Go outside the usual resorts and hotels this season as traveller Kara Mae Noveda gives a glimpse of what’s available around the island.

AS THE TEMPERATURE slightly dips and the weather gets less muggy come December, the promise of cooler days makes outdoor adventures more appealing. While beach resorts around Cebu are aplenty, uphill accommodations are steadily growing in fair numbers with the improved road access to the scenic mountainside.

Take a breather from the city and beach scene by escaping to a different landscape to rejuvenate with nature and stay in a cabin that you can call your very own for a night or two.

LET’S GO TO THE SAFARI

Occupying part of a 2,000 hectare property, the Cebu Safari & Adventure Park and its surrounding development is a project of monolithic undertaking. With well-paved roads leading to a thoughtfully planned sanctuary for over a thousand (and counting) imported animals from around the globe, this gem of a park honors the natural beauty of its landscape.

Bouncing back from the lull of the pandemic, Cebu Safari has now resumed its full operations. Located in the hills of the quaint town of Carmen a little more than an hour away from Cebu City, the adventure park attracts its regular crowd of day-trippers even on weekdays. Those who choose to sleep over have a separate entrance and are ensured of privacy as the accommodations are away from the excitement of the park grounds. 

Waking up to an expansive view of Carmen’s serene hills and the Camotes Sea is your fine reward when you stay at the 60-room hilltop hotel with a selection of cabin accommodations with from one up to three bedrooms. 

Their largest cabin is 108 square meters with a master bedroom, two separate bedrooms, and a spacious common area which opens to the dining area with kitchenette. Each bedroom also has its own bathroom making it perfect for big families as it has space for 10 to 12 guests. In house guests can make an early start to cover more ground to see the animals, have a safari tour, and try the adventure rides (ziplines, giant swings, and all-terrain vehicles, among others). During the park’s operating hours from 8 am to 5 pm, guests who are checked in may be bused from their lodges to anywhere they wish to go within the park, and back. 

Glamping tents (short for glamorous camping) are the newest addition to their list of lodgings. Far removed from a rugged camp site set-up, each of the fully-airconditioned luxury tents has two bedrooms with en suite toilet and shower, an African safari-themed living room, and dining area. While all cabins have a private veranda, these tents are a step up as they additionally have a sundeck and a private heated pool. Each glamping tent can comfortably house six guests.

An overnight stay comes with breakfast and access to Cebu Safari & Adventure Park. When the park closes at 5 pm guests can retreat to their private cabins and tents for some quiet time, take a dip at the infinity pool, enjoy food and drinks at the Serengeti Bar & Café or sit by the bonfire on chilly evenings. 

OFF-THE-GRID FARMSTAY AT ALHIBÉ Boutique in scale next to the neighboring Cebu Safari also in Carmen is the Alhibé Farm. The hillside farm located in Barangay Sac-on in Carmen, close enough to Cebu Safari. 

Rooted on the Cebuano word for climb (saka), Sac-on is, after all, a mountain barangay. Driving to this private farm would be best with a 4×4 vehicle as you will need to negotiate a rough road, shallow river crossing, especially when it rains, and some elevation—a ten-kilometer stretch from the national highway. All this useful information disclosed in their booking sites, the distance and road conditions form part of the resort’s rustic charm and have certainly not dissuaded people from heading out to this off-the-grid haven.

Nestled near the summit of a hill, the one-hectare property is an immersive landscape of lush and calming greens. It is a working organic farm which uses permaculture principles and is a developing arboretum for bamboo and other native Philippine trees. The owners named their property after the Visayan word for water reservoir as spring water abundantly flows here and they have a pool to show for it. The small spring-fed pool and the relaxing sound of running water is particularly enticing after taking a stroll around their gardens.

Its rustic one-bedroom hut good for 2 persons and the tent accommodations are not airconditioned.

This is the intentional eco-conscious design. The interlocking shade from the trees and unpolluted fresh mountain air keep the farm naturally cool and insulated from the tropical heat so there’s no need for a full-blasting AC. In keeping with sustainable land management, Alhibé maximizes its overflowing supply of spring water for the common outdoor showers and toilet. The beauty of the resort’s well-considered amenities is that it invites guests, mostly city dwellers, to embrace the outdoors and be closer to nature.

Guests booked in the main hut or tents have access to the entire farm and exclusive use of its amenities. Leisurely daytime activities include nature walks, swimming in the sparkling spring water pool, playing ball games in their field, boardgames or just relaxing in a hammock. Evenings are for stargazing, firefly watching, or enjoying a movie night at their bantawan, a canopied bamboo deck facing a pocket forest.

Your farmstay is inclusive of breakfast and dinner where vegetables and herbs that are grown organically on the farm are served. While Alhibé offers healthy dishes guests may bring in their own food and are welcome to cook in their open kitchen. Booking their Homestay Exclusive Farm Experience covers overnight accommodation with a fixed rate for a maximum of 6 guests.

Special arrangements may be made with the property owners for large groups. Reservations are required as the farm does not accept walk-ins.