Lapu-Lapu City, the Historic Resort City

Today, more people are investing in properties in Lapu-Lapu City. Well, things just keep on getting better in this place! It can also be an addition to your options for retirement.

Lapu-Lapu City, the Historic Resort City

What do you know about the Visayas? A lot, probably, if it is at least one of your parents’ home province, few things if it’s a friend’s, otherwise, not so much.

Historically – in case you need a refresher course – it was Miguel Lopez de Legazpi who claimed the islands for Spain in 1543 and 1565. King Philip II of Spain sent him. During this colonization, residents of the Visayan region and a few kingdoms begin to embrace Christianity as well as the Western culture. Various names we commemorate today such as Graciano Lopez Jaena, Martin Delgado, Aniceto Lacson, and León Kilat fought for freedom, and the rest is history.

Today, Visayas is home to many beautiful beaches and other tourist destinations. Travelers from Manila can easily fly to the island, thanks to the promo fares and travel packages now available online. In this article, you’ll read more about one city in the Visayas formerly known as Opon: Lapu-Lapu City.

About Lapu-Lapu City

People call this the ‘Historic Resort City.’ That alone is enough to spark interest in you, isn’t it? You can see it is, indeed, a highly urbanized city just by checking out the LGU’s website. It says it is the first city in Region 7 to enjoy the electronic jeepneys.

The e-jeepneys go to the other barangays like Mactan and passengers can enjoy WiFi connectivity and charging ports. It accommodates 23 people and the fare is only ₱8 for 5 kilometers. So, if you want to keep connected in your next trip and ensure comfort and convenience, Lapu-Lapu would be a good choice.

Demographics, government, and transportation

Going back to the city’s demographics, it has a total of 408,112 residents in it according to the 2015 census. Its name was changed from Opon to Lapu-Lapu in 1961. Government is administratively independent of the province of Cebu although the Philippine Statistics Authority grouped it under Cebu.

In terms of transportation, you’ll find the 2nd busiest airport in the country, Mactan-Cebu International Airport or MCIA, in this city. It is connected to mainland Cebu via the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and Mactan-Mandaue Bridge. Also, to the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway in the nearby town of Cordova and over the sea separating the Mactan island from the island of Cebu. MCIA is the main gateway to Cebu and Central Visayas that serve international flights to various destinations. The list includes Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

Here are some suggestions on places to be when you visit Lapu-Lapu City:

Virgen dela Regla National Shrine

This is a must-see for pilgrims. A place where they can offer prayers for good intentions through the intercession of the Blessed Mother. Even if you’re not devout, it would be nice to see the inside of a church in Cebu – its physical similarities and differences with yours.

Island Eco-Tourism Park

An environmental initiative by the local government and residents, Island Eco-tourism Park is in Olango Island, which is about 20 minutes away from Mactan if you ride an outrigger boat. Fifteen families live in this area and they are all members of the association promoting this environmentally-friendly eco-tourism resort.

San Vicente Marine Sanctuary

This destination is also located in Olango, so similarly, it is just a 20-minute boat ride from Mactan Island. It is both a fish and marine life conservation area and eco-tourism destination. Here you can experience nature and have an up-close and personal encounter with marine life. Who’s up for a face-to-face with fishes and getting used to different types of mangroves?

Mar Beach for Freedive HQ

Is there a better idea than learning freediving on the beautiful beach of Cebu? Might as well enroll in FreeDive HQ – a center that offers all RAID Freediving (Apnea) courses from Beginner to Professional Instructor level. The team also offers VIP courses for those who want a one-on-one with a private instructor.

ALSO READ: The best beaches you need to check out when you’re in Cebu

It didn’t take much for you to fall in love with Lapu-Lapu City, right? After all, who wouldn’t want to live in a quieter and simpler province without having to give up the comfort and convenience of Manila?

Surely, this is the reason behind the growing number of people investing in properties in Lapu-Lapu City. Things just keep on getting better and better in this place. A good addition to your list of places to consider for retirement.