Cebu International Airport is by no means a small airport and Cebu is too large itself to be a beach town. It is lined with high-rise buildings and there aren’t many beaches in the main city. Even the drive from the airport to our hotel felt like going to the outskirts of a big city and not a beach town. Reef Island Resort wasn’t really a resort in the traditional sense. It was a high-rise building with a lovely sea view but all the resort-like facilities were built into the single building.

The room was large and fantastic, and the view was even better. The pool was very long, but not very wide. There were just two restaurants one of them only open through lunch. The food was delicious but the menu was tiny, eating here for three days was not going to work and while there were other resorts in the vicinity, there were no stand-alone restaurants. The beach outside of the building was a tiny artificial beach with a cordoned-off swimming area.

We were checked in by late afternoon and spent the evening relaxing in the pool. A poolside cafe offered some outstanding burgers and beer. The views from the room and the gaming zone in the hotel lobby were both fantastic. It was a chill evening that ended with a dinner in hotel, a rare relaxing day during my travel. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant and in 1 meal had pretty much tried all that looked interesting. I also spend some time at the gaming zone and booked a city tour for the following day. This was booked through the hotel and the concierge seemed really happy with me for relying on him so much. I suspect this was some friend of his who ran the tour. – I will never definitely know.

I went for a short run in the morning, the area around the hotel was all residential but some parts had a nice sea view. I did some circles since the area around the approach road was quite rustic. Breakfast was great, as expected, and the tour guide picked us up right after. It was a long drive into Cebu city and we started with a Taoist temple that offered some stunning views of the city from the top of Beverly Hills, a mid-city hill. It was a good chance to learn some of the cultural beliefs including how they used these wooden beans to get answers to life’s questions. It is not a glorious temple, but the views and the cultural implications make it worth a visit. You need to be ready for a lot of stair climbing that is part of the rituals.

The next stop was a historic house that reflected the local culture, the Yap Sandiego Ancestral House. It was built late in the 17th century and still stands though I suspect the interiors have been upgraded or at least dramaticized since. There were some amazing pics, artwork, and a version of the life from those times. At the end, some locals gave a small demonstration of local dances. The next stop was a quick view of the Magellan’s cross, that is just a Christian Cross planted by the Spanish that is worth about a pic and a glance. Basilica del Santo Nino is a small 16th cantury basilica that is famous and also very crowded. We reached just before the mass and the crowds were just building up. I was able to click a few pics and somehow avoid the long lines. Overall an okay day trip, nothing spectacular but a good view into the city. On the way back we tried to get dropped off at a mexican place, but it was closed. We ended up eating in the hotel.

Post lunch we spent a little time in the pool before it got dark. Dinner was a tricky question as the menu of the only open restaurant wasn’t interesting enough. A quick Google search got us some options in the neighborhood and we decided to experiment with an open-air place nearby – Casanta Secret Garden. It was a short cab ride, was a stand-alone restaurant with excellent reviews and an interesting menu – all the right things. It was setup in a garden though in a covered area. The food was good and the wine was light and tasty. A good change from the usual Philipino restaurants.

On the watch back we booked an island-hopping tour for the following morning through the hotel. This one was organized by the hotel and a hotel car picked us up after breakfast and took us some 30 minutes away to a pier where a private boat awaited. The boat was pre-loaded with our lunch which was a large spectacular basket with fruits, crabs, chicken, rice, and corn. The tour would cover three islands and some pristine waters. This tour was the answer to the question – Why is Cebu such a popular tourist destination? We had not seen anything truly special in Cebu before this, but all that changed. It was probablly the most stunning water tour I have ever taken.

We started with a pristine beach that came with a vast lagoon. The water was shallow enough that we had to walk the last 200 meters in knee-deep water to the island. We saw starfish on the sea bed in clear sight as we walked to this stunning island. There was hardly anyone, just a lot of beautiful nature. Local fishermen had set up small grilled fish stalls, we tried some. After a short walk on the beach, we walked to the boat that had now docked on the other side of the island. We walked acros a local village and it was quite fascinating to see how life would be at such a remote island. Then we were served that wonderful food platter once we got back to the boat. The route was now super scenic, with lovely shallow waters lined with water plants and lot of sea life just visible by sitting at the edge of the boat. the boatman made us sit at the front edge of the boat as he wanted the rear of the boat to be less submerged, to keep the rotor away from the water plants. That was the best experience of the trip – incredible waters, amazing sun and the breeze!!!

After about half an hour, the next stop was another island with snorkeling and some optional watersports. We enjoyed the snorkeling but skipped the water sport. The general scenery was incredible. No pictures as I was mostly in the water. Next, we stopped at another island with a small resort (4 rooms only) and a restaurant. It had a dock to make it easier to get off the boat but then a long walk on a narrow bridge to get to the island. There was also some stunning snorkeling right at the foot of the jetty. We bought a small pack of fish food and beautiful multi-colored fish came by in large numbers. The other side of the island was another stunning white sand beach and a spectacular view. The lack of crowds made this even better.

We got back late and there was only time to rest a bit before dinner became a question again. This time we chose a fine dining restaurant in a different resort, next door. The resort was technically next door, but the entrance required a very large loop in a cab. Once we got out of the cab, the restaurant itself was again deep in the resort – but the ambiance and the food were worth the trip. This was the first time we saw some Indian food on the menu – I of course had none of it. We got back in in time for a good sleep, the last night in Cebu.

The return flight was via Hong Kong and was quite uneventful. The layover was made better by the existence of an amazing Centurian lounge with some delicious cocktails. The memories of the Cebu boat ride were still blowing my mind.