Where to go for a short Philippines trip?

I wanna spend a week away from Korea (something like the 10th to 15th February), somewhere warm, somewhere I haven't been before and somewhere within about 5 hours flight time.

Thus, Philippines seems to be a good option - I have never been and know nothing about the place, other than return flights are anywhere between $150-350 which is nice and cheap. There seems to be lots of options from Incheon: Manila (Clark or Manila airport), Cebu City and Puerto Princess all seem to have available flights at good prices, maybe Boracay too.

I just wanna try somewhere interesting, some beach, some bars (not into whoring...), maybe a city or some interesting cultural places - maybe for 5 or 6 days, and I don't wanna be travelling around too much, maybe an hour or 2 bus a couple of times.

Any ideas: which place? Specific hotels or beaches? I suppose I'm thinking of $30-150 per day spending money including Accom; I'm really quite open to ideas.

Suggestions/advice, please.
(Papillion, no need to tell the secrets of BoyzTown as I have no interest there, thank you...)

I would forget about Manila and go to Cebu.

Have a look at Bantayan Island, North West of Cebu

Nice beaches, but not overcrowded and still with some local character and huts right on the beach.

First photo is Main St. Second photo is the view from my hut. :D

https://teakdoor.com/attachment.php?a...id=27171&stc=1

https://teakdoor.com/attachment.php?a...id=27172&stc=1

If you just want some subshine and beaches, Saipan's quick and easy from ICN.....cheap pkg deals too from the korean travel agents

I'd suggest Puerto Pricesa. Palawan still has a lot of unspoilt beauty whereas Manila is a dump and Cebu is overused, not to mention Boracay. It was painful just flying through Manila. And Cebu. But once you get through, the islands are nice.

Here is what I wrote about my Philippine trip to a friend :


I arrived in Manila and got a taxi to a backpackers' hotel mentioned in Lonely Planet but it had been gutted by fire. Dragged my suitcase up the street to another place but it was quite expensive. Hauled myself back ( on the street, as footpath broken up and very dirty ), couldn't find a cheapish backpackers', and a tout offered to take me to a cheap place around the corner. I paid him 50 pesos ( about $1.80 ) and he seemed very happy. All the way down the street, there were people trying to sell stuff by waving things in front of me, from phone chargers to sunglasses. They had desperate looks on their faces. Children were living and sleeping on the ( very dirty ) street, and begging ( hassling, actually ) the people for money and looking more woe-begone than they actually were to stimulate pity.

I hardly got any sleep because I discovered the hard way that there was a karaoke place next door that went till something like 3 am. Got up haggard and found there was no water for a shower. Wandered down the street to find a backpackers restaurant for breakfast, but there were none.....just fast-food places. Finally got a banana waffle with Nuttella, but couldn't taste the banana, so had to get two fresh ones to go with it. Hauled myself off to a travel agent to buy a ticket to Cebu ( 45 minute flight ), and they quoted me 2800 pesos
( about 90 bucks ).

I figured that I could get a cheaper one, so went directly to the airport and the Philippine Airlines office. ....they wanted 5,000 pesos. Went to Airport # 2, where I waited in the "Express" line at Cebu Pacific for an hour. Even the Filipino man behind me was tut-tutting that service was slow. And there were only about 15 people.....the line just wasn't moving, though there were 3 people serving !
Got quoted 4,500 pesos, but realised that I didn't have enough cash, so went to the ATM in the corner. Unfortunately it accepted Visa cards, but not my "Maestro/Cirrus" ATM card.

The ticket-clerk directed me to the gas station across the busy highway ( no crossings...I had to skip across ) where she said there was an ATM. There was ! And it was a Maestro/Cirrus one ! But it was out of order.
Skipped back, and she and another lady said I had no option but to take a taxi to
Global Village / "Market-Market", 20 minutes in a taxi ( 5 bucks) down the road. Apparently there were a few banks there. Got there and saw 3 ATMs immediately, two of which had Maestro/Cirrus.....but you guessed it....both out of order. Luckily there was one inside which actually worked.....

