After the mall, my mom and I decided to go to Taboan Market to buy our pasalubong. Taboan has all the dried seafood Cebu has to offer and more. We also saw some stalls selling longganisang Cebu, dried mangoes and Peanut Kisses. It's a one-stop shop for pasalubong.
Some tips when buying pasalubong in Taboan:
- Make sure that you bring extra shirt. The smell of the dried goods is quite strong and may stay with you and your clothes even after you have left the place. Better yet, make sure that this is the last in your itinerary for the day. According to the seller I spoke with, they stay open till 8pm if there are still customers.
- Canvass first before buying. The first store offered a kilo of danggit for 680 pesos. Across the street, another store is selling it for only 630 pesos.
- Ask them to pack the dried seafood properly so that it would not smell when you check it in at the airport. They do airtight packaging using plastic but it will be better to use carton boxes and surround it with packing tape.
After shopping for pasalubong, we decided to walk around Cebu Capitol. We chanced upon an ice cream place called Ice Giants that also served delicious pasta dishes. We highly recommend this place for foodie travellers.
On our 4th day, we were scheduled to go back to Mactan and transfer to Crowne Regency Suites. We rented a van again to pick us up from Cebu R Hotel. After checking out, we had lunch at my favorite Chinese restaurant in Cebu, Luy's. I tried this restaurant in 2013 when we went to Cebu for one of our work assignments, and it was, by far, the best Chinese restaurant I've ever tried. So, I made a promise to go back, and I did, this time with my family.
Before proceeding to Mactan, we visited one of the more famous tourist spots in Cebu City, Fort San Pedro. If you are from Manila and you're familiar with Intramuros, this place is very similar to that.
It is a walled place with a garden, often used as a wedding venue. This particular place reminded me of Puerta Real in Intramuros.
Another attraction is an art museum that features paintings and other wood crafts like the modelboats in the photo.
After Fort San Pedro, we still had time for one more activity before we check in to our 3rd hotel. So, we made a short stop at one of the guitar stores in Mactan.
Of course, because the guitar prices here are way cheaper than in Manila, I could not resist buying one.
We also made a stop in San Pedro Calungsod Chapel in Mactan. When you visit Mactan, you should drop by this church. The architecture is breathtaking and one-of-a-kind.
 |
| Photo Credit: philstar.com |
Crown Regency Suites is our last accommodation before leaving for Manila. I booked for a 3-bedroom suite but there was some mix up in their booking system and there was no available 3-bedroom suite when we checked in. They decided to give us the 3-bedroom villa instead, at no extra cost. This was no villa for me, this is a house! A big, 3-bedroom house! Not bad, eh?
Crown Regency also had pools and for the rest of the afternoon, the girls just enjoyed swimming.
The following day was our flight back to Manila. I have arranged with the hotel the use of their free shuttle to the airport. That's another tip: do ask your hotel if they offer free shuttle to bring you to the airport. It's so convenient and you'll save a lot of money.
Then, it was, "Bye Cebu!" for us. Our vacation in Cebu was one worth remembering and we hope that we can go back there soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment