Most of the hotels we stayed in during our Cebu vacation is from Zen Rooms. Hotel reservations is my sister's assignment. All I instructed her is to get hotels that is strategically just a few minutes away from the bus terminals and food places and is also budget friendly. She has experience with booking hotels or pension houses because she is frequently out of town in the past years while her boyfriend is still training in Manila. So she has ideas which booking sites to utilize to find a budget accommodation that won't sacrifice comfort and convenience. She is a "suki" of Zen Rooms that's why she booked most of our hotels in Cebu with Zen Rooms.

My problem with this inn is the ambiance/vibe of the entire building. Although I get that the motif/theme of this inn is a combination of history/cultural/museum, I just can't stand the eerie feeling of very warm lighting and old building smell. They have lots of antique looking decor and lots of old books which I think is the reason for the smell. I enjoy library smell because I like books but to incorporate it in a hotel/inn, I am just not much of a fan. Also the look and vibe of the inn is similar to that of a horror film set. I just don't feel comfortable with it.

The room is okay. It looks dated and aged. The bathroom is also basic but not bad. The TV in our room doesn't work but it isn't a big of a deal since we stayed in that room for only a couple of hours because we are on the road again before the break of dawn.

Overall, I do not think I will ever be coming back to Mayflower Inn. The cultural museum vibe just don't appeal to me. I am actually so relieved that we only stayed there for a very short time because I do not think I will be able to sleep very well in there.





On our last night in Cebu we stay in another hotel which my sister booked through Zen Rooms. She book two rooms in Center Suites Cebu. This hotel is located some blocks away from the Mayflower Inn so it is also near food places. Also it is near JY Mall which is the jump off point for Temple of Leah.

I like this hotel better because it looks newer and more modern. Like the Mayflower Inn, it is near the highway so transportation is not a problem. The bedroom is not very spacious but if you are always out and about it won't really matter since you're only going to sleep in there. The bed and pillows are very comfortable which is what matters the most for our stay. They have a small cabinet with a few hangers. They provide free disposable slippers but sadly they do not provide basic toiletries like soap, shampoo and toothpaste.




One thing I hate about this hotel is the very small cramped bathroom. Water pressure is no problem but the shower area is very small that you can't move properly especially if you have a big figure. The husband and I, each have difficulty taking showers because of the cramped space. The toilet is also very close to the door.

Overall, I like Center Suites Cebu better than Mayflower Inn. The bed and pillows are really comfortable and I have a very good night sleep in that hotel. Apart from the small bathroom, this hotel is a good choice for budget conscious people. It's affordable and situated in a strategic location.




Zen Rooms is a good booking site to look for budget accommodations that doesn't compromise customer comfort and convenience.

P.S. Check out my other posts for our accommodations in Bantayan and Moalboal.

Temple of Leah in Busay, Cebu is slowly gaining attraction from tourists. This temple dubbed as the Taj Mahal of Cebu is built in 2012 and is said to be a symbol of a husband's love for his wife. The temple is owned by the Adarna family. I have read about it in the internet and it pops up when I search for attractions in Cebu City.

When we arrive at our hotel in Cebu City from a three hour travel from Moalboal, we have all decided to visit Temple of Leah to fully maximize our stay in Cebu. I want to cover as much attractions as I can so I decided to pay this place a visit.














I initially thought that going to this place will be easy and not very expensive as it isn't so far from the city. It's about 30 - 40 minute travel (including traffic) from our hotel. However, I am not aware that the road to Temple of Leah is a steep uphill road so when we hailed a taxi, he decline our request to take us to the temple. Instead he drop us off at JY Square mall and from there we ride a habal-habal. Fare is P100 per person per way and two persons can fit. So we pay P400 total.








