Lapu-Lapu City is located on Mactan Island Cebu Philippines and is a perfect place for those who love a long holiday on a tropical island with beautiful beaches and great Diving locations. This island is always full of people enjoying the aquatic activities such as swimming and Snorkelling. There are many first class luxurious resorts and white sand beaches on Mactan Island Cebu city has some very excellent restaurants all the major resorts have superb kitchens and fine cuisine. All these destinations are only minutes away from the international airport the second biggest and busiest airport in the Philippines. Because these resorts and tourist places are so close to the airport makes Mactan Island Cebu an ideal holiday destination for all travellers. Learn here about the history of this famous island and the main tourist attractions. Learn about Mactan Island Aquarium and the many fine restaurants and dining locations learn about one of the most luxurious resort on the island the Shangri-la. There are many great tourist attractions and tourist destinations on this magnificent island.
Mactan Island history
Mactan this famous Philippines Island was once known as Opon the name was change because of the famous battle between the native Filipinos and the Europeans. The battle of Mactan island The Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan came ashore and was ambushed by the local tribesman and the local chieftain Lapu Lapu this violent battle resulted in the death of Ferdinand Magellan and nearly of his men. The Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan first arrived in Cebu Philippines with his fleet of ships on 7th of April 1521 Ferdinand Magellan and his men were welcome by the local Philippine people. It was not until later that Ferdinand Magellan true intension's where uncovered he plans to claim the whole of the Philippines Islands for Spain. On 27 of April 15 21 Magellan came ashore with a 100 men and he was ambushed by Lapu Lapu and his 1000 men the Spanish invader was clearly outnumbered Magellan and most of his men died during this battle. On Mactan Island there is a park with monuments painting and a very beautiful garden dedicated to this famous battle. Visitors to the island can visit Magellan and Lapu Lapu shrines. This very import island is also home of Mactan Cebu Philippines International Airport second biggest and busiest airport in the Philippines the largest export processing zone in the country. Mactan is also famous for producing guitars and other types of musical instruments.
Mactan Island Aquarium
The Aquarium is located in Barangay Maribago on the main highway around the island just near White Sands Resort and EGI Condominium Hotel. The aquarium is home to a variety of magnificent fish and marine life see The Philippines Zebra Octopus that can imitate a sea snake to be able to trick his prey. See the Sea turtles lion fish and many more different varieties of Philippines sea life. On arrival you are guided by Marine Biologists introducing you to the different animals explaining how they live in the wild. Mactan island Aquarium have their own personal guided tour this is included in the admission price. Feed the sharks this is the first aquarium in Asia that offers visitors the chance to feed live sharks under expert supervision. The admission price is 250 pesos for adults and 200 pesos for children making it a very cheap activity for the whole family. The Aquarium is open seven days a week, from ten am until six PM daily. This aquarium tries to communicate a very strong conservation message so you not only learn about how these magnificent creature how they live and survive you will also learn how important it is to preserve the oceans and the life of these beautiful animals
The battle of Mactan
Mactan Island Restaurants and Dining
You do not have to look far to find a superior restaurant on Mactan Island. All the first class resorts and hotels are well known for their superb kitchens and fine cuisine. One great place is The Shangri-La with a variety of restaurants with their Chinese dishes and a great Italian restaurant and fresh local sea food a favourite for a lot of people. Classic resort Cowrie Cove at the Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu offers delicious al fresco dining in a charming beach side location .Finest local seafood offerings magnificent seafood selections to die for try eating at the Shangri-La on Mactan. Enjoy the best wine in the country combined with fresh lobster along with the sound of the ocean gently smashing against the rocks and the fresh cool sea air. You will enjoy a dining experience you will never forget. There are many countless exquisite restaurants on Mactan Island but this one would have to best among one of the finest.
Visitors can stay and enjoy
Visitors can enjoy staying in one of the luxurious resorts on Mactan Island while enjoying the many white sand beaches on Mactan and also conveniently travel to Cebu city for more leisure activities and sightseeing look at my Cebu Philippines web page to learn about the great tourist destinations such as Fort San Pedro, the smallest bastion fort in the country. Tatoist temple beautiful Chinese architecture located in Beverly Hills. Learn where you can go shopping Cebu Philippines has many markets and some very big shopping malls.
