Cebu Shopping Malls Review

Cebu shopping can be a great experience. The city does not lack of anything when it comes to shopping. It is a great hunting ground for antiques. It is packed with religious relics that date back to centuries. The city offers gastronomic bite delights like dried mango preserves, otap, dangit, turrons and fresh fruits. You will also find the best rattan furniture in Cebu. The city is actually the top exporter of rattan products. The craftsmanship of the Cebuanos is impeccable and has, in fact, received international recognition. Cebu shopping also offers great bargains on fine handicrafts. You will find silver jewelry, hand-woven fabrics, lampshades, abaca bags and more.

Ayala Mall

This mall is by many considered the best mall in Cebu, it is not as big as SM CIty Cebu, but it is a lot nicer and moce comfortable to do malling in. It hosts a lot of restaurants and even a bar in the restaurants circle. Restuanrants in Yala Mall include: Kublai Khan(Mongolian BBQ), Persian Palate(Indian/Persian food), Lemongrass(Thai food) and loads of other nice establishments.

Carbon Market

When doing some Cebu shopping, you should start off your expedition at Carbon Market. This is Cebu’s biggest public market. If you want to save money from shopping, you should opt to shop for food and handicrafts in local markets like this. You will find great bargains. The freshest fruits are also available here. Do not leave Cebu without having had tried their ripe mangoes. After all, they’re considered to be the best in the country.

Tabian Market

If you are looking for dried food products, you should go to Tabian Market. It has the best variety of dried fishes, dried mangoes, pork rinds and other products. You will find a lot of people queuing up for dried fishes like diles, tuyo and dangit. It is advisable, however, that you should do some price haggling when you shop in this market. You will be able to get great prices and bargains.

Airport Stalls

If you are looking for good souvenirs, you should visit the stalls near the airport. You will find local products being sold there at bargain prices. Of course, you can find most products in the Carbon Market as well, but if you don’t have the time to visit the market before you leave Cebu, you can always drop by these stalls and get some fresh or dried mangoes, dried fish, dried squid, otap and mango-tamarind candies. There are also some stores that sell t-shirts, guitars and bags.

Alegre guitar factory

Cebu shopping is certainly not complete if you are not lagging a guitar on your way home. Now, if you are looking for a well-crafted guitar, you should visit the Alegre guitar factory. This shop sells various string instruments like mandolins, ukuleles and of course, guitars. The factory does not ship out guitars, however, so if you want to buy, you have to carry your purchase home. If you want to have more options, you should visit Maribago, the center of the city’s guitar making industry. You could also try the Opon area in Mactan, Cebu. World-class quality guitars are also crafted in that area.

SM City

Cebu shopping is not limited to native products or handicrafts. The city boasts of numerous shopping malls. One of the biggest malls in Cebu is SM City, a 4-level building with department store, supermarket, eight movie theaters, bowling center, amusement center, trade hall, and numerous retail outlets and restaurants. This mall is often packed with a lot of local shoppers.

Aside from SM City, Cebu also has Ayala Mall, one of the swankiest shopping centers in the city. This mall seemingly caters more to the tastes and preferences of foreign tourists. It is the biggest shopping mall in the city. It offers similar facilities as those of SM City, but its retail outlets carry Western products and its restaurants offer Western cuisines and delicacies.

Robinson’s Place and smaller malls

Aside from SM City and Ayala Mall, Cebu also has Robinson’s Place. Unfortunately, this mall has lost its popularity and its luster after the other grand malls were built. Cebu shopping, however, also offers smaller malls that you can visit if you still have time to spare. These include Country Mall, E-Mall and Mango Square.

Shopping in Cebu can be a great experience. From dried mangoes, to dried squids, to Calvin Klein jeans from Ayala Mall, Cebu shopping is indeed fun. If you are planning to visit the city soon and you plan to do some shopping, you should consider learning how to haggle for prices, so you will have more fun bargaining for your purchases.