When we arrive at the temple, I am expecting it to be grand and regal which it really is. The temple is large from the outside and the view deck is very wide as well. The view of Cebu City with all the lights is so stunning. After taking pictures outside the temple, we then proceed to take a tour of the interiors. In my great shock, the interior is very small. I learned the entire temple is not yet completed. Some rooms are not open to public yet. I read online that the temple is intended to be a museum as well but most part of the temple is still under construction. It's really disappointing coming all the way only to find out that we are only allowed to access the entry hall of the temple.

I realize then, that is why most pictures of the temple online is mostly the view deck and the entry hall. It is because that is basically the only part of the temple that is open to the public.

Is the Temple of Leah worth the visit? In my opinion, no. The transpo to and fro is very expensive. But if you are going to other tourist attractions located within the area, I guess it's worth it. You can include in you visit the Sirao Flower Garden and Tops to maximize your travel. If you do not have enough time, then better skip this place.

Our second day in Cebu is spent entirely on traveling from Bantayan Island in the north to Moalboal in the south. It's a very tiring travel by van and by bus. We have not anticipated that it will actually take us the entire day. In my calculation (thanks to Google Maps' info), our travel time will supposedly take only 6.5 to 7 hours. However it took us about 9 hours of travel including lunch. Most of the delay is caused by the traffic and the constant picking up of passengers which stretched our travel time by almost an hour.

Anyhow, we arrive at Moalboal at around 6:30 PM and it's already dark. There are lots of tricycle waiting at the drop off so there is no reason to worry about transpo. We head straight into our accommodation and grab dinner immediately after we settle in our rooms.

The following day, we rise early because we are on a tight schedule. We need to complete the island hopping before lunch so that we can take proper shower before checking out of our accommodation. By 6:30 AM we head to the tourism office to find our trike driver the previous night. He give me a paper supposedly with his wife's number so we can contact him. Unfortunately it only has the name and no number so we are trying to catch him by chance because his offer for the island hopping is much cheaper than the others we asked. Unfortunately we didn't find him so we just looked for another that won't charge us too much. We found one after much haggling we settle for a deal of P2000 for three locations, Pescador Island, Sardine Run, and Turtle Sanctuary.



Before proceeding with the island hopping, we are to register with the Tourism Office and pay P100 each for the environmental fee. Then we need to listen to the short briefing. After the briefing we buy cooked food at the nearby karinderia for our breakfast. Then off to our island hopping.

We are among the early birds so there is not so much crowd on our first stop. We are the first to arrive at Pescador Island so we are able to snorkel and swim for almost an hour without interruptions. The coral reefs in Hilantagaan is better looking than in Pescador (in my opinion) but the variation of fishes in Pescador is much wider. There are more species in Pescador compared to Hilantagaan so each coral garden boasts of it's own unique beauty.


Our next stop is the Sardine Run. It is our first time to witness such a phenomenon and I was in so much awe. I happen to forget wearing my life jacket so in the middle of my joyful swimming with the sardines, I am having difficulty staying afloat because of the strong water current. I am actually beginning to panic because I am having a little difficulty with my snorkeling gear but thank God I am able to swim back to our boat with extreme exhaustion. I learn my lesson so I immediately strap my life jacket on as we head to our last destination.



At the Turtle Sanctuary, I never thought we will really witness turtles as there is not a single sign of turtle in sight. After a few minutes of swimming and looking, our boatman has finally spotted the turtles and I think there are about 4 or five turtles in the area. Most of them are swimming deeper so we can't get closer because none of us are free divers and we only rely on our snorkels and life jackets. Luckily, the turtles swim closer so we are able to take videos of them. However, our gopro got battery empty so we are not able to take more videos of the bigger turtles that swim closer to us.








Overall, our island hopping experience in Moalboal is so much fun that I am longing to do it again very soon. I am in so much awe watching the turtles swim because it's my first time to see an actual pawikan and in the size that we saw I just feel so blessed. Also the sardine run is out of this world experience for me. The long travel going to Moalboal is so worth it. I promise myself the next time I find myself in Cebu again, I will definitely spend more time in the south to enjoy the treasures of Moalboal again along with other gems that the south of Cebu offers.