Fun in Cebu City
Jessie and I spent a night in Cebu City this week. We had a good trip, I broke from my good habit of avoiding Pizza and enjoyed some American tasting cheese at Pizza Hut. I splurged on some Starbucks too. I think, Starbucks had dropped their price a bit. I’m not sure I remembered their price though, I recall it being over P400 but it was under that this time.
We got to meet up with Lee and Nila from the US. Well they live here and in the USA. We met them at Pizza Hut, shared a cigar with Lee before heading off to see a movie. There are no operating theaters in Bogo.
We took in a couple of movies too. Star Trek was our first choice. We were going to go back and see Super Typhoon but we saw that Angels and Demons was playing and Jessie wanted to see that so we went there instead. I enjoyed Star Trek the most and Jessie even said she wanted to see it again.
The plot for Star Trek was a bit complicated and provoked thought about time travel They introduced the idea of an Alternate Universe. This maneuver will basically allow them to start the series over again but on the big screen
Pacific Pension Home.
About a week ago, Mindanao Bob visited Cebu City and found a low cost pension house that was plenty adequate. The room was P800 for two people with hot and cold water. Everything went smoothly there and we got some great fries for P30 around midnight.
We also had breakfast for the both of us for about P180. Great price, not a lot to eat, I 
could have had many of them if I was stuffing myself but I don’t need that. I wouldn’t try to claim the fries were very good for you but they sure tasted good!
We also had several mango shakes. They mixed it with Ice Cream and ice which mellowed out the normally strong sweetness of mango. It was really good. The more I had, the more I wanted.
There is something I really dislike about pension homes in the Philippines. Nearly all of them that I have stayed at requires you to insert your key to a slot on the wall before your electricity will work. That means when you come back to your room it is hot. The small air conditioner in this room took forever to cool back on so I was a bit naughty. You see the idea is for the pension house to save on power cost. I wanted to go out but I was already hot and didn’t want to have to wait for the aircon to cool the room on again. This pension home uses the modern type card keys that can be easily changed between guest. So with the key still inserted, I decided to slide Bob’s card into the socket. I then pulled the key out and tada, lights stayed on while I went for a short walk and a visit to the pension house’s restaurant. Sure enough, when I came back my room was finally cool. Since I stay in my room so little, it was the first time it had been cool for me.
Once it got going the aircon was very adequate. The room was a bit cold when I got up the next day and when I got out of the shower that same night. Jessie was complaining about the temperature and I was happy with it, felt like home.
I should point out that even though Bob’s picture is displayed here he is not the responsible party in the bit of mischief. 
Jessie told me to stop acting like a child. I think she was just jealous that she didn’t think of it first.:)
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Tagged with: Cebu • Pacific Pension House • Pension House Review • Philippines
Filed under: Living in Cebu
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Hey Rusty, You’re quite the secret agent! Don’t get Bob in trouble now that he’s trying to enjoy Cebu–we want him to be able to come backI I notice that seems to be the norm now–it’s OK if you’re in the Marriott, but in some pensions or hotels with small rooms, they can quickly become a real hotbox! Another thing, sometimes the circulation isn’t so great and you can’t tell the difference between a smoking and non-smoking room!
About the mango shakes though, they’re really addicting aren’t they? Glad you guys had a good time.
I doubt that they’d know him by the name of Mindanao Bob anyway.
I want to take Jessie to a nice place like that some time but I think in peso now and Filipino cost of living. It would be hard for me to spend that much on a room. Besides we hardly in the room except to sleep! We are almost always out.
Yeah, the mango is good, or this was. I’ve tried others that were not right for me. It may not have been a shake before. Some kind of slushy drink. For me though, pizza and French fries might be more healthy.
lot os sugar in juice and then through in some ice cream and well, not exactly a diabetic type diet.
Ferguson, Rusty Ferguson
Hi Rusty – I tried that same trick by putting one of my business cards into the slot for the power, but it didn’t work! Ha ha… I’m glad you found a use for my card!
I really liked Pacific, though, they have a decent room for a good price. Since I was only 1 person, and I didn’t need the hot shower, I paid just P650/night. I found that “cold water” in Cebu was already hot enough for me. The Mt. Apo water down here is frigid, so I’m used to water a lot colder than Cebu offers. P650/night, how can you go wrong?