Where to stay
Mactan Island has some of the best resorts in the world but the Shangri-La would have to be one of the finest this island has to offer it is only a short distance from the international airport making it an ideal place for the holiday and business traveller. The resort has over 537 with rooms and suites with a Philippines tropical interior design it also has seven magnificent restaurants and bars with two of them severing drinks and light snacks only. It caters for the children less than four years of age with and air condition play room. It has all the other facilities you expect from a first class resort such a spa tennis court cable TV and free Internet service. They also cater for the people who love their aquatic activities. So here you can go wind surfing jet skiing kayaking Snorkelling and dive at some great diving locations. The Shangri la has too many great things to list here you will have to visit the web site if you would like to lean more the Shangri-La
Manila the
capital of the Philippines under Spanish rule Manila was called and was also
known as the pearl of the orient the jewel of the Spain Empire in the pacific. Metro Manila is located on the Island of Luzon
the largest island in the Philippines.Manila
is the centre of the country’s largest metropolitan area. It is the manufacturing centre of the
Philippines, textile and garment industries,cigarette factories;it also has
food- and hemp-processing plants,pharmaceuticals, and other chemical
products. The citizens of the city speak Tagalog, but most Filipinos also speak
and are fluent in English, which is a language taught in the public schools.The vast
Majority of Filipinos are descendants of Malays and Chinese. More Than 100
cultured minority groups are scattered throughout the country. Language Filipino
and English and about 90 other languages are spoken throughout the country
Religion Predominantly Roman Catholic. Manila city has a lot of 16th century Building
and churches and many more great tourist attractions Manila contains many of the country's largest
and most prestigious universities. Many of the country’s oldest and most
beautiful churches and buildings and is also home to the National Library and
the Filipinas heritage library.A splendid walled city the intramuros
tragically most of this city was destroyed in world war two
Manila, Luzon, the Philippines, Asia
Founded: 1571; Combined into metropolitan Manila: 1975
Location: Eastern shore of Manila Bay in South western
Luzon, the Philippines,
Time Zone: 8 pm in Manila = (GMT)
Indigenous Composition: Mainly Filipino, with
approximately 7% Chinese
Climate: warm and humid most of the year. Rainy season
is May through November.
Average high temperature: 31.73 ° C (89° F)Average Daily
mean 27.43° C (81° F)Average daily low 23.14° C (73° F)
Average Annual rain fall: 81.3 inches (208.5 cm),
falling mostly between May and November Average rainy days per year = 104
Telephone Area Codes: 02 (city code for Manila); 63
(country code for the Philippines)
Government: Mayor, Vice-Mayor, 36 elected Councillors
Weights and Measures: Metric System
Currency: Philippine Peso (P) = 100 centavos
San Agustin
Church and Museum one of the oldest building in Manilla
History
Manila was
founded on June 24, 1571 by three conquistadors: Martín de Goiti, Juan de
Salcedo and Miguel López de Legazpi. Spain had control over the Philippines and
Manila for three centuries, from 1565 to 1898. At the beginning of Spain
occupation in Manila the construction of Intramuros was started. The Intramuros
is a walled city that covers an area of 160 acres design by military engineers
and built by soldiers. Intramuros is a fortress city that was built on the same
area occupied by the Tagalog village Maynila
Because of
its ideal location, between China and the west coast of North America, Manila
became the centre of Spanish activity theManila-Acapulco galleon trade
Philippine trade – route linkingthe Philippines and Acapulco, Mexico
to Manila the Spanish trading ships sailed once or twice per year across the
Pacific Ocean between Manila in the Philippines and Acapulco,Mexico
bringingSilver that was mined in Mexico and Peru to be traded in south east Asia
for Chinese silk, Indian gemsporcelain, ivory, and the spices of the East
Indies to be sold in European markets. The trade generated business income for
Spanish colonists living in the Philippine Islands. The Manila galleon a Spanish
galleon ship sailed the Pacific for 250 years. Manila became known as the pearl
of the orient because theManila-Acapulco galleon trade became very
lucrative.
The
Philippine revolution
Dr Jose
Rizalan amazing man credited for inspiring
the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. José Rizal
was a writer, and his two books Noli me Tangere and El Filbusterismo are said
to have started to unite the Philippine people and fight for a single cause to
rid the Philippines of the brutal and unjust rulers of their country.These two books were banned in the
Philippines for exposing Spanish government and rulers and their treatment of
the Filipino people. Dr Jose Rizal fled
the country to live in exile in Dapitan, where he worked as an agriculturist,
as well as a scientist.He fled the Philippines to avoid being
associated with the revolution;he was caughtby the
Spanish treating patients with yellow fever in Cuba, and sent back to the
Philippines for trial. He was held in fort Santiago before his trial and was
convicted and condemned to death for encouraging the revolution and rebellion He
was sentenced to death and executed by a firing squad on December 30, 1896 Dr
Jose Rizal tomb is now guarded by traditional soldiers near to the place of his
execution Rizal park monument in Rizal park once known as luneta park.
