Two-Base Living Begins: Part 3

Date: 2024-11-27

Narita to Cebu

After an enjoyable week in Japan, it was time to head to Cebu Island in the Philippines.

We checked out of the hotel at around 9am and took the train to Narita Airport — two changes, then the direct line from Shin-Kamigaya to Narita. The carriages were packed with fellow travellers lugging suitcases.

Today's flight was a Philippine Airlines (PAL) direct service to Mactan-Cebu International Airport, departing at 2:35pm. PAL operates this route as a codeshare with ANA, so we earn ANA miles on every flight. As the flight wasn't full, we managed to book a row of three seats between the two of us when we checked in online — a small luxury on a long journey.

Packing for Four and a Half Months

This Cebu stay would be four and a half months, so the list of things we wanted to bring kept growing. We pre-booked two extra bags and ended up checking six pieces of luggage between us.

Check-in desks opened two and a half hours before departure. After security and immigration, we browsed the duty-free shops — picking up snacks to take as gifts, and a bottle of shōchū for ourselves. Having only had a light breakfast at Komeda Coffee, we slipped into a lounge near the gate for twenty minutes and had a little of their curry and yakisoba — Chiba-sourced ingredients, as it turned out.

We reached the gate just as boarding began. Today's aircraft was an Airbus A321-200, configured three seats on each side.

Pushback was on time. The ground crew gave us the full Japanese send-off wave as we taxied out — always a touching sight — and we lifted off into clear blue skies.

The Flight

Once at cruising altitude, the meal service began. The Japanese departure menu was katsudon — and as always with Japanese-operated flights, the food was genuinely good. For some reason, the in-flight snack was momiji manjū (maple-leaf-shaped red bean cakes) — the same as last time. An odd but charming choice.

The route takes us south of Japan, across Taiwan, over the island of Luzon where Manila sits, and down to Cebu. We arrived at local time just after 7pm — dark by then. A large typhoon had passed through shortly before, and the air was humid and gusty, but our flight was unaffected.

About Cebu

Cebu Island sits in the middle of the Philippine archipelago — the second-largest city in the country after Manila. The island consists of Cebu City (the commercial hub) and Mactan Island immediately alongside it, the two connected by a bridge built with Japanese overseas development assistance.

Mactan Island is home to the international airport and a long stretch of resort hotels facing the sea. With year-round temperatures of 25–32°C and emerald-green coral reef waters, it draws visitors from across Asia and beyond.

Our condominium for the main stay is in Mandaue City on Cebu Island, but we had booked three nights in a Mactan Island hotel first — a gentle transition before settling in.

Vel Spa, Mactan: A Cebu Ritual

One of the great pleasures of coming to Cebu is the spa massages — at roughly one-tenth the price of an equivalent treatment in the UK.

Straight from the airport, we headed to Vel Spa, a Japanese-managed salon on Mactan Island. When you book in advance, they provide complimentary transfers from the airport to the spa, and from the spa to your hotel — an excellent service. It's a beautiful, spotlessly clean salon; the therapists are skilled, and the oils are organic and Philippine-made. We always book the 80-minute course.

The treatment begins with a foot bath in a basin scattered with plumeria blossoms — exfoliation and a foot massage, leaving the soles and heels silky smooth. Then an hour of full-body aromatherapy oil massage using whichever organic oil you select at reception.

After spending days walking around Tokyo, the legs especially needed attention — and by the end, the circulation felt entirely restored.

We were dropped at our hotel at around 9pm. Despite the late hour, the massage had left us so energised (and perhaps a little amused by that) that we unpacked efficiently and had everything organised before bed.