13 replies to this topic

[loveithere]

My apartment manager was used to college students and not a man whore foreigner (even though the past occupant was a foreigner). I did not feel welcome, little too far from girls/shopping, and did not like climbing to the 4th floor 10 times a day. But it did have a great view and lots of fresh air because I had the corner room with lots of windows. The landlady kept her apartment door open 8am to 10pm so I had to walk many girls past her. Plus the security guard at night I am sure told her about my visitors. If I stayed she would have kicked me out for sure within 3 months. So I changed apartments.

In the day time every where you go in the Colon area is wall to wall people. But that changes at night. North of Colon after 11pm still has many people and street vendors out. South of Colon can be a bit scary place to be after midnight. Very few hotels, no street vendors, and very few people walking around. Standing on the street 1 block north and then 1 block south of Colon at midnight is like night and day.

Santa Nino Suites:

It was supposed to be a boarding house for Korean students but things fell apart and the building owner took it back and turned it into hotel/apartments. Go south on Osmena to Metro mall. Pass Colon, Gullas, Manalili, and turn Right on the 3rd street Plaridel. It is the corner Luym Building. They rent the 5th and 6th floors.
Contact Mark 09266991347 if you are interested in a room and say Duncan sent you.

1 month/3week/2week/1week/day
7000/6000/5000/4000/700p 1 single bed A/C small TV (2 movie channels, Disney, Discovery, Nation Geo) shower heater NO REF
8000/6500/5500/4500/800p 2 single beds A/C small TV (2 movie channels, Disney, Discovery, Nation Geo) shower heater YES REF
9000/7000/6000/5000/900p 3 single beds A/C small TV (2 movie channels, Disney, Discovery, Nation Geo) shower heater YES REF

Water and electric is separate. I assume that does not apply for the daily rate.

For comparison: McSherry wants 9,000 fan and 13,000 aircon for a month.

Entrance
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They have a billiards table on the 6th floor but they charge a fee but I have not asked how much.
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Massage:

In the same building as Santa Nino Suites but on the 3rd floor there is Finland Massage. 40% discount between 10pm-2am. Girls behind glass window so they can not see you. Average age is 23-25. Average to Thick girls. Some fat. Most have really big tits. No spinners or skinny girls when I visited. You negotiate the TIP with the girl. Owner said he guesses 1000-2000p TIP.

VIP Room 600p (360p)
RED Room 1085 (650p) (bigger fancier room)
HOTEL/HOME 900 (540p)

Notice the massage with sex option to the right and to the left the Church of Christ. Fuck and Repent. Too damn funny!
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[Craig]

thanks for the info

7000 - 9000 a month is fairly good value.

[bbull]

good info, Cebu is looking better value than I thought as I can get 70,000 peso a month net rental for my house in the UK and live an easy life in Cebu on that income without touching other investments or business income.

[DonGringo]

Cebu is on my bucket list for places to stay when I retire. Thanks for the detailed and informative reports with photos. Very much appreciated. I hope you'll continue writing

[cowboy bebop]

I checked out this place based on the info I found on this forum. I then recommended it to a friend who really liked the place and decided to move in a day later. He's on the 5th floor in a double bed room and loving it there.
I'm still on the fence about taking a 1 month lease as I'm thinking of taking a quick trip to Cagayan De Oro. But Santo Nino Suites is definitely one of the best value places I've seen here in Cebu.

[loveithere]

I checked out this place based on the info I found on this forum. I then recommended it to a friend who really liked the place and decided to move in a day later. He's on the 5th floor in a double bed room and loving it there.
I'm still on the fence about taking a 1 month lease as I'm thinking of taking a quick trip to Cagayan De Oro. But Santo Nino Suites is definitely one of the best value places I've seen here in Cebu.

CDO city should still be under HEAVY REPAIRS. Make sure you have 1 or 2 more back up places to stay if you are going there.

[cowboy bebop]

CDO city should still be under HEAVY REPAIRS. Make sure you have 1 or 2 more back up places to stay if you are going there.

Thanks mate! I wasn't sure if that would be the case so thanks for the heads up.

[Bigknight]

Good source of information for the people who might want to ry options like these.... for sharing!

[foadi]

looks nice but are there any rooms with larger beds?

[loveithere]

looks nice but are there any rooms with larger beds?

