Wines & Prologues

Safety and security was my number one concern for my Cebu trip. It’s my birthday trip and the last thing I wanted to happen to me on my birthday was to get lost or get kidnapped or something, generally, well, bad–do you have any idea, how me, as an overthinker, felt days before my travel?

Don’t get me started.

Anyway, going back, I think I’ve checked out three travel and tours pages and talked to one before finally settling with FaMillanes Cebu Transport. I saw them on an IG ad, but reached out through their facebook page and Ms. Estela was kind enough to assist me with all my inquiries since I wanted a customized tour instead of their tailored tour packages.

Their rates are per vehicle and not per person. Since I was travelling by myself, a sedan was reserved for me costing me 4,500php per day, amounting to a total of 9,000php for my 2 days tour. Reservation fee is 1,000php, which will also serve as the downpayment and will be deducted from my total tour amount.

I was given two payment options upon confirming my travel with them, through bank fund transfers or GCash. The remaining balance I paid in cash to my assigned driver after the first day of my tour.

One of the things I appreciated with FaMillanes Cebu Transport was their delightful customer service. When my plane landed at Mactan-Cebu Airport, I was already thinking of messaging them when I arrive at my hotel, but as we were deplaning, I received a message from them the details of my assigned driver, car model, and confirmation of my hotel, and a short “Ingat (which means to stay safe) and enjoy your stay” and “Welcome to Cebu” notes when I mentioned that I just arrived at the airport.

It’s nothing much, really, but most of the time, it’s actually these small thoughtful things that matters. It felt home-y, like a friend is eager to have you around. Something like that.

They also regularly update their page with photos of their clients’ tours as feedback and for others to see.

As I mentioned, I was previously assigned a sedan, but on the day I arrived, I was informed that a Mitsubishi Strada will be used instead so I had to double check with them in case I needed to pay extra for it. Fortunately, they told me it was okay and no need to pay extra. On the second day, I was picked up by a Toyota Avanza, again, not a sedan, but no additional fees was asked.

After the tour, I even asked if I could stop by 7/11 and the bank. I was contemplating if it would be possible since it wasn’t part of the tour but Gener was generous enough to say yes and look for the nearest one to my hotel.

As for my assigned driver, Gener, I have no complains whatsoever. I could tell from the get-go that he’s sort of an introvert, sort of not the talkative type, but it’s okay, I was already talktative enough for the both of us, plus he did his best to hold the conversation. That alone was something I appreciated. And since he’s not the talkative type, if I ran out of fuel to talk, he didn’t press me with questions, so the silence was also appreciated. He was also quick to meet me after my tour so he could take a photo of me in front of wherever I was.

After the first day of my trip, I was messaged again, by who I think was Ms. Estela, based on the way the messages were (yes, I’m observant like that), but again, I might be wrong. Anyway, as I was saying, I got a message asking how my tour was, and again, this was greatly appreciated. Good–or great–customer service is my weakness whenever I’m travelling or just going into an establishment.

I’m not hard to please. Just treat me well and I will sing praises about it to other people.

Again, going baaaaack, I was able to have a few back and forths Ms. Estela after my first day and again, as I previously mentioned, the feeling was home-y. Like a relative checking in. A few confirmations were, well, confirmed for my second day and the rest was history.

So, verdict. Would I recommend FaMillanes Cebu Transport? Yes, of course! (Have you not read all that I’ve mentioned? Kidding.) I’ve actually recommended them to a few friends already who I know are thinking of travelling to Cebu soon. And I’ve even planned my next trip to Cebu later this year (tee-hee!) with them in mind already.

You can check out their page here for updates, available packages and reservations. Enjoy your Cebu tour!

So, I’ll see you on my next post? Okay? Okay. See yah, driftling!

Bye-bee!