Had to wait 30 minutes in a line (unusual) for a taxi back from "Market-Market", arriving after the time she said she'd hold my ticket till....so had to pay 5,300 pesos ( about $160, for a 45 minute flight ).......almost double the original figure I'd been given. While I was at the counter, an American guy came and told the girl that he'd clearly requested a 10 o'clock flight, whereas he'd been given a 6am one.....which didn' t match up with his other flight. On first impressions the clerk was a cute little thing, with large spangly green pieces stuck on to her teeth between her braces......quite well done actually, and certainly looked more fashionable than plain braces. She stared at the computer screen with a really quite bovine and ever so slightly cross-eyed ( with mouth open ) expression for a while, as if it was the computer's fault, then disappeared for about 10 minutes, while her friend fiddled with my booking...........

Finally I got the ticket, went to check in, and was told that my bag was too heavy.
My allowance from Qantas for an international flight was 25 kilos, and I only had 19.
But Cebu Pacific allowed only 15, on domestic flights. Had to rearrange stuff between my cabin bag and suitcase. Argh !
other Western guys to find a nice girl.......and there isn't here. I don't see many other Westerners at all. Maybe backpackers have abandoned the place due to it being too run-down, or maybe they go straight from Manila / Cebu airport to the islands ?
The place has degenerated in the 20 years since I was here previously.....

.................................................. ....
Right now I'm in Cebu, in the Southern Philippines. I'm not sure how long I'll last here. God, what a dump..everything is run down, the streets stink of piss, and.........blah, rant ...etc.
Also, I took with a grain of salt the Lonely Planet guide's description of the Philippines as a "meat-mad" country, but it's true. It's very difficult to get anything which doesn't have meat in it.....apart from junk food-ish meals. Poles apart from Thailand. Actually, it's strongly reminiscent of Thailand, but everything is degraded...people included.
Half the letters are worn off this keyboard, and have been painted on again, so I won't write more....It's difficult.

Kalibo is another alternative, btw - just reading the above posts now. Many thanks for the replies.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

I just wanna try somewhere interesting, some beach, some bars (not into whoring...), maybe a city or some interesting cultural places - maybe for 5 or 6 days, and I don't wanna be travelling around too much, maybe an hour or 2 bus a couple of times.

---

Cebu or Puerto Princesa.
Don't go into Manila. Don't leave the tourist trail - you won't enjoy it. Always order a cold beer, or it won't be cold.

Agreeing with a few above ... Manilla is not Bangkok. Avoid.

Katie23, Tizme or Davis K live there (Philippines).

Puerto galera was ok. Manila, down to batangas and a boat across to the island. Nice beaches (as i recall) fantastic diving. Probably some nice day boat trips.

Drop in and say hi to Davis at batangas.

Palawan,,,Puerto Princesa. Should fill the bill for what you seek. Puerto Galera would work as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cyrille

Have a look at Bantayan Island, North West of Cebu

---

We are booked to go to Bantayan Island in 2 weeks time. I prefer to avoid crowds, so I'm looking forward to it.

Panglao Island is another place that I enjoyed.
Its only about 2 hours by ferry from Cebu.
Other than the beach, you can hire a driver for day to take you up to the Chocolate Hills, Hinagdanan Cave, Tarsier Sanctuary, etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Puerto galera was ok.

---

Yeah, but it would take all day to get there, not 1-2 hours bus ride.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stroller

Puerto Princesa.
.

---

The thing is with Palawan is that the best beaches are around El Nido, which is a 6-8 hr trip from Puerta Princesa by road.

Edit: just seen they do a flight these days. 40 mins.

@bettyboo - if you have the $$ for the additional flight, then you can try Puerto Princesa in Palawan, or Panglao Island in Bohol.

One that hasn't been mentioned is the island of Coron - look up my thread about it. A colleague went there last week. She said the weather was perfect, not too hot nor cold. You'll see limestone karsts. If you'll take a boat tour as a joiner, get Tour C - it's relaxing. If you need the name of a tour company, it's there on the thread as well.

As for Puerto Galera, it's also good. Around 1.5 hours bus/taxi/Grab from airport to Batangas city port. Then take a boat to Puerto Galera. The ticket will depend on where your resort is:, either White Beach port, Muelle or Sabang. I also have a thread re: PG and Bohol. If you want your own private beach, I can recommend the sister resort of the one where I stayed at. I didn't like Sabang beach bcos it was too touristy, and I wasn't there for the bars or diving. But if you're into that, then check out Sabang beach. Hotels or resorts in PG can cost from 1,000 php to 5,000 php. (1 USD ~53 PHP now).

