SIRAO GARDEN

Dubbed as the mini -Amsterdam of Cebu, Sirao Flower Garden is one of the most visit attractions in Cebu. A huge part of the Garden is blooming with Celosia flowers which comes in yellow, fuschia, and orange; and is surprisingly creating a surreal landscape.

How to Get to Sirao Flower Farm in a

Cheapest Way?

If you want to set off from Colon, you can ride a jeepney with route codes 17B, 17C, 17D, 04H, and 04C. If you want to begin your journey from SM City Cebu, you can ride a jeepney with a route code 04L.

Alternatively, you may start from Ayala Center Cebu and ride a jeepney with a route code 04M. Just right in front and beside JY Square Mall, you can ride a Habal-Habal (local term of a motorcycle for hire).

Habal-Habal drivers mostly offer Php 150/person for one-way tour going to Sirao and Temple of Leah.

If you only want to go to Sirao Flower Farm, they would ask for a lesser amount of Php 100/person.  In our case, we were able to negotiate with a kind driver for Php 80/person (one- way tour) going to Sirao and additional fare of Php 25/person for a side trip going to Temple of Leah.

Since we were just 2 persons then, our total cost was Php 370 for a round-trip tour to Sirao Flower Farm and Temple of Leah. We would like to recommend to you the habal-habal driver but we forgot to ask his name and we didn’t even have a chance to get his contact number.

The only advice we can give to you, for now, is to try to negotiate with habal-habal drivers once they call your attention. If you are good enough at haggling, someone will surely take you to your desired destinations (Sirao Flower Farm and Temple of Leah) at a reasonable price for you.

Sirao Flower Farm Rates and other information

• Entrance fee (Flower garden only): Php 50 per head, Php 150 for professional photography.
• Pool use: P100 per adult; P50 per head below 12 y/o
• Operating hours: 6 AM to 6:30 PM for all visitors; 6:30 PM to 6:30 AM for campers

Posted by: Escoton, Venzyray

BANTAYAN ISLAND

One of my favorite vacation destinations in the Philippines is Bantayan Island. So peaceful and quiet, a perfect vacation getaway if you would want to run away from the noise of the city life. To many, it is known as an island paradise in the Philippines. Very recently, the island made so much noise when it was made as the main shooting venue for a local film entitled “Camp Sawi”. Because of this, more tourists were lured to visit the island.

HOW TO GET THERE

In Cebu North Bus Terminal, take a RORO bus direct to Bantayan Island. These buses will bring you to Bantayan Island via Hagnaya Port. Travel time from Cebu North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya Port is approximately 3 hours. Fare is 225 Php.

Bus trip schedule from Cebu North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya Port

Ceres Liner cater Bantayan direct trips. For the bus trip schedule please refer to “Bus trip to Hagnaya Port” section of the table below.

Bus trip to Hagnaya Port		Ferry Departure (Hagnaya Port to Bantayan Island)
1st Trip	11:45 PM	4:00 AM
2nd Trip	12:15 AM	4:00 AM
3rd Trip	3:00 AM	7:30 AM
4th Trip	6:00 AM	10:30 AM
5th Trip	8:00 AM	12:30 PM
6th Trip	10:00 AM	2:30 PM
Last Trip	12:00 PM	4:30 PM

4. Hagnaya Port to Santa Fe Port, Bantayan Island

In Hagnaya Port, bus passengers are asked to get off the bus, buy ferry ticket and pay for the terminal me. You may leave your luggage or backpack in the bus while buying your ferry ticket and paying for the terminal fee.

The bus will onboard the ferry first. Once the bus has onboarded, passengers are asked to onboard the ferry.

• Ferry Ticket – 180 Php
• Terminal Fee – 20 Php

Super Shuttle Ferry Schedule (Departure time in Hagnaya Port)

For the ferry schedule, refer to “Ferry Departure (Hagnaya Port to Bantayan Island)” section of the table below:

Bus trip to Hagnaya Port		Ferry Departure (Hagnaya Port to Bantayan Island)
1st Trip	11:45 PM	4:00 AM
2nd Trip	12:15 AM	4:00 AM
3rd Trip	3:00 AM	7:30 AM
4th Trip	6:00 AM	10:30 AM
5th Trip	8:00 AM	12:30 PM
6th Trip	10:00 AM	2:30 PM
Last Trip	12:00 PM	4:30 PM

Ferry travel time from Hagnaya Port to Santa Fe Port in Bantayan island is approximately 1 hour.

