Cebu's Tops needs upgrading...

Visited Tops (Tops Skyline Garden) again a couple of days ago after more than four years of not having visited the place. Tops, as it is popularly called, remains the same - the same cold, fresh night air... the romantic ambiance that results to lovers hugging each other... the same starry night skies... and the same awesome view of the Metro Cebu area.

Enjoyed the place so much until my tummy knocked on my senses. It was already past 8 p.m. and the group had not eaten dinner yet. Immediately, I looked for some place to eat but except for the stall that sells EXPENSIVE barbecue, thin hotdogs that cost P30 each, and ngo hiong at overly EXPENSIVE price... I found none.

But I had to eat and so were my friends. Five of us munched on eight ngo hiong, five hotdogs, a few bottles of softdrinks, and much to our surprise, we ended up paying a whooping P760. A piece of double mint chewing gum that costs P1 on streets, costs P4 at TOPS.

This should be addressed by the management of TOPS. People get hungry and yet there is no decent food stall in the area. If you feel like eating, you have to contend yourself with the only store that sells bland yet overly priced foods.

At TOPS you surely will feel like drinking a bottle of beer to compliment the cold evening. But then, a bottle of San Mig Light costs P60. Whoa! We decided to hold on to our thirst until we got our way back to the city proper.

A tip for people who want to go to TOPS - there is no decent food store here so better pack some foods and drinks or buy them along the way, not inside the TOPS premises. And oh, it still costs P100 per head to get inside TOPS

Swimming in Boljoon

The original plan was to go to Samboan for the much needed (although much late) sun, sea, and sand experience. Summer is officially over but we needed to bring our bodies to the sea just so we can tell friends and foes that we’ve fulfilled our pilgrimage to the sea.

We reached Samboan after more than three hours of road trip but, after munching on lechon and some local delicacies, we’ve decided to move back and search for a nice beach where we can have a swim.

After nearly and hour and several towns away, we stopped infront of the picturesque Boljoon Church after seeing an open, public, small white-sandy beach. The old fisherman said it was okay to swim in the area, we immediately changed to swim gear and head on to the water.

The water was clear and although it was low tide, the water in the area remains waist deep a few feet from the sands. The shore stretches a few meters of white sands and peebles. And it was very clean (this mattered most to me).

Thirty minutes of hugging the cold water and swimming under the 3 o’ clock sun was very fulfilling. Except for my group (three of us to be exact) there was no other swimmer in the area. Enjoyed the experience so much considering that it had been nearly a year since my last trip to the sea.

Going back to Cebu City, I realized that the best beaches really are not confined in a private, expensive resort, or in much popular areas. The best beach is one that quenches your thirst for that summer dip and satisfies your craving for the sea, even at shoe-string budget or zero budget at all.

Eat All You Can in Cebu

I must have gained several pounds the past weeks because I've been visiting one of Cebu's top restaurant of choice for an "Eat-All-You-Can" buffet. I'm referring to the Grand Majestic Restaurant located at the Grand Convention Center along Archbishop Reyes Avenue.

There was a special occasion that prompted me to eat at the Grand Majestic and there were several invitations from friends that I could not turn down. I guess I've gone to the same restaurant thrice in a week.

For a mere P475 per person, exclusive of drinks, one can feast on the variety of food spread out in the buffet table. There's dimsum, local dishes, fish, pork, beef, peking duck, and (my favorite) the fried shrimp. If there's one good reason why I can't resist eating at the Majestic, it's the fried shrimp. I can actually pay P475 for the buffet but only eat the fried shrimp.

Some of the favorites at the Majestic are the Peking duck, the jellyfish, the fish fillet, and the shrimp. Fried shrimps are served during lunch time while steamed shrimps are served during dinner (P550 per head).

If you visit Cebu in the near future, try eating at the Grand Majestic Restaurant. It has tables for two, for six, and for 12 people.

Cebu Travel Blog

I've finally decided to create this blog to showcase what Cebu has to offer in terms of tourism. I was born here and I've lived all my 32 years in this bustling city of more than 500,000 residents.

Through this blog, I hope I can show to you the beauty of Cebu - its tourist destinations, its hotels and resorts, restaurants, bars, and a lot more