Beyond Cebu

• Bantayan Island

• Santiago Bay Camotes Island

• Bantayan Island - sunset

• Celebrate Sinulog

• Malapascua Island

• Sea Turtle

• Mantayupan Falls Cebu

• Waterfront Hotel and Casino Cebu

Experience the paradise of Cebu when you travel to the Philippines

Welcome to Cebu (pronounced: [seˈbu])  a gorgeous sun filled tropical island in the Philippines,  it’s easy to see why it’s fast becoming one of Asia’s new “hot” spots in tourism. Cebu’s beaches are the envy of Asia with its white sand and crystal clear blue waters. Cebu is home to some of the best Philippine resorts with a variety to suite everyone’s budget. If it’s your first trip to Cebu you will want to know where and what to do in Cebu. Before you travel read our article on planning your trip to the Philippines it could save you hundreds of dollars! To make your holiday to Cebu a more enjoyable trip Beyondcebu.com has made it easy for you to find the best places and deals in Cebu. On the left side of this page under the main menu banner we have listed Cebu's major tourist destinations (towns and islands). Opening up these directories will give a more detailed description of each place .If you're looking for a hotel in Cebu City, click Cebu City and scroll down to accommodation and click on the list of hotels

If you're flying into Cebu, you will be landing in Mactan Island. Mactan is Cebu's playground and it's a place you can indulge yourself in life's pleasures. Mactan resorts and spas are located around the island and many are luxurious and upmarket. For the more budget conscious the island still offers plenty of options with cheaper hotels and resorts in Mactan, we have provided a detailed list of these. For those who enjoy bargain hunting, Cebu City offers some great shopping opportunities. Cebu City has 2 large shopping Malls with more being built. Nightlife in Cebu while on a smaller scale to Manila has some exciting bars and clubs to keep most party goers happy. Whether it’s just to listen to a live band or dance, Cebu bars and discos go on until the early hours of the morning. Cebu has some fantastic diving, so if you’re a scuba diver or would like to learn you should be heading to Moalboal, Malapascua or to the south to Lilo-an. Beach lovers will find that the beaches in Cebu are some of the finest in the world, if you're looking for a beach resort in Cebu you should check out Bantayan Island, Camotes Island, Sumilon Island, Malapascua, Mactan Island, Moalbaol (white beach area), Badian Island or Sogod (Alegre Resort). If you’re a golfer, you should look at Cebu City, San Remigio, Danao, Badian or Bogo City. For Further afield from Cebu, Bohol is just a couple of hours away by fast craft, there you can enjoy scuba diving, great beaches and some of Bohol's natural wonders like the Chocolate Hills. Not sure of accommodation in Cebu? We listed our favourite hotels and pension houses in Cebu and the top 7 Cebu Resorts (on the left side of this page under the BEST OF CEBU top 7). You will find Cebu has so much to offer and we are sure your trip to Cebu will surely be a memorable one. Discover your exciting holiday to the Philippines today.

Cebu Island is a long narrow island stretching 225 km (140 mi) from north to south and one of the most densely populated islands of the Philippines. Cebu is located roughly in the middle of the Philippines and is surrounded by 167 neighbouring smaller islands the biggest ones being Mactan, Bantayan, Malapascua, Olango and the Camotes Islands. All five of these islands represent Cebu's biggest tourist destinations.

Weather in Cebu

Cebu's weather is tropical and stays hot but pleasant all year round. The rainy season begins around June and starts to dwindle away in December. Cebu can be lashed by torrential downpours, thankfully they don't usually last very long. Cebu is also usually spared from the full force of the typhoons that hit the country during the rainy season, so while the north of the Philippines is lashed by these typhoons, Cebu will usually only experience days of rain! Check the Philippine government website for Cebu's weather updates (http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph). The dry season starts roughly in January (although with climate change things are less predictable than before) and the rains usually start picking up by the end of May. December - January Cebu experiences its cooler temperatures while March through to May it experiences the hottest temperatures (around 38°c).

Language and population in Cebu

The dialect spoken in Cebu is Cebuano. It is understood and spoken widely in other areas of the Visayas (Leyte,Bohol, Negros and Siquijor) as well as Mindanao. Filipino (Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines) is commonly understood and spoken. English is widely used in business transactions, government and education. The population of Cebu City and Cebu province is more than 3.85 million (2010 census).

History of Cebu

Cebu was already trading with China, Arabia and Siam long before the Spanish. When Ferdinand Magellan arrived in Cebu on April 7 1521 he observed the locals were using items traded from other countries. The origins of the name Cebu (Zubu then) are debatable, with a number of theories where it came from. One is a misunderstanding between the Spanish asking the local tribes the name of the town they were in. The tribes' people thought they were asking what they were doing rather than where are we? They replied Sibu (melting animal fat). There is no debate on the Spanish influence, and how they shaped Cebu to become what it is today. Their first arrival in the country is still a legacy and the remains of Spanish forts, churches and monuments are proof of that. These historic sites are now popular tourist attractions in Cebu.