Mabuhay! We had a week off for fall break and decided to take a trip to Cebu, Philippines. A country with over 7,000 islands, Cebu is just one of the amazing places to visit. It had some Polynesian vibes, some Spanish influence and lots of English being spoken, but it was an experience all its own.

Resort Destination

We stayed at the beautiful Shangri-La Mactan and enjoyed every bit of it. We had heard from friends what a great time they had while visiting. After doing some research, we decided Shangri-La fit the bill of keeping all members of the family happy and entertained.

What surprised me the most was having the beach to ourselves most days. While we were at the end of the rainy season, we had perfect weather for enjoying all the beach activities. The water is a perfectly temperate, clear blue with so many fish, it’s like you are in an aquarium. It is the best snorkeling I have ever experienced, right outside our hotel in a smallish marine sanctuary. Outside of one jellyfish sting on our youngest and one broken underwater camera, it was really the best ocean experience I’ve ever had.

Adventuring to Oslob, Cebu

We took a day trip down the coast of Cebu to the destination of Oslob. Our main attraction was swimming with whale sharks, but we had the chance to stop in on a few other special destinations as well. We booked Cebu Tours and our guide for the whole day was great.

Whale Sharks

This was one of the most exciting parts of our trip. It was something we had all agreed was worth the early 3:30am wake up and long drive. It was our chance to see whale sharks in the wild. This was a once in a lifetime experience and not one of us will ever forget it. At first a bit nervous, these gentle giants pose no threat and softly glide through the water as you marvel at their size. They are the juvenile whale sharks and while they are fed by experienced guides to encourage them to come into the bay, they are free and able to leave at any time. While whale sharks used to be hunted here, this eco-tourism experience is a better way for the town and guides to make a living without destroying the species.

Tumalog Falls

After our whale shark encounter, we took a short moto bike ride down to Tumalog falls. It provided the most beautiful quiet scene. A pool and some trailing smaller falls and this was the perfect pit stop.

Sumilon Island Sandbar

After our visit to the falls, we headed back down to the beach for a quick boat ride over to Sumilon Island Sandbar. It has those turquoise waters we love so much. Beaches of broken coral, the tiniest seashells and crabs and warm easy waves. It’s hard not to have a good time when you are soaking up the rays and enjoying the views.

Off the Resort

It is important to note what is off the resort as well; what we saw while driving through towns and down the island roads. Cebu is beautiful but also very poor. Many stray animals, lots of trash and broken down buildings. The islands have been ravaged by devastating earthquakes and typhoons in the last decade. While we stayed somewhere very nice, I believe it is important to understand the difference between the manicured experiences you are having and the raw truth about the places you visit. So much of it reminded me of our time in Cartagena and how places can be so far apart and have so much in common.

In contrast, we also visited the new and very large SM Seaside Mall. With multiple levels and plenty of nice shops, I did have the best Boba Tea while we were there.

I love getting to visit countries in this same region. Comparing them and noting what we love about each place. We had a great time in DaNang, but this trip rates pretty high for ocean loving families like ours. So next time Southeast Asia is a destination option, consider a trip to Cebu, Philippines.