We Turn One

Yes, we did! (Last October 23rd to be exact) *kilig*

I’ve been married to my husband for more than a year now and what better way to celebrate our love and life together than a blissful trip out of town. Simply put, we discovered the awesome beauty of Cebu, Philippines, regarded as the Queen City of the South.

As soon as we found ourselves at the Mactan International Airport, we knew we will have the time of our lives. Our itinerary started with discovering the Uptown Cebu, where we stayed at a hotel near Ayala Center located at the heart of the city. We visited the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, which was founded on April 28, 1565 by an Augustinian priest, Andrés de Urdaneta. As part of their tradition, Cebuanos (and tourists alike) wave their hands at the image of Senior Santo Niño as they enter or before they leave the church to give honor and respect.

{Basilica Minore del Santo Niño}

{Cebu's King of the road: An edited version of a van is the province's basic public utility vehicle}

We took a few minutes of leisure walk and we found the famed Magellan’s Cross, one of Cebu’s famous tourist attraction. It’s right in front of the city hall. We took tons of photos as souvenir :)

{Magellan's Cross}

After two days of discovering the city, we drove down the island and welcome ourselves to the captivating island of Mactan. We stayed at Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel where we enjoyed the bright and sunny weather, white sand beach, the Olango Island (too bad, we did not find migratory birds at the time of our visit), island hopping riding what the locals call “bangka” (outrigger canoe), crystal blue water of the resort’s swimming pool (hubby enjoyed the slides, too), fresh fruit shakes and drinks, their mouthwatering fresh-from-the-sea seafood just to name a few.

{The famous bridge connecting Uptown Cebu and Mactan Island}

{Hubby felt we went to guitar heaven upon entering Susing's, one of the most famous guitar stores in Cebu}

{Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel served as our home in Cebu}

{Dig in :)}

{Para-sailing, anyone? :)}

{I love white sand beaches...}

{... and chilling at the pool side :)}

{Costabella from afar}

{Hubby while we were riding the bangka going from one island to another.}

{Me holding our W@W tag :)}

{Hubby and I (left) and our wedding rings (and my engagement ring) :)}

Yes, we discovered Cebu and its beauty. But more importantly, we (re)discovered ourselves and our life together as husband and wife (and soon to be, a family). We had a great bonding time together away from our respective deadlines. We did not worry about anything else. Zero pressure. It’s just pure bliss together while reliving our wedding day and our love for each other. The place is so romantic, we can’t help but to renew our vows (it’s our little secret, but not anymore!) ♥

X.O.X.O.,