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Unique Finds

Take a piece of Cebu with you when you bring home these not-so-ordinary finds.

Take a piece of Cebu with you when you bring home these not-so-ordinary finds.
Alegre Guitars

Music lovers go to Abuno, Mactan to find well-crafted guitars that Cebu is known for. Alegre Guitar Factory is one of the more popular factories visited. Here, guitar (and other string instruments’) production can be observed at different stages before the finished product is perfected to an impeccable finish and design.

Trappings Jewelry

You will have to go through a throng of shops in Ayala Center’s Maze to reach Trappings. Though the jewelry is fancy, there is nothing common about them. The latest line takes on a denim theme—denim fringe, denim balled up inside hollow metal beads, and so on. The entrepreneur and designer constantly incorporates creative techniques in preparing these unique works of art.

Reme Jewelry Clutches

Minaudieres made of shagreen, and abalone or mother of pearl shells are all the craze in the social circuit. These evening bags by a young Cebuana entrepreneur and designer are crafted locally and guaranteed one-of-a-kind for they take on the individual shape and contours of each shell. The prices are also slightly more affordable than the competition, and the bags are made to order through www.remejewelry.com.

Les Chocolateries Belgian Lace Cookies

These paper-thin cookies are so sinful that one simply isn’t enough. Each has a Belgian chocolate center framed by crispy oatmeal and is best paired with coffee or tea. The dark chocolate is a favorite whereas those with a sweet tooth will want to try the white chocolate filling. They can be bought in packages of 300 or 600 grams at Don Merto’s Restaurant outlets.

SM Kultura Selection

If you’re looking for anything native, SM Kultura will indulge you. This is a one-stop shop for tourists looking for authentic local-made merchandise that displays a wide range of items—from home decorations to garments and accessories. Being located in SM also makes it very convenient to head to the supermarket to add Cebu’s must-try dried mangoes and otap to your purchases.

856G Gallery Artworks

The gallery is a venue for Filipino artists to showcase their work and mingle with other artists and art enthusiasts. It is different from other gallery spaces in that varied forms of art such as sculpture, jewelry, ceramics and others are exhibited. You will see the works of respected Cebuano artists such as the father of Philippine contemporary print making Manuel Rodriguez and his protégé Pandy Aviado, the famous sculptor Jet Florendo, and ceramic artists Lanelle Abueva and Hadrian Mendoza.

Zubuchon

This was the roasted pig or lechon that Anthony Bourdain proclaimed the best he’s ever tasted. The skin is extra crunchy because of a pricking method done while the pig is slowly roasting to let the excess fat drip. Apart from this, it follows the traditional flavors of the Cebuano lechon. Zubuchon can now be enjoyed in two restaurant outlets along Mango Avenue and Escario Street. Share a kilo or two with friends and have it with the refreshing kamias fruitshake.

Bunny Pages

Thirsty and Mooon Café are well-known brands that started in Cebu. They were both acquired by Pages Holdings Inc (PHI) and have grown and expanded nationwide. No doubt, the Pages group belongs to the movers and shakers when it comes to the food and beverage industry of the Queen City of the South – just look at their success with Mooon Café that began with a one-store operation and is now a fast growing chain of more than 15 restaurants in just four years.

This November, another contribution of the Pages group to Cebu’s restaurant and tourism industry is the launching of LANTAW Floating Native Restaurant located in Cordova, Mactan. One restaurant after another, year after year—how do they do it? “Hard work, passion and a matter of choosing the right people to do the job,” says Bunny Pages. During his speeches or in one-on-one chats, he always shares what he practices: “Put the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus and the right people in the right seats.”

Business

bai Hotel Cebu named 2024 PH’s Leading Business Hotel at World Travel Awards

bai Hotel Cebu VP Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes with World Travel Awards Founder and President Graham Cooke.

bai Hotel Cebu has emerged victorious as the Philippines’ Leading Business Hotel at this year’s prestigious World Travel Awards. Standing out among the nine other contenders from across the country, bai Hotel Cebu claimed the coveted title, solidifying its position as a premier business hospitality destination in Cebu.

The award was presented to VP Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Carlo Rivera in an awarding gala ceremony held last September 3, 2024 at City of Dreams Manila.

Held at the City of Dreams Manila, the award was handed over to VP-Operations and General Manager Alfred Reyes and Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Carlo Rivera last September 3, 2024 at City of Dreams Manila.

