Cebu is definitely one of the bigger islands, known for some pretty spectacular beaches, waterfalls, and swimming with whale sharks. Cebu City is definitely more populated and is the main hub getting to and from the island, but the rest of it consists of small villages, vacation homes, and rustic Spanish monuments from when the country was invaded by the Spanish. We stayed on this island for 5 days, 4 nights and spent majority of our time exploring the island, visiting waterfalls, and relaxing at our awesome hostel.
Getting Here
As with the rest of the islands we visited in the Philippines, getting here is no easy feat. We flew direct from Boracay into Cebu City with Cebu Airlines. Our final destination was about a 3 hour bus ride from the city center so we decided to stay the night in town before getting an early bus in the morning. Majority of the beach towns are outside of Cebu City about 3-5 hours away and bus will be the best form of transportation to get there. The bus station is located in the city center and is easily accessible with Uber or taxi.
I would say, especially if you are staying outside of Cebu City, which I would highly advise, you will spend a full day to travel to your final destination so take that into consideration when planning your trip.
- Cebu Airlines: $80USD one way
Location: Boljoon
After doing a TON of research, I decided for us to stay in Boljoon since it was near a couple of waterfalls I wanted to check out and close to where you could swim with whale sharks, even though we ended up deciding against swimming with the sharks in the end. Hostels were also very hard to come by on the island and Boljoon had one of the few that looked pretty nice so it definitely was a reason to head in that direction. The main attractions and sites in Cebu are all very spread out so it can be hard to find the perfect location so make sure to do enough research beforehand. This island is definitely not a place to book or show up last minute.
Also, something to note, because everything is so spread out and takes a very long time to get from point A to point B (average 3-5 hours) I would recommend staying in an area that is within close proximity to the activities you want to do and places you want to see. Cebu City is the main entry point to the island however I would avoid staying here as there is not much to do and see beyond some museums and buildings.
Accommodation: Noordzee Hostel
As I mentioned before, this hostel was a huge reason why we decided to choose Boljoon. The hostel was located right on the beach overlooking the ocean, with hardly any other buildings around besides the locals. It was very secluded and private so you felt as if you had the whole place to yourself. It was the perfect location if you were looking for a quiet place to get away from it all. The overall layout of the hostel was very spread out and had direct access to the beach. The rooms and bathrooms were extremely clean and had an awesome common area/kitchen overlooking the ocean.
The only downside is there are no other restaurants or bars nearby so your only option is to travel pretty far to get to another area or just eat and drink at the hostel, which we ended up doing almost every night. Regardless, it was by far one of the coolest hostels I have ever stayed at.
- Cost per night: $18USD
Activities
Rent a motorbike and explore
Because everything is insanely spread out here, pretty much the best way to get around is to rent a motorbike. We were able to get it from a local just up the road from where we were staying and was very inexpensive to rent for a couple of days. There were so many awesome spots we stopped at to take pictures or take a dip into the ocean and take in the stunning views.
- Cost for 2 days: $10USD
Tumalog Waterfall
These waterfalls were a lot closer to where we were staying compared to some of the other ones on that side of the island, just about 30 minutes from the hostel. It was free entry and MUCH less crowded than the other waterfalls. It has gorgeous trickling water cascading from the top of the cliffs and a large pool of water at the bottom, perfect for taking a dip to cool off.
Aguinid Waterfalls
Aguinid Waterfalls were located about an hour from our hostel and were much different than Tumalog. It is a requirement to have a guide with you through the falls and there is a fee for the guide as well. There is no exception to going alone and I believe you will not be allowed through the falls without one. At first I was a bit annoyed but it was actually nice having someone help you hold your things while you explore the falls, swim, and take photos for you.
There are 6 levels of waterfalls, each with its own unique structure so I would advise a half day to see it all. It does require hiking and climbing so be prepared for some exercise and a ton of fun!
Downtown Boljoon
I don’t even know if I should be calling it a downtown but there is a little town just down the street from our hostel which consists of a marketplace and old monuments that were built when the Spanish came to the Philippines. There is a gorgeous church, monastery, and school in the town where you can learn and explore a little bit of the history of the area. There isn’t much there in terms of restaurants or bars but there is a Club Med about 5 minutes up the road that has a nice pool and bar if you are looking for a change from the hostel vibe!
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