I came to Cebu for the first time in 1989, around 36 years ago. A few years earlier, I met my partner Pamela, who is from Cebu, in the Netherlands, and I wanted to meet her family, see her country, and experience her culture. That was the beginning of my long love affair with the country and its people. Since my first visit in 1989, we’ve continued to visit Cebu almost every year. But around 20 years ago, we decided to commit to Cebu and to start spending significant time here. I am from the Netherlands, and after working and living in Amsterdam and London, I started working in China. Pamela took it upon herself to manage and supervise the construction of our house in Cebu while

I was building the business in China. I came over to Cebu every 2 weeks for a long weekend. It was a fun and exciting period but not sustainable for long. Now I am retired and have all the time to enjoy Cebu. We have the best of the two worlds; our main residence is in Cebu, where we spend most of our time, and we also have residences in Portugal and the Netherlands. So, never a dull moment.

Where to Stay?

If I had to stay less than a month in Cebu, I would stay in Mactan to enjoy the holiday feeling of great resorts, the beach, water activities, and more. If I had to stay longer than a month, I would prefer to stay in the city. There is simply more to do in terms of choosing restaurants, nightlife, shopping, and social life. Our main house is in the southern part of the city, at Alta Vista Golf and Country Club. We also have a beach condo in The Reef, Mactan. If we don’t have social activities in the city, you can find us there most weekends. We love the holiday vibe of our beach condo.

Favorite Pinoy Food

Balut. Hahaha, not really. But joking aside, pork adobo is my favorite Filipino dish.

What’s in Your Grocery Cart?

I don’t do a lot of grocery shopping for food since our staff do most of it. What I prefer to do myself is everything to do with meat (I am rather picky about the quality of meat) and wine.

Restaurant to Bring a VIP Guest

Without a doubt, Anzani (the owner is our good friend). But I honestly believe that the combination of ambiance, service, menu, and wine selection makes it a charming dinner destination for a VIP guest.

Favorite Eatery

We go out for dinner five nights a week and have multiple “go-to” restaurants. But if we have to name just one or two in the city, apart from Anzani, The Pig and Palm for interesting dishes, vibrant atmosphere, and a nice bar with knowledgeable bartenders. And Nonki for great Japanese food; I have never been disappointed. But as mentioned, we frequent quite a few more restaurants, so by mentioning just those three, I feel I do a bit of a disservice to some other nice restaurants.