Where to stay in Cebu: the best areas and resorts

Mactan is where Cebu’s flights land and where most of its resort guests stay put. The island is joined to the mainland by bridges, and its eastern shore is lined with large beach resorts, each with its own strip of sand, a clutch of pools and enough restaurants to save you from ever leaving. Several are five-star; one has seven pools and a water park, another sits out on the tip of the Punta Engaño peninsula.

This is the easy option, and a very good one for families and couples who want sun, snorkelling and a spa without a long transfer. The airport is about fifteen minutes away and Cebu City’s malls and sights around half an hour. Do not expect long wild beaches or much local life at the gate; the resorts are the destination. History fans can walk to the Mactan Shrine, which marks where Magellan met his end.

Cebu City is the oldest city in the Philippines, and it wears its history lightly among the traffic: Magellan’s Cross, the Basilica del Santo Niño and a Spanish fort near the port, then mile after mile of malls, markets and stalls selling lechon, the crackling roast pork the city is famous for. Mandaue, immediately to the north, sits between downtown and the bridges to the airport.

Hotels here are city hotels, not resorts: towers with harbour views, rooftop bars and business-like rooms, plus plenty of good-value three-stars in Mandaue’s food and commercial district. Stay a night or two at the start or end of a trip, to break the journey, eat well and catch a ferry or a bus. Beach-lovers should look elsewhere.

On the south-west coast, a good three hours by road from Cebu City, Moalboal is the island’s dive capital. The action centres on Panagsama Beach, a strip of dive shops, bars and cafés where the reef drops away almost from the shoreline and millions of sardines swirl in a silver cloud a short swim out. Sea turtles are regulars. You only need a mask and snorkel to join in.

Hotels are small and informal: dive resorts with a pool and a bar, simple inns a walk from the centre, and a few quieter places up the coast near White Beach, which has the better sand. Kawasan Falls, with its milky-blue pools and canyoneering trips, is a short drive south. Come for the water and the easy-going evenings, not for luxury.

Oslob sits near Cebu’s southern tip, a long drive down the east coast from the city, and most people know it for one thing: the whale sharks that gather off its shore. There is more to it than that. Tumalog Falls drops in a fine veil a few kilometres inland, an old Spanish-era church stands by the sea, and Sumilon Island, with its shifting white sandbar, is a short boat ride away.

Accommodation is modest and mostly family-run: small seafront resorts and guesthouses with terraces, gardens and ocean views, some right on the beach. It suits travellers who want an early start on the water and a quiet evening afterwards. There is little in the way of nightlife or shopping, so bring a book.

Bantayan is the reward for making an effort. You travel to the north of Cebu, then take a ferry across to Santa Fe, the little port town where almost everyone stays. What waits is the island’s best sand: long, pale, powdery beaches sliding into shallow water that stays warm and clear, with fishing boats pulled up under the palms.

Life here is slow and simple. You get around by bicycle or scooter, eat grilled fish with your feet in the sand, and sleep in beach cottages, small inns and garden guesthouses a few minutes from the ferry terminal. Do not expect five-star polish or a party. Do expect to stay longer than you planned.