Cebu is the oldest settlement in the Philippines. From the original name of Zubu, the fishing village and busy trading port in 1521 it has evolved a highly-urbanised bustling metropolitan center which now serves as focal point of growth and development in Southern Philippines.
Welcome to Cebu Lifestyles. We hope you enjoy our site; with over 100 informative articles on Cebu (go to the article menu). Covering a wide-range of travel-related topics, Cebu Lifestyles will provide you with an extensive amount of information and resources, to help make your travel in Cebu a magical experience. If you wish for more interactive experience, please check the forum section. Post questions or sift through the large resource full of information on this divine island paradise.Where is Cebu?
Located 365 miles south of Manila, the main island of Cebu is a long, narrow slither of land, flanked on both sides by Tañon Strait and the Strait of Cebu. To its south-eastern tip is a small-body of land, that is Mactan Island.
Cebu is composed of hundreds of small islands, some of which are uninhabited, and makes them the targets of sharp-shooting adventure-seeking tourists. Cebu is well known for its narrow-coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains. These make up the typical characteristics of a tropical-island. However, Cebu also has dominant rolling-hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the spine of the northern and southern lengths of the island. Cebu's steep mountains reach over 1,000 meters. Despite the height, there is a substantial lack of forest cover. Flat-tracts of land can be found in towns of Bogo, San Remigio, Cebu, Medellin, and Daan Bantayan at the northern tip of the province.
A fantastic place to utilise as a low-cost business base, as a gateway to adventure or simply to relax. (For detailed info on all the municipalities of Cebu)
Sometimes reffered to as "The Queen of the South", Cebu is also the gateway to pristine beaches, spectacular dive sites, unique championship golf-courses and magnificent islands.With its five-cities: Cebu, Danao, Lapulapu (Mactan Island) Mandaue and Toledo; and its 48 smaller towns, Cebu has more than kept pace with the nation's progress. Today, the island province is at the forefront in both traditional and non-traditional exports. Cebu notably, has the highest economic growth rate in the entire country. Speaking a different dialect, many Cebuanos see their province as a unique country; within a country!
We Know How To Party!
Likewise, Cebu's natural beauty and famous fiestas has helped the province become the countries favorite tourist destination. . The Sinulog festival is Cebu's biggest and most popular festival. It is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of every January. The traditional feast is in honor of the holy-image Señor Santo Niño de Cebu. Fiesta Señor - as it widely known - and is the most celebrated among Cebu's festivals.You will find people converging along the route of a grand solemn procession and partaking in the gaiety, amidst a distinctly mardi-gras parade. The incredible atmosphere, immersed in vivid-colors and the constant rythmic-drums of the Pit Señor.
Location, Location, Location
In contrast to the bustling metropolis, the rest off Cebu's 167 islets and islands are lined with idyllic-white sandy-beaches and pristine clear-waters. Mactan Island, the closest island to Cebu city is one of jewels-in-the-crown. Arrive at the Mactan International Airport and within 15 minutes you could be donning your wet-suit and ready-to-dive a world-class reef. It's an absolute mecca for all types of watersports.
Cebu has gained worldwide popularity for its naturally rich-diving grounds. The economical services of competent dive-masters and a superb infrastructure to support this burgeoning industry has helped attract dive-tourists from the world over.
Cebu's strategic location makes it ideal for those who wish to travel to the other islands and provinces to get away from the rat-race for short-break. By plane, boat or bus, nowhere is too far from the paradise we call Cebu. Traveling around the island will not break the bank either. A typical bus trip from Cebu-City to the Northern most point of the island, would set you back just a few dollars. A plane trip to Boracay, which is a 35 minutes flight away, would cost just around USD30, and a plane-trip to the bustling capital of the Philippines-Manila just USD40. Ferrys to the neighbouring-provinces are also inexpensive. Typically costing USD6-10 one-way.
Infrastructure
Cebu City has the much-anticipated South Reclamation Project (SRP), a massive pile of reclaimed land estimated to be 3 square kilometres. Cebu City, has plans to sell or lease land to potential investors and big-businesses. Among the planned construction projects for the SRP is a modern sports complex (replacing the over-used Cebu City Sports Center), a yacht club and a hotel. Understandably, the Mall tycoons of the Philippines have also expressed interest to build their shopping meccas in the SRP. The SRP has a modern highway (called South Coastal Road) which connects Cebu-City to Talisay City and due to its quality and isolation, the road will reduce travel-time between the two-cities by as much as 50 minutes.
For current news on Cebu we recommend the following online publications: Sunstar Cebu, Cebu Daily News and The Freeman.
If your into sports, Cebu has lots to offer. From the fast-growing badminton craze - which is sweeping the city - to mountain-biking through the mountains, to caving, horseriding, trailbike-riding, go-kart racing etc. There is something for all ages and sizes.Cebu is a great location to set-up a business with the low-operating costs. As a result, a number of expats, locals and returning Pinoy's call Cebu home. Cebu is also now attracting a number of high-profile business people to its shores. One such individual is Michael Gleisner, a dot-com billionaire, who has a vision of building Cebu into the Hollywood-of-the-East. Investing millions of dollars, he is on-the-road to realising this ambitious dream.
Beaches and Diving
Mactan has lots of white-sand beaches that wouldn't look out of place in Hawaii. Check the article on 'Beaches in Cebu' for more details. Or if your into getting fully submerged and seeking out that elusive mermaid, check our articles on diving in Cebu.
How About A Bed?
If your wondering where to stay in Cebu, we recommend http://cebu-designs.blogspot.com/ This independent site - which doesn't allow bookings (so it is truly unique and helps to secure a rare honesty when looking for a place to stay) will give you a heads-up on where to park your body for the night - at the right price! It also provides lots of independent information on what you get for your cash (size of rooms, cost of extras, how long since they had a splash of paint in the rooms etc.) so you can make your decision so much easier.
We truly hope, that our humble website, and the plethora-of-links and treasures hidden within, will give you an excellent snap-shot of the province, history, politics, infrastructure, the people and festivals. Our objective is to promote Cebu and let you know that there is more to Cebu than delicious-mangos and pretty beaches. Our site is a continual work-in-progress, so it may pay to check back regularly as we will continue to add features and content.
