So you’ve packed your bags way too full and need a place to keep your excess belongings for a week in Cebu. Or, perhaps the early 2PM checkout from the hotel has left you heaps of time before your trip home. While there are plenty of sights and scenes to beat that annoying time gap, it’s not fun when you have suitcases to drag along.
Well, worry not, bai. Cebu has facilities where you can drop off your nonessentials for a few hours or days.
Check out your options should you need to part ways with your luggage.
Ibales Luggage Depository
If you want to sleep in at the airport before you next flight or need to leave behind some excess luggage, you can deposit your stuff at Ibales for safekeeping. It’s conveniently located in T1 Domestic Arrival Area of Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA), just a few feet away from the domestic transfer check-in desk.
Other than backpacks and suitcases, Ibales also accepts golf equipment, surfboards, bikes, and balikbayan boxes. I heard they may even keep your moving boxes until you settle in to your new place (you should verify this, though).
The left-luggage facility is open 24 hours. Staff members are friendly, and the prices are reasonable. It comes out to P175 ($3.4) for 2 hours or under P500 ($9.6) per day per backpack/suitcase. Here’s the complete price list:
A few reminders:
- Only items that passed through the airport security system will be accepted.
- You’re not allowed to leave valuables like jewellery, electronics and cash.
For more information, check our page Ibales Luggage Handling Services.
SM City Cebu Traveller’s Lounge
Hotel check-in time is usually between 10AM and 12 noon, so I find this facility extremely helpful whenever I’m on an early flight or boat trip to Cebu. Their doors open at 6AM and close at 8PM.
If you’re attending a business meeting in the city and heading out the same day, you can skip the hotel and just leave your things here. However, you can’t leave your bags overnight or check in your valuables.
While waiting for the mall to open, you can relax in the fully air conditioned seating area or check your social channels using their free WiFi. You can charge your electronics for a small fee. They also have shower rooms, though they’re still under renovation as of writing.
Currency exchange and plane and ferry tickets are available here as well. Right outside the lounge is a taxi bay and nearby is the MyBus terminal, where you can ride the shuttle to the airport.
Here are the fees and how-to’s for using SM Travellers’ Lounge:
For more information about, check our page SM Traveller’s Lounge.
Robinsons Galleria Traveller’s Lounge
This one’s just a couple of blocks away from SM City Cebu and much nearer to the seaport. I like it better because it’s newer, cleaner, more spacious and has better customer service than SM’s. The mall itself is preferable for people wanting a less crowded, more relaxed place to while away.
I love that the lounge has a back door leading straight to several cafes inside of the mall and that there’s a free shuttle going to the pier (until 4PM only).
The facility used to be free for travellers with valid tickets for the same day, but they now charge a minimal fee for storing your things. A concierge is available to help with your travel needs: from booking plane and boat tickets (except for Roble tickets) to requesting taxi service and availing tour packages.
All other facilities are free – internet access, charging stations, TV, wheelchair service and comfort rooms. Shower rentals are available for a small fee, but this doesn’t include toiletries.
The lounge is open from 8Am to 9PM. No overnight storage allowed.
Self-Storage
Luggage storage facilities provide much-needed respite for travellers and a way to stay out of trouble during holidays. But what if your belongings needs more time away from you or vice versa? What if you have bigger stuff or personal treasures to lock away?
Cebu has an answer for this as well: self-storage facilities. They are cropping up all over the city, and here are the ones we know of so far
ExtraSpace Self Storage Solutions
Store your valuables for a month or up to a year at ExtraSpace, located at 163 Don Mariano Cui St. in the Capitol area.
Their unit sizes range from small to extra large, which you can rent for a month or up to a year. For comparison, their small unit is about the size of an extra large closet, medium unit is the size of an elevator, large unit is the size of a freight elevator, and extra large unit the size of a 10-foot shipping container.
Amenities:
- PWD access
- Cargo elevator, trolleys, push carts and a few helping hands
- Smoke and fire alarms
They close at 6PM. If you want to check out the units, set an appointment via 09954862768 or their FB page.
For more information, check our page ExtraSpace.
StorageTown Inc.
This three-level self storage facility on Sacris Road, Barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City will start operation in November 2019.
All of its 10,000 square meters are leasable for as low as P1,000 ($19) per month. The smallest unit is 2m2 which will easily fit about eight balikbayan boxes. The biggest units (90m2) will set you back P45,000 ($865) a month.
Some cool features:
- 24/7 onsite security with 100 CCTV cameras all over the place
- Pin code and RFID access
- Text alerts every time your unit is opened
- 24/7 access
Make sure to exclude perishable, flammable or illegal items from your packing list, or you’ll forfeit your chances of using StorageTown.
For more information, check our page for StorageTown Inc.
Hypercube Storage Solutions
Hypercube is another option is you need more space at home or in the office but can’t throw away the clutter. They’re located at Escario Central, N. Escario St., Barangay Camputhaw, near the Capitol Site and Ayala Center Cebu.
They have 10- and 20-footer units for rent for as short as a month. Here are their current rates:
CCM Storage Services
From locker spaces to 40-foot container vans, this company has some cool storage solutions to offer. Though, their services lean more towards commercial needs where their extra services (i.e. shelving, racking and decking systems) make sense.
Rental period can be as short as a month monthly at affordable rates.
Container Conversions and Modifications (CCM) Inc. can be found at Mabugat Road, Lower Tabunok, Mandaue City.
For more information, check our page CCM Storage Services.
Read my full guide on how to packing for the Philippines. In it, I detail the essentials for a trouble-free and enjoyable trip, including what to pack and what to leave at home.
About the author
Hey, it’s Chenzi! A writer made in Cebu. Stringing words is my bread and butter, but baking and mothering my 3-year-old are what feed my soul. I have an insatiable thirst for learning.
