You’ll find a wide variety of activities that children visiting Cebu can enjoy with their parents. In addition, there are play centres and beach activities that children can enjoy under the careful guidance of trained staff. The island is the perfect place for jungle treks, mountain bike rides, and rides on the back of a horse or water buffalo.

Horseback Riding
The stables around Cebu are equipped to handle young and inexperienced riders. Parents and children can enjoy a ride together in the Moalboal hills at 3,000ft above sea level. Breathtaking views of outlying islands such as Bohol, Leyte and Negros are available on some of the trails. All but the smallest children can take part in this family-oriented outing.

Ice Skating
Ice skating is a popular indoor activity here for children of all ages. You’ll find indoor rinks located at both Mega Mall and South Mall, where skates and helmets are available for hire. Lessons are on offer for those who don’t have previous experience, and are recommended as ice skating can be trickier than it looks.

Mountain Biking
Children old enough to ride a bike can learn to handle a mountain bike and enjoy some of Cebu’s easier trails. Exploring trails by bike can be one of the more rewarding activities during a visit to Cebu. You can explore as a family, or join a guided tour. Biking trips begin are typically half-day excursions, and are organised by skill and fitness levels.

Play Centres
Most of the tourist hotels have play centres for the children, where you can turn a rainy day into a fun time for kids, even if they have to stay inside. The city also features a number of parks and outdoor recreation areas for children: your hotel staff will be able to provide information on the ones close by. The Shangri-La Resort on Mactan Island offers a tropically-landscaped area for children to play in that’s complete with an Adventure Zone.

Water-buffalo Rides
A short trip into the countryside will take you to the Batat Batat rice terraces, where you can experience a ride on a sled pulled by a water buffalo. When the ride is over, you’ll find a small natural pool nearby that’s perfect for a refreshing dip.

White Beach Party
At the lovely White Sand Beach on Cebu Island, kids can enjoy beach games such as badminton, football, Frisbee and volleyball. Swimming lessons are on offer for the inexperienced, as well as snorkelling lessons and guided tours run by professional instructors.

Museums and galleries on Cebu Island allow visitors a glimpse of the natural and cultural riches of the southern Philippines. There are art collections, displays of period furniture and antiques, collections from the Spanish and American periods, exhibits on the prehistory of the area and artefacts from early trading with Southeast Asia and China.

Aznar-Alfonso Antique Collection
This collection of antiques, the property of Dr Lydia Aznar-Alfonso, comprises of lovely period furniture, an impressive antique jewellery collection, santoses and also grave items that were uncovered during numerous archaeological digs conducted over the years on the islands of Cebu and Mactan. Phone: +63 32 255 5645.

Casa Gorordo Museum
This museum is housed in the one-time residence of Cebu’s first Filipino bishop, Juan Gorordo. The Filipino lifestyle of this class from the year 1860 to 1920 is well-preserved here, and on a tour you’ll see a selection of furnishings and personal items typical of the period. Among the many items on display are antique household goods, furniture and some notable paintings. Phone: +63 32 255.5630; website: www.rafi.org.ph.

Julian Jumalon's Butterfly Sanctuary and Art Gallery
This sanctuary is home to the oldest butterfly collection in the Philippines and is where butterflies can be observed in natural settings. You’ll also find the Lepido Mosaic Art Collection here, so named because butterfly wings are used in the creation of the art pieces. Examples of this intricate work are on display at the former residence of Julian Jamalon.

Pres Sergio Osmeña Memorabilia and Cap Art Gallery
Documents and memorabilia of this ‘grand old man of Cebu’ are contained in exhibits at this gallery. More than 500 objects are on display, many donated to the museum by friends and relatives of the former president. You’ll also find memorabilia from the American period when General Douglas MacArthur used the house. The mansion housing the collections was built in 1908.

Southwestern University Museum
This museum houses an extensive collection that documents the culture and economic history of Cebu City from early times. Included also are exhibits from pre-historic excavations featuring beads, coins, gold, pottery and rare trading porcelain from China and Southeast Asia. Types of porcelain on display include Celadon, Ming, Ban Chieng and Haripunchai. From the Spanish period, you’ll see displays of church carvings, heirloom jewellery and santoses. Phone: +63 32 9217941.

University of San Carlos Museum
This university museum was founded by a German priest in 1967, and is focused on anthropological materials from the central and southern Philippines that arise from the research of the university’s scholars. The museum’s four main galleries are dedicated to the following collections: Archaeological, Ethnographic, Natural Science and Spanish Colonial. Phone: +63 32 2531000; website: http://museum.usc.edu.ph/.

