Cebu report (a little dated; just now typing up notes)
After seeing how much Manila had generally improved over the past 5 years with street lighting, trash, etc., seeing Cebu City pretty much the same on those and other counts was something of a letdown. Seems there's more traffic citywide and a few new things in the reclaimation area, but I didn't get the sense of a real boom there. Still, it's a magnet for job-seekers from all over the region.
I stayed at the Cebu Midtown Hotel, which I got at P1,500 net a night by mentioning the Cebu Pacific special (announced on the flight down there). I had to show a boarding pass for the rate, but otherwise no problem. The hotel seems to be aging and fading, but the location (above Robinson's at the Fuente) is still one of the better ones, and I didn't get hassled about girls.
There's a cluster of go-gos down Maxilom Ave. east of the Fuente Osmena circle between the Fuente and Gorordo Ave. Most, like Black Hole and Papillon, are bikini bars with no nudity and looks in the 6-9 range. A few, like Love City in the cluster and Thunderdome on F Ramos, are "KTV discos" with some showing. Customer drinks are pretty reasonable (P35 happy hour-P120) in the meat markets and usually a bit more expensive (100-150) in places that show. Lady drinks are P100-250, depending on the place.
Barfines are surprisingly all over the map, with Black Hole (600+ girl wants 1,500-2,000, they say) not terrible but Papillon (2,000 + 2,000-3,000 LT for girl) looking a lot like Makati. Thunderdome also wanted P4,000 inclusive...seemed steep. Club Exotica on Maxilom was one of the cheapest at P700 + 1,000, but it wanted the whole amount upfront, a little detail I didn't find out until the last minute. If you've been to Angeles you know that sometimes you get lackluster performances and some of the most amazing excuses why the girl has to leave right away even though it's 2 a.m., so it's up to you if you want the risk of paying upfront. Barfines in Cebu are usually separate from what the girl gets. They're more expensive than Angeles but should NOT be Manila-level, though there always seem to be bars trying to get that.
Another pick-up place was the Sunflower Disco in Lahug. It's spacious, well-designed (like a small-airplane hangar) and popular, if noisy. A number of proifessionals will be there and easy to spot, but it's not the easiest place to work if you're just looking for a regular girl, as you've got the noise and a seating arrangement that's hard to roam. Seemed like a real wingman situation.
On the street the costs are low (P500 STs easy to bargain), but it can be a pain. Don't walk along Maxilom between the go-gos and the Fuente at night (take a taxi!) lest ye be followed by 5-6 very vocal street pros all offering "massage" or company. As in many sections of the city, the street lighting is bad.
There are also alleys around San Carlos University, such as off the south side of Del Rosario east of Osmena Blvd., where you might see lots of girls standing around and be greeted immediately by male touts wanting to show you the selection. It can be a bit intimidating because it's so dark and doesn't seem safe. Some people just come in by taxi and have the girls come up to the windows, but to see the most selection you usually have to get out. Costs are usually P600 ST to P1,000 LT after bargaining, paid upfront. You have to negotiate any specialties or long-time; assume nothing. Some of the girls are real fresh-faced hotties, but they display widely varying degrees of enthusiasm. You want to do some interviewing and try to cut the chances of getting an unenthusiatic one. Best to lowball the cost for ST and get the digits or set up a repeat if it works.
What Cebu really needs is its own answer to L.A. Cafe. But many of the guys who come to Cebu are looking for LTRs, and that's w hole 'nother game. Angeles is cheaper and much more purpose-built for mongering.
[b][u]EDITOR'S NOTE[/u]:[/b] [blue]I certainly hope that the author or somebody else will post a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread.[/blue]
