Travel Adventures In The Philippines

Getting Around In Cebu

Getting around in Cebu is pretty easy and there are plenty of different options. There are taxis, jeepneys and motorized trikes just to name a few. Today though, lets just talk about arriving at Mactan International Airport after a very long flight and using taxis as a way of getting around in Cebu.

Jeepney and trike

Arrival At Mactan International Airport

Ok. You’re here!! You’ve gone through customs and waited what seemed like forever to get your bags.

Cebu Man Tip 1: There may be some guys there (Porters) offering to carry your bags. These guys are not doing this for free. They expect to be tipped. If you don’t want to pay, just politely refuse their assistance and carry your own bags. There are usually baggage carts that you can use for a small fee anyway.

Cebu Man Tip 2: Do not lose your baggage slips that were given to you at your airport of origin. They have a guard that checks the slips before you are allowed to leave the terminal.

Now all you want to do is get to your hotel to get some sleep on a comfortable bed, shower and maybe get something decent to eat after 22 plus hours of eating airplane food.

I really don’t think that was chicken!

Once you get past the baggage slip check guards, you will have the option to change your money in to local currency, the Philippine Peso. Lately the current exchange rate has been hovering around 45 pesos to 1 US Dollar. You can check the current exchange rates for any currency here: http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/ 

I usually exchange at least $100 or $200 US here. Just make sure you get some smaller peso bills because you wont find a taxi driver that has change for a 500 peso bill. Try to get some 20s, 50s and 100s along with the 500s and 1000s. You will be able to exchange more money later in the city usually at a better rate.

Cebu Man Tip 3: Beware of exchanging money at the hotel. Hotels are known for having low exchange rates.

So now that you’ve exchanged your money, let’s exit the terminal and look at our travel options.

Hotel Shuttle

If you want the easiest and most hassle free transport and you were wise enough to plan ahead, you probably already set up airport transportation with your hotel or travel agent. If this is the case, you should see a driver there holding a sign with your name on it. There are some pros and cons to this.

The Pros:

• Ease. No hassles trying to find a taxi.
• Transport is paid for through your hotel either complimentary or added to your final bill.
• Usually very comfortable and air conditioned.
• Because it’s a hotel taxi/van, you will get the most direct route to your hotel. You won’t get taken on a more expensive metered “sight seeing detour”.

The Cons:

• If it’s not complimentary and the hotel charges for it, it can be pretty expensive compared to other choices. Sometimes 3 to 5 times more than the metered taxi rate.
• I’ve tried this once before. I wasn’t able to find the driver and I had to get my own transport to the hotel after looking for over a half hour. The hotel, which is no longer in business, claimed the driver was there waiting for me. I doubt it.

Airport Taxi Stand

Another semi-hassle free option is to take one of the taxi services that are available at the airport. Here you can hire a taxi or van which will take you to the hotel. You will usually find these taxi stands either inside the terminal near the currency exchange booth or directly outside.  The pros and cons:

Pros:

• No need to plan ahead. They are readily available.
• Safer than getting your own taxi off the airport property due to the fact that these companies work directly with the airport.
• You pay the taxi service there at the airport. You do not to pay the driver. REMEMBER TO GET A RECEIPT TO SHOW THAT YOU PAID.
• Usually comfortable and a direct drive to the hotel.

Cons:

• Depending on how late (or early) you arrive, the taxi stands may not be open.
• About 2 or 3 times more expensive that a metered taxi rate.
• Driver usually wants a tip. *Side note: If the driver is good, I will tip. But I know some of you may not be tippers or you may not come from a culture that believes in tipping so I figured I would mention this*
• Sometimes these drivers are freelance drivers and although you will get to your hotel without any major issues, you may have to deal with the driver trying to talk you into going to a different hotel where he may be getting some kind of kickback for any customers brought in. Or, he may have a cousin that owns a dive school/tourist spot that he will offer to bring you to. Or, he may have an attractive female relative or friend that he would be happy to introduce you to. DO NOT TAKE HIM UP ON THESE OFFERS. Not so much because of danger, but simply because he could become a major pain in the ass and it will be hard to get rid of him during your trip. You don’t want that hassle. if he does start with any of this, just tell him politely, but firmly that you are not interested and you already have friends waiting for you. You may have to tell him this a few times until it finally sinks in.

Sir! I have a beautiful sister that i would like you to meet!

Metered Taxi Stand

Always an option (unless there’s some kind of taxi driver strike). There is a metered taxi stand outside of the terminal where you can catch one. There’s usually a line of taxis waiting. These taxis are a little bit more expensive than the ones you will find outside of the airport property. You must stand in line and wait for your turn. There will be someone there that will take down the taxi company name and taxi number and write it down on a slip of paper. Keep this paper and if you have any serious troubles with the driver be sure to call the number on it and file a complaint. Whether or not anything will actually happen to the driver, I don’t know. But it might make you feel better thinking that you did something.

If you don’t want to take the taxi at the metered taxi stand, You always have the option of trying to flag down a taxi that may have just dropped someone off. Usually, the rate into Cebu City is in the range of 300 to 400 pesos. If you decide to do this, you will not have any documentation like at the metered taxi stand so just keep that in mind.

Some drivers will want to negotiate a fare instead of using the meter. Not a good idea. You will always end up paying more than the direct route metered price would have been.

Make sure the driver uses the meter!

If he doesn’t use the meter, get out and find a taxi that will.

Even though you may still end up paying more if your driver wants to take you on a detour.

Either way, if you take a metered taxi be aware that there is an automatic “Flag Down Fare” that will be automatically on the meter when you get in. This flag down fare was recently lowered from 40 pesos to 30 pesos. So don’t think you’re being swindled if you see 30 pesos on the meter when you haven’t even gone anywhere yet. It’s the law.

Also, I am pretty sociable so I don’t mind some conversation. But always trust your instincts. If you notice that a driver is fast talking and trying to keep your attention, be aware that he may be trying to redirect your attention away from something that he doesn’t want you to notice.

I’ve never had this happen to me but I have heard of some taxis that have their meters rigged to increase every time the driver honks the horn, The horn is used very often by all drivers in the Philippines, so just keep your eyes on the meter and be sure it’s not going up too fast.

Usually, the driver will try to get more business from you. Nothing wrong with that. These guys are working hard and some are barely breaking even after they pay all their expenses. So they will often make offers to be your personal driver. Use your own better judgement here. My advice is to take their contact info, but don’t make any promises. Take a few days and use different drivers. Eventually, you will decide which drivers can be trusted not to screw you over.

Which brings me to my next point…..

What do I do?

Well, I have found a taxi driver that I’ve been using for many years. He’s a great guy and an honest driver.

His name is Jun. Give him a call at 63-(0)917-259-1920 or 63-(0)920-229-7256.

Cebu is much less hectic than Manila. So if you’ve ever been through Manila, Cebu will be a breeze.

Leave me a comment in the area below if you have any questions or you just want to say hi.