Philippine Vacation Need Help!

[Hotbones]

Greetings,

I would like to know more about deals and famous places in the Philippines, my wife and I are taking a visit there this coming August. I haven't booked a ticket yet, no hotel reservations made and etc. Advises I need are, which place to stay, best beaches and great tasting food.

Thanks.

Signed
Hotbones

[Slippery_Pete]

Greetings,

I would like to know more about deals and famous places in the Philippines, my wife and I are taking a visit there this coming August. I haven't booked a ticket yet, no hotel reservations made and etc. Advises I need are, which place to stay, best beaches and great tasting food.

Thanks.

Signed
Hotbones

I've been to Plantation Bay. Its nice, but very pricey. Haven't been to the rest of the places that you mention, but some other places to consider are Bohol/Panglao island, Moalboal, and Bantayan Island. They are all located in the Central Visayas, and very easily accessible from Cebu City.

I won't comment on the food in the Philippines, its hit and miss and depends a lot on your tastes. Some great seafood can be had generally anywhere you go if you are into that.

[heymikey]

If you're in Palawan, head north to El Nido and the Bacuit archipelago.

[psyko514]

I've been to Boracay twice and loved it. All the locals told me to visit Palawan, though. Apparently, Palawan today is like Boracay 20 years ago (still pristine, not overdeveloped, not spoiled by tourists, etc). There are hundreds of other "hidden" treasures as well.

Like Slippery_Pete, the food can be hit or miss. The desserts and sweets are amazing, though. I still crave some of the delicious baked goods.

How long are you planning on staying? Do you want to stay in one place or travel around? Cebu Pacific has a seat sale on right now and you can hop from one place to another in the Philippines for ~$50 round trip per person, taxes included.

[rob444]

I was there for 3 weeks a few years ago for a vacation. My personal favs were:
- El Nido in Palawan. Very underdeveloped (i.e where i stayed was no electricity from 7am - 2pm each day!), but absolutely beautiful beaches. Rented a cute hut with AC a few seconds walk to the beach for $35 a night. Can go out on boats and island hop all day to all of the gorgeous lagoons and tiny beaches, almost all of which had tons of interesting fish for snorkelling. Close by is the Puerto Princesa Underground River (one of the new wonders of the world), but IMO this is more a tourist trap and only mildly interesting to actually see!
- Malapascua Island (North of Cebu). I would only recommend this if you enjoy scuba diving. Otherwise its a very peaceful, laid back little island with not much entertainment except lounging on the beaches! Here the scuba diving specialty is seeing the Thresher Sharks which were amazing, as well as the massive manta rays which were equally amazing.

To avoid:
- Manila. Typical big dirty overcrowded city. IMO hardly anything worth seeing here, its mostly shopping malls. Just use as an airport hub and get out asap!

Oh and for food, when on the beach you can never go wrong with seafood. For something local and unique, try the Balut (if you can stomach it) ! :)

[Slippery_Pete]

To avoid:
- Manila. Typical big dirty overcrowded city. IMO hardly anything worth seeing here, its mostly shopping malls. Just use as an airport hub and get out asap!

Oh and for food, when on the beach you can never go wrong with seafood. For something local and unique, try the Balut (if you can stomach it) ! :)

Definetly try Balut!! Ignore the disgusting look of it. If you enjoy the taste of hard boiled egg, imagine that flavour times 100. It is rich and delicious. I tried it once on a dare, and would eat it over and over again. Its also considered an aphrodisiac :D

As for an airport hub, I would use Cebu City. Its a smaller and less crowed city, you can take a van or bus to many beaches on Cebu Island, and you can fly Cebu Pacific to many other great locations in the Philippines. You can even fly directly into Cebu City from your orgin via Cathay Pacific or Korean Air (through HK or Seoul respectively. It will cost you a little more than flying into Manila, but the extra cost is worth it.

[happyme1717]

If you will ask about famous places in the Philippines. The answer would be a lot! :)

From Manila if you'll go north, you can check out Hundred Islands and Bolinao (beach and caving). Baguio City is another place where you can experience some culture of people they call as Igorots. Moving forward Ilocos Region has many historical places and churches built hundred years ago. One is Paoay Church which is more than 500 years old. There are also nice beaches in Ilocos like Pagudpud. (as they say food varies depending on your taste. Local food includes super yummy Halo-halo! There are also interesting food like fried empanada, lechon (roast whole pig), miki? (a kind of noodles soup with some chicharon on top) etc.

Traveling south of Manila. Try to visit Tagaytay where you can find the smallest Volcano in the world and do some nature adventure. Laguna also have the famous Pagsanjan Falls. Sweets like Young Coconut meat pie which they call Buko Pie from Laguna is a hit for me!

By plane: Check out the beautiful beach of Boracay Island! white sand and crystal clear water. You can find all kinds of hotels here from a budget one to the most expensive ones. Some of the activities we've done are Reef walking, snorkeling, island hopping, ATVs, and banana boat. You can also do fishing and scuba diving. It really depends on what your preference are. Night life is very much alive too!
The smallest monkey in the world can be found in Bohol, where you can also do a Loboc river tour in a Balsa.
El Nido Resorts in Palawan, as mentioned earlier, is very beautiful yet very pricey. You can go snorkeling in front of your Cabana and do kayak going to the small and big lagoon.

There are so much more to explore in the Philippines. I was there January this year and stayed for 5 weeks. When I grow old I want to stay there if I can, the weather is much better than here in Canada for the old folks :S

Lastly, never leave Philippines without trying their very sweet Philippine Mango! Oh my.. a lot different on what mangoes taste here lol.

[happyme1717]

Definetly try Balut!! Ignore the disgusting look of it. If you enjoy the taste of hard boiled egg, imagine that flavour times 100. It is rich and delicious. I tried it once on a dare, and would eat it over and over again. Its also considered an aphrodisiac :D

I love Balut too! they say it's good for the your bones and your memory. Have you tried Bibingkang Itlog? Its rotten eggs mixed with a flour mixture and steamed. My husband tried it and he felt dizzy and sick haha You have to dip it in a vinegar for you not to smell the rotten eggs while eating lolz. Oh well it's actually gross but I will admit I like it hehe.

[pmc]

Not sure what budget you have planned but here is a famous quiet spot to relax ( more of a getaway vs a sightseeing destination) but if you're going for the whole month and you want to experience some "quiet" for a weekend or week try it. (it's not really a budget place)

http://www.bellaroccaresorts.com

[Slippery_Pete]

I love Balut too! they say it's good for the your bones and your memory. Have you tried Bibingkang Itlog? Its rotten eggs mixed with a flour mixture and steamed. My husband tried it and he felt dizzy and sick haha You have to dip it in a vinegar for you not to smell the rotten eggs while eating lolz. Oh well it's actually gross but I will admit I like it hehe.

I've never actually tried it, but I will try it next time I'm there. I'll try anything that might be gross once, and occassionally I actually like it, just like with the balut.

[mannyb]

I've been to Plantation Bay. Its nice, but very pricey.How was the pool area? I see from pics it's very large. Were the rooms decent? I have a wedding in Cebu in 11 months and we maybe staying here.

[scuba2day]

There are a lot of good suggestions here. However, bear in mind August is the peak of the SW monsoon season and there is also the possibility of typhoons. Perhaps you should look at Indonesia instead.

[Slippery_Pete]

How was the pool area? I see from pics it's very large. Were the rooms decent? I have a wedding in Cebu in 11 months and we maybe staying here.

The pools were pretty nice. Much of it is almost like a man made lagoon, which with some rooms you may enter directly into from your balcony. The rooms are nice, especially compared with Philippines standards. We really enjoyed our stay, but again its quite pricey compared to other options in Cebu.

[Slippery_Pete]

There are a lot of good suggestions here. However, bear in mind August is the peak of the SW monsoon season and there is also the possibility of typhoons. Perhaps you should look at Indonesia instead.

True, but I was there for the month of August 2009, and it rarely even rained. 2 weeks after I left however Manila got washed out due to a monsoon. So its hit or miss. But considering Indonesia is practically in the same area of the world, wouldn't it to be susceptible to Monsoons as well?

[mannyb]

The pools were pretty nice. Much of it is almost like a man made lagoon, which with some rooms you may enter directly into from your balcony. The rooms are nice, especially compared with Philippines standards. We really enjoyed our stay, but again its quite pricey compared to other options in Cebu.Thanks. My cousin's fiance used to work there before she moved to Cali. Because she used to be staff, and she's getting married in Cebu, the resort is extending the staff rate to our group for $100/night/room.

[scuba2day]

True, but I was there for the month of August 2009, and it rarely even rained. 2 weeks after I left however Manila got washed out due to a monsoon. So its hit or miss. But considering Indonesia is practically in the same area of the world, wouldn't it to be susceptible to Monsoons as well?

The monsoon season is a weather pattern not an event. Manila was likely hit with a Typhoon (known as a Hurricane in our part of the world).
In fact August is the driest month of the year in many parts of Indonesia (Bali for example).

[Chep]

The monsoon season is a weather pattern not an event. Manila was likely hit with a Typhoon (known as a Hurricane in our part of the world).
In fact August is the driest month of the year in many parts of Indonesia (Bali for example).

Stupid me, I meant typhoon, but kept typing monsoon!

I still wouldn't put too much stress on August being rainy season though. I've spent 3 days indoors last May in Leyte due to heavy rains, and had hardly any rains in August 09. Of course odds are you'll get more rain in Aug/sept in the Philippines.

[mulratt]

Are we only talking about beaches?

The Philippines are more famous for the rice terraces at Banaue. You'll need to trek into the mountains; it's gorgeous up there and one of the highlights of my travels through Asia. There's also Donsol, which is the world capital for diving with whale sharks. If I remember well the season is in May though.

[baruray]

Go to Boracay if you want to party and Palawan if you want a more relaxing vacation where you can enjoy nature. Or better yet, go to both and have fun!

[herrdude]

I've never actually tried it, but I will try it next time I'm there. I'll try anything that might be gross once, and occassionally I actually like it, just like with the balut.

The Vietnamese also eat the same thing it's called hot ga long (for chicken eggs) and hot vit long (for duck eggs).

We can find them in Montreal so surely you can get them in TO.

[heymikey]

This article might help:

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/escape/philippines/philippines-best-beaches-and-islands-632923

[beach247]

I personally enjoy reading this girl's travel blog about the Philippines.

http://www.lakwatseradeprimera.com/category/destinations/philippine/

[Slippery_Pete]

The Vietnamese also eat the same thing it's called hot ga long (for chicken eggs) and hot vit long (for duck eggs).

We can find them in Montreal so surely you can get them in TO.

I've been to Vietnam and they sell hot vit lon everywhere. It seems even more popular than balut in the Philippines. I've tried it before, both in the Philippines, and in Toronto. The one I had in Toronto was terrible comparatively.