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Philippine travel guide: Cebu, Bohol, Donsol

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One popular resort on Mactan island in Cebu is the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, which is spread around a huge artificial lagoon (upper photo).
Bohol, a short trip from Cebu, is known for the tiny and rare tarsier, for its Chocolate Hills which turn green in the rainy season (lower photo) – and more recently for some very up-market resorts.

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Bohol: Chocolate hills, tarsiers and now up-market resorts
By Andrea Larssen
Bohol, a mid-sized (95 kilometers wide) island off the coast of Cebu in the southern Philippines, has long been known mainly for its Chocolate Hills (well, they’re chocolate-colored in the dry rainless months – but then vivid green in the wet season); for its tiny tarsier creatures; for scuba diving off white sand beaches; eco-tourism in the Loboc river valley jungle; and a generally off-the-beaten track ethos with mainly smallish resorts.
That’s changing quickly. Bohol is now home to some of the nicest resorts in the Philippines. The ferry trips across the strait from nearby Cebu City have become faster, more frequent and more reliable – as have the flights from Cebu and Manila to Tagbilaran City, Bohol’s capital.
Tourists used to head straight to the island’s popular Alona Beach and the surrounds with their clusters of relatively modest resorts, dive shops and the like, some of them run by foreigners who arrived long ago, loved the place and the people, and stayed on.
Quite suddenly, however, Bohol’s resort options have grown much wider and they include some up-market places. Travelers with bigger budgets and more demanding tastes should look at Amarela Resort (from about US180 a night), Eskaya Beach Resort and Spa, Ananyana Beach Resort ($210), Amorita Resort and Flushing Meadows Resort.

Highly rated accommodation in Bohol
Following are the 20 highest rated resorts, hotels and and inns in Bohol. These are ranked in order, based upon reviews by travelers who have stayed there (travelers of various types with varying preferences and budgets). They're listed in the popularity index of TripAdvisor, myPH's partner in exploring the Philippines:
1.  Amarela Resort (average price US$180).
2.  Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa (price from $500).
3.  Vest Pension House (average price $35).
4.  Nuts Huts Resort (average price $5).
5.  Amorita Resort (price from $157).
6.  Isis Bungalows (average price $50).
7.  La Estrella Beach Resort (average price $104).
8.  Flower Garden Resort (average price $21).
9.  Paragayo Resort (average price $22).
10. Metrocentre Hotel (price from $30).
11. Bohol Tropics Resort (price from $65).
12. Isla Hayahay (price on request).
13. Bohol Beach Club (average price $75).
14. Wregent Plaza Hotel (price on request).
15. Alona Tropical Beach Resort (price from $67).
16. Blue Sky-Sea Resort (average price $37).
17. ChARTs Resort (price from $47).
18. Kalipayan Beach Resort (price on request).
19. Flushing Meadows Resort (price from $100).
20. Villa Anita (price on request).

Much of the visitor action in Bohol is focused around the beaches and sea – scuba enthusiasts flock there, the beaches are also safe for snorkelers, sunbathers and young families. Dolphin-watching outings are on offer in the season. The nightlife is pretty much make-your-own. Prices are low by Cebu and Manila standards.
For a break from the beach, many visitors head inland, for shopping around mid-sized Tagbilaran City, then on to the Loboc River and surrounding jungle, a look across the spectacular Chocolate Hills, and the must-see tiny and unique tarsier, a shy, nocturnal creature that is now a strongly protected species.
Good happenings are barbecued lunch on a raft along the Loboc River, and a stop at Nuts Huts Resort, a cheap eco-lodge located upriver from Loboc City. You can stay the night in a modest hut for a few dollars or rent a dormitory bed for even less. The surrounds are stunning and the local food is tasty even for foreign palates.
In between there are is the old Baclayan Church dating back to the Spanish rule years, the Hinagdanan Cave with its icy underground pools, a “longest python in captivity” farm, the site of the “Blood Compact” signed Juan Miguel Lopez de Legaspi from Spain and the local chief Datu Sikatuna.
Shopping for semi-antiques is also good in Bohol. The area has a lot of history with fine old houses, churches and public buildings dating back to the Spanish years – and some of their contents find their way into shops selling old furniture, decoration and homeware. Bargains are still around for the discerning who venture into Tagbilaran’s side-streets. But there’s also a fair bit of rubbish in between the real stuff, so be careful and don’t pay too much.
