Cebu’s Lechon!

I’m not very discerning when it comes to lechon. For our foreigner folks out there, it is the suckling pig. For most, Cebu is the place to get the best tasting lechon in the country.

And so we went to the city to take hold of the CnT Lechon. We initially went to SM Cebu’s supermarket, where just outside the grocery area is a CnT branch. Since it was after lunch, probably around 3 p.m., the branch did not have any lechon available for sale. We  were informed that the supplies will come in time for when people buy dinner. And so we could not wait as the hotel's shuttle will come pick us up before that.

It did not become a problem because across the mall, was a standalone branch of CnT. We only had trouble crossing the roads as there were no proper pedestrian lanes and the vehicles were being driven like mad.

And so we bought a little bit for dinner. I know that there is a slight price difference from buying in the branch VS buying from SM. The branch is a bit cheaper (I can’t remember by how much). Anyway, we took the lechon back to the hotel and had a great dinner.

To say that the lechon was delicious is an understatement. The right amount of saltiness and moistness in the meat was perfect with a ton of plain rice. This is indeed an ultimate Filipino dish to get. The meat was tender, hot and flavourful. It was well worth the price at Php 440 per kilo.

We ended up so full after. A cheap thrill as this was eaten by 6 people. Not bad, right? Oh how I miss Cebu. :)

Dining at Shangri-la Mactan Resorts & Spa

It’s a bummer actually that the resort does not offer services to and from Cebu City for free. They do charge, as to how much, I don’t know. We didn’t dare to step out of the resort. We were too into the beach life to see the city at all.

Tides

This is one of the places where the guests have their breakfast while at the resort. I forgot where else they extend the buffet breakfast when there are just too many guests but this is the main area where people wake up to.

  

Waking up to breakfast is something I do rarely… mostly only during vacations. And this is actually because buffet breakfast for two is included in the room’s rate. But I do love breakfast food. And my eyes actually popped out when I saw a whole lot of pastries in display in the buffet.

Located in different stations are the salads (with so many dressings to choose from), cereals (and a whole bunch of milk and juices to mix it with), sushi and sashimi (which I think is quite a staple for Shangri-la breakfasts), hot plates (that contained your usual bacon, sausages, corned beef, etc.), omelette and cold cuts. There was also some congee, fresh fruits and my favourite, freshly squeezed orange juice. I love fresh orange juice prepared during the morning.

If in case you want to avail of the breakfast buffet alone, it's Php 1,050 + service charge + VAT + food tax (a total of P1,30.25).

Beach Bar

Nothing like hearing the movements of the sea as you relax and feel the summer sun. That was what we did, we bummed. Aside from the chit-chats we had, we also had to do something else to pass the time. And so we ordered some snacks while we were by the beach to get us through the afternoon happy and relaxed.

The Pizza Margherita (Php 440 + tax + sc) ordered was pretty good. It was served in a thin crust dough topped with mozzarella and tomato sauce. I love simple pizzas. And this one was pretty tasty and was served hot.

Roast Beef Sandwich (Php 520 + tax + sc) will always be appealing to the carnivores. It came with emmental cheese, some romaine leaves and grain mustard mayonnaise. Each sandwich came with a serving of fries. This entire thing was quite difficult to finish by just one person for a snack. I think it was meant to be eaten as a whole meal. It tasted great, tender roast beef and flavourful ingredients.

We ordered Mactan Iced Tea (Php 150 + tax + sc) which was actually cold tea with syrup on the side, which is how iced tea should be done, and shakes (orange concoction which name I actually forgot and choco banana shake, both were very refreshing).

I almost forgot, there was a staff selling ice cream as how you would hear sorbeteros sell ice cream out on the streets. I love it, not only because it brings the Filipino culture closer to foreigners, but the ice cream being sold? Yes, that’s Häagen-Dazs right there. Hehe.

Tea of Spring

This Cantonese restaurant with a modern and elegant interior was where we had our dinner during our stay. We were actually looking for the least intimidating restaurant besides the ones offering an eat-all-you-can dining and so we found ourselves here.

