Paradise Philippines

Paradise Philippines now presents tips and list of location you might want to visit while staying in Cebu.

Cebu is a small province all the way down to the south. It is considered as the queen city of the Visayas region, and it celebrates Sinulog festival every January. It is only an hour and a half flight away from Manila and you can go there anytime IF you have the means of doing it.

Cebu has many wonderful places to offer. When I came to Cebu, I didn't waste my time doing nothing. I booked a city tour trip and in a span five hours, I already visited eight beautiful locations in Mactan and Lapu Lapu City. If you decided to visit Cebu, don't forget to check out these places:



Mactan Shrine is also known as 'Lapu Lapu Shrine'. It was built in honor of Lapu-lapu for being brave in defeating the Spanish soldiers, including the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the year 1521. It is located in Punta Engaño, Mactan Island.

You will find a 20-meter bronze statue of Lapu lapu on this site. You will also see the exact place where Ferdinand Magellan died and a painting that shows how Lapu lapu defeated Magellan. Few steps away from the Lapu lapu shrine will lead you into a showcase of colorful boats.

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Magellan's Cross is located very near the Sto. Niño Shrine. It is a Christian cross embedded by the Portugese and Spaniards as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan on April 21, 1521.

There are lots of old women standing outside the Magellan's Cross that are very eager to do sales talk to tourists saying that they can pray for your petitions and all they ask is some little amount of money. I didn't fall for those so I can't really tell something about it.

Nothing really special Magellan's Cross. It's just that since it's included in the Philippine history, you might as well visit the place. Beware though... since this is a crowded place, you have to look after your belongings especially your phones and cameras. Our tour guide told us that there are snatchers wandering around and people who also mastered the term 'salisi'.



Sto. Niño Shrine is just steps aways from the Magellan's Cross. I'm proud to say that they have their own website. You can visit it at http://www.basilicadelsantoninodecebu.org.ph. Not all churches can provide their own website so it's a plus factor for Sto. Niño Shrine to have one because it'll be very helpful for tourist and researchers.

Sto. Niño Shrine was formerly known as San Agustin Church. It is the exact same place where the image of the Sto. Niño was found in the year 1565.

Outside the church, you will see a place where you can light your own candle and pray to God. I did lit two candles and asked God for a safe and wonderful trip in Cebu.



Fort San Pedro was built in the year 1738 as commanded by Miguel López de Legazpi. It is triangular in shape with two sides facing the sea, and the third side facing the land. By this time, it is not surrounded by water anymore but is considered as a historical park under the government of Cebu.

You need to pay an entrance fee amounting to 21 pesos per person. Also, it is best to come to this place on the afternoon or it the weather is not very hot so you can enjoy the scenery and maybe spend lots of time inside Fort San Pedro.



Casa Gorordo Museum is a home of the first Filipino Bishop in Cebu - Juan Gorordo (1862-1934). A tour inside this residence is a brief journey into a Filipino lifestyle in a particular period between 1860 to 1920. The place presently features noted paintings, museum relics, a courtyard, antique household items and furniture.

At first, I was a bit hesitant to go inside the Casa Gorordo Museum because I was expecting to see uninteresting things. But when I made my way on the second floor, I was so amazed because they managed to keep the original form of the furnitures and items. It was like traveling through time and I was imagining myself on the 18th century. The chairs, tables, cabinets, even the beds are well kept. I was also able to take a peek on how the restrooms look like on the 18th century. It is interesting enough that their toilet bowls are all made up of wood.

Casa Gorordo Museum is located in 35 Lopez Jaena Street on the city proper. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10a.m till 6p.m. They are closed every Monday except when prior arrangements have been made. For inquiries, you can call them at (032) 2555630.




Parian Monument is also commonly known as Heritage of Cebu Monument. It is made up of brass, steel, and bronze tableau that took almost five years to be completed. It is located at the Parian district specifically at the former plaza across the Parian Fire Station. There's nothing much to say about the Parian Monument. But one thing we have to remember: Parian Monument signifies historic events in Cebu.






SM Cebu is the best last place to visit after a long day of Cebu city tour. You can find amazing restaurants in here to eat your lunch, meryenda, and dinner. There are also lost of coffee shops such as starbucks, figaro, and coffee bean to chill out, relax, and to hang out with your friends and family.



