Getting there

Planes

Wing your way into Mactan-Cebu International Airport on Mactan Island (www.mactan-cebuairport.com.ph), the region's secondary gateway. Plenty of international airlines fly in directly, but you're most likely to touch down in Manila and connect to Cebu with a domestic carrier: Cebu Pacific Airways (www.cebupacificair.com), Philippine Airlines (www.philippineairlines.com) or Zest Air (www.zestair.com.ph).

Boats

Alternatively, make the transfer from Manila by boat: the journey takes almost 24 hours, but you can book suites or family rooms aboard a SuperFerry (www.superferry.com.ph). Cebu's port sees inter-island ferries and catamarans depart daily: check schedules with SuperCat (www.supercat.com.ph) and OceanJet (www.oceanjet.net).

Automobiles

With two short bridges connecting Mactan and Cebu, it's easy to nip between the two islands. Self-drive cars are available, but you're better off hiring wheels with a driver; Cebu City's one-way system can be tricky.