Places Where You Can Spend New Year in Cebu to Greet 2018 with a Bang

The SM Christmas Village of Hope is one of the places you can visit while in Cebu for the holidays. While the Christmas village is set up mainly for Christmas, it remains on display until the first week of January. More than just eye candy, it is also a fund-raising campaign for the Kythe Foundation. Donors can sponsor any of the miniatures on display, with the proceeds going to the treatment of children with cancer.

The village is made up of the miniature collection of Clayton and Joji Tugonon. The Christmas Village was first showcased at a local hotel before being moved to the Northwing Atrium of SM City Cebu in 2011. Since then, it became an annual project of SM Prime Holdings in partnership with the Kythe Foundation and the Tugonon couple.

Long before big malls opened in Cebu, you only get to witness a pyrotechnics display if you live close to affluent subdivisions in the city. But the opening of SM City Cebu and Ayala Center Cebu has allowed people to watch fireworks displays for New Year and Sinulog in public spaces. With increasing fireworks prices, it’s also more cost-effective to watch the pyrotechnics display of these malls.

I used to live in Mandaue City, so the fireworks at SM City Cebu are readily visible from my house.

Another place you may want to spend New Year in Cebu is at the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. This hotel is close to my heart since it was once one of our go-to places for the holidays when we were kids. Our dad would bring us to this hotel each year, and we would watch their fireworks display at the parking lot. The hotel also offers a breathtaking view of the city, especially at night.

Marco Polo Plaza Cebu offers a New Year room package starting at PhP16,000. This includes deluxe accommodation for two, buffet breakfast, and tickets to their New Year’s Eve gala dinner. If you are planning to stay at the hotel for the New Year, it is advisable to reserve ahead of time since the hotel runs out of rooms quickly.

If you want to spend the New Year outside the city, you can escape the stress of the holidays at Hermit’s Cove in Aloguinsan or Maravilla Beach in Tabuelan.

Hermit’s Cove is a secluded beach located close to the mouth of the Bojo River, which is famous for its ecotourism tours. The beach got its name since it used to be the home of a hermit. It is currently being managed by the Kantabogon Ecotourism Association.

Since people usually visit the beach in summer, the place is not that crowded during this time of the year. However, overnight stays at the beach are not allowed so you can opt to stay at Al Maxi Apartelle, the Green House, or Hidden Beach Resort.

The trip to Aloguinsan takes around two hours by bus and costs PhP80. Just make sure to tell the driver to drop you off at Aloguinsan Public Market. From the market, you should register at The Farmhouse and pay an entrance fee of PhP100. The Farmhouse is located a few minutes’ walk away from the public market.

Maravilla Beach is a public beach located in the western town of Tabuelan. It is one of the hidden paradises in Cebu. The sand is so fine that it can rival the best the country has to offer. Most of the people swimming at the beach are residents of Tabuelan and its neighboring towns. However, it is gradually becoming popular among city dwellers as well.

Even with the number of resorts in the area, the beach itself is free of any commercial developments. This makes Maravilla beach a good place to spend the holidays. You can get a room in one of the resorts or pitch a tent on the beach.

Cottages can be rented here at PhP100 up to PhP250. There is a fee of PhP50 if you pitch a tent at the beach. Security is not a problem since the barangay (village) hall is located right in front of the beach. Men assigned as barangay tanod (village watchmen) also patrol the beach. There are some vendors close to the entrance of the beach, but you can buy supplies at the public market to save money.

The best way to reach Maravilla Beach is by bringing your own vehicle. This is what I did with my college buddy when we went on a road trip to western Cebu. We started off at JY Square Discovery Mall and passed through the Transcentral Highway going to Balamban. The trip took around four hours since we were enjoying the sights on the way to the beach. You can also take a bus or van to Tuburan from the Cebu North Bus Terminal. After reaching the town, you can get on a tricycle or motorcycle-for-hire to reach Maravilla Beach.