The ferry will dock to Santa Fe Port. The bus will offboard the ferry first. After the bus has offboarded, passengers are asked to ride the bus.

Just inform the bus driver and fare collector to drop you at Bantayan Tourism office which is few meters away from the port. From there, go inside the tourism office and pay 30 Php for the environmental fee.

Travel Tips:

• Carefully plan your trip going to Bantayan Island. The total travel time from Cebu’s Mactan International Airport to Hagnaya Port is approximately 4 hours. Last trip from Hagnaya Port to Bantayan Island is at 4:30 PM. Thus, you should be in Mactan International Airport earlier than 12:00 PM to catch the last Ferry trip to Bantayan Island.

• If you are coming from Manila, the total travel time to Bantayan Island could take up to 8 hours. That includes the waiting time in airport and terminals. If you are not pressed of time, you can spend your first day in Cebu City instead and travel to Bantayan Island the next day.

• There are two types of taxis in Mactan International Airport. The yellow ones are airport taxis and the white ones are public taxis. Yellow taxis are more expensive.

• In Cebu North Bus terminal, they charge 10 Pesos for person upon entry in terminal. We assumed that these are terminal fee.

• The 3-hour bus ride from Cebu North Bus Terminal to Hagnaya port has 2 stopovers where passengers can take quick meals or have a toilet break. If you are a smoker, the stopovers have smoking area.

Posted by: Clint Sepada Continue reading “RUN AWAY WITH ME” →

CAMOTES ISLAND

The Camotes Islands is an island paradise in the Philippines. Amazing beaches and friendly locals. Nothing beats spending a beach getaway with my family and friends, Our bond will surely be stronger than ever as you create happy and memorable moments together. It’s one of the best things that i have ever experience and that’s why i seized the moment and  loving the beach for its very clean and beautiful and we really enjoyed the place specially with my twin Jacob.

How do you get there?

There are quite a few ways to get to the Camotes Islands if you are already in Cebu City. You can go via Danao Port, Cebu Port (Pier 1), Cebu Port (Pier 2), and Ouano Wharf in Mandaue City.

Via Danao Port

The most common way to catch a boat ride to the Camotes Island is via Danao Port, which is probably because you have more options of what service to use and where you end up.

Danao to Camotes Island Ferry Schedule
Departure	Origin Port	Destination (Camotes)	Vessel
05:00AM	Danao Port	Poro Port	Super Shuttle Ferry
05:30AM	Danao Port	Poro Port	Pumpboat
05:30AM	Danao Port	Consuelo Port	Jomalia Shipping
09:30AM	Danao Port	Puertobello Safran and Poro	MBCA Junmar 3
11:30AM	Danao Port	Consuelo Port	Jomalia Shipping
12:30PM	Danao Port	Nonok, Sunog, and Cawit	MBCA Junmar 2
01:00PM	Danao Port	Poro Port	Super Shuttle Ferry
02:30PM	Danao Port	Consuelo Port	Jomalia Shipping
03:30PM	Danao Port	Puertobello Safran and Poro	MBCA Junmar 3
05:30PM	Danao Port	Consuelo Port	Jomalia Shipping

Source: http://www.freedomwall.net/travel/camotes-island-travel-guide/

It  takes up to two hours by bus (Ceres bus from the Reclamation Area North Bus terminal por #27 jeepney via Danao from the White Gold Club House) to travel from Cebu City to Danao Port, depending on the traffic. Your travel time may be shorter if you take a private car, and you can park it at Danao port for PhP300 a day. If you take it on the ferry, it will cost you approximately PhP1,200 one way. On the other hand, you can hire a van if you are a large group, and the cost for one way to Danao port is PhP2,000. For the budget conscious, public transport is the best option. Expect to be at sea for up to three hours, depending on sea conditions. Fare ranges from PhP200 to 350 per person, depending on the service you us and your island destination.

