As of August 24, 2019, Cebu Ocean Park is now on their soft opening. While they are scheduled for their grand opening sometime in October 2019, guests are welcome to explore the area as early as now.

Here is everything you need to know about the area:

Cebu Ocean Park is located at Sm Seaside Complex, right beside Pedro Calungsod Church at the SRP. You can there via My Buses and PUJ aside from private vehicles.

They are open on Mondays- Fridays from 10:00am – 6:00 pm
and
Saturday, Sundays & Public Holidays from 9:30 am- 6:00 pm
with tickets being sold at P600.00 for locals on weekdays, P800.00 for foreigners and locals on weekends

Children accompanied by a paying adult that are below 2 ft. enter for free!

Cebu’s Ocean Park is said to be 6 times bigger as compared to the original Ocean Park in Manila and houses a range of animals from reptiles, birds, fishes and more!

There are 3 floors with specific sections for guest to enjoy such as the Jungle Trek, Creepy Critters, Lories, Seven Seas, Interaction Center, Fish Spa, Amphitheater, 360 Acrylic and others.

The Jungle Trek & Lorie section takes guests on an outdoor adventure allowing them to not only see but also interact with different kinds of birds, fresh water fish and reptiles such as lizards & snakes.

For P100.00 guests can feed the Lorie birds fresh nectar atop a viewing deck that shows a… birds eye view of the area.

The Seven Seas section carries various salt water creatures mostly tropical fish and in one section, eels. While they do not have the jelly fish room like in Manila, I am curious to see if this is something that they will be adding overtime.

The Center of Interaction, as the name suggests, is where guests can pay to experience different interactive activities with the animals such as Croc Cage diving (P2,000.00) where guests are encapsulated in a circular acrylic case wherein they are submerged into the crocodile area, Stingray Interaction (P1,000.00) where guests can swim with stingrays (or as pointed out by a friend- Eagle rays) and the Sea Trek (P1,200.00) where guests can walk around underwater while being surrounded by fish.

If you’re more of a watcher than a doer, this area has acrylic panels where you can get up close and personal with the Eagle rays and other wild life.

There is also a fish spa section (P100.00) where you can have “doctor fish” give your skin a little refreshing.

We also walked into their bird show stadium which can house 800 guests. While everything within Ocean Park is currently functioning and running except for the bird show section- this sis also another segment of the show I am greatly looking forward to.

Fun fact: I’ve been asking around where to apply as an animal trainer. I’m dead serious about working there. Everyone thinks I’m joking. I’m not.

The 360 acrylic section is where most, if not all, of your photos will most likely be taken. lol. jk. or not.

Curated feeds aside, the 360 acrylic walkthrough is a dome shaped pathway that is completely surrounded by water and different kinds of salt water fish with the main attraction being the sting rays and sharks!

The end of the hall eventually leads to the deep tank lagoon with lots of seating space and a great viewing glass for everyone to sit back and enjoy.

This is the last attraction of the tour before heading out to shop and eat.

While there are a few snack stalls along the area, there is also a Chinese restaurant named Gusto right before the exit. While I wasn’t able to check out the prices or get a peak at the food- as the Chinese characters on the logo suggest, I’m guessing that they’re oriental offerings.

If you’re on a budget or aren’t a fan of Chinese food, SM Seaside Cebu is right across you so with lots of other food selections.

They also have a gift shop section where parents can then be harassed by their children to buy then a stuffed toy. JUST KIDDING!!! or not. But seriously, they have a gift shop with lots of trinkets and memorabilia for guests to take home!

Other paid offerings:
Photo printing
Private function rooms

FAQs:
Should I make a reservation for tickets?
You can! But with the amount of people that the area can accommodate, it is unlikely that reservations are necessary.

Contact details?
(032) 888 5288

Map?
Here!

Is it worth it do go right now?
Honestly, if you asked me, it depends. 80% of the animals are already there and you barely know what you’re missing (aside from the bird show). If you’re from Cebu, we all have the privilege of waiting but if you’re a guest and are eager to see this wonderful new attraction, I definitely would not pass up the opportunity.

Do they have penguins?
No… not yet (?) I asked and they said they have yet to find out if they will or will not be available in Cebu.

What’s the state of the fish?
As a freshwater tank keeper, I would say that the fish are kept in the necessary living conditions considering that they are being kept in captivity. I was unsure about how I felt about COP opening in Cebu but seeing how much was taken into consideration in terms of space, temperature, lighting and how well the staff know about the animals, their needs and their general outlook- I know that the animals are safe and happy.

Do they have elevators/ escalators?
YES!

Any other questions? Feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

Keep Swimming,
Issa Gandionco

I love Korean BBQ. I LOVE KOREAN BBQ. I love smelling like KBBQ. I love sweating like KBBQ. The anthem of my life is 7 Meats and yes, it is about KBBQ. Have I made my point yet? :p

Korean BBQ spots have been popping up all over the place over the last few years, each one with their own twist like buffet styles, over the top side dishes, insanely low eat-all-you-can prices and you name it!

But one thing that I have yet to encounter in Cebu has been private function rooms where friends and family can gather and soak up in all that good KBBQ smoke. (lol) However, all that’s changed very recently with Monster Grill by Lemon Tree Spa recently opening their doors in the Lahug area.

I don’t exactly know how we found out about this place (probably through a FB add or from one of Paolo’s cousins) but we were really glad that we did! We really like how spacious the area is and even when it was packed with people, we barely noticed any smoke and unlike other KBBQ locations, it wasn’t chaotic nor did it feel claustrophobic.

As I mentioned, my favorite thing about this KBBQ restaurant is that they have private room options located on the second floor with options for small, medium and large groups. Some rooms even have projectors where guests can discuss meetings and etc. The two times that we’ve been there (within a month, might I add), we requested for the private rooms and thoroughly enjoyed cooking, talking and being able to laugh boisterously without the fear of judgement from other diners.

Another thing that I also REALLY like about Monster Grill is the unusually thick cut of their samgyupsal. I’ve been accustomed to the thiner slices of samgyupsal so I was both intrigued and apprehensive about trying it but I actually really liked it. In fact, I might even like it compared to the usual.

I was also able to try out their beef cuts and it was pretty similar to the short plate at Pearl Meat Shop (but picture, better location!) so yes, Monster Grill is officially my favorite KBBQ place in the entire world. For now. :p

I will be completely honest though, I do feel like they scrimp a bit on the side dishes but we can’t really have everything so I’ll take what I can. But in fair, they also have a lot of food offerings which encourages diners to actually eat something else aside from their meat.

Monster Grill is located at the Tree Shade Spa complex in Lahug (beside Metro Sports). They have parking, a cafe, a massage parlour and a bar in the area, as well.

They also accept credit cards & reservations.

Operating times: 10:00 AM – 1:00 AM everyday

HELP ME I’M HUNGRY,
Issa Gandionco