In 1898,
Spain surrendered the Philippines to the United States due at the end of the Spanish-American
Warthe Americans secretly entered into a pact with the Spanish
governor-general in which he later agreed to fight a fake battle before
surrendering Manila to the Americans.The
Spanish unwillingly agreed to sell the Philippines to the United States for 20
million dollars and turn over Puerto Rico and Guam this ended, Spanish rule in
the Philippines.
World war
two
Just ten
hours after the attack on Pearl Harbour the Japanese launched a surprise attack
on the Philippines on December 8, 1941the defending Philippine and United
States troops were under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. The aircraft
underGeneral Douglas MacArthur command were destroyed; the naval forces in
the area were ordered to leave making, reinforcement and resupply of his ground
forces near impossible. Under the pressure of superior numbers, the defending
forces withdrew to the Bataan. In April 1942 Philippine forces and American
troop’s finally surrendered living behind 80,000 soldiers that were capture by
the Japanese and became prisoners of war. The Japanese march the malnutrition and
battle tired troops 105 kilometres to the north toa Quezon prison camp it is estimated
about 10 000 men weekend due to disease and malnutrition that were left behind
to die or where executed by their captors now known as the infamous Bataan Death
March. MacArthur was ordered to Australia, where he started to plan for a
return to the Philippines. But before MacArthur left he promised the Philippine
people he shall return.On October 20,
1944 MacArthur's Allied forces landed on red beach Tacloban the island of Leyte
to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese invaders.Philippine Guerrilla forces rose up and
helped then allied troops for the final offensive. The Japanese surrender on
September 2, 1945
The battle
of Manila
Destruction
of the city the carnage and devastation resulting in the lost of irreplaceable
cultural and historical treasure was the price the Philippine people paid for
freedom and independence remembered today as a national tragedy Churches, Countless
government buildings,Fort Santiago,Intramuros is the oldest district of
Manila was decimated by bombing during the battle of Manila. 16,665
Japanese dead were counted within Intramuros alone 1,010 U.S. soldiers were killed and 5,565 were
wounded. An estimated 150,000 Filipinos civilians were killed, both
deliberately by the Japanese and from friendly artillery and aerial bombardment
by the U.S. air force.
Tourist
attractions in Manila
San Agustin
Church and Museum
The only
building left fully intact after the destruction of the Intramuros from the
battle of Manila. San Agustin Church built
between 1587 and the early 1606 is the oldest church in the Philippines.
Admission to this church includes entry to the San Agustin Museum a treasure
house of antiquities
Fort
Santiago
A very old
Spanish fort of military might the place of Dr Jose Rizal memorial and museum
giving you a good insight of his final days before his execution Baluaritllo De
San Francisco Javier Built in 1663 houses the Intramuros visitors centre
providing information and maps and a historical video of the intramuros.Parks and picnic areas have transformed this
once most feared fortress in all Asia into a relaxing place to spend a leisured
day strolling around the gardens of Plaza Morioners and enjoy the greenery and
historic ruins of Plaza de Armas.The
Jose Rizal shrine a reconstruction of the colonial barracks Where Dr Jose Rizal
jailed and confined during his trial for treason. This museum houses mementoes
and historical information of the national hero that can be viewed.Baluarte De Santa Barbarra. Almacenes Reales
the royal store houses used by the Spanish American and Japanese military
forces during their occupation of the Philippines. The museum shop houses a
Intramuros antique collection and souvenir items and books and much more
Rizal Park
Once known
as Luneta park monument to many Filipino heroes ornament gardens including
Japanese gardens and Chinese gardens open lawns and a very beautiful water
fountain display Rizal monument the site of Dr Jose Rizal execution. Also near
Rizal Park and the waterfront restaurants is the Museo ng Maynila this museum
has a photo exhibition of Manila during the American period
National
gallery of art
Showing a
display of many Philippines artist works and treasures
Quiapo
Church
The home to
the black Nazarene a life size statue carved from ebony Manila the black
Nazarene Procession is one of Manila biggest religious festivals there are two
annual processions when the statue is brought out for public viewing and
paraded through the streets
Intramuros
A Spanish walled city and fortress built on
the mouth of the Pasig River. Intramuros is a fortress city that was built on
the same area occupied by the Tagalog village Maynila as it was once called
before Spanish rule. From its founding in 1571 it was the home of the Spanish
ruling classes. Within the massive walls Homes, Churches, government buildings,
schools hospitals. The Intramuros was invaded by Chinese pirates attacked and
threatened by Dutch forces and held by the British, Americans and Japanese at different
times throughout the history and occupation of the walled city. At its height
Intramuros was a mighty European city the only one of its kind in Asia and was
most fear by the enemies of Spain. Unfortunately
the Intramuros was all most completely destroy during the battle of Manila the
walls were almost all that remained despite the devastation from the battle of
Manila one can still feel a strong sense of history when they visit this once
very proud city
Intramuros
Visitors centre open 8 am to 5 pm located at the entrance of fort Santiago here
you will find maps and information on the Intramuros
Manila
cathedral
The church
that stands today is actually sixth building on this site Manila cathedral with
its impressive Spanish architecture started out as a church back in 1571 church
of Manila as it was originally called was built in the intramuros district of
the city. In 1579 this magnificent church was declared a cathedral. The
original structure of the church was built from native building materials such
as bamboo wood and nipa. The cathedral was totally destroyed by the 1583 fire
this was the first of many misfortunes the cathedral had to endure.