Via Cebu Port (Pier 1)

If you are aiming to get to Poro Island and nowhere else, you could try Ocean Jet, which can get you there in two hours. They have daily trips from the Oceanjet Ferry Terminal located at Cebu Port, Pier 1. To get there from Cebu City, you can ride a bus from the Professional Regulations Commission at HVG Arcade, Subangdaku in Mandaue City. It will take about 40 minutes depending on traffic. Ocean Jet has two trips daily to Poro Island, at 6 AM and 3 PM. The return trip is 8 AM and 5 PM. Fare costs PhP380 per person.

Via Cebu Port (Pier 2)

You can also get to Poro on an Aznar boat, which is the only service that goes there via Pier 2. However, there is only one trip from Cebu to Poro on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 9 PM, and the return trip is on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 1 AM. The trip takes four hours and the fare is about PhP280 per person. If you’re not keen on being at sea at full dark, this may not be a good option for you.

Via Ouano Wharf

For the truly adventurous (and strong swimmers), you can opt to travel via motorized boat from Ouano Wharf in Mandaue City to Consuelo Port (Pacijan Island) at 10:30 am or to Poro Port at 11 AM. Take a taxi to Ouano Wharf as there is no direct public transport. If you are a visitor, you could get lost. Note, however, that the motorized boats are tiny, and may not be safe in rough seas.

Via Mactan Wharf

This port currently offers the fastest way to reach Camotes Terminal. Mactan Wharf is located in Pusok Lapu-Lapu City near Cebu Yact Club and Island Central Mall. Travel time is 1 hour and 15 minutes. The Jomalia Shipping Lines fastcraft departs at 9am and 1pm daily.

• Rates: P400 on weekdays and P500 on weekends
• Contact numbers: (032) 346-0421 to 23
• Jomalia Mactan Ticketing Office: 09951071720
• To avail the government mandated discounts, please present your valid ID upon purchase of tickets.

Getting around

You can rent a scooter for ?300 a day or get a driver with a multicab.

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Posted by : DEREK JIM CAANDE

 

Kawasan Falls is one of the most famous waterfalls in the Philippines that i have been, especially in Cebu along with Tumalog Falls. Here awaits turquoise blue water where you can swim around and relax.

For those who are more adventurous, one could also embark on a bamboo raft and go for a ride under the waterfall and at the same time receive a tremendous neck massage by the pouring water.

HOW TO GET TO KAWASAN FALLS

From Cebu City to Kawasan Falls

The buses are running from Cebu City to Kawasan Falls, are starting from the South Bus Terminal. You can take all of the buses going to Bato (via Barili).

It is very important that you take the bus to Bato via Barili since the other bus from Cebu to Bato is via Oslob and it stops instead on the east side (Kawasan Falls is located on the west).

If you are not sure which bus or where it departs from, just ask a guard or a bus driver. Everyone is friendly and helpful, so no problem there.

When you enter the bus, you could also ask the conductor or the bus driver to notice you when you’re arriving at Kawasan Falls.

I went with the bus company Ceres (yellow buses). However, several bus companies run the same route. The price for a bus with air conditioning is 150 pesos from Cebu City to Kawasan Falls (March 2016).

Posted by: Dhaniel Meñosa

 

 

It was a fine beautiful day when we decided to visit West 35 2 weeks ago when the weather was not yet bipolar. The decision to go there was discover the place and to dine at Haven Cafe as I have been reading great reviews about their good food at a very reasonable price and the view are so good. We intend to travel there early so that we can see the beautiful view.

How to get there:

From Ayala Center Cebu Terminal, we ride a V-Hire going to Balamban since West 35 is located in Balamban, Cebu. The place is known; just tell the driver that you wish to be dropped at West 35. V-hire fare is P120.00.

One of the beautiful things about traveling is that it not only introduces us to destinations and experiences, but also to amazing people that we wouldn’t have the chance to meet any other way. Thanks to the internet, meeting them couldn’t be any faster, and sometimes, it begins before we even set out on the road. They are our travel mentors who provide us with helpful tips and guides, our acting photo albums that make us fall in love with places even before we see them ourselves, and our virtual best friends, who inspire us to travel despite all odds through their words.