Sampaguita Suites, Plaza Garcia, Cebu

We only planned to stay in Cebu for a day then ferry to Bohol the next day, so we looked for a place that is conveniently located near Pier 1. We then decided to get a room at Sampaguita Suites, Plaza Garcia branch. 

It is strategically located near historic sites for us to have a walking tour during our stay. Read more about the our walking tour here.

Room rate starts at Php 698 for single occupancy and starts at Php 898 for double. Check out their web site for latest room rates. Room rates do not include breakfast but its one of the most affordable rate you can find along the Pier area.

We booked one of their Matrimonial rooms online. The full amount should be settled when booking online. You will have to present a print out of your reservation upon check-in. You will also be depositing Php 500 as security deposit which will be refunded to you upon check-out.

Their Matrimonial room has a queen sized bed, a private toilet with hot and cold shower, 21-inch cable TV, a closet and a dresser. Free WiFi is available at the lobby area only.

For meals, there's a 24/7 McDonald's branch and a Mini Stop convenience store nearby. For souvenirs, an Island Souvenir store is located just beside the building itself.

The bed was comfortable and I especially love their pillows - it felt like a memory foam. As for toiletries, we were provided with two clean towels, two soaps and two sachets of shampoo. We can view the plaza where the chapel of Magellan's Cross is located from our room.

We recommend this hotel if you are on a tight budget and needs to go to the pier early. Otherwise, there are other hotel options available nearby that would require you to commute to the pier. Commuting in Cebu is not an issue since they have lots of jeepneys and taxis around.

This is part of our 5D4N Cebu-Bohol Summer Adventure. Read more about our trip in below links:

• 5D4N Cebu-Bohol Itinerary and Budget 2014
• A Day in Cebu
• The Bohol Country Side
• A Walk in Tagbilaran City
• Bohol Sea Tour (Dolphin Watching & Island Hopping)
• Bohol Pasalubongs

Read about our accommodations and food trips in Cebu here:

• Sampaguita Suites, Plaza Garcia
• Zubuchon
• Larsian BBQ

Read about our accommodation and food trips in Bohol here:

• Buen Bella Pension House, Tagbilaran City
• Accommodations in Panglao Island
• Gerarda's Restaurant, Tagbilaran City
• Golden Cowrie Filipino Restaurant, Tagbilaran City
• L'Elephant Bleu Restaurant, Panglao Island
• Payag Restaurant, Panglao Island
• Jasz Bar and Restaurant, Panglao Island

Larsian BBQ, Cebu

After our thrilling Sky Walk experience, we went straight to Larsian BBQ to have our dinner.

Stalls here actually sell the same food but each offer something different - like free soup, free kimchi, free WiFi and so on. We quickly surveyed the stalls and finally decided on one stall that has scallops. Sorry, I was not able to get the name.

We chose to grill a small squid (Php 90), a few stick of pork, atay, and chorizo and ordered baked scallops (Php 150) too. As we were seated, they have provided us with wooden plates covered in banana leaf and a plastic glove for us to use for eating. Also places in our table are condiments and a basket filled with puso (rice wrapped in banana leaves). Each puso costs Php 4.

After a few minutes of waiting, our food is served. The squid was tender and the grilled meat were tasty. Their chorizo was sweet and spicy in taste.

It was my first time to eat scallops so I can't really describe it. But it felt like there's something missing, garlic perhaps?

Our total bill reached more than Php 400 which was just right since we ordered lots of food. 

Eating at Larsian is a definite must-try when coming to Cebu.

This is part of our 5D4N Cebu-Bohol Summer Adventure. Read more about our trip in below links:

• 5D4N Cebu-Bohol Itinerary and Budget 2014
• A Day in Cebu
• The Bohol Country Side
• A Walk in Tagbilaran City
• Bohol Sea Tour (Dolphin Watching & Island Hopping)
• Bohol Pasalubongs

Read about our accommodations and food trips in Cebu here:

• Sampaguita Suites, Plaza Garcia
• Zubuchon
• Larsian BBQ

Read about our accommodation and food trips in Bohol here:

• Buen Bella Pension House, Tagbilaran City
• Accommodations in Panglao Island
• Gerarda's Restaurant, Tagbilaran City
• Golden Cowrie Filipino Restaurant, Tagbilaran City
• L'Elephant Bleu Restaurant, Panglao Island
• Payag Restaurant, Panglao Island
• Jasz Bar and Restaurant, Panglao Island

Resto Review: Zubuchon, Cebu

Cebu is well-known for their lechon and one of the must-try places to go when in Cebu is Zubuchon. 

Zubuchon has been featured in many newspapers, magazines and shows like "Ang Pinaka", so we definitely wouldn't want to miss eating here.

After roaming around SM City, we went to Zubuchon, Mango Ave. branch to have our lunch. It is located along General Maxilom Avenue. You can see a whole roasted pig upon entering the restaurant.

They have a wide variety of food in their menu. They also offer fast meals good for one person ranging from Php 100 to 160.

I was looking forward to trying out their Kamias Shake but unfortunately it was not available that day. The waiter suggested for us to try the Duhat Shake (Php 95) instead. The Duhat Shake was refreshing. I don't really remember how a Duhat tastes like but my husband confirmed that it really tasted like one. If you are adventurous with food, you must try this one.

For our soup, we chose their Monggo with Zubuchon (Php 190). It tastes like any monggo soup but was less salty. The soup has an added crunch because of some chicharon. It also had bits of kalabasa (squash) which was surprising but it works.

And finally, our main course was their original Zubuchon (Php 530/kilo). We ordered only half kilo but it was still too much for just two person. The skin was crunchy and the meat was so tender and juicy. The meat was not salty and my husband can taste hints of lemon grass.

We were not able to finish the half kilo of lechon so we had our left-overs to go.

Overall, it was a very satisfying meal and we would love to come back and try their other food items on the menu.

This is part of our 5D4N Cebu-Bohol Summer Adventure. Read more about our trip in below links:

• 5D4N Cebu-Bohol Itinerary and Budget 2014
• A Day in Cebu
• The Bohol Country Side
• A Walk in Tagbilaran City
• Bohol Sea Tour (Dolphin Watching & Island Hopping)
• Bohol Pasalubongs

Read about our accommodations and food trips in Cebu here:

• Sampaguita Suites, Plaza Garcia
• Zubuchon
• Larsian BBQ

Read about our accommodation and food trips in Bohol here:

• Buen Bella Pension House, Tagbilaran City
• Accommodations in Panglao Island
• Gerarda's Restaurant, Tagbilaran City
• Golden Cowrie Filipino Restaurant, Tagbilaran City
• L'Elephant Bleu Restaurant, Panglao Island
• Payag Restaurant, Panglao Island
• Jasz Bar and Restaurant, Panglao Island

5D4N Cebu-Bohol Itinerary and Budget 2014

To kick off summer, we went to explore the beach of Bohol with a side trip to Cebu City.

The trip was not really planned for, we only decided to push through because AirAsia was offering promo fares. Our fare would have been a lot cheaper if we bought round trip tickets for Cebu but for convenience we booked our return ticket for Tagbilaran instead.

Product Review: Westinghouse Induction Cooker

Some time last year, Meralco started campaigning for the usage of Induction Heat Cookers to their consumers. They have illustrated that using an Induction Heat Cooker is energy efficient and one would be able to save more rather than using LPG cookers. They also explained how safe it is to use since there will be no flame and there will also be no risk of gas leakage. You may read more about their campaign here.