For mallers, or somewhere to interest the youngsters, there are the Bohol Quality, Alturas and Island City department stores and malls. For souvenir collectors, Bohol has the inevitable tarsier and Chocolate Hills keyholders (50 US cents to a dollar), T-shirts ($2 to $3), bags ($7 to $15) and lots of wooden carvings for a dollar or less.
For stuff to take back home as “pasalubong” gifts – especially for Filipino friends and family back in the city – a Bohol specialty is “kisses” confectionary made of peanuts in distinctive red wrappers. These cost 100 pesos for a dozen and a half pieces in most shops and stalls. The native “Calamay” (Malagkit rice sweetened with Mascuvado sugar) costs 30 pesos when it comes in a disposable canister and a bit more packed into a coconut shell.

Giants of the deep bring
life to once rustic Donsol
By Jim Gomez
Cocooned in rural seclusion, placid little Donsol town long kept a big but unintended secret: In the first half of the year, the sea swarms with the world's largest fish. Whale sharks – some as big as a bus – put on an annual show for local folks for generations, roaming close to shore and seemingly unafraid of humans.
Then in 1997, a group of visitors got wind of the creatures, known locally as "butanding". The visitors were enthralled by the sharks' gentleness, swimming like gigantic dolphins. Word got round, helped by the internet, and before long tourists began descending on laid-back Donsol, tucked amid coconut groves and hills away from the main road in Sorsogon province, about 580 kilometers south-east of Manila.
The American ambassador in the Philippines at the time, Francis Ricciardone, and a few other diplomats visited last year. President Gloria Arroyo dropped by in April and left ecstatic after a 20-minute encounter with a mammoth whale shark.
"The whale sharks brought us to the limelight," says Donsol mayor Salve Ocaya. "We're trying to cope with the arrival of so many visitors, many of them from as far as Europe. But we don't have enough resorts," Mr Ocaya said. “These are national treasures that need to be protected.”
"And have you seen our bridge?" he adds, referring to a long, narrow span that can handle only one car at a time crossing a mangrove-lined river to the village of Dancalan, the staging area for boat trips to watch the whale sharks.
Donsol is among the latest to organize in-water viewing of the big fish – a sometimes nerve-racking attraction offered in a few places like Australia's Ningaloo Reef, Belize in the Caribbean, Mexico and the Seychelles.
Whale sharks, which can grow as long as 18 meters and weigh up to 34 tonnes are an eye-popping sight up close. But they don't eat meat, surviving by sucking seawater into their gaping mouths and sieving plankton and tiny crustaceans on their gill rakers.
Little is known about the nature of whale sharks, which roam warm tropical seas. They congregate in Donsol's murky waters from January to June, probably because of the abundance of plankton, says the local branch of the conservation group World Wildlife Fund.
For the Philippines, which is struggling to lure foreign tourists amid law-and-order problems, Donsol has become a surprise draw. Just 900 tourists visited the town in 1998, the year after word of the sharks got out. Last year saw 7,600 visitors - a third of them foreigners, calculates Donsol's tourism officer, Salvador Adrao Junior.
On a recent day, SUVs rumbled down a muddy hillside road in palm-lined Dancalan and disgorged dozens of tourists at the small, government-run visitor center, which collects boat rental and guide fees and arranges day-long expeditions. Villagers rented snorkels and rubber fins and peddle souvenirs. Police armed with M-16 rifles watched over the early morning bustle.
A motorboat set out with five tourists laden with life vests, snorkels, dive masks and fins, a whale shark spotter perched atop a pole, shading his eyes from the sun. After about an hour, he yelled, "There! There!" pointing to what looked like a small, grey submarine just under the waves.
The boat erupted in sudden commotion as the boat maneuvered close to the whale shark. Carlos Pendor, a stocky, sunburned guide, cajoled two jittery tourists to jump off the boat. He dragged them to the side, yelling "Look down!" A seven-meter whale shark, its grey-green back dotted with faint lines and pale-white spots, swam tranquilly by, its flat head and body gently swaying.
At close range, the whale shark was so huge it was hard to see in its entirety. But by the time the tourists grabbed a breath of air, it was gone.
Twenty-three other boats bobbed in the waters off Donsol that morning. Most sputtered back to shore by lunch, each encountering 5 to 10 whale sharks on the way.