We ordered the following:

Yangzhou Fried Rice (Php 320) – your classic rice mixed with meat and seafood. This version was great and really flavourful. I did not end up really thirsty after which probably means that it did not have too much MSG in it.

Oven-baked Sea Bass with Chinese Brown Sauce (Php 580) – sea bass is the only way to go. This was really cooked to perfection. The fish was melting in my mouth. The brown sauce was an oriental barbecue flavour sauce. This dish was just awesome.

“Bi Feng Tang” Roasted Crispy Chicken with Toasted Almond Flakes and Garlic Flakes (Php 360) – such a long name for a food, don’t you think? Anyway, this chicken was moist. It did not even need the toasted almond and garlic flakes yet these added to the already overwhelming taste of the dish. It was fantastic.

Braised Beef Brisket with White Radish (Php 380) – the beef was tender and same as the others, this dish was flavourful as well. It had that balance of sweet and subtle saltiness that was very oriental. I believe this is best paired with a cup of plain rice.

There were three of us who ate this spread so we ended up really full and we needed to take a stroll. But it was a delight. I don’t even need to mention anything about the service. Theirs was great, as always.

Tides

Garden Level, Shangri-la Mactan Resorts & Spa

(63-32) 2318224

Beach Bar

Beach Side, Shangri-la Mactan Resorts & Spa

(63-32) 2310288

Tea of Spring

Garden Level Main Wing, Shangri-la Mactan Resorts & Spa

(63-32) 2318224

An Ultimate Vacation at Shangri-la Mactan Resorts and Spa

Because I was not able to even step foot on Mactan Island when I last went to Cebu, I insisted to stay here even if it meant double the rate of Hilton Resort. I know, irrational indeed. But I have always been intrigued as to what the friends of my Mom talk about when they say I should visit this Shangri-la.

   

The place did not disappoint. Shorter version: I loved it. It is a place where a person will experience an ultimate vacation. Read: BUM. I actually love an action packed vacation because it’s how I lose weight (seriously), but every once in a while, when work gets really busy and I get fed up of the same routine, it is best to just go to a different place, with a completely different environment and do absolutely nothing.

The hotel’s entire ambiance screams of vacation. A beach life indeed. The hotel lobby was wide and as expected from Shangri-la employees, everyone was very courteous and accommodating. And because of luck, our room was bumped up to an ocean view room but paying for garden view one. I still found it to expensive, but that was expected of course. The entire resort was big (way bigger than Hilton)  as there were a lot of rooms in both main and ocean wings.

The Room:

A very wide room with a king-sized bed greeted us upon entry. A sofa set plus a stunning view of the entire resort also came with. The bathroom was wide and it had a tub though I completely forgot to take photos, maybe of too much excitement. The sheets were amazing and I loved the bath towels.

I would wish to stay here for a longer period, but then again, being able to stay for this trip was blessing enough. Paradise, isn't it?

The Amenities:

I am only going to write about the things I remember or experienced because I think there are just way too many. Haha! The resort has two very inviting pools plus an additional children’s pool open from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.

Shangri-la’s beach cove is also a marine sanctuary. As soon as you step on the shallowest part of the water, you will see a whole lot of fishes already wandering around. Being used to fine white sandy beaches, I’m not sure if I want to swim without a pair of aqua shoes. The sand was white, but it was not powdery. I found it difficult to stay for long as I have really thin skin thus, sensitive. But seeing the sea animals going about their business underwater was quite fascinating. Snorkeling gears are free for use by the hotel guests (as well as kayaks) but on a first come first served basis.

Upon eating dinner in Tea of Spring, we roamed around because we were too full. Along the way, we passed by some swings and hammocks, where I obviously played and took pictures. The resort also boasts of their top of the line spa services which I had no intentions of trying because I do not really like getting massages from strangers.

