Cebu is a popular tourist destination located in central Philippines. Known for its rich history especially during the 1521 expedition of Ferdinand Magellan, it is home to various tourist attractions.
It was a dark Friday morning on July 5, 2024, when we arrived at Mactan-Cebu International Airport at past four o'clock in the morning. We then rode a taxi to our hotel, RF Suites, located along A.R. Villanueva Street in Cebu City. My mom paid an initial 500 pesos (around 8.5 US dollars) in February, followed by the onsite payment of 5,500 pesos for two nights (around 1,833 pesos per night) at the reception desk. Our kasambahay (house helper) for fourteen years who hails from Bantayan arrived in Cebu City the day before we arrived and was in her room waiting for us.
Basilica del Santo Niño
We stayed at our hotel for only more than half an hour to leave our things. We then rode a Grab to the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu. It is a prominent minor basilica in Cebu City, home to the miraculous image of the Santo Niño de Cebu.
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| Our first stop of the day is the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu, home to the miraculous image of the Holy Child gifted by Ferdinand Magellan to Rajah Humabon in 1521. |
The image was a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to Rajah Humabon, once the ruler of the island of Cebu, on April 14, 1521. Forty-four years later, the next Spanish expedition, led my Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, arrived. A battle soon followed, and on April 28, 1565, Spanish mariner Juan Camus found the image of the Santo Niño in a pine box. This finding, locally known as "Kaplag", is still commemorated annually every April 28. That date was once the feast day of the image until the 18th century, when it was moved to the current third Sunday in January.
Devotion to the miraculous image is popular among Filipinos. Every Friday, devotees visit the basilica for a series of novena Masses in honor of the Holy Child. As the old church could not accommodate the influx of devotees, Masses are held outside, at the Pilgrim Center. It attracts thousands (or even millions) of pilgrims for its annual Fiesta Señor every third Sunday in January with novena Masses starting on the second Thursday before the feast day, and a fluvial procession re-enacting the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines on the eve of the feast (visperas).
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Devotees, pilgrims, and tourists are required to dress appropriately upon entering the Basilica. Those with improper attire will be denied entry. See the dress code here.
Magellan's Cross
| Just outside the Basilica is the Magellan's Cross — one of the most iconic landmarks of Cebu and a symbol of the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines five centuries ago. |
A stone kiosk outside the Basilica houses the Magellan’s Cross, which was planted at that site on April 14, 1521 (coinciding with the first Baptism in the country), by Portuguese circumnavigator Ferdinand Magellan. The coral stone kiosk was built in around 1834. The original cross made of tindalo wood was encased in another cross made in 1835.
You can watch my short video about the Basilica and Magellan's Cross here:
Fort San Pedro
Let's hop on the car to our private city tour!
We first stopped at Fort San Pedro, first built in 1565 under Miguel López de Legazpi. The current structure was built in 1738 and remains the oldest triangular fort in the country.
To enter, you must pay a fee of 30 pesos for regular adults, 20 pesos for students who would present their updated school ID, and 24 pesos for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) who would present valid IDs.
Temple of Leah
We then went up the mountains for the next 11.5 kilometers to the famous Temple of Leah in Barangay Busay.
| Temple of Leah is located at the highlands of Cebu City. |
Popularly known as the "Taj Mahal of Cebu", the temple was built by Teodorico Adarna, the husband of Leah V. Albino–Adarna, following the latter’s death to lung cancer in 2012. Both are grandparents of famous actress and model Ellen Adarna. At the temple, we saw ornate collections of the late Leah V. Albino–Adarna like vases and ceramics.
Mesmerizing views at TOPS
Noontime passed and it’s time for us to have a break.
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| You'll be mesmerized with this observation deck view of Cebu City from TOPS. The right image is the famous Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX). |
We went to TOPS, a popular viewing attraction, to have lunch at its Top of Cebu restaurant. I ate a simple calamari and rice meal. All in all, the entire meal we ate there cost us 2,200 pesos for a group of five, including our driver. After lunch, we went to an observation deck, where I took many photos of Cebu City from the mountains.
To gain entry, you must present your ticket that you claimed at the booth (entrance fee is 100 pesos per person; your ticket is claimed upon entering the premises).
Sirao Garden's dazzling plants and flowers
After more than an hour's lunch, we continued our tour.
| Sirao Garden is a go-to for tourists and flower-lovers! |
We stopped at Sirao’s Garden, where I was amazed how colorful and dazzling Cebu’s Little Amsterdam is. Entrance fee is 120 pesos per person, with discounts for senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs). We stayed there for long despite the looming dark clouds above us, but fortunately, we were saved from possible rainfalls. Opened in January 2016, it has 100 kinds of plants and flowers, making it a popular hotspot for photoshoots. There are cottages you can rent for 300 pesos, and a photoshoot costs 2,500 pesos.
10,000 Roses by the sea
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| Wrapping up the day at 10,000 Roses is the way to go! |
Along the way to our next stop, we were battered by heavy traffic. Crossing the Mactan Channel via the iconic Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), we arrived at 10,000 Roses at past six. We spent the next hours there with pictures. We ended the day with a dinner at Lantaw Native Restaurant, an outdoor restaurant by the shore.
Wrapping things up, we arrived at our hotel at around quarter to nine.
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