I think they just bought some slightly larger beds...slightly. They just put the singles together because the rooms were for the Korean ESL students originally. But they are new foam and coil mattresses. Try it for a day or a week and if it does not fit your needs you can move on. There is no long term lease which is nice.

[cowboy bebop]

I think they just bought some slightly larger beds...slightly.

That 's good to hear 'coz I'm definitely planning to stay there after I get back from Cagayan De Oro.

[Paul B]

Thanks for the info. I see on Google Maps that this is near Metro Gaisano, Colonnade Supermarket, 138 Mall, and Gaisano Main - how are all of these? What's open late at night?

[loveithere]

80% of all businesses are closed by 9:00pm. This is not Fields Avenue in Angeles City or the entertainment areas of Manila.Actually, Elizabeth mall (aka Emall) is the best for meeting girls in this area. 138 mall is a joke because there is nothing really in there.

[donkey1234]

Thanks for the info. I see on Google Maps that this is near Metro Gaisano, Colonnade Supermarket, 138 Mall, and Gaisano Main - how are all of these? What's open late at night?

Metro Gaisano has a huge food court on the top level. I like eating cheap there. You could try chatting up women there. It has a large supermarket in the basement. In between the basement and the top level, it sells just about everything legal you might want to buy such as a cheap converter plug for your foreign appliances.

Colonnade mall contains the large Colonnade supermarket. It is where I do my shopping as it is the cheapest supermarket in Cebu City. The colonnade mall also has cinemas, money changer, cheap DVDs, cheap cell phone load and ticket sellers. I use the ticket seller near the top of the escalator. I have been using them since at least 2003 to buy my airline tickets and boat tickets. they are no fuss and add a minimal fee for their service. You can usually be in and out in 5 to 10 minutes. If I want to watch block buster movies cheap, I use the colonnade cinema. At P110 or so, it is very cheap. For Aussie dollars, the colonnade money changer is one of the best in Cebu City. they sell pirate DVD;s very cheap at multiple outlets. I use Globe. My usual outlet charges me P470 and gives me a P500 card. Unlike in some tourist areas where you will pay a fee in top of the P500 card value.

Gaisano Main is a rabbit warren. Not as busy as Gaisano Metro. It is the more up market department store. For chasing women or shopping, stick to Gaisano Metro.

138 Mall burnt down a few years ago and not all the old businesses moved back in. There used to be a large supermarket at the bottom level but no more. The top level is where the blind masseurs are. They charge P200 per hour for a reflexology massage on a massage bed or P150 per hour for a reflexology massage in a chair. It is where I go for my daily massage. At street level, they have multiple vendors. One of them is where my GF bought a fake Nokia phone for P1200 I think it was, in October. It had a 12 megapixel video and still camera with front and rear lenses, MP3 player and FM radio.

As Lovithere said, it all closes down between about 8 and 9pm. The cinemas go til after midnight though.

Not sure what is available near the Santo Nino suites but on Pelaez Street, just up from Colon is the MSJW convenience store. It is 24 hours and will have all your late night needs. I like drinking at the MSJW Depot convenience store. It is not a bar at all but they will provide tables and stools for you to sit on the footpath. San Miguel Pilsen is P25. San Miguel Light is P30. They keep the beer in a fridge but for us Aussies who like beer ice cold, they keep beer in a freezer.

Another 24 hour convenience store is attached to the Sogo Hotel on Sanciangko Street.

The area from Colon to Sanciangko then from Sanciangko to Junquera has about 10 Filipino run bikini bars which are open until the early hours. The same area has pimps and freelancers as well.

There are several places for drinking. One is the historic expat bar "Our Place" on corner of Pelaez and Sanciangko.
http://ourplacebarcebu.com/
On special occasions, it will operate 24 hours but usually it closes when it runs out of customers.

In the daytime, there is a multitude of places for dining, late night for dining
- McDonalds on Colon used to be 24 hours. Not sure if it still is.
- I like dining cheap at the Golden Crust. It is open 24 hours. They have Filipino sized meals from P30. They are on Colon between Pelaez and Osmena. They are also a karaoke bar and some expat friends of mine go there seeking women.
- There are plenty of street vendors selling all sorts of foods. Such as fried chicken, soup, balut, boiled eggs, barbecue. Sometimes they have one of my favourites. Foot long corn on the cob for P20. After a drinking session, I will get several pieces of fried chicken for P15 per piece.

During December and on some other occasions, Colon will be blocked off in the evening and there will be all sorts of street vendors set up in the middle of the road.