Cebu's Sinulog, Tips For Tourists

We just got back from Cebu after a 5 day trip to celebrate the 2020 Sinulog Festival.

Regarded as the grandest festival of the Philippines, Sinulog is a dance ritual dedicated to the patron Saint of the province the Sto. Nino (Baby Jesus).  Although pagan in origin, it is now a large religious   celebration attracting thousands of tourists both local and foreigners.

In retrospect to our current trip, here are some useful tips should you decide to take part of this annual festival in the future.

1.  Book your flights in advance!  Sinulog is celebrated annually every January with the culmination on the 3rd Sunday which is the Sto. Nino Feast Day.  If you intend to to explore adjacent towns and activities outside the city, allocate more days.  For our trip we dedicated 5 days and 4 nights that started January 16 and leaving January 20.  Booking your flights in advance gives the opportunity to secure cheaper fares.

2.  Book your accommodation within the city centre.  On the day of the parade, the major streets are closed and the side roads are full of people.  It will be more convenient to just walk your way to any of the parade routes.  We opted to stay at Uncle Toms Cabin Hotel.

3.  Rent a car.  Since we're group of 9, we rented a self drive van that picked us up from the airport, up until the night before the grand parade.  It allows us to explore the city at our own phase and customise the destination to our interests.  There's no point in keeping the car on the festival day itself since most of the roads are closed.

Self Drive Car Rental:
Balskey Car Rental

4.  Plan your itinerary in advance.  There are many activities during the festival week, and choose the ones you want to participate in.

Our Itinerary:
Day 1, January 16, 2020
9:20   AM ETA Cebu

• Pick Up Self Drive Van

10:00 AM Early Lunch

• Lapu Lapu Shrine
• Mactan Shrine
• Manna Sutukil Restaurant (Sutukil is shortened SUgba, TUla, and Kilaw.  Sugba is grilled, Tula is boiled, and Kilaw is pickled much like ceviche)

Lapu Lapu Monument

Mactan Shrine

12:00 PM Drive to Uncle Toms Cabin

1:00 PM Check-in and Freshen Up

3:00 PM City Tour

• Magellan's Cross
• Sto. Nino Basilica
• La Fortuna Bakery
• Yap-Sandiego House
• Cebu Heritage Monument

Magellans Cross

Yap-Sandiego House
Their guide takes amazing photos, don't hesitate to approach them!

7:00 PM Lechon Dinner at House of Lechon

10:00 PM Rumour Bar

Day 2, January 17, 2020

6:00 AM Breakfast at the Hotel

7:30 AM Depart for Cordova Roro Port

•  Island Hopping by Ramirez Island Hopping Tour
• Pandanon Island
• Gilotongan Island
• Nalusuan Island

3:00 PM Return to Cordova Port and drive to Hotel

7:00 PM Buffet Dinner at Cebu Parklane

The buffet of everything Cebu is known for comes with non stop entertainment from drum beaters, Sinulog Dancers, Fire Dancer and Acoustic Band.   We got so much more than what we paid for!

9:00 PM Depart for Life Dance Baladhay Rave Party

11:30 PM Arrival at Life Dance

2:00 AM Snacks

Day 3, January 18, 2020

10:00 AM Breakfast at Hotel

2:00 PM Cebu Mountain Tour

• Nerris Selfie Village
• Sirao Flower Farm (optional)
• Temple of Leah (optional)
• Tops

One of the Selfie Area at Nerri's Garden

Our Group at Tops

6:00 PM Dinner at Tops of Cebu

8:00 PM Return to Hotel

10:30 PM  Party at Icon

The Extremely Crowded Icon!

2:00 AM Return to Hotel

Day 4, January 19, 2020

11:30 AM Brunch at Abaca

3:00 PM Watch Parade Along Mango Avenue

6:00 PM Dinner at Larsian

Check the Prices, this came out expensive!

8:00 PM Party at the Hotel

The hotel allowed us to drink by the lobby!

So much that we were dancing already!

Day 5, January 20, 2020

7:30 AM Buffet Breakfast at Abaca

9:30 AM Depart for Airport

               
5.  Mobile device signals are cut off during most hours of Saturday and Sunday.  Make sure everybody's in synch with the itinerary and know where to go in case you get lost in the crowd.

6.  Make sure you have enough energy to last you the entire Sunday.  The parade starts early in the morning and ends late at night!  Nursing a hangover in the heat of the sun is not a good idea.