"It was sort of scary because out of nowhere came this huge, square face," recalled Eliot Bikales, a housewife from Hamden, Connecticut. "It was like Jaws," her 10-year-old daughter, Maral, butted in. But she said that after her fears eased. "It was okay. It felt like they were my friends."
Sid Lucero, a young Filipino actor, said facing such a huge creature nearly moved him to tears. "It hit me straight in the heart," he said. "Looking at this huge creature reminded me that there is a higher being."
Thanks to the new tourism, the sharks have created about 1 000 seasonal jobs in Donsol, a poor farming and fishing town of about 40 000 people once said to have been a communist rebel stronghold.
On what used to be a barren beach stand five small inns. But their 50 rooms are inadequate for the hundreds of tourists who flock in the peak months of March and April, prompting plans for construction of a hotel, along with a concrete road to Dancalan. There is even talk of a small airport.
Donsol, however, is wary about damaging the pristine conditions that lure the sharks. Projects like a pier have been junked. Only 25 dive boats - down from nearly 50 - are now allowed at sea at one time, the mayor said.
The town is also waging war against poachers, helped by the World Wildlife Fund and USAID. Poachers hunt the sharks for lucrative Asian markets like Taiwan, where there is a strong demand for pricey shark fin soup.
Although Donsol has been designated a sanctuary, whale sharks face danger when they slip beyond its waters. Villagers say they have seen sharks with spear wounds and slashed fins or tails. One – dubbed "Lucky" – swims by with a long nylon rope dangling from its tail, indicating it may have escaped from poachers.
Dancalan's seaside visitor center has become a conservation outpost. "The whale shark has only one natural enemy – your appetite for shark fin soup," a sign says. Tourists are required to watch a video about whale shark protection before going out to sea.
The whale sharks, however, seem to be their own best ambassadors. Many visitors return to shore transformed into advocates. "They are national treasures that need to be protected," said Mrs Bikales, the Connecticut housewife.

•  For good deals in Bohol and Donsol, plus price comparisons and reviews by other travelers, check out TripAdvisor.

Exploring downtown and
out of town around Cebu
By Vijay Verghese, Smart Travel Asia
Flying into Cebu, depending on which side of the aircraft you're seated, two things become quickly evident as you swoop over the brilliant azure seas. Firstly, there's a beautiful mountain spine running the north-south length of this long, relatively narrow island.
Secondly, as far as the eye can see, there are no beaches. What? As the plane descends, you'll spot the traffic-choked smudge of Cebu City, then the factories and concrete of Mandaue (pronounced "maan-daa-weh") City, followed by the flat, barren wasteland of the adjoining Mactan island, where the airport is located. As the plane banks over the derelict hulk of Philippine Dream, a rusting cruise ship whose casinos, discos and karaoke bars were once the toast of the town, you might wonder what on earth you're doing here. Oh dear.
Relax. Things will be just fine. As with most things in the Philippines, don't let first impressions fool you. Get to know the place and you'll discover why business travelers and families come back again and again. To begin with, as the large sign at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport assures all visitors, "Cebu is foot-and-mouth disease free." Now that's a start. Step bravely forward.
The only tourist who had a serious problem with this advice landed in 1521, without a passport or visa, trying to bag the place for Spain. Ferdinand Magellan's round-the-world cruise was rudely ended by local Mactan chieftan Lapu-Lapu whose men ensured the place would have at least two memorable tourist sites – Magellan's Cross outside the wonderful Basilica del Santo Nino (which is said to contain pieces of the original cross he erected in Cebu), and Magellan's Marker on Mactan (where you'll also find a statue of the strapping Lapu Lapu). Lapu Lapu City occupies the north of Mactan island from where the bridges soar up and over the channel to Mandaue City.
Travelers will whiz through the airport in record time. From here, metered taxi transfers to most Mactan resorts will be in the region of 100-150 pesos, which doesn’t pinch unduly. Several hotels operate shuttle bus services too. The international departure tax at the airport is 550 pesos and the domestic departure tax 100 pesos. Departure, like arrival, is friendly, hassle-free, and devoid of the lines and chaos of Manila.

