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MOALBOAL |
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Three hours by road and 89km from Cebu City on the southwestern
flank of Cebu Island, lies the sleepy coastal village of MOALBOAL , for
many years a favourite hangout of travellers and scuba divers. Most of
the activity in Moalboal is in fact centred around diving and it's
hardly surprising: the sea is crystal clear, and, while many reefs along
the mainland coast were damaged by a typhoon ten years ago, the
enigmatic Pescador Island survived, an alluring site a few miles
offshore (15min by banca). Divers return from here every day with
stories of sharks, mantas and moray eels. Sun-worshippers looking for a
Boracay-style sandy beach will be disappointed, though. There isn't one.
Moalboal makes up for this in other ways, with a great range of cheap
accommodation, a marvellous view of the sunset over distant Negros, and
some good discounts on diving and rooms if you hang around long enough.
A number of bus companies have regular services from Cebu City's
Southern Bus Terminal, but remember that most continue beyond Moalboal
so you'll have to make sure the driver knows where you want to get off.
ABC and Albines buses are marked for Bato. You'll be dropped off on the
main road, from where a tricycle will take you down the dusty track to
Panagsama beach , where all the resorts are. There's a wide range of
accommodation and it's all huddled in more or less the same area.
Roughly in the middle of the beach is Pacitas Beach Resort (cellphone
tel 0918/770 9982; $5-15), which has bungalows, while Emma's Store &
Restaurant ($5-15) and Eve's Kiosk ($5-15) both have rooms at the
cheaper end of the scale. For something in the mid-range category, some
of the dive outfits offer good rooms. At the southern end of the beach,
Quo Vadis Beach Resort (cellphone tel 0918/770 8684; $10-60) has a range
of private bungalows, and Cora's Palm Court ($10-15), at the north end,
has doubles with fan and a choice of breakfast thrown in. There are as
many places to eat at Moalboal as there are to stay. Roxy Music Pub,
near the middle of the beach, has a good menu and the occasional
impromptu jam session. Last Filling Station, on the main path along the
shore, is a Moalboal favourite, with a daily Asian barbecue for a
reasonable P135. Besides diving, many dive shops offer other activities
such as kayaking, mountain-bike rental and snorkelling. For US$25 you
can have a day of horse riding along the shore or through pleasant
jungle trails.
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