This page is intended as a sample showing what we can do to promote Vacation houses for rental purposes in Argao, Cebu Island, The Philippines. This page is still a work in progress. I want more fact checking and photos. The lighting on this photo is terrible. It must be replaced.
A Beautiful fence and a lockable door can be opened to allow guests to walk down steps to the softly lapping tropical ocean. When the tide is high a swimmer can gently lower herself to the surface, push off and swim with small fish. At low tide the steps may be slippery. Carefully constructed banisters allow us to hold the railing with two hands if necessary and step down two or three steps onto the beach sand or step up onto dry concrete steps rising to the fence door.
Stepping in from the roof sheltered wood deck, we pass through a sliding glass door into the kitchen which expands into a great room and leads to 2 side by side air-conditioned Bedrooms and the indoor Bathroom. There is a large dining table, with seating for 6 and an ample food preparation counter covered with plastic laminate all in very good condition. The floor is tiled.
STEVE, CHECK ALL OF THESE FACTS for ACCURACY!
A Spiral Steel Stairway leads to the second floor. I estimated the house size at very close to 2,000 square feet or if you prefer, approximately 222 square meters. It is certainly large enough for privacy when desired.
I was amazed at the colors. I intend to return with a better camera for more photos. I have visited the New York coast looking over the Atlantic, but never saw such beautiful colors as I did here.
I was there overnight. The house was full of guests, many age 18 and 19, 2 babies, several adults, and a 5 week old Persian white kitten. There must have been at least 16 of us there in this Hollywood Beach House at the other edge of Earth, where the sea kisses the sky.
We are on the second floor balcony looking out the longer distance. The beach is easy to see. One can safely look down to the expansive furnished deck, which includes a big sink for food preparation or rinsing saltwater wetted clothing.
I wanted to be away from the others who found mattresses on the upper floor to “crash” for the night wherever it was agreeable. I found a bamboo couch on the balcony and rested there through the night. Beyond the roof balcony fence was darkness and lights from fishermen working the near beach shoreline for a while. Apparently they caught what they wanted and beached their boats at a house next to this one.
The house has two bedrooms with bunk beds and air conditioning, an indoor bathroom, and a second bathroom as is customary in The Philippines, placed outside of the house for the convenience of short term guests. A door beside the kitchen leads down 2 steps to the outdoor bathroom. Generally in The Philippines these are referred to as a comfort room or a C.R.
The Philippines has many buildings built by people who imagine they can do it themselves with no knowledge or experience and there is no state inspection. For someone from the US , UK or Europe this is “strange” to put it mildly.
Not so with these homes or vacation rental houses in Argao. There are several American, and German crafts-men around, probably more whom I have not met. They are well experienced and follow building code practices or may build more stringently than codes require. I suspect they do, because no one wants to lose a roof during a typhoon, and I saw no evidence of any buildings damage by a typhoon anywhere in the community. But truth is, Typhoons don’t usually reach this far south. They cross sometimes North of Cebu City and mostly cross Luzon island near Manila.
This house was built by fine crafts-men. I was very much impressed with the woodwork and joinery. Everything was stronger than it had to be and was built well and intended to last.
I felt as if I were at a home on the beach in Hollywood. Then looking out to the ocean. The colors left me feeling as if I were on a Greek Island overlooking the Aegean Sea. I was emotionally overwhelmed.
The kitchen is modern with a small electric stove, a single, deep stainless steel sink with the faucet placed thoughtfully so that it’s convenient for rinsing. The land lord left two sachets of Joy dishwashing liquid. That was a considerate help to us.
The land lord maintains a policy that furniture must not be moved from upper to lower floors. I made certain the resin chairs were where we had found them. I was the self-designated dish washer and made sure everything was clean, in the drying rack and the stove was wiped and dried to look decent and leave no need for further cleaning.
I cannot tell prices until I have a word from the land lord. This house at that May 2026 date was renting for 12,000 Philippine Pesos which at this moment is $194.80 US Dollars per 24 hour period. Exit time should be at 12 Noon.
It is wise to call the land-lords when you are leaving so they know to come look and be sure everything is in place and secured. I wish to inform you, Argao is a very safe community. I never have heard of any theft, or any sort of crimes. When you arrive in Argao you’ll discover a modern recently built shopping mall as good as any in the US. There are many cafes and restaurants, and two world famous fast food burger shops, a “public market” (farmer’s market) and near the public market is Joni Miranda’s Sprice: Fun Dining Cafe also in beautiful Argao, Cebu. If you want to taste what is perhaps the worlds best batter dipped, deep friend chicken, you must visit Sprice.
For the beautiful colors of the Agean sea and the peace you want on a vacation or a survey to consider retirement here, you cannot do better than this beautiful vacation house.
BY THE WAY We are VERY well naturally protected on Cebu Island and never felt even a vibration from the quake that was in the news, which occurred on Mindanao; June 8th 2026. We never felt anything!
If you want a great vacation and maybe a chance to snoop around about making part of your winter life or all of your retired life here, this area is excellent. It’s safe, clean, has excellent schools, churches, healthcare facilities, good transportation, many US, British and European residents are here, and there is all the banking and shopping you want just as it is in malls and grocery super markets in the USA.
There is a natural economic-sociologic tendency at work here. We “foreigners” move in, spend more money, indicate our request for more modernization, and the local citizens, who naturally want the money you have available to buy their goods and services, rush to make these services and products available. Thus, we now have up-to-date internet connections, online and in person banking, restaurants, clothing shops, appliances, furniture and so much more.
In a way it behaves like a maturing animal. The basics are there and as it matures more color and changes in the animal’s fur appear. Similarly, in this deveoping society it matures by displaying different furniture types, different clothing styles, multiple options of floor tile, wall tile, counter top plastic laminates, higher quality electronic devices. Likewise, some of the same car brands you can buy in New York can be had here. IF it is made in Japan, it is probably here.
If you visited here years ago and assume it’s just the same now as it was 10-years ago, I’m happy to report, it is modernizing almost as quickly as you can offer to pay for it.
Internet Connections: Spanning the past two years the local Globe, Philippine telecommunications company has replaced literally TONS of copper wiring, much of which was installed in the 1940s after World War II ended. The copper connections are gone and now replaced with fiber optic lines. Internet connections are often, even at the south end of the island, as fast as any you will find in the United States, New York, or London, England. Cell towers can reach your phone or laptop in most of the mid town shopping district areas quickly. There might be a 3 to 5 second wait for everything to “come up” on your screen, and from then on, the connection is the same here, as it is where you might be right now in New York, Cebu, or Singapore!
Banks here, Metro Bank, and Philippine National Bank (PNB), have branches in New York City. Social security or pension money can be deposited to you in one of those and it will immediately appear available to you in The Philippines. PNB also has a network branch bank in Singapore. This gives you several business and retirement advantages if you prefer the big city and Ultra Comfort lifestyle.
Speak to your travel agent about flight arrangements. The most convenient airport for you from the US will be the Cebu City Airport. Avoid Manila if you can!
You will find more small advertisement photos leading to detail pages with the needed contact information. Just click on any smaller box advertisement to jump to a “detail page” similar to this one.
Everything you could really need or want is here in Argao, near the Southern tip of beautiful Cebu Island where the sea gently laps at the sand, and 13 miles in the distance you can almost hear mermaids calling up from The Other Edge of Earth, Where the Sea Kisses the Sky.
