Cebu: Ready for tourists

As someone who loves to travel to different coffee origin sites like Benguet and Sulu, I have the tendency to skip lesser known coffee areas like Cebu. So I went on a trip with family for a food and historical tour of sorts.

My last visit to the Queen City of the South may be over six years ago and a lot has changed in the skyline and in the city map. I saw new pockets of business districts that have arisen. There are new malls, new restaurants and hotels and I must say even the hospitality staff have leveled up.

I was quite entertained in our hotel where every employee would engage you in a short conversation – be it your breakfast waiter or your room service attendant. They all greet you with a smile, the hand-over-heart gesture and seem to always be on the lookout to help a guest or visitor.

At the restaurant we trekked to featuring a Michelin-starred chef, our waitstaff recited the menu description with ease. He also suggested their most popular dishes and recommended good drinks and desserts. He said they are trained by management to regale customers with their knowledge of the menu and the daily specials. That is exceptional service that was palpable to me, comparing them with service staff elsewhere.

At another Michelin restaurant we visited the next day, the staff were helpful and could adjust to various requests we had. So it is not just a restaurant-wide training I figured, but an infectious city-wide cordiality or friendliness that will make any tourist come back.

I smiled as I observed the service standards being similar across food service establishments belonging to different groups. And I hope this will also be true in other hotels and inns I plan to visit on my next trip. I missed visiting a good friend who now manages a new resort on Mactan island.

It was also easy to get a ride hailing service to get essentials from nearby convenience marts – what is called Grabmart. I also did not have a problem asking our rental car driver to pick up fresh fruits on his way back to fetch us for the day’s city tour.

Overall, I rate this kind of service world-class and ready for tourists, local and foreign alike.

In other words, one can enjoy Cebu as a local