Cebu City offers visitors excellent choice in dining options, from reasonably-priced local dishes to a variety of international cuisines. No particular area of the city is known as a dining district, but you will find some of the more fashionable restaurants in the Ayala district. For sampling the local food, a visit to a sidewalk stall, or kainan, will give you an idea of what’s on offer.

The cuisine of the Philippines reflects its multi-ethnic culture and history of foreign influence. Rice is a staple, but you will find that other cultures have introduced items such as lumpia, or rolls, and pancit, a type of Chinese noodle. The country’s most popular and famous dish - lechon (roast pig) - originated in China. Spain’s contributions to the national cuisine include dishes such as adobo, mechado and menudo.

All locations in the Philippines are relatively near the coast and its fishing villages, and so seafood features prominently on local menus. The most popular way for seafood to be prepared is on the grill: grilled foods as referred to as inihaw. The types of seafood available include crab, shrimp, oyster, rock lobster and squid. Kinilaw is a dish made from sea urchin and fish mixed with seaweed. This combination is thinly-sliced and marinated in vinegar with ginger, onions tomatoes, salt and hot pepper.

For shoppers, Cebu's prolific arts and crafts industries make this a terrific place for souvenir hunting. From fashion accessories to furniture, Cebu produces and exports quality goods made from bamboo, rattan, stone and exotic materials around the world.

Carbon Market is a good first stop if you want to get an idea of the range of goods on offer here. At the market you’ll find agricultural produce, handicrafts and house wares. Colon street, lined with department stores and shopping malls where you can buy goods ranging from local handicrafts to designer clothing, is another good area to try.

A specialty of the southern Philippines is the use of capiz (seashells that are iridescent and translucent) to make ashtrays, coasters and Tiffany-style lampshades. Jewellery boxes made from coral and stone are frequent choices for gifts.

Other popular locally-crafted items include baskets woven from vines, bamboo and rattan; and bags and rugs made from abaca and raffia. Weavers from Argao produce popular and intricate designs that have international appeal. Locally designed and crafted silver jewellery and decorative items crafted from silver make for popular and unique gifts as well.

Guitars are handcrafted at Maribago, which is the centre of the guitar-making industry on Cebu Island. The quality of the guitars that are hand-crafted here, with shell-inlays, ranks among the best in the world. Other musical instruments are also produced locally, including banjos, mandolins and ukuleles.

Outdoor activities on Cebu Island cover a wide range, from diving and golf to mountain trekking and spelunking. The weather here is suitable year-round for most outdoor sports and adventures. Golfers will find some great courses to choose from; and divers will know that Cebu Island is a major scuba diving centre for the Philippines.

Canyoning
Whether you like to rappel down 100ft waterfalls, or you’re a beginner at this sport, you’ll find Cebu Island a great spot for canyoning. The limestone mountains here provide lots of crevices and caves to explore, some of which have clear, warm tropical rivers running through them. Beginners can benefit from experienced guides who will help them master the necessary climbing skills.

Diving
Cebu is now a leading scuba diving centre for the country, and the island sees planeloads of tourists arrive who are keen to explore the underwater treasures of the Visayan Sea. Mactan Island boasts the most highly-developed dive operations, many of which run daily trips to some of the best diving locations in Moalboal, such as Sunken and Pescador islands.

Golf
Within the city limits, golfers will find two championship courses: Alta Vista Golf and Country Club (phone: +63 32 272 7971) and Cebu Country Club (phone: +63 32 231 0345). In addition, there are two other championship courses located in the province: one in the mountains and another in the far north. Visitors are welcomed at all courses in Cebu.

Island Hopping
Visits to outlying islands can be arranged by power boat or sailing yacht, depending on your preference. You’ll have the chance to soak up the sun on many lovely beaches, and to appreciate the colourful coral and marine life of some of the more popular dive spots including Badian, Mactan, Moalboal and Olango. You’ll also find numerous caves and lagoons to explore on Calanggaman and Gato.

Mountain Trekking
Negros Island offers the most challenging trekking in the area, and the opportunity to climb close to an active volcanic crater. The peaks on Negros rise more than 8,000ft above sea level, and provide a challenge even to the fittest climber. There are also trekking possibilities on Cebu Island. With hilltops reaching just over 3,000ft, many of the climbs are suitable for families with young children. Mount Montepeller and Osmena Peak are two of the favourites to climb on Cebu, and perfect spots both to experience the jungle and appreciate the incredible views from the top.

River Climbing
Climbing up waterfalls and swimming against currents in clear tropical river waters are popular activities on Cebu. Climbing in the Matutinao Valley, you’ll pass a variety of small waterfalls and have the chance to swim in freshwater pools. There are unique rock formations and exotic tropical vegetation that’s home to birds, butterflies, monkeys, monitor lizards and plenty of other wildlife.