You could also go to Boracay Island, but it needs another flight from Clark or Manila. You also need a confirmed hotel/resort reservation now - new rules. They won't let you into the island/speedboat to island if you don't have a reservation.

If you fancy some backbreaking hiking during your trip, PM me. Lol. Or even for a coffee meet up, but depends on time, as I have work. Any other info you need, PM me.

Cheers and good luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Puerto galera was ok.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stroller

Yeah, but it would take all day to get there, not 1-2 hours bus ride.

---

40 minutes by sea-plane from Manila.

Mindanao looks nice

I have spent time in Cebu, which was a bit underwhelming. I did enjoy a week on Mactan though. Something for most tastes there.
I was partnered up so I would recommend the fine dining. The steak house was bloody good, with decent wines too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stroller

Yeah, but it would take all day to get there, not 1-2 hours bus ride.

---

We used to take a cab. 2 hours to batangas?

I heard its a 3 hour journey to Angeles City from the airport

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dillinger

I heard its a 3 hour journey to Angeles City from the airport

---

Only about 14/20 minutes from Clark.
;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dillinger

I heard its a 3 hour journey to Angeles City from the airport

---

Depends on the day, time, weather, etc. I've done it in 75 mins and I've done it in 6 hrs.

@betty - if you're going to Puerto Princesa, Coron, Bohol, Boracay or Cebu, I think it's better to fly in via Clark Airport. It's smaller and less busy than the Manila airports. But if you're going to Puerto Galera, then fly in to Manila. Batangas port is 1.5 to 2 hrs from the airport by land, then 1H travel by boat to PG. You can go by taxi / Grab (2-3k pesos) or if you want to be like a backpacker or local, you can travel by bus. PM me for details if you'll travel by bus - I can give you instructions.

If going to Bohol/Panglao, stay somewhere in Dumalaon Beach, NOT Alona beach. The latter is now overrun with tourists and lots of seaweed on the beach. See my Bohol thread for pics. There are lots more pics from that Bohol trip, but I've been so busy the past months that I don't post much pics anymore.

Another option that hasn't been written is to go to a beach near Subic. I can't give recos for that, since I only went for a beach day trip via company outing. I think Tizme or Davis has stayed at the Subic beaches.

Angeles City is ~30 min from Clark Airport. But there's nothing there except girly bars. Unless you want to make it a jump off point for a Mount Pinatubo hike. I did a thread about that, but the pics are gone due to the Photo bucket purge.

Cheers and good luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Headworx

Depends on the day, time, weather, etc. I've done it in 75 mins and I've done it in 6 hrs.

---

Yes I agree with this. It can range from 1.5H to 4, depending on many factors. However, there's a new highway now. Accdg to a colleague who's from the area, average is 2-3H from Angeles City to Manila. I recently travelled in that road (Jan 28), and it took ~2H from Tarlac to Manila. It was around 2 am, so no traffic. My group was coming back from a hike to Mt Purgatory in Benguet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nidhogg

We used to take a cab. 2 hours to batangas?

---

As said, always a crap shoot with traffic, time, etc. I don't use public transportation, but in my car, Manila airport to my house is 90 minutes....then another hour or a bit less to Batangas Port, Then an hour boat ride to PG.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Puerto galera was ok. Manila, down to batangas and a boat across to the island. Nice beaches (as i recall) fantastic diving. Probably some nice day boat trips.

Drop in and say hi to Davis at batangas.

---

Batangas, ah that brings back memories. Is Andal still there, the corrupt mayor that used to sell illegal weapons confiscated at police stops to needy crims, and who owned the furniture shops, bank and much of the rest the town?

More important, is Helen his daughter and mother of two of his kids still alive, or did he off her for trying to off him? Would be nice to know.

Doing my research, thanks to all, many options...

This looks really nice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJDF7LbON0

I'm surprised it's so nice close to Manila, and it looks easy enough to make ones way down:https://badladz.com/how-to-get-to-puerto-galera/ Could be an interesting trip, maybe a look around Manila, it'd be rude not too.

Or, Air Asia fly direct to Kalibo at a good price. &, Gin Air have direct flights to Cebu at a good price. I'm still looking for available flights to Palawan at a good price. I'm looking through many threads on here, so many lovely looking places, but those 4 options are probably favourite to this point. I'm gonna walk the dog, do a bit more researching, then maybe book a flight/hotel (or maybe ask some more advice here).