The second
cathedral was built in 1592 which was made and constructed with stone and was
destroyed by an earthquake in 1600 so the construction started on the third
cathedral but unfortunately this church was destroyed by another earthquake in
1645. So rebuilding of the cathedral started again in 1671 this magnificent and
very beautiful Manila cathedral was completed. 1871 the church was not totally
destroyed but it was severely damaged by a very strong earthquake in 1863. In
1880 the Manila cathedral became tower less due to another earthquake and reconstructed
once again this time it took nine years to build and less than a day to reduce
to rumble due to the battle of Manila in world war two 1945. The magnificent
building you see today standing was constructed from 1945 ten year after it was
destroyed by the bombs of the war and was completed in 1958 under the
supervision of architect Fernando H. Ocampo read more about Manila
Rizal park the most famous park in the Philippines history
More Manila
tourist attractions a list of most popular attractions
Museo Pambata located near Rizal Park a museum for children hands on exhibition for children where your kids can have lots of fun leaning about Manila. Museo Pambata
Manila ocean park impressive eco-conscious aquarium the first marine park in the Philippines the park exhibition has over 5000 varieties marine life from all over the world and over 300 varieties of marine life indigenous to the Philippines. Manila ocean park
Manila zoo located in the middle of the city with a diverse collection of animals this zoo has a petting area where you can hold different types of animals and take photos a must do activity if you have children. Manila zoo
National Museum of the Filipino people the museum houses vast collections of exhibitions Filipinos sculptures and paintings there is also a section dedicated to the early indigenous inhabitants and also plate’s jewellery and coins recovered from the wreck of San Diego. National Museum of the Filipino people
National gallery of art located near the National museum of Filipino people many of the Philippines most treasured art works including Juan Luna Spoliarium providing information on the time of Spanish rule.
China town here you will find many Chinese souvenirs tea houses goldsmiths’ shops selling incense and tradition Chinese herbs. There are numerous places for a meal all light snacks
Culture centre of the Philippines inside is an art gallery a museum of musical instruments and a library and three theatres regularly present musical performances from local and visiting artist. Culture centre of the Philippines
Ayala Museum contains archaeological exhibitions on Filipino art culture and history including an excellent exhibition tracing the nation violent history. Ayala Museum
Traveling
the city
Travelling
around Manila city for any one travelling around this city for the first time I
recommend they get a good map and always ask questions at their hotel in which
there are staying. This city is a very densely populated and sometimes can be
had to find your way. But if you have someone with you that speaks Tagalog and
knows the city locations a little bit a Jeepney is a very cheap way to travel around the Philippines and Manila. You can travel on a jeepney a long way for 20 peso less than 50 cents
Australian. Disadvantage time consuming travelling everywhere on jeepney. But if
you have the time I suggest you spend some time finding your way around in a
jeepney because it is experience defiantly worth while trying. If you are in
staying in the Malate or Ermita area you are centrally located and very close
to most Tourist locations. Using the taxi service is convenient and cheap
especially if you are sightseeing. One thing to remember is that the city taxi
service is a lot cheaper than the yellow cabs from the airport. If you are
concerned about what the price a taxi driver should charge just ask someone at
your hotel the receptionist usually they know the area and are always willing
to help in any way they can.
Manila hospitals and services there are several large private hospitals and medical services located within metro Manila that have a very good reputation these include