This accolade, being the first of many this year, reaffirms bai Hotel Cebu’s steadfast commitment to providing world-class Filipino hospitality. “I would like to thank our guests for continuously supporting and for patronizing bai Hotel Cebu,” GM Alfred Reyes said. “This win is also yours as your loyalty inspires us to deliver the exceptional service bai Hotel Cebu is known for,” he continued.

bai Hotel Cebu’s department heads celebrating its accolade as PH’s Leading Business Hotel.

Operating since 2018 with 668 rooms, 8 restaurants, and over 13 function halls, bai Hotel Cebu has established its presence in the industry having just been awarded as Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Tourism Standard Awards – ASEAN MICE Venue (Meeting Room Category).

We also extend our heartfelt congratulations to the country’s Department of Tourism headed by Secretary Hon. Christina Garcia Frasco for being recognized as Asia’s Leading Marketing Campaign award for its “Love the Philippines” campaign and as Transformation Leadership in Tourism Governance.

Based in London and established in 1993, the World Travel Awards is dubbed the Oscars of the travel industry that acknowledges, rewards, and celebrates excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. It is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Events

A Feast for the Senses

Crimson Chefs - Masahiro Kinoshita, Naoki Eguchi, Daniel Johnston, Javier Garcia, Allan Barios, Andrew Simpson

By Joanna Cuenco

June 8 – Mactan, Cebu | For one of its biggest dining events of the year as part of the highly anticipated Cebu Food and Wine Festival, Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan curated an epicurean journey that brought guests on gastronomic flights of fancy, fine cuisine. A Feast for the Senses showcased the creativity and excellence of the resort’s culinary team through a dine-around event at its four dining destinations that invited guests to sample the best that each restaurant had to offer: international cuisine at Saffron, Spanish at Enye by Chele Gonzalez, Japanese at Aka by Naoki Eguchi, and desserts and more drinks at Azure Beach Club.

Maria Paz Perdices, Ambra Anzani, Ema Onda,Kate Anzani, Kumiko Onda, Daisy Barns

Tamsin Booth, Didier Belmonte, Frances Siao, Celeste Miranda, Bert Miranda, Bob Booth

Spirits were high and beverages flowed freely the whole evening, thanks to Philippine Wine Merchant, A Wine Company, The Wine Club, Don Revy, Sommelier Selection, Engkanto Brewery, M. Lhuillier Food Product Inc., Future Trade International, Happy Living Philippines, Equilibrium Intertrade Corporation, and Bauhinia Brewery.

Allan Barios at Saffron dessert station

Ulysse Jouanneaud

Margarette Lhuiller and Perl Jacalan

For the after-party and entertainment at Azure Beach Club, renowned mixologist Ulysse Jouanneaud took over the bar, crafting cocktails with Bacardi, Don Papa, Cointreau, and Sula Brands. Chef Allan Barrios presented a dessert spread that included key lime pralines, vanilla bourbon truffles, honey coconut cryos, and tiny flower-potted bamboo shoots that turned out to be made of pistachio. These little works of art were planted alongside vibrant green foliage, smooth stones, and a faux fog effect that created a tropical rainforest diorama out of the dessert table.

Lechon belly station at Saffron

Dessert display at Azure Beach Club

Yellowfin tuna tataki

Grilled mackerel with laksa boullabaise

The night sky and the distant lights of neighboring islands were the perfect backdrop for a high-energy LED dance performance and fantastic fireworks display that left guests in awe and applause.

Rose Hudson

Chele Gonzalez

Brava potato with chorizo at Enye

LED and Tron Dance

Aka Private Room

The Cebu Food and Wine Festival is supported by the Department of Tourism – Philippines, Visit Central Visayas, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cebu Business Month, and Cebu Pacific Air.

Events

The First NUSTAR BALL

Janine Taylor, June Alegrado, Jackie Lotzof, Frances Siao, Ina Ronquillo and Christine Pelaez

The NUSTAR Ballroom, a magnificent venue at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu, sets the stage for last night’s first-ever NUSTAR Ball.

Black was the color of night at the Zee table.

Glamorous guests from Manila and Cebu converged at the NUSTAR Ballroom, an exquisite venue within the NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu. The evening unfolded with a seated 5-course dinner. The opulent feast started with Beetroot Salmon Gravlax, adorned with caper berries, caviar, set with delicate edible flowers; and a main course of Compressed Pork Belly with Crackling Skin and Baby Scallops. Another highlight was the auction of coveted items like Dior and YSL handbags, a limited-edition Bulgari watch, and an exclusive 2-night stay in Nustar’s opulent 3-bedroom villa—complete with a private pool and a dedicated butler. The charity evening benefited the Cameleon Association, an NGO based in Iloilo City created in 1997 that developed a global approach to act on the causes and effects of sexual violence against children.