Cebu As Opposed To Boracay Or Puerto Galera?

[DavidandBless]

Cebu is very congested now and the traffic is really bad. If you want beaches you would have to stay in a resort or pay a day use or you can go to a local beach resorts which is not that many. The diving are mostly wall diving or you can dive in a cave. The corals are not that great since most of them got ruined by dynamite fishing except at those areas that are sacred sanctuary. If you go outside that sanctuary you will hardly see decent size fish.

Boracay is beautiful and it has a good combo of beach, nightlife and convenience when it comes to food. Pricey? Yes, but some places have cheap deals too. I am not sure about diving in Boracay but you can windsurf and kitesurf on the other side of the island. The otherside is dirty though, a lot of trash in the water.

We went to Coron Palawan last month and that place is awesome in diving, snorkelling and island hopping. The place does'nt look like the Philippines. Some hotels are still really cheap-depending on your budget. The place is very rural(Barrio) but people are nicer and friendly. I don't think they have a nightlife out there.

[skyswicko]

Is Boracay is part of Cebu? look exciting to go there.. :lol:

[bootleultras]

No it is a much smaller island just off the northern most tip of Aklan, you can only reach the island by banca from the mainland......its beautiful there and alot of fun!

[ABCDiamond]

I spent one week in Boracay; one month in Cebu; 5 months in Puerto Galera. All in the last 12 months.

 

Boracay I would go back to, anytime :D  (Once I win the Lottery)

 

Cebu, Never again, at least not when I am with a non Cebuano speaker.  I found that they don't like to speak Filipino there, which caused us many problems.

 

Puerto Galera...  I was in a quite part, but on the beach.  I liked it, very peaceful, and not too expensive.  20,000 pesos for a month, for Living room, Bedroom, Kitchen and Bathroom, (60 sq metres) with a 30 second dash to the beach... :)

 

Sabang and White beach were both too busy for me. But I know many that like that.  And similar but smaller apartments are available at a similar price, at least in Sabang.  But PG does have cheaper accommodation, but not, in my opinion, suitable for westerners.

[Papa Carl]

Like I said in a previous post, Aninuan Beach is the place to go. Just walk along the beach at White Beach, heading west, past the pizza place, over the rocks and .... there it is, private and not expensive compared to Boracay etc.

They have a shuttle to PG if you want some night life and clubs, and then come home!

Here is their link.

http://www.aninuanbeach.com/sunset/

Papa Carl

[Jollygoodfellow]

Cebu, Never again, at least not when I am with a non Cebuano speaker.  I found that they don't like to speak Filipino there, which caused us many problems.  

 

I have often found that english is used in Cebu.  :)

[ABCDiamond]

 

Cebu, Never again, at least not when I am with a non Cebuano speaker.  I found that they don't like to speak Filipino there, which caused us many problems.  

 

I have often found that english is used in Cebu.  :)

 

My girlfriend would talk to the locals in Filipino, but the Cebuanos would reply in English, and often poor English, I would have to work out what they mean and translate to better English for my girlfriend.

It feels odd to have to be the translator between two Filipinos, because one can't (or won't) speak their national language.

 

It did give me a pretty bad impression of the locals in Cebu, especially as it happened a lot.  One Taxi driver said they just refuse to speak Tagalog/Filipino on principal.  He wasn't a local though ;)

[Markham]

My girlfriend would talk to the locals in Filipino, but the Cebuanos would reply in English, and often poor English, I would have to work out what they mean and translate to better English for my girlfriend.

And that was her mistake, right there. She was in the Visayas where they speak their own dialect and yet she expected them to converse in Tagalog. When Visayans visit Luzon, they do speak Tagalog but Tagalogs seldom return the favour.

 

My wife reliably informs me that Tagalog is not Filipino. Filipino is otherwise known as "Taglish" and includes English words.

[MacBubba]

My wife reliably informs me that Tagalog is not Filipino. Filipino is otherwise known as "Taglish" and includes English words.

 

This confuses my wife to no end.  Throughout elementary and high school, the subject "Pilipino" was the Tagalog that she could speak.  It did not have a smattering of Ilocano, Kapampangan, or any Visayan dialect.  And, certainly, Taglish was discouraged!  To this day, when speaking with friends and family, she will speak in Tagalog, or in English.  Not Taglish.

My girlfriend would talk to the locals in Filipino, but the Cebuanos would reply in English, and often poor English, I would have to work out what they mean and translate to better English for my girlfriend. It feels odd to have to be the translator between two Filipinos, because one can't (or won't) speak their national language. It did give me a pretty bad impression of the locals in Cebu, especially as it happened a lot. One Taxi driver said they just refuse to speak Tagalog/Filipino on principal. He wasn't a local though ;)

 

We experienced the same in Bohol and in Cebu.

[ABCDiamond]

 

My girlfriend would talk to the locals in Filipino, but the Cebuanos would reply in English, and often poor English, I would have to work out what they mean and translate to better English for my girlfriend.

And that was her mistake, right there. She was in the Visayas where they speak their own dialect and yet she expected them to converse in Tagalog. When Visayans visit Luzon, they do speak Tagalog but Tagalogs seldom return the favour.

 

My wife reliably informs me that Tagalog is not Filipino. Filipino is otherwise known as "Taglish" and includes English words.

 

My girlfriend is not a natural Tagalog speaker, she speaks either her own dialect, Bicol, Filipino or English.  To be told that she has to learn a fourth when visiting another area, instead of using the NATIONAL language, did make her angry.  She makes an effort to learn the National language, to fit in with the countries national language policy.   The Cebuanos don't, and SHE is wrong ??

 

She chooses Filipino as that is the ONE national language to unite them all, when not in her own area, or when non locals visit her area.

 

The attitude that someone has to learn a local dialect, and NOT use the national language, like the rest of the Philippines do, seems a bit secular.

 

The Philippines National Commission for Culture and the Arts found that the national language is acceptable in the regions of the Philipines except for the cities of Cebu and Bacolod.

 

Even the bilingual education policy and EO 335 are accepted everywhere, except in Cebu where they have a restraining order against it.

 

They are stopping their children from learning the national language, insisting on just their own dialect.

 

Why are the people from Cebu so different ?

 

Personally speaking, if a nationality do not like their own national language, maybe they should ALL just learn English and get rid of this dialect war that has been going on since Cebuano was rejected as the base for the new Filipina language.

 

Attitudes and opinions regarding the national language and their native tongues – Davao, Tuguegarao, Puerto Princesa and Zamboanga have a positive attitude toward Filipino, which serves as lingua franca among residents who speak different native tongues. Cebu and Bacolod, on the other hand, may have exhibited a negative attitude toward Filipino

 

http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts