Can Anyone Give Me Advice About Going To Phillipines Please

[junglejimbo]

im off to thailand in 5 days time, i do not want to spend all my time in thailand, ive done laos and cambodia. i want to try the phillipines, though i have heard some bad stories , whats it really like ? where to go for good nights out etc, obviously i dont want to go there for sex but i do like the company of woman , who doesnt. i dont fancy being stuck in a city like manilla.

whats food like ?

where good to go ?

best beaches ?

cheapest hotels /

best diving ?

best and cheapest flights from thailand and visa info ?

please just let me know some info. THANKS IN ADVANCE

[Fookhaht]

I was there for a week in April (my second trip). I recommend Davao (Mindanao) as a base from which to travel, snorkel, hike, mountain climb, lay around in some nice resorts, etc. I loved it there.

Best flight deals are Cebu Pacific. However, I flew Philippine Airlines because I had a complicated itinerary with 8 flights--and they had the best overall deal, combining the flights and special promotions. Warning--Philippine Airlines was always late, so allow a lot of time for any connecting flights.

Can get hotels from 3-star (clean, friendly, $20 USD/night) to 5-star ($170USD for 2 nights on Agoda, and SUPER first class customer service). I would also take the boat across the narrow Davao Bay to the nearby Samal Island. Plenty of resorts over there from 3 to 5 star.

Also you might try Eden Nature Park Resort on the slopes of Mount Apo. Cool, mountain temperatures combined with beautiful bungalows in the temperate evergreen forests are a nice break from the hotter, humid lowlands. Great place for walking in gardens, and the buffet style meals are tasty and abundant.

As an American, I had visa-on-arrival, so no prior visa needed. If you're another nationality check the Philippine Embassy website for your country.

For best beaches, go to Boracay Island. A bit touristy, but has all the amenities in addition to a beautiful white-sand beach.

Food? I loved it all. A lot more meat than you get in Thailand. They eat a lot of beef, too, and it's good--like you'd get in North America or Australia. I loved any kind of beef smothered in their black-pepper-gravy sauce, with onions and sometimes mushrooms, which seems to be quite popular everywhere. Also, have their ADOBO ("Adobo is the name of a popular dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine that involves meat or seafood marinated in a sauce of vinegar and garlic, browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade." --Wikipedia). I miss it already.

FOOTNOTE: I've traveled to over 30 countries in Europe and Asia, and The Philippines ranks second (in my opinion) in friendly, professional hospitality. (Japan is first, in IMHO). Lots of lovely, smiling Pinoys and Pinays everywhere with warm greetings and often eager to practice their English. In the outlying islands (translation: out of Manila), Filipinos seem much bolder than Thais when they want to meet a foreigner. It's enjoyable to strike up a conversation just about anywhere in English.

[kuripot]

Manila is a s***hole.

Boracay is too commercial ( for me ). Personally I would go down to Cebu and then across to Bohol which is around 90 minutes by fast ferry or Dumaguete which has a nice feel to it and is only a 30 minute flight from Cebu. Bohol has some nice beaches and resorts which are inexpensive. If you are pushing the boat out then Plantation Bay on Mactan. On Cebu island there are some small resorts in the south such as Moalboal which is about 3-4 hours by minibus from Cebu. Mactan island has some decent resorts and facilities.

For female company you could try the shopping malls of Ayala and SM . Depending upon your nationality you would normally get a 21 day stamp on arrival and these can be extended at some travel agents saving the hassle of going to BOI and applying.

[junglejimbo]

thanks guys,

im uk national . also will be on a budget , will maybe go for 4-5 days. girls in shopping malls ? whats nightlife etc like in cebu ? or boracay ? too touristy ? as in backpackers etc or just farang males ? i dont mind plenty of foreign girls at all

[craigt3365]

Wow....5 days is pretty short. PI is huge!!!! I'd pick one place and stick with it. Getting from one place to another will eat up the better part of a day. Transportation can be slow.

You have to decide what you want to do, and then focus on that. If it's diving, then Palawan is incredible. Cebu has some OK spots. Dumaguette has that island off shore with lots of clown fish. Bohol is a great place also.

Forget Manila. Even Cebu city is not that nice. Boracay is very commercialized, and expensive, but has really nice beaches. IMHO, the food sucked. Getting around is difficult as many times you are going island to island via boat. Security is...strange. First time I ever saw armed guards at every grocery store. Heck, every store! Weather can be a problem...typhoons are not unusual...tends to mess up your diving!

Not many foreign girls. Tourism is down a bit in the PI

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/philippines/whats-problem-philippine-tourism-918924

[craigt3365]

Let me add to this....I really enjoyed my month trip there. Had a great time and met some really nice people. Most speak English, so a nice change from here. I'd like to go back as I missed Palawan and the rice terraces.

[PattayaParent]

Baguio and Banaue were the best places I went to in 4 years in Philippines.

Good enough for a 5 days trip if you don't want to be in Manila / Angeles.

Puerto Galera was a nice beach place not far from Manila.

[pigeonjake]

i was in cagayon de orr city, stayed in the apple tree resort right on the beach was beautiful,

but i must say i prefare thailand as to be honest i didnt feel to safe in phils, and im a 6ft 16st ex rugby player, maybe me but it was just a feeling i got in a couple of bars,

jake

[junglejimbo]

as i say i like the bars / nightlife, beaches, maybe diving but its not a big issue. dont want to be stuck in seedy manilla or angeles. hey jake where exactly were you on your trip ?

would really like more info on prices of guesthouses on the beach , girls , drinks, flights.food although im not a big eater.

[PattayaParent]

Food is pretty bland if you like spicy? Bicol express is the nearest thing you'll get to spicy.

Adobo and another dish I can't remember the name of are the main staples.

Pizzas and burgers are everywhere though and Pilipinos consider them to be 'their' food, spaghetti also.

Sinigang is a nice sour soup.

Beer is better and cheaper than in Thailand. San Miguel Super Dry was my favourite.

Local rum (Tanguay?) is cheap.

In Peurto Galera and Boracay a bungalow on the beach would be 300 Pesos............................. 20 years ago.

[davejonesbkk]

This is an interesting thread, I may need to go to Manila in a few weeks for a visa and will probably stay around a week.

Pigeonjake - what exactly made you nervous there and in what kind of bars? I'm the kind of person who likes to go to local places especially bars and I'd love to meet some females but don't fancy getting my head kicked....and I haven't played rugby since I was 14!

Kuripot - where is Ayala and SM? In Manila?

[PattayaParent]

This is an interesting thread, I may need to go to Manila in a few weeks for a visa and will probably stay around a week.

Pigeonjake - what exactly made you nervous there and in what kind of bars? I'm the kind of person who likes to go to local places especially bars and I'd love to meet some females but don't fancy getting my head kicked....and I haven't played rugby since I was 14!

Kuripot - where is Ayala and SM? In Manila?

If it's a visa for Thailand forget it, they would only issue single entry when I last went there (it was in 2000 though so maybe it's changed now?)

Edit: Yes Ayala and SM are in Manila.

[davejonesbkk]

Dammit. I will be going for an Ed visa though and will have all the necessary docs....

[rodentwarrior]

I moved to Cebu from Bangkok, after 8 years there. It's a beautiful place. Boracay is fine at the moment as it's low season just make sure you haggle hard.

It's as safe here as anywhere!

[davejonesbkk]

Interesting, I've been in bkk almost 8 years myself now, so how does Cebu compare to bkk and also Manila?