Glad you liked the place!
I tried it again later but it didn’t work!
When I got it to work, I left their card in, then I slid your card in too. Then I pulled the plastic key out. When I tried it again, I noticed the bottom of the card was bent a bit. There is something at the bottom of the slot that I think you have to get in between. The card being been made it were it wouldn’t work the second time.
Glad you liked it. Not surprised you thought of it too. LOL We do think much a like it seems.
Great find, half the price of most other places. I’m likely to be going back very soon.
Wow Bob, I didn’t know that! I remember reading in earlier posts on your site that you mentioned you didn’t like bathing in cold water. Should you have said “ice water” ! I don’t think I’d like that either.
The thing about the temperature of our water is that it can change a great deal. A couple of days with clouds and it might be different.
when I lived in Talisay, the water in one place we rented was so hot it could be hard to take a shower at all! Was odd. But it depended on the type of day too.
But yes, the water is warmer. I kept saying that over and over.
I’ve gotten much more use to showers without heated water. I could tell as I kept the water heater on low when I took a shower in the hotel. It’s only P50 more for the hot water so I figured I’d enjoy some hot water.
Rusty, It’s true about the water and how it can get cooler depending on if there’s a spell of clouds and rain or really hot and muggy. I think about in the future as we get older or if one of us was to get a fever or something an on-demand heater that was available might be a comfort. For right now I think I’m OK.
And Rusty, We’re no regulars to the Marriott, but when we used to come to Cebu and stay with my in-laws and extended family it was pretty cramped, so every so often we’d treat ourselves. They used to have a killer brunch. When we think in pesos now, it seems quite an extravagance. Mostly now we go into the city and just make a day of it. That pension that you guys reccomend seems like a good deal. I’m not familiar with it. Sometimes it’s nice to have a place that you can use as your base when in the city and you have things you want to do or accomplish.
Sometimes, the temperature of the water makes zero sense. its hotter here in the morning than in the afternoon. Water at our tap in the kitchen is often warm while in our bathroom its cool. Maybe we have a ghost its passing through.
Queenie, its okay if you say where you want too.
you have a working husband, right?
I’m retired, funds are low.
Jessie’s never been to a place like that and she deserves to go.
I wish I could take her to Atlanta.
In the future Bob, would that be a deterrent for staying at our place?
Hi Queenie – No deterrent at all!
I should say that Pacific Pension is the least elegant place I’ve stayed in Cebu. But no where has been nice by Western standards but the room is very adequate and the aircon worked better than usual. Saving P500 is a big deal and nothing about the room made it a poor choice. The location is great. Just down the street from the circle. It’s defiantly catering to foreigners
Pacific Pension is tucked away in what I would call an ally or maybe a very short road.
It would be a perfect place to lay in wait to ambush someone returning to their room EXCEPT they have a guard on duty 24 hours a day that is out in the ally.
I asked a cabby if the area was safe and he said it was. Of course, staying alert is always important.
I have two more reservations for the same place so I’m happy with it..
Rusty, a couple of years ago we stayed at a similar place which used to be originally called the Raja Hotel and then later changed hands to be called Park Place Hotel, across the street from Midtown Hotel, uptown. It was a similar price and pretty decent and clean. The front desk and staff were very friendly, and they had a small restaurant. It might be worth checking out. Sorry I don’t know the present name of it, but it shouldn’t be hard to find.
So you don’t know the address or name but think it will be easy for me to find? LOL
Queennie, it is still called Park Place Hotel and it is in Fuente Osmena Blvd. This is the hotel we had a conference (hosting) during a typhoon and they still had the power when everything went out. that was 15 years ago, so I do not know how good it is now. It is near Robinson’s and good restaurants in Mango Avenue. Also close to other malls and not as dangerous as downtown.
I want to go back to Cebu just to get a Mango shake from Pacific Pension House.
Rusty, why don’t you make you own mango shake…if you do not have the fresh fruits (I doubt it), then use the mango puree and vanilla ice cream or just ice with evap milk and fresh mango fruit or puree. add sugar if you want it sweeter. I prefer ice cream because its creamier and do not forget blender. you do not have to travel to Cebu…
We need a blender, don’t have one.