How an Overnight Cebu Trip Turned 5 Days

Even I can't believe it. I didn't even have plans of joining my friends but I ended up staying there for almost forever. I was dragged by a friend straight from a Saturday night party  to the airport to catch the earliest flight to Cebu. Since the first flight was fully booked, we had to take the next one. We bought our plane ticket there and we didn't even get a ticket back home.

Instead of posting a lot of photos here, I just made a video of the trip. Feel free to comment below if you have any inquiries. 

#CebuHits from Roycie S. on Vimeo.


Here's a rundown of all our activities in that 5-day trip:

Day 1

We left first thing on a Sunday morning, went straight to our friend's hotel, the Big Hotel to check-in and take a nap. Then we had breakfast at the hotel resto. Right after breakfast, we were informed that our JCI friends from JCI Mandaue have prepared a boat party so we joined them. We went on a food trip and we had crazy drinking games while on board. 

We rushed back to the hotel to prepare for JCI Womandaue's induction and turnover ceremonies. After the event, we had drinks at the hotel bar. Then some of our JCI Cebu Inc. brothers invited us for a karaoke party at the KTV located next to the hotel. It was at around 1am when we moved to our friend's acoustic bar/KTV lounge, Open Mic, where we continued our craziness until 3am! That was a really crazy night.

Day 2

We all had lunch at a restaurant in SM Cebu. Then we chilled at Ibiza Beach Club at Movenpick Hotel and Resort in Mactan 'til after sunset. For dinner, we headed to a restaurant owned by our friend, Ampersand, wherein we had the best steak in Cebu, and all other sumptuous dishes and drinks.

A photo posted by Roycie S. (@royciepoisie) on Mar 18, 2016 at 12:34pm PDT

Day 3

We had our lechon fix at Rico's during lunch then we visited a new acquaintance's auto shop, Euro Technik for coffee. It was a lazy afternoon so while some of our friends headed to the airport to go back home, me and some of our Cebu-based friends indulged on a 1.5-hr foot and back massage at the Park Mall. It's my first time to try a massage conducted by blind people, and it felt so good. For dinner, we've gone to a local restaurant (like a big carinderia -- which I forgot the name of) that's known for their native chicken. After dinner, we had tea and dessert at Tinder Box. But just when we thought our night was over, we craved for wine and cheese so we headed to La Vie en Parisienne to satisfy our cravings.

Day 4

And out of our spontaneity, at 3am, after our wine sesh, we headed to the port to catch the first barge to Bantayan Island. That was a 2.5-hr drive, which can usually take 4-5 hours during the day. Anyway, we we're only able to catch the 2nd barge at 6:30am and it took us an hour and 15 mins to cross the water to Bantayan Island. In Bantayan, we had breakfast by the market, then we shopped for really cheap seafood. How cheap? Like Php 20/kilo of scallops. OMG! We headed to SantaFe Beach Club, where we checked in. We had the seafood we bought at the market cooked in the hotel and that's what we had for lunch. We were extremely full that we fell asleep after. We failed to wake up in time for our trip to the cove so we just headed out for dinner at Chef Panyang's. The food there were really cheap and yummy. If I come back to Bantayan, it would probably because of two things: the beach and the food. We got free dessert c/o the restaurant's manager. We were also able to have a JW Gold Label we just bought from a store nearby. We continued our drinking sesh at our hotel by the beach front while watching a movie on laptop.

Day 5

The next day, we woke up late again. We felt guilty for having the boatmen wait for 1.5 hrs for our island hopping. Our first stop was at Hilantagaan Island where we bought fish, rock lobsters, and crabs for our lunch. Next stop was at Virgin Island and I super loved it there. It's a lot better than Boracay. While we did some snorkelling, our boatman prepared our lunch. After lunch, we just rested for a bit and headed back to our hotel in Bantayan to catch the soonest flight we can get back to Manila as we still have a formal event to attend to in Taguig. At the airport, we bought our plane ticket and while waiting for boarding, we had our last dinner together.

A photo posted by Roycie S. (@royciepoisie) on Mar 16, 2016 at 11:25pm PDT

That Cebu trip was probably the best and most spontaneous trip I've ever done! It's so exciting to not have exact plans, not even a return flight because it gives you a lot of freedom. Just remember to overpack (while packing light -- to avoid paying for extra baggage) a bit. Be sure that you have extra clothes for any activity -- casual (shorts, tank tops, shirts, skirts), beachwear (maxi dress, short summer dress, cover up, swimsuit), smart casual (polo and pants), footwear (flats/sneakers, flipflops) -- so you won't have a problem.

Classic Savory: A rich tradition of serving timeless dishes, lasting memories

Filipinos from all walks of life love to gather around sumptuous meals with family and friends. This has been the raison d'être why a postwar restaurant serving timeless dishes would live on to become a favorite place for diners, who wish to bond and create special memories over hearty meals and great conversations.

Established by the Ting Brothers in the 1950s post-World War II era as a single establishment serving chicken and lomi in Escolta, Manila, Classic Savory is now one of the country’s most loved restaurant chains with 80 branches nationwide.

   Classic Savory is the perfect place to treat your family and friends to timeless gustatory treasures.

Wanting to introduce the eatery to young foodies, the second generation of Tings, co-founder Antonio Ting’s son Ramon, relaunched the restaurant six decades later, in 2007, and situated more contemporary looking outlets in major malls (SM, Ayala Malls and Robinsons). The third generation of Tings, Ramon’s nephews and nieces, would help run the business as well.

