Lapu-Lapu

Lapu-Lapu is an island city of Cebu Province in the Philippines, part of Metro Cebu. .

The city has the main airport of the region, many beaches and dive sites, and quite a few resorts. It also has many condominium developments and is a popular location for retiring abroad. Both the resorts and the condos are mostly toward the higher end of the price scale.

Understand
The municipality of Lapu-Lapu includes most of two islands, Mactan Island and the smaller Olango Island. The smaller municipality of Córdova to the south has the rest of both islands, and both municipalities include a few smaller islands as well. In common speech, either "Lapu-Lapu" or "Mactan" usually refers to the main part of the city, on Mactan.

Mactan is just off the coast from Mandaue and connected to it by two bridges; both lead into downtown Lapu-Lapu. A third bridge, with a toll, connects Cebu City to Córdova. Olango is a short ferry ride from Mactan.

Get in
Arriving by air, one lands in Lapu-Lapu. By sea, most passengers arrive in Cebu City. By bus, either at the north bus terminal in Mandaue or the south terminal in Cebu City.

Taxis, jeepneys and buses go to Lapu-Lapu from other parts of Metro Cebu. They use the two bridges that connect the city to Mandaue; see Metro Cebu for details.

By plane


Many fliers prefer to enter the Philippines here rather than via Manila because this airport is considerably easier to go through, and because it is more centrally located in the country. Passport control and baggage handling at Mactan-Cebu are generally fast and efficient. In most cases, Cebu will be the most convenient airport for those bound for central or southern parts of the country &mdash; Visayas or Mindanao &mdash; while for northern areas most fliers prefer Manila or Clark.

In 2018 the airport averaged 70 international flights a day. There are good connections to most of the major air hubs in Asia and a number of non-hub cities, but not many flights beyond Asia. Most international flights are one flight daily each way per airline, some only a few times a week. There are also flights between Mactan-Cebu and Clark Airport, and Clark has flights to many international destinations, including quite a few on low-cost carriers. Davao, Iloilo and Kalibo also have both international flights and domestic flights to Cebu. There are also quite a few charter flights, often used as part of packaged holiday deals. Most come from South Korea, Japan, or China.

Cebu averaged about 200 domestic flights daily in 2018. There are direct flights to all major cities in the Visayas and Mindanao, and to popular tourist destinations such as Puerto Princesa on Palawan or Kalibo near Boracay. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Air Asia all have many flights and there are smaller players as well. Note that some domestic flights, particularly on the cheaper airlines, allow only 7 kg carry-on luggage and no checked bags.


 * Air Swift: Mactan-Cebu to/from El Nido Palawan.

There may be flights Cebu-Bohol but most people take a fast ferry instead; see Bohol. Similarly, although there is a direct flight on Cebu Pacific most people bound for Dumaguete will go by boat or bus; see Dumaguete. One can connect to nearly any city in the north via Manila. There are also direct flights to some, such as Cebu Pacific to Clark.

This is not a huge airport with extensive shopping and recreation options, but it does have a range of services: duty-free shop, souvenir shops, cafés, a business center, ATMs, stands selling Philippine SIM cards for mobile phones, car rental, hotel and resort reservations, and beauty & health services.

There is a luxury hotel and casino across the road from Terminal 1 and a hotel in Terminal 2.

The food and drink places within Terminal 1 have international menus and, by Philippine standards, high prices. Many travellers will be happy with those; the prices are reasonable by international standards and quality is generally OK. For cheaper food, you can go where many airport staff eat; from the center exit on Terminal 1's departure level, walk across the street and down into the resort/casino parking garage. At the bottom of the stairs is a cafeteria-style place with plain but satisfying Filipino food.

Ground transportation
The airport is on Mactan Island in Lapu-Lapu. Many travellers go to Cebu City by taxi, which takes about 40-60 min and costs, depending mainly on traffic. Taxi to downtown Lapu-Lapu is to 150.

