[bubbles928]

Originally Posted by leghk

If beach and sunshine is the main choice then definately check seasonal weather for when you plan to stay.

Can highly recommend the beaches on langkawi. If you want a bit of culture not too long/difficult to head across to Georgetown on Penang.

KK is my next destination, and friends have recommended it for the beaches,the wildlife and Mt Kinnabalu. Have been to Sarawak and really enjoyed it there.

I found the beaches were not as nice in Cebu (Mactan Island) also little to see and do outside the hotels. There are some really nice and quiet beaches at the south end of the island, but unlikely you will go down there unless you know someone. Not much to see in Cebu city.

No idea about Sanya.

I must say, sadly, you are right about going to cebu with someone who lives there or at least knows the island very well for you to be able to go around. there ARE actually a lot you can do there. Unfortunately, most, if not all, travel packages to cebu only gives you an option to stay at shangri-la or plantation, which are both on mactan island. while both resorts/hotels are nice places to stay, they are about an hour away from cebu city/main cebu island. while on mactan island, however, you can choose to visit the bird sanctuary. i forgot which months are best to visit the place, though (will have to do a bit of a research on that..hehehe)
If you are looking for beautiful beach in cebu, it's best (in my opinion) to go north of cebu island and off to bantayan island or malapascua. powder-white sand, clear waters, a peaceful get-away indeed. it'll be quite a travel from the airport, but when u get there, at either malapascua or bantayan, it's definitely worth it.
as for activities on the island, im sure u can find something interesting to do, but as i said, it would be best to have a "guide" to get you around. one more thing, it's great to visit cebu city during the "Sinulog" festival which is every january, when the yearly mardi gras is held.