Quote: (01-08-2010 04:51 AM)billytheloon Wrote:
Cebu might be a good choice for a short trip to the Philippines.... Centrally located so you can check out other places if you feel like it. It is close to some nice beaches (although none really really close - except on Mactan Island). You can hop on a "fast boat" and be in Bohol in a few hours (Chocolate Hills, Tarsier Sanctuary, nice Beaches) or a bus ride to elsewhere on Cebu island for more beaches or scuba/snorkeling (Bantayan or Malapascua).
In Cebu I would stay in "Uptown" near Fuente Osmena circle. Plenty of hotels depending on your budget/preferences. $20-25 for a decent budget room is no problem. Decent restaurants if you like fresh fish, chicken, rice and beer. There is naughty nightlife nearby (probably full of expats) and it is a relatively safe area. Or you could stay on Mactan Island (where the Cebu airport is). Lots of resorts and such, but more expensive. I haven't spent much time in that area so can't say much.
There are 2 huge malls in Cebu City: Ayala and SM. Ayala is more upscale but lots of girls at either one. Taxis are cheap, so check them both out. There is also a Robinson's Mall at Fuente Osmena circle where you can meet girls. As others have said, the malls really are key. When you are there, you will see why the malls are so popular... The city is dirty, polluted, poor, etc... but the malls are really nice.
Friendster is important, but I would hop on DateInAsia.com to meet some girls from Cebu before you arrive. Tons of girls from Cebu on there. Ask them for their friendster details so you can see their pics.
Yes, definitely get a pre-paid sim card. $3-$4 for the card, pop it in your phone, then charge it up with a few hundred pesos. 1 peso = 1 text message. Give girls your number and watch your phone start blowing up.
Good luck.
Thanks for all the advice. I actually found out about dateinasia.com from another site a week and a half ago and your right, there are alot of girls from Cebu on there. For a free site the results are impressive I've been camming with some very fine Filipina ladies, I would have a date everynight from that alone without going to the malls. I keep hearing mixed reviews on the safety issue in the phillipines. It would be my first trip to a third world country, but as I work in a jail I think I have decent situational awareness. Sounds like the main thing to watch are crokked cabbies and pick pockets?