Touring Cebu can be both exciting and educational. It is safe to say that Cebu is one of the majestic and a 'must visit' city in Paradise Philippines. And if you wish to have a magnificent city tour in Cebu, I recommend that you contact rainbow car and services. I booked them for my Cebu city trip and I'm very pleased on how my tour turned out. Aimee is very friendly and is easy to talk to. She gave me a very courteous driver/tour guide, and his name is Joel. If you wish to have a memorable Cebu tour, request for Kuya Joel as your tour guide/driver and you'll never be sorry.

Rainbow Car and Services
For inquiries and bookings, call:
(032) 2728847
09198014713
Monday thru Sunday 6am to 8pm

Check out their Sulit Ad in here: http://tinyurl.com/dyt43b

Shangri-La has been a famous hotel not only in our Paradise Philippines, but also all over the world. Fortunately, this 5-star hotel decided to invade the Queen City of the South and put up a branch of their resort in Cebu. I had the privilege to check out what this resort has to offer. And I must say that they really deserve the '5-star hotel' title.

Their lobby is an open-space and doesn't have an air-condition. Don't get me wrong though. It is very spacious and the breeze of the fresh air is all around the place making it cooler. Another positive thing is that since it's an open space, it is more inviting, making their guests feel more welcome.

I love their gardens! It is so beautiful and amazing. It is all well-kept and is trimmed by their gardeners often. You can really see that they are taking good care of the resort. They also have wonderful pools. Unfortunately, I didn't have any pictures of those.

Their beach resort is very clean. It is a white sand beach but they didn't have a long shoreline. Still, it can accommodate a volleyball court, and 20 or more beach chairs. Shangri-La Mactan's beach can never be crowded as there is enough room for everyone. They have a terrace-like place near the beach and from there you can see that the beach water is very clear. Clear enough to see school of fishes swimming freely with people. Nearby the shore, you can see corals that are very well maintained by Shangri-La Mactan.

As for accommodation, I haven't seen what their rooms look like. But I do have the list of rooms that they offer their guests with its prices.

Shangri-La Mactan have what they call Local Resident's Package. If you want to take advantage of it, you will be getting the following inclusions:

Shangri-La Mactan's Terms and Conditions:

Shangri-La Mactan is one of the expensive hotels in Paradise Philippines. But being said so, you can expect excellent service, first class amenities, and great facilities given by their people. With this, I can say that when traveling Philippines, you will experience hospitality at its finest.

Plantation Bay is a famous 5-star resort in Mactan, Cebu because it has the largest man-made beach in the whole world. When I say man-made beach, it means that they patterned the design and looks of their pools to a beach. Their fresh water swimming pool is the largest in the Philippines, and incorporates more varied water-features than almost any other pool in the world. It is very accessible from the Mactan airport because it only requires a 20 minute drive away.




If I'm not mistaken, one their pools has a fountain and a slide open for all of their guests. They also have gazebos and resting places located all around the resort. I saw one gazebo located in the middle of the pool! How cool is that?








They also offer water activities such as jet ski and kayak. Their pools are so big that you can use the kayak on the pool itself without disturbing the other guests. It only shows that no matter how many guests checks-in at Plantation Bay, you can still have your relaxation and peace of mind because of the resort is very spacious.




As for their accommodation, they offer a wide range or rooms and villas for all their guests. The most affordable of them all is their club room which costs $150.00++ if its non-peak season and $200.00++ if its the peak season. The most expensive accommodation they offer is called Quantum Villa. It has four detached bedrooms with a private villa. It costs $700.00++ if its non-peak season, and it can go to as high as $800.00++ if its peak season.




I saw some of their interesting rooms that has a private access to the pool. It's literary 2 seconds away from the pool. So when you wake up in the morning and decides to swim, you don't need to walk a lot. Instead, you can just open your door and jump off to the pool. This cool room is called Water's Edge and it costs $210.00++ a night if its non-peak and $260.00++ a night if its peak season.


Here's the complete list of their room rates:




And here are some other pictures of Plantation Bay:

As I have learned, they offer great discounts if you wish to stay six nights or more. Just visit their website (http://www.plantationbay.com) to know more about the resort.

People in the city area always long for peace, quiet, serene, and cold environment in the Paradise Philippines. Unfortunately, Baguio is a 6 hours travel by car away from Manila, making it an impossible place to go especially for those people who only have weekends for relaxation.

Luckily, we have Tagaytay. An hour and a half drive away from Manila that offers the same peace, quiet, serene, and cold environment that Baguio offers us. Or if you want to bring your family along, there are many places you can visit while staying there. Some of which are Picnic Grove, People's Park, Tagaytay Highlands, and the famous restaurant of the said province called Josephine's. You can still visit a lot more tourist spots in Tagaytay. Also, the province offers lots of hotels and resorts you can stay in. From budget to luxury, I'm pretty sure you can choose from this list.


