Cebu City may be the capital of the province of Cebu, but the charm can be found in Moalboal. Three hours drive from the capital and surrounded by beautiful dive sites. Moalboal wasn’t a big deal in recent years, but gradually this place is turning into a hotspot for tourists. The town is often used as a base to explore the waterfalls of Cebu in Badian and Alegria. You will find nice people, good food and nice hosts that will make your stay here very pleasant.
How to get in Moalboal?
Whether you come by boat or plane, your route will take you through Cebu City anyway. There you take the bus or taxi to the terminal of the yellow Ceres buses. For only 350 php or 6 euros you can travel in a comfortable air-conditioned seat to Moalboal. Want to travel like the locals? Then take the non-airconditioned bus which costs only 120 php or 2 euros. The bus will drop you off at the beginning of Moalboal or in the heart of Moalboal. Check where your accommodation is and tell the driver where you want to get off. Moreover, the yellow Ceres buses drive all the way to Oslob.
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Where to stay in Moalboal?
There’s not that much of a choice. There are only a few accommodations. Because of our uncertainty about the Philippines, we booked a room at the Adam’s View Hotel for our first three nights. For €30 per night we had a basic double room with a huge swimming pool. Despite the fact that they cleaned every day and were friendly, the hotel could not really charm us. Moreover, breakfast was so bad that we skipped it every day.
The other (affordable) choice is Moalboal Tropics, a family hotel with a children’s pool. With all the accompanying noise.
Do you still want to be in a hotel at all costs. Then it quickly becomes more expensive. A nice location and value for money can be found in The Blue Orchid. Right on the beach, a nice beach bar and nice, clean rooms.
If you’re lucky you’ll find some hostels here. When we were looking for a coffee we bumped into Juan One Shot Coffee. When we stepped inside we immediately realized that this was also a hostel. For a price you can spend the night here and you have all the essentials. Moreover, the hostess is very friendly and you can drink a delicious cappuccino. What more could you want!
Go yes a little further to the center of Moalboal you will find several hostels. Also here we found a cozy establishment run by Dutch and Belgians. Southpoint Hostel and Restobar seems to us a must.
Keep in mind that many accommodations are not online. So you can take your chance without booking here to look for a nice place to stay the night.
What to do in Moalboal?
Beach
In Moalboal you’ll find White Beach. A white beach where you can easily spend a day. Walk a little further and you’ll find the fine beach bar of The Blue Orchid where you can eat good food for a reasonable price. Got your snorkel? Then go a little deeper into the water and try to spot turtles. If you’re lucky, you may suddenly find yourself in the middle of a school of sardines.
@olgatsai
Diving in Moalboal
Originally Moalboal is a dive site. Here you’ll find several resorts and organizations that take you to the most beautiful places. Is swimming in a baitball on your bucketlist? Then you have to dive in Moalboal!
@giachensworld
Hunting Waterfalls
Many tourists come to Moalboal to take a scooter from there to the southern waterfalls. From Moalboal it is only twenty minutes on the scooter to reach the popular Kawasan Waterfalls. Here you can do canyoneering with the help of a local guide. Aren’t you afraid to make a longer trip on your bike? Then there’s a whole list of waterfalls waiting for you. Do you want the complete guide to the waterfalls of Cebu? Then read on here.
Good food
The proof that something is growing in Moalboal is the rise of good restaurants. The offer goes from cheap local food to slightly more expensive Western food. Local dishes are Adobi to Bam-I to Bicol Express. The latter was our favorite, just make sure it’s not too spicy.
One of the tastiest pizzas we ever had was at Pizzeria Altrove. For 410 php you have a pizza pepperoni and for 160 php you have white chocolate ice cream with mango. We had dinner here twice and came back the third time for dessert.
There is also a sushi restaurant, burger restaurant and for a good price you can fill your belly with tacos.
Want to find out more about Cebu? Then read on here. Here you can learn more about the waterfalls in Cebu. We try to make your backpack adventure in the Philippines as smooth as possible.
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