Since then, Classic Savory has become a popular hangout of families and barkadas who wish to satisfy their cravings for reasonably priced, feast-worthy meals.

Classic Savory Marketing Manager Dennis Ting said, “Classic Savory has a long and rife tradition of serving Filipino-Chinese gustatory treasures that have stood the test of time. We shall continue to provide excellent dishes that would serve as perfect backdrops for cooking up tasty memories created among family and friends, and all groups of diners for that matter.”

Not only for dine in or take out, Classic Savory also brings their delectable dishes to your home parties and office events via caterings and deliveries. It has in fact become the preferred takeout food in some offices and catered meals in several home gatherings.

A mix of classic and contemporary dishes

Each of Classic Savory’s time-honored signature dishes, which include the Savory fried chicken, lomi and pancit canton, has truly become a must-try among the restaurants’ new and longtime patrons. 

Tender, juicy and tasty, Savory Chicken is the quintessential centerpiece of many feasts where families and friends create special memories.

Lomi was the main dish that the first-ever Savory would serve way back in the 50s. Its hearty thick soup and tasty noodles aptly made it the standard for delicious lomi, then and now. Another noodle dish that is to die for in the eatery is its delectable pancit canton, which combines saucy noodles with a generous serving of freshly cooked veggies, seafood and meat.

The Savory Chicken, meanwhile, has been a favorite of generations of diners, with its mouth-watering goodness making it the ultimate comfort food. Just like what its tagline says, it’s tender, juicy and tasty! Made even more heavenly with its delicious gravy.

No wonder balikbayans make Savory Chicken a coming-home treat as they miss its unique flavors while abroad. It has also become a perfect centerpiece of several celebrations like birthdays, christenings, and even weddings.  

Aside from these time-honored classics, the restaurant also came up with new dishes that have been equally well-received by its patrons.

Relish appetizing courses like Lechon Macau, Crispy Patatim, Imperial Beef Tenderloin, Beef Ampalaya, Veggie Lumpia Fried, Chopsuey Con Lechon, Beer Battered Crispy Fish Fillet, Steamed Fish in Garlic, Shrimps Relleno and Crab Foo Yong, among other dishes. Not to mention delightful desserts like Almond Fruit Float, Black Iced Jewels, Pandan Fiesta Salad and refreshing drinks like Tropical Cooler and Blended Iced Tea.

Classic Savory seafood dishes

With its superb menu selections and welcoming store ambience, diners will surely find Classic Savory the perfect place to bond and share great dining experiences. Truly a classic that create long-lasting gustatory traditions and memories!

Stressed? Give Yourself a Boracay Break!

Bye Iloilo and Hello Boracay! This was the real vacation honey!=P

We planned to do Flyfish and Island hopping but we just can't get over our fear of water haha! Well if you don't know how to swim just like us, you wouldn't even bother.

Best part of the trip was our first time to Ride the Zorb! It's a huge inflated ball with 2 pails of water inside, plus the three of us...all rolling down the hill. It cost us P300 each for a group of 3. P350 for duo and P580 for a single rider. The trip up the hill was so tiring but it was worth the 20-sec roll. haha!=)) Watch our video!

We were very much conscious 'bout our skin color that we only swim during sunsets. haha! We loved watching the sunset while swimming, playing in the sand, and walking along the beach.

We missed our skimboard lessons since we got up late due to last night's party. We played in the sand, had Jonah's Fruitshakes and isaw instead.

Guilly's was almost the same as last summer except that its DJ's booth was moved to the side, and its party people were mostly locals who were the ones selling pearls, offering massage, and offering watersport activities at daytime. Oh, who says they have no right to party? hahaha!=))


Juice Bar was the best for me now. Well minus the crazy foreigners there of course. But I loved their fun bartenders, who were very generous in putting cherries in our Vodka-Sprite. haha!

Oh and we met new friends from Davao and Singapore, which became our ticket to experiencing Fairways and Blue Waters. We swam at the back beach and the infinity pools. And oh, they got really nice rooms.

What is Boracay without Seafood Buffet?! OMG...we had it twice and it was awesome!


Another fun part of our Boracay trip was the ultimate shopping experience at the Mango outlet store! Too bad, i was on a budget so I wasn't able to get this Mango suit I really loved. But still, 2 tank tops and a dress weren't that bad. It only cost me P2000.=) One of my friends got 4 dresses for P4000 only. Wow!


After our tiring shopping, a Chocolate shake from Paraiso Bar didn't let us down.=)

ULTIMATELY FUN EXPERIENCE!=)

Don't Trust the Special Holidays Much! =P

The time that Nov.27-28 were declared holidays, my friends and i immediately booked a ticket to Iloilo so we could visit our friends and head to Boracay after...not knowing that the declaration would be reverted. Argh. So we filed those days as a leave of absence instead.

We flew via Cebu Pacific. Unfortunately our flight got delayed. They got a nice airport in Iloilo. Unfortunately we weren't able to take photos 'coz were already starving.

That's SM Iloilo. Went here right after visiting Guimaras 'coz we realized we can't survive a day without seeing buildings. hahaha!=))

Oh and that's the very stressful Guimaras. Trust me, this photo can't tell how awful our experience there was. It's just so weird that people there didn't know how to treat their tourists well. No wonder, until now, its tourism wasn't as great as that of other islands.

Well if not only because of their World's Sweetest Mangoes and the oil spill years ago, they won't get that semi-popularity. We didn't even had a chance to taste the fruit itself, we just had a shake. haha! Oh, not to mention, we had a very tasty seafood lunch too.=)

Boracay experience needs a separate blog entry haha!=P