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  1. #51
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    @betty - Congrats on choosing PG, I hope you enjoy your stay there. From the airport, you can take a taxi/Grab to Batangas City port, should be ~2H if early morn & no traffic. Negotiate the fare first bcos it's a long ride. I think the first boat to PG leaves at 6 am.

    In PG, try to visit White Beach bcos the sunsets are great and it's also fun to ppl-watch. If you fancy a Balut (boiled duck embryo), there are many vendors around. If you eat one, my opinion of you will be higher, despite your gay macbook. Be sure to take pics for evidence!

    Since you've booked at the Dive Resort, you can also go to the their beach resort & use the pool/beach. If you're booked on a weekday, try to get a room on the 2/F (but 1/F for Brits) and overlooking the sea. Who knows, you may even get the room that I stayed in! The views were great and it was very peaceful to stay in the balcony and have a meal or drink.

    Re: the boat ride back, the sea can get a bit choppy during afternoons. I don't know how your sea legs are, so if you don't like rough seas, try to get a morning boat out of PG.

    As you get out of the boat, there will be touts offering taxis to Manila or elsewhere. If you feel proletariat and want to ride the bus, just walk out of the terminal and you'll see the bus station (use my thread for reference). A bus to Manila (with A/C) should cost ~200 php. Taxi costs 2 to 3k.

    If you have time to while away in Manila, you can go to Rizal Park, Intramuros (the walled inner city) or Mall of Asia (MOA) and Manila Bay. There are many nice restos outside of MOA - very pleasant to have beer/coffee and spend time while waiting for your flight. Those areas aren't too far from the airport either.

    You can leave your luggage at MOA (SM Dept Store or National Book Store) for free while you explore. They'll give you a bag tag just like in the supermarket - I've done that before. Just make sure you have no valuables in your luggage.

    You can also leave your luggage for free at the Mall in Resorts World. There's a big mall and casino. RW is very near Terminal 3 Airport. BTW, if your flight is on a Fri night, make sure you leave for the airport early. The traffic during Fridays is horrible - I almost missed my flight one time.

    BTW trivia for the Brits here: PI was under the Brits for a few months, but the UK "gave" PI back to Spain as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1763. There was another Treaty of Paris (between US and Spain) in 1898, which also concerned PI.

    Cheers and happy vacay! Take lots of pics!
    Last edited by katie23; 06-02-2019 at 08:50 AM. Reason: Added info

  2. #52
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    Davis Knowlton's Avatar
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    Have a great visit!

  3. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg View Post
    You would be sadly dissapointed. I think you are talking about the hobbit house in manila. Not really a girly bar, more just a bar staffed by dwarves.

    Google says it is permanantly closed, so no idea. Looking at on line reviews, definately give it a swerve.
    Closed now in manila i hear that part of manila was turned into a ghost town by mayor lim There was also a Hobbit house in boracaay. Might still be there

  4. #54
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    TizMe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg View Post
    You would be sadly dissapointed. I think you are talking about the hobbit house in manila. Not really a girly bar, more just a bar staffed by dwarves.

    Google says it is permanantly closed, so no idea. Looking at on line reviews, definately give it a swerve.
    Quote Originally Posted by beerlaodrinker View Post
    Closed now in manila i hear that part of manila was turned into a ghost town by mayor lim There was also a Hobbit house in boracaay. Might still be there
    I was there about 12 months ago. I hope that it has closed.

    Overpriced, horrible food and its kept so dark in the hope that you don't notice all the cockroaches scurrying around the place.
    We left before we even finished our first drink, after a cockroach the size of a small fighter jet flew into my daughter's head.

  5. #55
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    stroller's Avatar
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    Was shut last month.
    Not that I wanted to go in, just happened to walk past.
    They also used to pad the bill and shortchange. One needs to be a miser like myself to count all the 20 Pesos notes in the dark.

  6. #56
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by stroller View Post
    Not that I wanted to go in
    No, no.

    There's no reason why a bar staffed by dwarves would be of any interest to you.

  7. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by stroller View Post
    They also used to pad the bill and shortchange
    Well, they were dwarves

  8. #58
    I'm in Jail

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    Shifty little fookers. Wouldnt trust em as far as i could throw em

  9. #59
    or TizYou?
    TizMe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cyrille View Post
    I would forget about Manila and go to Cebu.

    Have a look at Bantayan Island, North West of Cebu


    Quote Originally Posted by TizMe View Post
    We are booked to go to Bantayan Island in 2 weeks time. I prefer to avoid crowds, so I'm looking forward to it.
    In case you missed it in the other thread.



    We had a great time on Bantayan Island and a day trip to neighbouring Virgin Island.

    We went with a few friends of TizShe from college and one of their sons, husband & 2 sisters.

    Was really impressed about how clean the place was.

    Don't know why anyone would choose to go to Boracay.

  10. #60
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    I did miss it.

    Glad you enjoyed your trip.

  11. #61
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    @Tizme - thanks for the vid - I enjoyed that. Yes, I missed it too in the other thread, as I'm less on TD these days. One of my friends went to Kalanggaman Island, also near Cebu. It looked great - quiet beaches, mostly locals.

    Re: Boracay, I guess many people, esp the young crowd, would go there for the bars, partying, and for being "seen and heard" in Boracay. For the young, IG and FB generation, it's more of bragging rights to say that you've been to Boracay.

    However, with the closure of Boracay last year, other beaches are gaining exposure too. There are the beaches in La Union (good for surfing too - no need to go to Siargao which is costly from Luzon). I've also heard about Dingalan in Aurora, Calaguas & Caramoan islands in the Bicol region, Burias Island, etc. So many beaches and islands to choose from. I think for some foreigners, it's the difficulty of getting there that hinders them. For Boracay, it's easy to get to since there are many flights.

    I've recently been to Anawangin Cove in Zambales, but have been too busy with life to post pics here.

  12. #62
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    Yeah, I think you are right Katie.

    Kalanggaman Island is on our to do list.

    We are going to Baler next week.

    For those that don't know, it's where Apocalypse Now surfing scenes were filmed.

  13. #63
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23 View Post
    Re: Boracay, I guess many people, esp the young crowd, would go there for the bars, partying, and for being "seen and heard" in Boracay. For the young, IG and FB generation, it's more of bragging rights to say that you've been to Boracay.
    Long may it continue, I say.

    Keep them all corralled in one place.

  14. #64
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    ^haha. But I've seen quite a few posts of younger friends that they went to the beaches in La Union, so it's now also a "hip" destination among the local IG/FB crowd, esp those that live in Manila or surrounds. The good thing about La Union is that one can do it in tandem with a Vigan historic tour, so you can get a beach/culture holiday in one trip.

    I'm a member of a group on FB where the tour/hike organizers post their events and look for "joiners".

    Aside from mountain hikes, the main beach destinations that I've seen posted are Dingalan in Aurora, Calaguas (been there), Caramoan, Burias Island, Bohol + Panglao islands, Anawangin or Nagsasa Coves, Apo Reef in Mindoro, Treasure Island which is off Batangas Coast. Now that the heat & summer is here, tour companies are in robot mode.

  15. #65
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    Quote Originally Posted by katie23 View Post
    Now that the heat & summer is here.
    sure is. 2 weeks ago I was feeling cold... All of a sudden the A/C is getting cranked up.

    If anything spoiled the Bantayan Island trip it was the heat on the day we toured around the island. Should have just found one spot with cold water, some shade and lots of cold beers.

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