7.  Stock on alcohol.  Liquor ban is implemented on certain days, but most people are still allowed to drink.  Finding a store that sell would be the challenge.

8.  Disinfect with alcohol and wipes.  You will get painted, and random hands would definitely touch your skin.  Take the opportunity to disinfect as soon as your away from the crowd or settled at your hotel.

9.  Bring water containers!  The streets are littered with empty water bottles, so please don't add to them by bringing your own.

10.  Enjoy!  Traffic can be bad and establishments crowded, and in most times all you can do is just dance to beat or get lost in the festivities! Pit Senyor!

Photo Credit:
Nesty Cao Lucas

Cebu City in a Day

Although, my recent visit to Cebu was a bit short,  I still managed to discover places I haven't been to and restaurants I haven't tried.  If you happen to find yourself in the city for a day, here's my suggested itinerary.

Breakfast at Trattoria da Gianni

Sausage Set at Trattoria du Gianni

Corned Beef Set at Trattoria du Gianni

Admittedly, we were suppose to go to Abaca at Crossroads, but it was full when we arrived.  Instead, we explored the establishments beside it and found Trattoria du Gianni.  Later on we found out that it was owned by Mateo Guidicelli, a popular local artist.  You can customise your breakfast with a choice of protein, eggs preparation, 3 types of vegetables with either rice or bread.  All meals are served with coffee.

City Tour

Sto. Nino Shrine

Im glad to see the facade fully restored after the earthquake that struck the province a year ago. There's a museum at the back housing church vestments and collection dedicated to the Sto. Nino.  Schedule your visit as they're close during the lunch hour.

Sto. Nino Shrine

Magellan's Cross

Inside the Minor Basilica of Sto. Nino,  Cebu

Yap - San Diego House

The Yap - San Diego Ancestral House is a privately owned museum built in the 17th Century.  Its 90% intact and is still being used by the owners to this day.

Yap - San Diego Ancestral House

 

Casa Gorordo

Casa Gorordo is right around the corner coming from the Yap- San diego House.  Its being renovated during this time, but a visit to this place is must once they open.

Lunch at House of Lechon

Of all the Lechon places I've tried in Cebu, House of Lechon would have to be the best.  I loved it so much that I'm drooling just remembering their juicy, succulent lichen and the crispy skin.

Munggo, Dinuguan and the Best selling Lechon of House of Lechon

Shop at SM Seaside

What better way to shed the calories from lunch, than a walk on the biggest mall in the Philippines.  With 5 levels of shops and restaurants, its a shopping heaven!

Dessert and Coffee at Rica's Cafe of Henry Hotel

This is my favourite coffee place.  I love the artsy vibe of the interiors, with every nook and corners Instagram worthy.

Me and Yabby at the Henry Hotel

Dinner at Lantaw, Busay

Lantaw is a Native Restaurant with three different locations in Cebu.  They have a floating version in Mactan, The Seaside version at SRP, and the best one to visit at night, The Busay Branch.  Imagine dining on a mountain deck with the night cityscape of Cebu as your background.

Party at Alchology

This happens to be our favourite weekend night hangout.  Not only do they have good air-conditioning, and affordable drinks, they are also very gay friendly.

There you have it!  My condensed itinerary for Cebu City.  Of course there are more attractions and out of the city destinations.  Let's reserve that for another day!

When In Cebu: Sirao Flower Farm

The Beauty of Sirao!

Ever since a television feature of the this mountain destination in Cebu came out, it sparked the interests of tourist from all over the country... Including me!

I was surprised to find out how close it was from the city.  It's less than an hour drive, passing the overlooking attractions like TOPS and Lantaw Restaurant.

There's only one sign along the main road to the farms direction.  From the main road, you trun right.  Head straight until the road becomes narrow. We just assumed the actual location because of the vehicle that lined the side of the road.

The 1st one we visited was a privately owned flower patch with the Celosia's in bloom.  Good thing we went here, because later, we would find out that the flowers at the Sirao Flower Farm is not as vibrant.  They only charge 20 pesos as donation.

Its just four rows, but enough to capture that Amsterdam inspired shot!

The Sirao Flower Farm, the site of the television feature charges more, with 30 pesos entrance fee.  The flowers were not as vibrant, but they have windmills, snack stalls, and costume for rent to entice visitors.

Some people say its overrated, but I enjoyed the view and likes from my photo compensated for the trip.