Our daily life is so hassle that everywhere you go seems like a never-ending route of being stressed with noise, traffic, and pollution. Good thing that there are a lot of sites to go to that is not really far from the city. A place where you can unwind and have a day or two of peaceful time.
This tourist destination is a must add to your itinerary in coming to Cebu. Have you been here before? Please let us know 馃槃
Dr. Emilio V. Osme帽a Botanical Garden is located at Bgry. Malubog, Cebu City just near fascinating sites like La Vie in the Sky, Tops of Cebu, and Temple of Leah.
Cian and his friends went to this captivating spot before the pandemic started. They had fun in the place because of it being like a private place. The place is not so accessible because you still need to rent a service if you don't have a personal car, and the way there is steep. But the distance shouldn't really matter for those who want to relax and have a peace of mind.
They used the personal van of their friend in going up there. When Cian went there, it was still newly opened a few months ago, and only one or two families were there that day. There is an entrance fee of 100 pesos per person in which you can already stay there for 24 hours (free for 5 yrs old and below). If you're tired and want to lay in bed, they also have sheds/ glampsite which costs 200 pesos for 24 hours too (that pyramid-shaped hut numbered with roman numerals). No corkage fee and their cottage are free of use. They have parking space too.
For foods, it is more advisable to buy them before going up. You wouldn't want to take the risk that food stores up there might be closed when you arrive, do you? Hahaha. That's a long way to go back just to have something to eat.
Cian and his friends bought some "puso" or hanging rice, raw meat, other dishes and some drinks beforehand. The place has a grilling / bbq station wherein you can use for free. A great bonding time for people while their foods are cooking.
But how do we get there, Cian?
You can go there by car, by commute, or by taxi.
The most convenient and recommended is the car. It is much safer that way and you won't need to worry about other environmental factors with that. Just pin on your navigation app the Balay sa Busay. The botanical garden is just a few meters away from Balay sa Busay and before Tops Lookout.
The cheapest way would be through commute or hiring "habal-habal". Fare is around 75 to 100 pesos per person. There are a lot of motorcycles for hire near JY Square Lahug (pinned in the above map). Tell them that you want to go to the botanical garden and they will bring you there.
The most expensive would be by taxi. Most of them won't give a metered reading system in going up the garden. Only estimated fare. Might as well walk hahaha, but not recommended since it's too far and the road is steep going up. It might spoil the moment of "relaxing time" hahaha.
If you have more questions and inquiries, you can call them at 09171746694 or through messenger.
Interested now? A place where you can be at peace and unwind away from urban life sounds like an interesting deal indeed. Plus it is near to Cebu's other tourist destinations that you may not want to miss. We experienced it, and we also want to share that experience with you.馃槂
NOTE: As per the management, the place will be closed until further notice. They will open back most probably by December. Sad to hear, but this was because of the pandemic, the protocols, and other unforeseen events. But it will just be temporarily. Rates and fares as stated above might also change unexpectedly, but for now let us hope first that we can visit it again someday.
They then left around 5pm for they still have to go home to their families, but a stopover won't hurt haha. They went first to the house of their friend in Talisay (kinda far from Botanical Garden) and ate dinner there. Afterwards, they decided to watch a horror movie "Eerie" in which the boys were the ones that got scared instead hahaha.
Time has finally come and they already went home. After several hours, their group chat exploded with a stinky news. Literally stinky hahaha. Almost all of them suffered from stomachache/ diarrhea(?) and went back and forth to their restroom. Even the kid that was with them experienced it for almost three days. We still do have our theories up until now. The main suspect are our foods, but the case is still left unsolved hahaha.
The trip ended up with a bomb (pun intended)! But the Osme帽a Botanical Garden is indeed lit 鉂わ笍 and worth to visit when in Cebu. It was a stress-free and relaxing experience with an added bonus of its IG-worthy sceneries you surely don't wanna miss out. Let's all visit this place when it opens again, shall we? 馃槃
