Adventure Cafe: The First Resto Adventure Cafe in the Philippines

and it’s in Cebu, baby!

Like what I stated in a previous post, I was invited by my colleague, Doi, to grace the soft opening of Adventure Cafe which is a new Cebu attraction with a lot of activities created for the family, friends, colleagues and well, adventurers in general.

Here are just some of the things to do in this part of Cebu to name a few: zip line, rappelling, wall climbing, stress wall – throwing plates against a wall, rope courses, guided tours, caving, mountain trekking, trek to Gaas Falls and many more.

adventure cafe
you can’t miss it!

How to Get There:
We went to the Citilink terminal to ride a van going to Balamban. Fare costs a hundred bucks and it took us about an hour from downtown Cebu going to Gaas. We already told the driver to drop us off at the Resto Adventure Cafe and they didn’t have to ask us twice as it’s already a known destination even before it opened. The cafe is also just beside the road so getting lost is out of the question

100 Php – fare cost from Citilink terminal to Balamban
50 Php – fare going back from Balamban to Cebu City (you can wait for a van to pass by which will take you back to Cebu City).

Note: There’s also an option for you to ride at the Ayala Center Cebu van terminal which also costs the same.

adventure cafe balamban adventure cafe cebu
signboard, Tiki statues

The skies were clear and the air was fresh. We were greeted by Nigel, one of the owners, who also gave us a tour of their project. It’s not yet complete but they have a lot of things planned for the place. Hanging Bridges, Horseback Riding, Massage Spa; just to name a few. You can’t help but be amazed seeing their vision come to life. I was already picturing the expansion happening.

 rooftop balamban balamban mountain adventure cafe roof
view from the top of this new Cebu Attraction

The sun was up but the air was cool given that we were already in the mountains. We ate lunch and discussed their other plans which was quite a handful but exciting altogether.

I have never been to this side of Cebu (Balamban) and all I knew about it was that it’s situated in the higher areas of the region. I even wondered why they had a fireplace in each of the floor levels of the cafe. I didn’t expect for it to be so cold even during summer.

As Nigel explained to us, “You don’t have to go to Baguio or Tagaytay to experience this type of climate, it’s just a 30 to 45 minute drive or ride from Cebu City.” All the while I was thinking that I should’ve brought a jacket or sweater. Good thing I was already accustomed to the temperature in air conditioned buildings being in a call center industry.

 doi, nigel, ed zip line cable  zip line cebu ticket
with Nigel Wenceslao, discussing their projects and waiting for our tickets

cavers meal rappeler's special zipliner steak
Caver’s Meal, Rappeler’s Special, Zipliner’s Steak

Nigel had to excuse himself to attend to other guests which we didn’t mind knowing how busy he was for the event. I was really glad that we were treated well despite how tired he and the rest of the staff already were. We took the opportunity to just take pictures of the cafe while waiting for our turn for the zip line.

 adventure cafe balamban house fireplace adventure cafe laptop adventure cafe
wheel, house on the left – sheesh, a very nice resthouse on top of the mountains!, fireplace at night, transferring photos

When our numbers were called, I was already shaking a bit because I’ve never ridden on a zip line before. Though there were already people who went before me, there’s still that certain fear of falling. To think, that the kid before me was on his third ride. I had to gather all my courage but still made sure that the harness was tight.

Adventure Ideas is the team behind the technical set-up and they assured me that the cable was secure and everything was clipped properly. The hardest part was ‘letting go’ which took me some time too. But after that, I was already grinning from ear to ear because of enjoying the ride.

DSC_7482  DSC_7496 DSC_7499
first time to zip!

I also tried climbing the wall which was also a first time – yeah, go figure. Darn was it high; but I was happy that I got to reach the top even if I was a beginner. Climbing was okay; it was again, dropping that took me by my nerves. I’m afraid of heights and conquering it is still a work in progress.

wall climb adventure cafe cebu climb adventure cafe wall climb climb cebu
wall climb and rappel

wall climbing cebu adventure cafe balamban
ayos!

Initially, I thought it was just a restaurant wherein adventurers, travelers, backpackers can just drop by to eat and drink; like a stopover in the middle of the road. But I was wrong, it was coined as such because the owners wanted to offer something different; to have a wholesome adventure for the whole family. Surely, I haven’t heard of a restaurant in the Philippines that proposed these types of activities.

 gaas road road gaas balamban
other things you can do while waiting for your turn. take pictures outside.

I talked to a lot of their employees at the bar before we headed home and what’s nice is that these employees are actually from the Gaas as well. They also knew the services that they offered and were very accommodating. One thing I always keep in mind whenever I am being served is when I say “Thank you.”, I always anticipate if they say “You’re welcome.” or “Thank you.” in return.