1. Emiramona Garden Hotel
Arnoldus Road, Brgy. Maitim II East, Tagaytay City, Philippines (near Pink Sisters Convent)

It is located at the heart of Tagaytay City, near Pink Sisters Convent and along Aguinaldo Highway. It offers five different typres of accommodation namely superior single, superior queen, superior king, semi deluxe, de luxe, super de luxe, suite, and executive suite. All of which are equipped with cable television, DVD player, telephone unit, air-conditioner, refrigerator, coffee/team maker, and safety deposit box.



As for amenities, Emiramona Garden Hotel is complete with guest lounge, business center, function room, coffee shop and restaurant, pool, videoke, beauty salon and spa, and picnic areas.



As for the room rates, here's what they're offering:

ROOM	PAX	DESCRIPTION	RATE
Executive Suite	(4 adults & 2 kids)	2 oversized beds; living space	Php 8,000.00 (net)
Suite	(2 adults & 2 kids)	2 twin-sized beds; living space	Php 6,500.00 (net)
De Luxe	(2 adults & 2 kids)	2 Queen-sized beds	Php 4,300.00 (net)
Semi De Luxe	(2 adults & 2 kids)	2 Twin-sized bed	Php 4,000.00 (net)
Superior King	(2 adults & 2 kids)	King-sized bed	Php 3,500.00 (net)
Superior Queen	(2 adults & 2 kids)	Queen-sized bed	Php 3,500.00 (net)
Superior Single	(1 adult & 2 kids)	Twin-sized bed	Php 3,000.00 (net)

2. Hotel Kimberly Tagaytay
Brgy. Kaybagal, Amadeo Road, Tagaytay City, Philippines

This hotel have its other branches across the country. Fortunately, they decided to put up a Hotel Kimberly in Tagaytay. It is the ideal accommodation for travelers who want to save on time for commute, as it’s close to several of the city’s tourism hotspots. It is also close to some of the famous tourist spots in Tagaytay namely Liwasang Aguinaldo, Flower Farm, Fort San Felipe, and Japanese Garden.

Each of their rooms are fully air-conditioned and is fitted with a shower and bathtub with hot and cold water systems. It is also equipped with modern-day essentials, like cable television, hair dryer, ironing board, IDD/ NDD phone, room safe, and mini-bar. Newspapers are delivered to your room daily.



Hotel Kimberly Tagaytay lies between the mid-range and splurge hotel category. Their room rates starts at Php 4000.

As for facilities and services, they offer their guests a complete selection of hotel services and prime facilities that cater to their business and relaxation requirements.

Leisure Amenities

• Bar


• Coffee shop


• Grand ballroom – accommodates up to 300 guests


• Massage services


• Laundry service


• Wake-up call


• Swimming pool


• Fishing facility


• Man-made lagoon

3. One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites
Barrio Sungay, Tagaytay City, Philippines

Is a luxurious hotel in Tagaytay City. I'm planning to stay in this hotel one of these days if time permits. I'm very interested to see how this hotel looks like and what it can offer me. Their main attraction is the breathtaking view of the renowned Taal Lake and Volcano. It is said that you can literary see the Taal Volcano in your window room if you decide to stay here.

They offer 120 air-conditioned guestrooms designed in soothing shades of brown to match the lush landscape. They are all equipped with LCD TV with cable channels, DVD player, mini-bar, Wi-Fi access, and IDD/ NDD phone with voicemail. Other in-room amenities consist of a coffee/tea maker, daily newspaper, and room safe. A microwave oven can be provided upon request. Electronic door locks are installed for your safety. Other perks available at One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites include a welcome drink and breakfast. Their de luxe room costs PHP 3326++ while their 1-bedroom suite costs PHP 3900++.



These hotel has a wide variety of facilities and services for their guests. Among of which are spa, swimming pool (confirm first if their pool are already open), fitness room/gym, room service, lodging concierge, lobby restaurant and bar, Azalea Restaurant, and landscaped gardens.

If I were you, book your stay now on this hotel while they're still on soft opening. Chances are, their prices will go up once they become fully operational by 2nd quarter of 2009.



Paradise Philippines have many beautiful places that is a must to visit, and Tagaytay is one of them. Be sure to enjoy your trip while staying at these lovely paradise philippines resorts. If you have been to these resorts already, share us your experiences so we can help out the other people who are also planning to go to these beautiful places.