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Clockwise from
top left: The
Mango Tour’s
electric carts;
spare, stylish and
budget-friendly
Islands Stay Hotels
areconv eniently
located around
Cebu; The Profood
Gallery has two
screening rooms
that outline the
history of the dried
mango, a Cebuano
specialty
PHOTO
CIO DATAN
The Shoestring Traveler
Jude Bacalso
His motto
Never scrimp on food and save a fund
for shopping.
His mission
To explore Cebu for less than
USD100
Day 1
The Cebu airport is on Mactan,
one of the 167 smaller islands that
surround the mainland. Although
public transportation on
jeepneys
(
flamboyantly-decked refurbished
US military jeeps) and tricycles (a
Philippine version of the tuk-tuk)
abound for under PHP10, the numerous
transfers that are typically involved
can tire you out, so splurge on a taxi
ride (around PHP250). First stop is to
check-in to the Islands Stay Hotels
(
Archbishop Reyes Ave; tel: +63 32
266 0831,
just across Ayala Center Mall’s jeepney
T H E S H O E S T R I N G D I A R I E S
terminal. Design-driven and decidedly
hip, the rooms remain true to form to
the mother business of entrepreneur
Jay Aldeguer, who built a fortune on
souvenir shirts: “Not all travelers can
really make the difference between
superior and deluxe,” he says. “So
we’ve named our rooms S, M, L and
XL…just like T-shirt sizes.” A group of
four can fit comfortably into the XL,
forking out PHP430 a night each.
What’s a visit to Cebu without a
mango treat? For a sweet start to
your day, head over to The Profood
Gallery
(
Highway, Maguikay, Mandaue
City; tel: +63 32 346 1228,
profoodgallery.com
)
and hop onboard
The Mango Tour. The 16-hectare
In recent years,
Cebu has been
climbing the luxury ladder and making
huge strides in all things glam. Posh
examples include Abaca, with its
PHP30,000-a-night seaview suites,
being the only Philippine hotel to make
it onto
Conde Nast Traveler
’
s annual
Hot List; and South-East Asia’s first
official Grey Goose Lounge, designed
by Cebu-born Kenneth Cobonpue,
calling this island home.
So, is it possible to enjoy Cebu on
about 1,000 pesos per day? After
being approached with this question,
I decided I was up for the challenge
and began by doing a little homework.
The assignment involved some simple
math. Travelling in a group divides
expenses by as many members in
the motley crew, this then leads to
the multiplication of variety and adds
generously to the experience. So gather
some of your best buds – a group of five
works well – and follow our equation
for fun.
