Cebu, a city in the center of the Philippines, offers dazzling natural attractions as well as a rich cultural heritage. Photos by Chen Liang
Hainan Island in South China has always been a top choice for tourists but with the fast-approaching winter, more people are looking to the Philippines for a tropical getaway.
Manila and Boracay are well known to most Chinese vacationers but many of the island country's gems remain hidden.
One of them is Cebu in the center of the Philippine archipelago. On a recent trip to the second largest city in the Philippines, known as "Queen City of the South", I found it easy to reach, easy to get around and extremely relaxing.
I went to Cebu at the invitation of Cathay Pacific and Shangri-La's Hotels and Resorts for a four-day trip.
My travel companions and I left Beijing in the early morning and checked into Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa in early evening after a three-hour window shopping and coffee-drinking spree during our transit in Hong Kong.
Suffering no jetlag or exhaustion, we lazed on the resort's sandy beach, enjoying the cool breeze from the Philippine Sea, a mango shake in hand.
