Cebu is an excellent island, and the city is far nicer than Manila (Cebu (Philippines))

Member Name: mmayer99

Product:	Cebu (Philippines)
Date:	15/11/09 (13 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Pleasant city and nice beaches around the island

Disadvantages: Long bus journeys to beaches

Cebu is the second largest city in the Philippines and the capital of the Visayas range of islands. Some lucky people actually fly into Cebu internationally, let me tell you why they are lucky. In comparison Manila is a terribly polluted and busy city with awful traffic. Manila is enormous and there is poverty everywhere, it is almost unbearable for first timers.

After being in Manila, Cebu is a breath of fresh air, even though it is a major city in a hot and poor country. The traffic is less, the people seem more relaxed and there just seems to be more space and greenery. Even the airport is much nicer. Accomodation is centred around 2 areas, Uptown and Downtown, not too far from each other. I prefer the uptown area although both have their merits.

The city has some nice churches to visit, or malls for air con lovers. It is also the gateway to the nice beach destinations on the island of Cebu. The destinations outside of the city include Moalboal for scuba divers, and Bantayan and Malapascua islands on the northern tip which both boast excellent beaches.

Summary: A good island with a fine capital city