cebu. For the best of Cebu, there is a listing of Cebu’s top resorts, hotels and restaurants.

If you’re planning to holiday in the Philippines, Cebu should also be considered. Sure there is Boracay, the number 1 attraction in the Philippines. But if you’re looking for something not so commercialised or as expensive, then Cebu is worth a look. It has some amazing places to relax at as well, without so many tourists to deal with.  It’s also easy reach of another great island Bohol, which is one of the Philippines most popular tourist destinations. BeyondCebu also has a video guide to Bohol to give you an idea on some of the amazing things to do in the island.

So if you’re looking for a great travel site on Cebu, make sure to have a look at BeyondCebu.

Have you been to the Camotes Islands in Cebu?

Santiago Bay, Camotes Island

The Camotes Islands are some of the most underrated islands in the Philippines. Most tourists who visit Cebu head to the more popular islands of Bantayan and Malapascua (which are both amazing in their own rights) but less make it to the Camotes Islands.

How to get to the Camotes Islands from Cebu

Getting to the Camotes isn't as easy as the other main islands. From Cebu City there has been a fast craft that goes during the peak season and only runs for a couple months (do check with Golden Ferries for the latest updates), the rest of the year the best way to get there is via Danao City in Cebu's north, around an hour and half drive from the city. They have regular ferry runs from there to the Camotes Islands.

Camotes Resorts

Most of the resorts in the Camotes are small, low key and are located in two main areas. One being around the beautiful Santiago Bay area, here you can find a number of cheap options, some of the resorts are built on the hill overlooking the bay providing amazing views. The other area that has a few resorts is at Mangodlong, which is home to some of the newest resorts on the island. Dotted around the Camotes you can also find a number of more secluded resorts. For a list and guide to all the resorts in the Camotes just visit the link at the top of the page (entitled Camotes Islands). There is a full run down of the resorts as well as video and photos to give you a better idea.

Camotes Island Tourist Spots

The best thing about the Camotes is its beaches, beautiful and unspoilt. Santiago Bay is just gorgeous! The tide comes in and it's wonderful to swim at, flat, without many waves. During the summer months, the water is so crystal clear. There are other beaches worth checking out as well, such as the lovely Bakhaw Beach and the tiny island of Tulang. All these you can see on the video on the main page link again. Camotes has a couple of caves worth visiting, Bukilat Cave and Timubo Cave. Lake Danao and Buho Rock is nice for great views and swimming. You may also want to check out Panganuron Falls as well.

If you do have time to make the trip to the Camotes Islands it is well worth it, especially if you want to escape from the city or the fast pace of the world! Enjoy the tropics, the way the locals do, slow and relaxed!

Travel to Siquijor

Welcome to Siquijor

Have you travelled to Siquijor in the Philippines?

Siquijor a place that conjures up witchcraft, black magic and other myths, well so I’m always told by my Filipino friends. For the average overseas tourist it’s more of an island off the beaten track, not a tourist destination that attracts a lot of attention.

My first trip to the Siquijor I will never forget, and it wasn’t because the island, it was the trip back to Dumaguete that had a lasting memory, even to this day. Siquijor is about a 45 min ferry ride from Dumaguete and, at times this crossing can be quiet rough. I made the trip in September, the middle of the rainy season and while going there was not an issue, the seas where rather calm. On the day coming back my friends caught the earlier ferry, texted me that the trip was quite rough, unfortunately I didn’t realise it was REALLY rough. I just made sure to take some sea sick tablets before the ride. In the harbour, it’s protected and the water looked pretty calm. On board the boat the alarm bells in my head starting to ring when the stewardess starting to hand out sick bags as we were waiting for the boat to depart. We didn’t get these sick bags when we came to Siquijor, so all I could think of was “Oh great!” maybe I should wait a couple days!

Delta Ferries - Dumaguete to Siquijor. Enjoy the ride!

Check out the guide to Siquijor at the link above, it has video and photos of things to do and places to stay at.

Delta Ferries operates this service between Siquijor (Ocean Jet has a once daily service to Cebu as well) and the ferries themselves are not that large and are self-enclosed. Outside the protection of the harbour the size of the waves were taller than the boat! I watched out the window and all I could see were these huge waves. I’m no sailor, but I think I wouldn’t have taken the ferry out to sea on this day! You always hear these horror stories in the Philippines of boats sinking in rough weather and to tell you the truth safety in the Philippines isn’t the best. The ferry was getting battered around like a cork in the sea! Every time I could see a huge wave coming towards the boat the captain would turn the boat parallel to the wave so it smashed into the back of the boat rather than the side. It meant the course of the boat was zigzagging, rather than a straight line. The normal 45 minute ride turned into a 1 and half hour nightmare ride! Some people were screaming, which just makes things more unnerving. My hands where gripped as hard as possible to the seat in front, I’m sure if you look today, my fingernails are still stuck into the seat! That hour and half seemed to drag on for ever!

I was never so pleased to get to land when we arrived back in Dumaguete, I had to sit down on the pier for a while and let my heart calm down. I vowed I would never go back to Siquijor after that ride! But of course I did, a few years later, in the dry season when the weather was a lot calmer. So my advice is, if you’re travelling to Siquijor, make sure to check the weather conditions first!

Cebu's Amazing Beaches

Travel to Cebu

Cebu is one of those travel destinations that once you're been there, you'll be wanting to come back again to. Working in travel I know a lot of people don't even know about Cebu and what an amazing tropical Island it is. For those of you who don't know Cebu is located in the Visayas, a group of islands in the central part of the Philippines. Tourism growth to the Philippines and Cebu is growing at around 9%, far more than its more popular neighbours like Malaysia and Thailand.

                                                     
                                                         So what makes Cebu so special? 

Beautiful beaches in Cebu

One of the top reasons tourist travel to Cebu is for its amazing tropical beaches. Not only are they beautiful, you don't have to compete with the crowds like you do in other parts of Asia. Most of the time you will find yourself strolling along the beach and be lucky any other tourists. During the peak time, around April, the waters become crystal clear and are just fabulous to swim at! The best beaches in Cebu are located in the north of the island, mainly Bantayan Island and Malapascua Island. These are the two islands I would definitely recommend visiting, even if just for a few days. I find Bantayan Island has some better beaches, but less things to do, other than lazing on the beach, while Malapascua does offer more - it has some great diving and some wonderful island hopping trips. And if that's not enough, Cebu's central location in the Philippines allows easy access to some of the other top island destinations in the Philippines such as Boracay and Bohol. Both these islands have great beaches and plenty of activities to keep every tourist happy!

Cebu is easy to get to internationally, it has a international airport with direct flights from South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore. There of course is the option to fly via Manila as well, which even gives you more connections as it's a larger city. If you are planning a tropical vacation it may well be worth thinking about making it Cebu!