It was grey and raining when we first arrived in Cebu City. The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel took over forty minutes; it wasn’t far, but the traffic was slow that day. Time stood still as I watched pedestrians and motorbikes make their way around our cab.

We finally reached our tiny nondescript hotel all jet lagged and cranky. The room was small, and the area was a little run down. We spent the night in transit eager to be on our way. We left for Bohol the next day. Beautiful, slow, sunny Bohol. I was hesitant to return to Cebu City given the brief but cloudy first experience.

Lucky for us, Cebu City wanted to make amends. It welcomed us back with sunshine and blue skies. On the way to a new hotel, my son pointed out all the construction sites making for an entertaining ride.

We passed by restaurants, bakeries and shops. After a week and a half of living in a remote area outside a small town, I was looking forward to the conveniences of city life. Especially so, since we had just run out of diapers. As soon as we checked in, I inquired the whereabouts of the nearest grocery store. We were told that the mall was just next door.

The next morning , I found Big Brother peeping out the hotel room’s blackout curtains.

“What do you see?” I asked. We were on the 21st floor in the middle of the city; there was plenty to see outside our window. Thinking Big Brother watch traffic go by, I was surprised when he responded with: “Mama, I’m looking at a rainbow!”

Cebu and I became friends right then and there. I apologized for judging it based on first impressions, and with each passing day, I came to like Cebu more and more.

Cebu is Great for Sightseeing

There’s no shortage of attractions in Cebu City, many of them are small in scale and only require 1 to 2 hours for a visit. We were able to check off a couple in the mornings and then head back to the hotel for a late lunch and nap. Here are the things we saw:

Tops Lookout

Situated over 600m above sea level and 10KM from the city core, this place provides a magnificent view of metropolitan Cebu and beyond. There is a concession area food snacks and drinks, but other than that, there’s not much else; Tops Lookout is all about that view.

Taoist Temple

The Cebu Taoist Temple was built in 1972 as a center of worship for Taoism by the Chinese community residing in the city. It’s open to the public to see. There’s not much too it, but it also provides another great view of the city. That and Big Brother liked going up and down the stairs to see the dragons.

Magellan’s Cross

Looking for landmark with historical significance? Head to the large wooden cross within the City Hall area, brought over by Magellan in 1841. That is all I know; my knowledge of world history is embarrassingly poor.

Mountain View Nature’s Park

On the way down from Tops Lookout, we stopped at a park/camping site/resort/event space/garden/karaoke hall/canteen. Mountain View Nature’s Park appears to be a one shop stop for Filipinos (as we left the park at dusk, herds of jeepneys carrying locals up to the park for an evening of fun. There is a swimming pool as well as an “adventure” area with a rope course.

Fort San Pedro

Built by the Spaniards as a military defense in Cebu, this historic site offers free guided tours. We had a lovely university student explain the historic significance to us which I no longer remember. We just had enjoy running around and sitting on canons pretending to fight pirates.

Cebu is Great for Shopaholics

Filipinos love their shopping malls. I totally get it. First of all, they are heavily air-conditioned to provide relief from the heat outside. One of the reasons why we spent so much times at the mall was to get away from that hot sun.

Secondly, the malls are huge! They feature a wide range of stores, from designer boutiques to ones with more affordable goods, from Western stores to ones selling local products and souvenirs. The mall is organized by categories; there are areas specific to product type, for example electronics or kidsware. Daniel was thrilled when we stumbled upon a wing dedicated to sports gear (I, on the other hand, was bored out of my mind). The biggest malls in Cebu are Ayala Center and Shoemart (SM); Ayala Center is twice as big as Yorkdale Mall in Toronto!

The mall was the just the thing we needed- diapers aside. Need some water, let’s visit the mall. Need some new clothes, let’s visit the mall. Too tired to sight see, let’s visit the mall. Not going to lie, we were complete mallrats and made a trip visited the mall every single day. If we had to choose a theme song for our time in in Cebu, it would be Sparkles “Let’s go to the Mall”.

There is also the local Carbon Market to visit. There you’ll find everything from fresh produce to cheap goods made in China to Cebuanos products, such as dried mango and guitars.

Cebu is Great for Foodies

In 2008, Anthony Bourdain travelled to the Philippines for an episode of his show No Reservations. He tried lechon, roast pig, in Cebu and declared it “best pig ever”. We had lechon on multiple occasions in Cebu, and it is definitely delicious!

In addition to lechon, Cebu offers a vast array of food. Filipinos are known to enjoy all kinds of cuisines and offer rich culinary options for food. The cooking draws cultural influences from neighbouring countries, and there are plenty of restaurants, from Italian to Thai, to appease all taste buds. Being in the Philippines, typical Filipino fare was our cuisine of choice. Our favourite was Cafe Laguna, a family-run business said to serve the best traditional Filipino cuisine in Cebu; I couldn’t get enough of their gambas (sizzling shrimp plate) and Lechon Kawali.

The malls had limitless food options. There are restaurants for every budget: convenient and affordable chain eateries (like Jollibee for fried chicken!), cantinas for drinks and desserts (halo halo please!), and comfortable dine-in restaurants. There were also food stands/booths every few steps; we couldn’t help but buy fresh fruit shake at every opportunity.

Cebu is Great for Kids

Cebu City, the second largest city in the country, has the energy of a big metropolitan with the friendly low-key vibe of a smaller place. It feels safe and everyone is friendly; the Filipinos love children and would give our kids a lot of attention. All the attractions seemed pretty close in proximity and easy to access.

Downtown Cebu isn’t very accessible by foot. While it is walkable, it can be difficult with children. Sidewalks are not always available on the side of the road; when they are, they can be uneven. It is can be tough to navigate with a stroller. Walking around with kids can also be tricky depending on the heat during the day.

The malls are a great place to take the kids. Not only is shelter from the sun, the malls have play areas with arcades games and rides for a small fee. Big Brother rode on a motorcycle and we didn’t stop hearing about it for days. Since we were in Cebu during the Chinese New Year, there were also plenty of performances to entertain kids.

Last Words

If you get the chance to visit Cebu City, spend time in the malls; they are wonderful. Malls aside, Cebu City has a lot to offer; it is a bustling metropolis with great food and many attractions to visit. In addition to the city, Cebu is a hub to explore many nearby islands, including Bohol. Had we more time (or no children with us), we would have loved to taken a day trip to a beach resort on Mactan Island or ventured inland to see more of the island. Cebu is a great place to visit. I’m glad I gave it a second chance