Getting around in Cebu
Transport in Cebu, as elsewhere in the Philippines, is a carnival. Brightly painted jeepneys, tricycles and buses, all in gaudy, hallucinogenic hues, looking like battle trucks straight out of Mad Max, careen across the roads seemingly unaware of pedestrians, chickens, dogs and pigs. In some areas of Cebu City you'll also spot gaily caparisoned calesas (horse-drawn carriages) and hubel-hubels (motorcycles that carry pillion passengers). Machismo is ubiquitous. Even the tiny motorized tricycles painted bright green, yellow or purple are bedecked with a menacing array of fog lights. I counted 30 on one. Taxes are metered though some regular routes like Cebu-Mactan will tend to operate on fixed rates (300 pesos).
Hiring a car with driver through Avis at the airport is around 825 pesos for three hours and then 225 pesos for every hour thereafter. Self-drive will set you back 2,700 pesos per day including insurance. The car-with-driver option is mightily recommended as Cebu's chaotic streets and one-ways are not for the faint-hearted. An Avis car with a driver is more expensive at a resort but your driver will be fairly knowledgeable and conversant in English. At the Shangri-La Mactan the rate is 1,450 pesos for the first three hours and then 400 pesos per hour. For drives to remoter spots on the island, rates are higher. Friends Rent-A-Car is a cheaper option.
Cebuanos (as the residents are termed) are a terrific lot. Laid back, friendly, accommodating, chatty and hospitable, they will charm and entertain you relentlessly. Everyone has time. Lots of it.
Forget Manila's grit and rough edges, here in the Philippine south even airport immigration is a pleasant affair and if you're caught in traffic, simply jump out and tuck into some baboy lechon (grilled pork) especially around Talisay City, adjoining Cebu City to the south, or chicharon (chicken or pork skin crisps). Some of the best chicharon is in the town of Carcar, two hours south in the foothills.

Exploring Mactan resort island
Mactan is where most of the gleaming four- and five-star resorts are to be found, some of them with manicured artificial white-sand beaches that wouldn't look out of place in Hawaii. There are good restaurants, casinos for high rollers and music galore. Everything, from malls to restaurants, is incredibly child-friendly. The island is noted more for its prized "Mactan stone" that is used in surrounding dwellings, than beach. The island is pancake flat with a pebbly coast.
The Alegre guitar factory (which also makes and sells mandolins and a local ukulele that uses a coconut shell for the sound box) is an interesting stop. Mactan prowlers can also head to a shooting range and squeeze off 20 rounds on an AK-47 or equivalent for around 2,000 pesos. No kidnappings allowed, though. The shooting range is not in a tough part of town. It's rather accessible, being conveniently located smack inside the family-friendly Tambuli resort. Grab a gun and have some fun. "You haven't paid your bill sir." "Whaddya mean punk? Callin' me a yaller bellied liar…?"
Elsewhere on Mactan (and indeed around Cebu) you'll find signs of the growing Korean influx - Korean grocery stores and Korean discos and KTVs. Koreans have in fact replaced the Japanese as the business mainstay of the island and you'll invariably find kimchi (spicy, pickled cabbage) on the menu, even for breakfast. Now that's a REAL breakfast. Forget namby-pamby Continental mush. Small wonder then that karaoke parlors everywhere have prominent signs posted for GROs or guest relations officers. These nubile and nimble ladies can have quite an impact on your wallet if you don't watch out.
Most savvy holidaymakers come to Cebu for the reefs and coral, not all destroyed by dynamite fishing. The Cebu region is known to offer some of the best dives in this part of Asia. The action is underwater. Serious divers will head to the balmy white-sand shores of two picturesque islands off the far north coast of Cebu, Malapascua and Bantayan. Malapascua, known for its thresher sharks, has a reasonable selection of resorts and eateries. The islands are a three-hour drive north from Cebu City and a short ferry ride. Ferries from Maya to Malapascua take around 30 minutes while boats from Hagnaya to Bantayan take around an hour. For something quicker, the waters around Olango island (which is visible from Mactan), in particular the protected Marine Sanctuary off Gilutongan island, offer coral and fish closer at hand. Or, for an upscale dive holiday with some spa pampering, consider the Badian Island Resort & Spa which is reviewed later in this article.