During the day, you can also go by bus which is much cheaper and takes about the same time, but midnight to 6am taxis are the only option.

If you are staying at one of the higher priced hotels, most can send a free van to pick you up at the airport. If you forgot to ask for this you may find that the van of your hotel is there to pick someone else up and you can hitch a ride if there is room.

There are jeepneys from the Mactan airport to Lapu-Lapu port for. A ferry from there to the port in Cebu City is around.

Most traffic to or from the airport goes via the two bridges to Mandaue. Alternately, one could go via Córdova (south of Lapu-Lapu) and take the new toll bridge from there to Cebu City.

By boat
Lapu-Lapu is part of Metro Cebu, and so is Cebu City which has the largest and busiest port in the country. From there you can take a taxi to Lapu-Lapu for. Or take a ferry from Pier 3 to Lapu-Lapu pier which costs only. They depart every 20 minutes and the trip takes 20 minutes.

Boats to Olango Island and to Getafe (Bohol) depart from a pier we describe in the Olango Island article.

Get around
The simplest way to get around is by hopping on a tricycle or multicab (small jeepney). Taxi is also available for a comfortable trip. Always ask for taxi meter if you are paying by meter. The flagdown rate is and  per succeeding 200 m and  per waiting time of two minutes. Drivers however may bargain if they notice that you are a tourist, hence the cost of the trip may double in price. However, you have the option not to agree and may report such to local authorities. If you know the name of the building, establishment, area or street you wish you reach, this is still the fastest way to get to your destination.

If you want more adventure, then do as the locals and catch a colorful jeepney. Ask around for which route to take. They are available 24 hours and cover most of the nooks and crannies of the island. This is the cheapest option for getting around for as low as.

Do
The area has several fine dive sites. There are several dive operators that can serve your needs. You may do shore entry in few areas but most dive sites can be reached by boat. You can go to Kontiki, Talima, Tinggo, Hilutungan (sanctuary), Nalusuan (sanctuary), Shangri-la, Cordova and more. From Mactan, you can also hire an outrigger (boat) to take you to Cabilao or Balicasag, on Bohol.

Beach bumming in white sand beaches like Shangrila, Plantation Bay, Blue Waters, White Sands, Tambuli Beach Club

Buy
Like almost any city in the country, Lapu-Lapu has a centrally-located market that has been there since Spanish colonial times. Around it is a shopping district with many other stores.

There are also several large new malls:

It is no longer the case that all "Gaisano" stores have similar merchandise and prices. The original company's founder died and there are now several separate companies, all with "Gaisano" in their names, owned by different members of the family.

Eat
Most of the resorts have restaurants, some more than one. Many travellers find the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at one of the higher-end resorts worthwhile, though not cheap. These places cater to a travellers from many countries, so a good range of both Western and Asian food is available at most of them.

The Gaisano Island Mall downtown has two buildings; the larger one (which has most of the shopping) has many chain restaurants, mostly fast food, and a bakery while the smaller one has a cluster of somewhat better-class restaurants, mostly serving Filipino food but also with places for sushi or pizza.

Sleep
The town has one fairly unusual hotel at the airport: The Waterfront luxury hotel and casino is also at the airport, near Terminal 1.

Cope
The immigration department has an office in Gaisano Island Mall on M L Quezon National Highway where a visa extension can be obtained if required, M-F 8AM-5PM. This is the fastest place in Cebu to get a visa extension. They also have non express 3-day service which costs less than express.

For foreign government consulates, see the list in the Metro Cebu article.

Go next
Anywhere in Metro Cebu is easily accessible: For more distant possibilities, see the Go next section of the Metro Cebu article.
 * Cebu City is only a ferry, bus, jeepney or taxi ride away (about 30 minutes by ferry or one hour by jeepney). Mandaue is in between.
 * Olango Island is just off the coast of Lapu-Lapu; it has good diving and a wildlife sanctuary with many birds.