Our Adventures: Manila to Cebu, Day 1

We were VERY  early for our flight so Paul had time to go around and take photos of NAIA Terminal 3. Can you see me (Ica) in the picture? 

When we got married last December 2011 we really didn't get to plan our honeymoon and we ended up having our honeymoon a stone throws away in Thunderbird Resorts Rizal. 

So I really wanted to get to plan some sort of getaway and of course travel with my husband; especially now that everyone seems to be getting to travel all over the Philippines what with the Piso Fares and great travel deals. Taking my cue from budget travelers I was able to book a flight to and from Cebu last February for only around P2,100.00 and that is already round trip for the two of us. 

Since I booked this in February and the flight was still in September (in time to celebrate our 7th anniversary) I still had time to find a place for us to stay and so began my search for a deal on group online buying websites. 

Cebu City Lights. The view from our room on the 30th floor. 

I got a deal for a stay in Crown Regency Hotel in Cebu via Ensogo. In the deal that I got we only paid for P2,580.00/night instead of the published rate of P4,505.74/night. That's almost 50% worth of savings!  I did my research and read about the hotel through Trip Advisor and followed the recommendations to request for a room at the higher floors and it was worth it with the view that we got. The view in the photo above is of the circle near our hotel in Cebu and the road leading up to the Capitol. This view was worth it even if we had to switch elevators from the 19th floor to another elevator just to get to the 30th floor where we were staying. 

Since we came to Cebu right after our scheduled shifts from the office we were dead tired by the time we checked in the hotel around 4:00PM. We were already awake for around 22-23 hours by that time. We took a power nap for about 2-3 hours then woke up to have dinner. (You can tell by my photo that I was still dead tired-look at those eyes!!!)

Zubuchon was on our itinerary because we are fans of the witty, acclaimed food critic, chef at large and host of Travel Channels's show  No Reservations  Anthony Bourdain- we just had to try what he dubbed as '(The) Best Pig...EVER!'.  

Cebu is known for its Lechon or roasted pig but Zubuchon was something extra special since the pigs that are served here do not come from piggeries. Instead, the pigs come from the backyards and are raised by certain individuals and are prepared with natural ingredients. 

This is Kalabasa soup. It was amazing! Can't believe we have a photo of this one but not the lechon!  

Unfortunately we don't have any photos of the famous lechon since we ate it once it was served to us. Yup! Hunger and lack of sleep can do that to you.

All I can say is that Anthony Bourdain was absolutely right in saying that this is the best big ever! Even Paul who isn't a big fan of lechon enjoyed it. 

The meat was so full of flavor you could eat it even without any sauce and the skin was so crisp!   

A kilo of this famous lechon costs P450.00 even if it is a bit pricey it is definitely worth it. In case you want to bring a piece of this amazing lechon home you can do so since they already have frozen lechon which is already boxed and prepared so that you can easily have this as a carry on. The lady at the restaurant said that the frozen lechon comes with a 'procedure' on how to prepare the lechon. We don't know what that procedure entails but we will definitely be trying that out next time. 

Our friend even told us that there is a store of Zubuchon in the airport which is already open at 4:00AM so you can conveniently take a piece of this famous meat home and share it with your loved ones. 

Fortunately Zubuchon was close to our hotel we took a cab going there (fare was only P50.00) then we walked back to the hotel. 

That was the basically the first day of our Cebu stay-enjoying the city view and having a taste of the famous Zubuchon lechon.