Mactan island resorts
The pick of the resorts on Mactan is Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort & Spa (from $220). Set discretely in generous grassy acres with coconut trees, flowering plants and jogging trails, this is the getaway that put Cebu on the map when it opened in 1993. It's easy to see why. The spacious 547-room resort has two pools, putting greens, tennis, a private white-sand cove and more watersports than you can shake a stick at – snorkel the house reef, dive, jet-ski, fish, windsurf, parasail or head out to view coral in a glass-bottomed boat. Scotty's Dive Centre handles underwater adventures starting at US$50 for beginners. For pinstripers on the go there are ample meeting facilities, a business center and high-speed internet in-room access ($15 per day).
An $8 million renovation has brought fresh spring to the Shangri-La Mactan’s step. The bright and airy rooms, each with a balcony, are modern with Filipino touches like the attractive woven sea-grass headboard. There are coffee and tea-making facilities, an iron and ironing board, a good range of toiletries and, civilly, a separate bar of soap in the shower cubicle so there's no last-minute scramble for suds. A Coke from the minibar is 90 pesos and a Carlsberg beer 100 pesos.
Dry-cleaning rates are 145 pesos for a shirt or blouse and 160 pesos for a skirt. The in-room safe, alas, is not big enough to store a laptop but will handle a camera and video with ease. The Shangri-La offers a wide range of restaurants, good children's facilities and service in general is faultless. If none of this grabs you, switch on the telly and croon along to the karaoke channel.
Another feather in its cap is the CHI Spa Village with six luxurious 135sq.m. villas and several treatment pavilions that opened in mid-2005. This "village" marks the rollout of the group's new spa line for its resort and city properties. Try out the "aromatherapy salt rubdown" or the "cooling cucumber slush". A water garden features hydro tubs, herbal steam rooms and body-scrub salas. The Shangri-La Mactan is the sort of place you could easily spend a weekend in without needing to go out at all.
Next door, the pink towers of the Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa are the only seriously vertical structures you'll find on Mactan. The Hilton certainly provides a vivid landmark, thrusting up from the flatlands in agitated pink with a blue roof, but the views from the rooms are superb with extensive seaside facilities to match. Both properties are just 15 minutes from the airport.
Midway down Mactan's east coast is the Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort (from $120). This is a pleasant resort with freeform pool, sandy walkways and thatch-roof cottages on the beach. It also offers an enclosed lagoon for swimming. The rooms have parquet floors and some offer verandahs.
The Maribago’s toilets are neat and clean and there's cable TV. In Cebu this can include everything from CNN and BBC to Korean and Indian as well as the obligatory stations pushing skin-whitening cream. There is no safe in the room so if you're lugging around the Kashoggi jewels you'll need to park them at reception. A Coke from the mini-bar will set you back just 70 pesos, and a San Mig 80 pesos.
Around the corner is the Tambuli Beach Club (from $60). This is a three-in-one resort strung along the beach. There's Tambuli East with standard and superior rooms, Tambuli West, with deluxe rooms, and the Cebu Beach Club (from $80) with barracks-style thatch-roof cottages set in gardens. Tambuli East, a mock Intramuros affair with grey-stone lobby has simple but modern rooms featuring ceramic tile floors and red corrugated roofs. The place is friendly but borders on the tacky with the in-room color scheme spanning everything from yellow and green to pink. There is no safe and a Coke from the mini-bar is just 45 pesos. Kids will enjoy the pool. The beach is just so-so. As a mid-range choice, the complex is fine and functional, especially if you have small kids. A 25 minute "seawalk" in a pressurized bubble mask with a tube feeding oxygen will cost $60 for adults and $50 for kids.
The small and cosy Cebu White Sands at Maribago Beach resort (from $116) is not far from here. With just 15 rooms on offer, the place is quiet, grassy and not overrun by screaming toddlers. The accommodation is in two-storey white-stucco villas with dark timber balconies. Rooms feature parquet flooring with wrought-iron chairs and table in the balcony.
There is a TV and a clean toilet. A Coke, or San Miguel beer, is 72 pesos. For the safety box, however, you'll have to head to reception. The focal pool area is large and nicely developed.
At the far southeastern corner of Mactan, is the much talked about Plantation Bay Resort and Spa (from $145). What sets this place apart from most is the fact that it's entirely "artificial.” So what does that mean? Well, the lagoon, around which the resort is constructed, is really one vast concrete mould. Plantation Bay is an enormous sand-lined bathtub ringed by villas. Outlandish as this may sound, the effect is rather pleasing and the two-storey villas are attractive both in and out. The public beach nearby is undistinguished and one can see why the owners went to such lengths to create this fantasy.
