Spaniards is also home to the oldest city in the country, Cebu City, and acts as the gateway to the Central and Southern Philippines.

Although the majority of tourists come to the many beach resorts springing up along the sandy coastline, the island's interior has some splendid waterfalls and other natural scenery well worth exploring and Cebu City itself has a number of attractions, making it worthy of a short stay.

The prime places of interest in the city are the 16th-century Fort San Pedro, Magellan's Cross (erected by Magellan to mark the birth of Christianity in the Philippines) and the stone Basilica Minore del Santo Nino. Although the third largest city in the country, the pace of life here is much slower than in Manila and getting around is easy enough on foot.

Some of the best (and most popular) beaches are on Mactan Island, connected to the main island by a bridge and also renowned for producing guitars (which can be purchased at very reasonable prices). All along the coast, though, between the larger resorts, you'll find quiet coves where only the birds and waves compete for your attention.

In the south west of the island, the crystal clear Kawasan Falls near Matutinao provide a lush, tropical spot to swim, hike or simply relax and enjoy the stunning scenery.

Fort San Pedro
Fort San Pedro was the first stronghold of Spanish colonialism in the country, founded in 1565 by the famed conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. It was built to defend the fledgling trading port from local pirates and resistant tribes. Although it took a couple of centuries to fully complete the triangular construction, its three-metre-thick walls proved so formidable a defence that its design hadn't greatly changed by 1898 when the Spanish finally packed up and left the island.
Magellan's Cross
On April 21, 1521 the first Catholic Filipinos were baptised in Cebu by Father Pedro Valderrama of the Magellan expedition. To commemorate the event Magellan himself had a wooden cross planted at the spot. Just six days later, of course, Magellan was killed on Mactan, but the cross still stands as a reminder of the influence the great explorer had on the history of Cebu.

Casa Gorordo Museum
A short distance north from the old town attractions is the Gorordo House, one of the last remaining of the late-19th-century town houses that stood here in the Parian District - the erstwhile homes of the city's wealthiest traders and merchants of the day. It was originally owned by the influential Gorordo family and was once the home of Bishop Juan Gorordo, the first Filipino archbishop of the province.

Cebu has a good range of establishments you can stay in. Most of the resort hotels can be found in Mactan Island, which is a 15-30 minute taxi ride to the city where most of the nightlife is. Those who opt for city accommodation will find that while they don't get seaside views, arrangements are available between resorts and city hotels that allow for day use of resort facilities.