Isn't it obvious that I had way too much fun? I kept bouncing from one place to another. Up next are the dining places available for guests. 'Til then! ;)

Shangri-la Mactan Resorts & Spa

Punta Engano Road Lapu-Lapu
Cebu 6015, Philippines 
(63-32) 2310288

Hilton Cebu Resorts & Spa

I am not entirely sure as to how I got into picking this hotel to stay in while we were in Cebu. All I know was that it was beside Shangri-la Mactan, thus, transit would be easier from one hotel to another. Of course, the hotel carrying the Hilton name is guaranteed to give us vacationers an ultimate getaway.

It was a world of pink from the minute we got to Hilton Cebu Resorts & Spa until we left. Upon checking in the hotel, we went straight right up our rooms. The rooms were spacious enough and there was not really anything extraordinary inside. We also had terraces in our connecting rooms (where we ended up eating our take-out CnT Lechon, more about that in the later posts). Comfortable beds awaited us but what I loved most were the toiletries provided.

 

We headed out back to the city through the hotel’s scheduled free shuttle. Make sure to call ahead and reserve a seat as not to run out. This was a great service because it saved us the hassle of getting a cab.

Upon going back, I went on a photo-taking spree. It was the shutterbug in me that was always keeping me from staying put. A bar will welcome you after passing by the lobby. After all, it is always a good thing to start your vacation with some perk-me-up drinks. As I went further, I saw the pool. Then at the end, all the way down, was the beach. 

 

Drinking unlimited lemongrass iced tea while hanging out by the beach was something we did a lot to enjoy the sun. Coffee by the lobby was also something we enjoyed while chatting and letting the CnT Lechon dinner we had settle down inside our stomach until we retired for bed.

Breakfast was something at Hilton. As S claims, they have one of the best bacons as it was really crispy. I believe it because the guy has a love affair with that breakfast food. I, on the other hand, am a sucker for Belgian waffles and pancakes. Hash browns, eggs, sausages and French toasts made their way to my plate (and stomach) as well as my beloved orange juice.

We checked out after we took a shower, hang-out by the beach again, and headed off to our next hotel. Ah, I love the beach life. :)

Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa

Punta Engano, Mactan Island,

Cebu, Philippines

(63-32) 4927777

In Transit to Cebu

There are a lot of things written about Cebu City, it is after all one of the places to be when traveling the Visayas region. Due to the city’s progressiveness and resemblance to Manila, it became a place being flocked by both tourists and businessmen alike.

I came to Cebu City back when digital cameras were unheard of and at a time when my passion and willingness to discover places were non-existent. I remember staying at Marco Polo Cebu City for several days and going around the city but somehow, the visit in Tops and one lunch in the hotel were the only things that stayed in wherever long term memories are stored in my brain.

And so when I planned a Bohol-Cebu trip, I decided to stay in Mactan. I was actually looking forward to visiting Bantayan Island but I have known about the three hour commute from the city only after I booked our plane tickets, thus, lack of time allotted for the Cebu Trip.

If you are coming from Manila, Cebu is just an hour away through plane. Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Airphil Express all have flights to and from Cebu. The province also has an international hub thus if you are coming from abroad (mostly from Los Angeles, San Francisco or Korea, if I’m not mistaken), planes can land directly in Cebu.

What we did though was took a ferry from Tagbilaran since we were visiting Bohol anyway. It was a good two-hour trip, which mostly was spent sleeping by me. There are several lines such as Supercat, Oceanjet and Weesam, the most popular being the foremost. It cost us Php 500 for a single trip. Make sure to check all lines from time to time as these fast crafts offer promos.

 

Upon docking in Cebu City’s port, we were greeted by a lot of cab drivers and locals who offered their transportation services. Now, I read in forums that the transfer from the Cebu port to Mactan, should cost no more than Php 200 per cab. Since we were six, we decided to get a van instead and paid around Php 400. They will attempt to charge you far more than that amount and if they do, I insist you take a cab instead.

And so our stay at Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa and Shangri-la Mactan Resorts & Spa began. I shall be talking about both hotels in a few days to come. Toodles!