The lagoon at Plantation Bay is ample and well spread out with a variety of water experiences from giant slides to pedal-boats. Around the lagoon are hammocks and meandering cycling/jogging tracks. A Coke from the mini-bar will set you back 85 pesos and a San Mig 120 pesos. A Waterside room is described as "5-10 seconds from the water". Fair enough. A Water's Edge room, however, is just "0-2 seconds from the water." Whoops. SPLASH! Well? Head on down to the Love Boat.
For businessmen, gamblers, or people who just love watching planes, there's the slick Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino Mactan. It has a Cebu sister property that borders a bit more on Disneyland.

Highly rated accommodation in Cebu
Following are the 20 highest rated hotels, resorts, and inns in the Cebu area. These are ranked in order, based upon reviews by travelers who have stayed there (travelers of various types with varying preferences and budgets). They're listed in the popularity index of TripAdvisor, myPH's partner in exploring the Philippines:
1.  Shangri-La's Mactan Resort (average US$220).
2.  Marco Polo Plaza (average price $130).
3.  Marriott Cebu City (average price $94).
4.  Hotel Fortuna (average price $85).
5.  Marlin's Beach Resort (price from $24).
6.  Alegre Beach Resort (average price $225).
7.  Crown Regency Hotel Cebu (average price $84)
8.  Plantation Bay Resort (average price $158).
9.  Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa (average price $183).
10. Parklane International Hotel (price from $76).
11. Las Flores (price from $60).
12. NS Royal Pensione (price from $23).
13. Tubod Flowing Waters Resort (price from $29).
14. Montebello Villa Hotel (price from $60).
15. Pulchra (price from $347).
16. Maia's Beach Resort (price from $31).
17. Holiday Plaza Hotel (price from $64).
18. Maribago Bluewater (average price $200).
19. Cebu Grand Hotel (price from $70).
20. Waterfront Cebu City (average price $127).

Out of town from Cebu
A 90-minute drive north from Cebu City, along the east coast, is the pleasant farming and fishing area of Sogod. The drive takes you through Danao which has an attractive city square and an old cathedral. Just after Sogod, about 80km from Cebu City, is the fashionable Alegre Beach Resort (from $240).
It is worth noting that should you be one of those that enjoys resort-hopping, security all over Cebu is a real pain. It is difficult to enter most upscale resorts if you are not staying there. Cebuanos themselves have trouble getting in most times. The entrance to every compound is manned by guards who've clearly graduated from the Stare-Dumbly-At-All-Visitors school of security and this is nowhere more evident than at Alegre. At other resorts be prepared for car-trunk checks, mirrors to scan the undercarriage, and even sniffer dogs. Always wear clean underwear.
Alegre is a lovely spot, a true getaway, intimate, green, with walks through coconut groves, hibiscus and bougainvillea clusters, and a nice private beach cove. The white sand beach sets off the inviting blue of the water. A sign here reminds guests that they should wear "proper attire" at all times. This means "swimsuits for ladies and swimming trunks for men." The private villas have thatch roofs, tasteful interiors and spoiling bathrooms. A Coke from the mini-bar is 70 pesos and a San Mig 80 pesos, which is not bad at all, dry-cleaning is 175 pesos for a shirt, 310 pesos for a dress, and an in-room massage will set you back 800 pesos for 50 minutes.
Snorkel or dive at the house reef where you might spot turtles and clown fish, or cruise out to Calangaman island and its sugar-white sandbar. Given the distance from Cebu City, Alegre is for honeymooners and a quieter set. Quick dashes into town for a drink or bar crawl (or brawl) are out. However, the resort does offer a complimentary shuttle into Cebu City three days a week, departing 9am and commencing the return journey at 4.30pm, so you will manage to get some shopping done. Alegre is a great away-from-it-all choice.
An hour's drive south from Cebu City in the San Fernando area, the newish Japanese-run Pulchra (from $300) is a sight for sore eyes, especially after negotiating the highway roadworks and traffic tail-backs. Everything about the place is immaculate from its crisp landscaping and minimalist zen lobby to the infinity pool and the 37 chic thatch-roof villas and lagoon suites. Pulchra has drawn much of its design inspiration from Amanresorts and, like its idol, the accent is on simplicity and unobtrusive service. Hotel staff are friendly and welcoming. The resort is set around a natural cove, sanded artificially with the best powder from the south.
