A Weekend in Cebu City

The historical Magellan's Cross

Two weekends ago, I was in Cebu together with a friend.  I had been to Cebu a long time ago but I don’t remember much of the city so when I’ve got an opportunity to visit this city once again, I never hesitated to go.  Thanks to my husband who has been so understanding and allowed me to spend the weekend in Cebu.

We don’t have any itinerary of our trip, our plan is just to be there in Cebu and get the most of our days there although we decided not to miss their famous landmark which is Magellan’s Cross and of course the famous Cebu’s lechon (roasted pig).



Basilica de Sto. Nino after the mass

My friend booked us at Radisson Blue Hotel and she didn’t make a wrong decision to book us there.  The hotel is just new and is conveniently located adjacent to SM City mall.  It is so accessible that getting a ride is so easy but of course since we are not familiar with the routes, hiring a taxi was always our option.  Taxis in Cebu are no different that taxis here in Manila, they drive like crazy, always blowing their horns as if they are the owner of the road.

After checking in at the hotel, the first thing that we asked from the hotel attendant is the restaurant that serves their famous lechon.  He directed us to a nearby restaurant, just a walking distance from the hotel.  We later discovered that it is the CnT lechon, we don’t know that it’s the famous lechon in Cebu until we asked some of the locals.  We were asking if there are still other lechon they can recommend but most of them told us that CnT lechon is the best.  Well, no question about that because their lechon was really delicious … so tasty, tender, juicy and most of all the skin is so crispy … hmmm, my mouth is watering. 



One-fourth kilo of delicious CnT lechon ... finished it in one sitting.

On our second day in Cebu, we decided to visit the famous Basilica de Sto. Nino where the historical Magellan’s Cross is also located.  We wanted to try going there using the public utility jeepney but when we asked one of the locals, she told us that it would take us a little longer because the jeepney route plying that area is far if we will be coming from the hotel.  So again, we hired a taxi and in less than 15 minutes, we were at the cathedral.  The taxi fare from Radisson Blue Hotel to Basilica de Sto. Nino cost us 80 pesos.

A mass was on-going when we arrived at the cathedral and there are just so many people.  If you are standing at the back, you can’t concentrate on the mass because there are just so many people passing mostly tourists taking pictures.  There are some people in-charge who reminds tourists not to take pictures while the mass is on-going but with such a huge crowd, it’s really hard to control. 

After the mass we went to where the historical Magellan's Cross is located.  Still tourists are swarming this place, waiting to get a good pose without someone on the background.  Some locals are offering candles and chants with a matching dance steps for good health and good life.

The weather was really cooperative when we were in Cebu.  It was raining in Manila during that weekend but in Cebu it was really sunny so it was perfect to go around the city.  We planned to go to another lechon restaurant, the Zubuchon lechon which I saw in one of the blogs I visited that day, but to my dismay, the taxi driver don't know about it so instead of going there, we went to 7D Mangoes production plant somewhere in Banilad town and we bought a lot of preserved mango products ... dried mango, mango puree, mango nectar and mangorind.  The place was so far from the basilica and it's a little far from the highway so we just let the taxi wait for us.  From the 7D plant we asked the taxi driver to bring us back to SM City.  All in all, from the basilica going to 7D plant and back to SM City, the taxi fare was 280 pesos.



Radisson Blu Hotel

It was already around two o'clock in the afternoon when we reached SM City and heavy breakfast we ate at the hotel was already burnt out of all the walking we did.  We can't decide what to eat at lunch and we found ourselves going to CnT Restaurant once again.  Another encounter with lechon ... hehehe.
The rest of our weekend in Cebu was just used in exploring Radisson Blu Hotel which is really a nice place to stay and looking for other local goods found in SM City.

We haven't really explored the city that much but there is always some other time and looking forward for it together with my family.  They will surely enjoy it.

Until next time, Cebu.