It’s just a simple test that I make to check how courteous people are; if they acknowledged the appreciation for their services. Indeed, they were polite which is really a plus in spite of the stress that they encountered from all the preparations of the soft opening.

 adventure cafe restobar resto adventure cold balamban
when lights are yellow; me on the side, freezing from the cold.

I can say that Adventure Cafe is also great for team building activities so that employees of companies can bond together instead of going to the beach which is the usual escapade.

Everyday is an Adventure!
Adventure Cafe: The First Resto Adventure Cafe in the Philippines
Gaas, Balamban, Cebu

  adventure resto bar resto adventure cafe
fireworks, at night

Activity Rates:
Zip line weekend: 150/person (to and from)
weekday: 100/person
Wall climb Rappel: 150/person weekend rate
weekday: 100/person

Contact Information:
Temporary Number: 0922 948 3947 (Romel Pia), 09209536895 (Nigel Wenceslao)
Twitter Account: http://twitter.com/adventurecebu
Facebook Account: Adventure Cafe Facebook

 

PS: Thanks for the warm accommodation to the staff and congratulations for a successful soft opening! Will be back!


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
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For questions, advertising, and other concerns, shoot an email to ed@soloflighted.com.


23 thoughts on “Adventure Cafe: The First Resto Adventure Cafe in the Philippines”

  1. duol ra unta ni sa where I live. This looks nice gyud, the only thing is, I would like to suggest sa owners na dapat ang place provide a van for group reservations of some sort, or at least jeepney shuttle service sa start of the day, noon and end of the day.

    Reply
  2. @EJ: haha. sometimes we don't get to explore the places in our own area. 

    I will forward your suggestion to the management of The Adventure Cafe. I also told them about a van service for groups and they're still working on it since it's still not fully operational. Thanks! 🙂

    Reply
  3. Thanks a lot ed/doi and the group for your comments. surely i will discuss this with the board and hopefully after completing the major activities, rooms, etc. we will surely take a look at this.

    Reply
  4. been there last nov 20 and its really full of fun. I indeed enjoyed the place and their customer service is beyond expectations.
     
    You don't have to worry about shuttle service, they are working on it as i was able to speak to Nigel Wenceslao about it. Surely, they will reserve you for the next public van vehicle to arrived. And just take note of the van plate no. 🙂
     
    The place is awesome and the climate is very cool. There is no place like home CEBU… everything is there..
     
    one thing which CEBU does not have, is an amusement park like Star City and Enchanted Kingdom. Hope they will create one in the future haha

    Reply
    • @frox: the time when we visited the place was during their soft opening. surely there are a lot of changes. Met Nigel one time and he invited us to check the place out again. I’ve heard that their ‘Stress Wall’ is up so I’d love to try throwing plates around. Cebu is developing fast and hopefully, we will be able to attract more people to come to our place. 😀

      thanks for visiting my blog! 😀

      Reply
  5. @edcel: yeah, stresswall is up and it was so great! I did try one and hit on Call Center. haha it was fun while Nigel was taking picture on me throwing the plates. It only cost you 25 pesos per plate/glass. I even joked at him if i could take the plates home. haha
    I 've read your previous post bout you.. so you are working in a call center industry? so do i 😉

    Reply
  6. Hi! Thanks for visiting AC and for the suggestions. Anyways just some updates:
    1. Van/Shuttle Service: We have arrange for the V-hires travelling Balamban to AC there are lot of V-hire from Ayala terminal or Citilink and on your way back just inform o
    ur front desk and we will reserve a V-hire for you going back to the City. If you want to have your own shuttle service waiting for you, we have available VAN that can take 10-12 pips from Cebu City to AC and back at 1500/van only. This way you can save a lot and at the comfort of your time since the VAN is dedicated and will be waiting for you anytime
    2. Stress wall. Yep, already up 
    3. Other activities: high elevation ropes course might be constructed 1st Qtr and hopefully will be functional by 2nd qtr
    4. Horse back riding and other activities might be up early next year
     
    Ed, I lost my phone, please send me your number and Doi's. 
     
    Thanks a lot!
     
    NGW

    Reply
    • not so sure with this, because they have a restaurant in the cafe. maybe chips would be good. but I’ll get back to you on this one!

      Reply
  7. wow..i've never been there..but i really like adventures and i want to try the zipline..i heard it is really a nice place.. 🙂 i'm planning to go there next week with my girl friends..hmmmm..chada kaau maglaag jud..i want to discover cebu since this is my first time here..

    Reply

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