Cottages at Pulchra are split-level with the beds occupying the raised area, looking over the living room. Floors are marble, pastel furnishings and fabrics are well chosen and, bravely, there is no in-room TV. Now this spells class. There is, however, a television set at the bar so you won't miss out on the football or the latest Iraq spat. Laundering a shirt costs 40 pesos, and a skirt 45 pesos. The safe is small and won't take a laptop and the instructions are in Japanese. Pulchra also offers four larger two-bedroom pool villas as well as two spa treatment villas for a relaxing rubdown. Offshore options include a snorkeling trip to Cabilao island an hour away (9am-4pm, 3,200 pesos). If your wallet can manage it and you want something secluded and posh, Pulchra is a must-see.
If a tan - and sand - are all you want, drive across to the island's west coast to Moalboal's quiet White Sand Beach. Yes, it is white and natural, as God intended. Moalboal is around a three-hour drive from Mactan through scenic hill roads with wonderful views of the coastline and the neighboring island of Negros.
Panagsama Beach has small chalets and restaurants though the beach has been wrecked by breakwaters jutting into the sea. A lovely spot to break journey here for lunch (or a stay) is Hannah's Place (from $40 including meals). Hannah's is a comfortable spot fronting the ocean with a charming open-sided thatch-roof restaurant that does crepes (220 pesos), pastas and even Indian curries. Dives are arranged through Sea Quest Dive Center at US$35 per day for two dives inclusive of tank with air, weight-belt, boat transfer and dive-master. Quo Vadis Beach Resort (from 500 pesos) is another comfortable garden option with pool, kids' facilities and a choice of deluxe rooms (with aircon and bathroom) or cottages (fan and balcony). Try their Arista Restaurant for German/Filipino food.
Fifteen minutes south is the town of Badian, the jump-off point for the wonderfully idyllic Badian Island Resort & Spa (from $72 per person). A quick speedboat ride takes guests across to a small island with an inviting fringe of powder-white sand. From the moment you step onto the wooden jetty, you are in another world. Occupying eight hectares of landscaped garden, the resort spreads up a low hillside with suites, several with balconies and hammocks, looking over azure seas. Rooms are pleasant with wooden floors and thatch roofs. The welcome includes generous sprinklings of flower petals – on the bed, on the table, on the chairs, in the bath, everywhere…
Some of the best views to be had are from the bathtub. Rooms have a CD player (CDs are available from the library) but no TV (there is one in the clubhouse). There are coffee and tea-making facilities and should you head for the minibar, a Coke is 80 pesos and a San Mig 100 pesos. Laundering a shirt will set you back just 25 pesos, so bring all your laundry along. An attractive feature at Badian Resort is the Natural Spa, offering massages, facials and other treatments. The one-hour "Island Paradise Massage" combining Indian ayurvedic, Chinese and Thai techniques is US$50.
The resort offers a freshwater swimming pool and extensive dive and watersports facilities. There is a PADI Scuba Dive Center on site which offers a "discover scuba diving program" for US$100. Dives in the area range from beginner (Coral Gardens) to experienced (Sunken Island between Cebu and Negros). There are as many as 15 dive locations within a half hour boat ride from Badian Island Resort.

Exploring downtown Cebu City
Driving into Cebu City, as opposed to actually staying there on business, can be a shock to the system. It takes a while to acclimatize. But once in, there's much to do and enjoy. The old and more colorful parts of downtown Cebu around atmospheric St Nino and City Hall are fun to browse. Hop on a calesa and trot off. Colon Street, named after Christopher Columbus who had a bit of a navigation problem that fortuitously prevented him tangling with Lapu Lapu, is the oldest street in town and a lively artery of commerce and entertainment.
A pleasant vantage point from where to survey the land – or the lights – depending upon your time of visit, is the hilltop Tops. This is an open lookout point from where, with some foaming San Mig and some munchies in hand, you can survey Cebu City, Bohol and the mountains to the north. Evenings finds families, lovers, students and tourists sitting atop the encircling wall enjoying the cool dusk breeze. At Tops you'll find snacks, drinks and little stone alcoves arrayed in a semicircle if you wish to have a roof over your head. There's also an iron bell that, according to lore, is rung "once for firm partnership, twice for lasting friendship or three times for never-ending love." Start counting. The winding drive up the hill takes around 30 minutes from the city. A taxi will charge around 150 pesos per hour and a motorcycle hubel-hubel 25 pesos per passenger.
On the way down you might stop at the Italian La Tegola which offers great views and is open to the breezes. It's a simple, if romantic, pit-stop with decent pasta (around 220 pesos per dish). Slightly lower down is the Chateau de Busay, a more upmarket villa with a garden (where alfresco meals may be enjoyed) and equally stunning views. Steaks and meats are the order of the day. Also on these slopes is the quirkily-named Mr A with great views, a pub atmosphere and a younger set. Pop in for a drink.
The most interesting Filipino dining experience is to be had at the renovated Golden Cowrie where you eat on banana leaves under the high timber rafters of an old house. There's indoor and outdoor seating and the food is excellent. The owner Earl Kokseng knows a thing or two about catering as he runs a few of the better known eating establishments.
Not too far from here, opposite the Waterfront hotel, is the Village, a stand-alone complex of restaurants, bars and live music. There's Korean, international, Café Lucy for French and more. Roll up late and enjoy the show in the inner courtyard. In town, for more Italian, try Bona Forchetta on Osmena Boulevard. Another ever popular choice is Seafood City Market & Restaurant where you can pluck your fish live.
The giant shopping malls like Shoemart (among the biggest in the Philippines), Ayala Center and the Gaisano Country Mall have a variety of food outlets of the fast and trendy kind. In Mactan, the Marina Mall offers a La Tegola, the Majestic Chinese Seafood restaurant and Magellan's Landing. High rollers will have plenty of opportunity to flush, or flash, their cash at the casinos at the two Waterfront hotels in Cebu and near Mactan airport.
Cebu does not offer a huge choice when it comes to international standard business hotels. There is the brisk Marriott Cebu City (from $130), the palatial and overly grand Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino (from $175) with high-roller tour-groups milling about the lobby, and the Cebu Midtown Hotel (from $45).
The Marriott would be the pick for discerning businessmen. The plush Waterfront has 562 rooms, 14 restaurants and outlets including Chinese, Japanese and Italian, and even a disco. And its Cebu International Convention Center offers 10,000sq.m. of space. The Cebu Midtown Hotel is really a last, or budget, choice if everything is full. It does have a good location but it seems to have been built above the Robinson Mall as an afterthought with the drive to the hotel entrance corkscrewing up a dingy car-park ramp that ends up, well, in a car park.
The Cebu Plaza, with a tremendous location up on the hill, has been reborn as the swank new Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. Sited up on scenic Nivel Hills, this is a Cebu landmark, easy to spot from almost anywhere. The property encompasses a generous 7.5 hectares of landscaped gardens and waterfalls. There are 329 smart guestrooms with broadband internet. This Cebu business hotel is about 25 minutes from Mactan International Airport. The Continental Club floors (right at the top) offer executive extras like express check-in, and access to the Continental Club lounge where cocktails and snacks flow all day.
Nightlife is reasonably lively and things start rocking after 8pm when most of the bars open for business. The go-go dance places are concentrated on Mango Avenue (now General Maxilom) with musty red-draped establishments like Viking, Papillon and the slicker Blackhole. Entrance is free and a San Mig is 60 pesos and up. Arena is a bigger place with more scantily-clad dancers who will come up and enquire, "May I know yourrr nationaliteeeeee sirrr?" Should you get involved in further discussions regarding your nationality, income and wedding prospects, the ladies will likely order tequila rounds that are a tad more expensive.
Not too far from Mango Avenue is the top-end Jaguar KTV and go-go dance place that is in a plush theater, rather than bar, set-up. Jaguar charges a 200 pesos entry and a VIP karaoke room here will set you back a cool 1,000 pesos.
Music buffs will enjoy hanging out at Jazz and Blues while the more energetic, or totally plastered, can head to head-banging discos like Juke Box (which has a live band) or the Korean-run Sunflower and NASA. Of course if all this doesn't appeal or you're simply knackered, head back to your hotel, switch on the TV and watch a skin-whitening program. I think I'll buy some of that Herbal P-Gel. Move over Michael Jackson.

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