Experiences in the Philippines

pancakes101

Hi, just wondering if anyone has any experience travelling the the Philiippines? Looking to go next Jan from Hong Kong. Would ideally love to visit Manila, Donsol, Bohol, Borocay & Palawan! Ideally looking for info on getting around the islands, is it similar to Thailand or more difficult? Also sadly budget is a big issue for us! How much on average does it cost there, we would be looking at staying in basic hotels or hostels (lowest price online seems to be 10-20euro per person per night) whatever it doesnt matter once its clean and safe, but we also want to factor in the price of ferrys, taxis, food, some excursions like Chocolate Hills, swimming with whalesharks, Tarsiers sanctuary, boat trips etc etc. We need to have an idea of how much it will cost before we can definately book. I have a travel book but its crap and cant seem to find the info we need online . Would also love to hear other peoples experiences in the Philippines and of any other areas you could recommend visiting! Thanks in advance!

johnml

Hey Pancakes, I've been living in Palawan for the past 3 months and would certainly recommend it. Personally Manila is not for me and I usually try to do whatever business I have and get out asap!! very very busy and foreigners tend to get ripped off (common across the Philippines and especially Manila) + crime rates (esp against tourists) are very high in Manila. I would highly recommend Palawan and indeed anywhere away from the cities. Manila prices won't be much cheaper than at home in Ireland but somewhere like Palawan for example you will get a meal for about 2 euro and a taxi (motorcycle with side-car) for 8 pesos so about 20-30cent, bottle of beer in a bar=1 euro, drink it at home=50 cent. A regular ferry trip I take is 18 hours (about 180 miles) costs 20 euro, but don't expect any luxury!! Not sure if this is of any help......if you have any specific questions you want answered, by all means ask me......I 'm surrounded by Filipinos who'd be delighted to answer!


Best of luck,
John.

Gav104

Those are all great places to visit, On top of those I would also mention sagada and Bananae in the mountains of Luzon.

Around here where I live in Puerto Galera average rooms rates are 1500 peso but thats expensive for the Philippines, you can get basic for 500 to 800.There is a very good western hostel in Manila for 600 peso per night
A western meal is about 250 to 300 peso
A local meal is 45 to 100 peso
A beer is around 50 peso
One hour ferry ride is 220 peso
A three hour air con bus is 170 peso
24 hour motorbike rental is about 500 peso

I hope this gave you a better idea of the prices here,Let me know if you want any other info.

Gavin

eddiethornton

Hi there,

I've been to the Phillipines a couple of times and I'm afraid I have nothing good to say because its a ****hole....

Manila is overcrowded, dirty and dangerous. I spend a week in Borocay Island while waiting to get back on qa job we were delayed in and it was pretty awful too. The food was awful and the hotel was disgusting also.

Another thing that I found horrible was the locals defacating on the beach.

Pawwed Rig

Gav104 wrote: »

Those are all great places to visit, On top of those I would also mention sagada and Bananae in the mountains of Luzon.

Around here where I live in Puerto Galera average rooms rates are 1500

+1 on these three spots I much preferred Puerto Galera than Boracay. Actually Boracay was very ugly and not the paradise that it is made out to be. I'm a diver and the diving in PG is great. Palawan I have heard is good too. Boracay diving is poor.

Why do you want to go there? If it is for beaches then Thailand would be a superior destination. There is nothing Asian as such in the Philippines in that it is very westernised compared to other Asian countries. Travel can be difficult as you will be seen as a target and asked for extra because you are a foreigner (taxis were particularly bad). Also getting around is not intuitive in that it maybe a jeep parked randomly at the side of the road that is the one you need to get.

To sum up, it is great for diving with some stunning scenery in the North (as Gav said), has some nice beaches but is not that easy to get around and is not for the faint hearted.

Gav104

Wow, I feel that is a pretty harsh description of the Philippines eddie.

While I will agree that parts of Manila are in fact overcrowded, dirty and dangerous ,Im not sure if any capital cities in south east Asia or at least parts of them share these "qualities" .I wouldn't put it past some tourists saying the same about certain parts of Dublin. Generally I find the Makati and Fort Bonifacio areas in Manila fine and that is where I tell all my friends to book hotels.

As for the Boracay comment I will direct your attention to this Best Island in the world .Its a very well known travel magazine awarding Boracay the best island in the world...

But I guess you cant please everybody.

Gavin

Gav104

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Travel can be difficult as you will be seen as a target and asked for extra because you are a foreigner (taxis were particularly bad). Also getting around is not intuitive in that it maybe a jeep parked randomly at the side of the road that is the one you need to get.

I would agree this is justified but you could easily change Philippines to Thailand,Malaysia or Indonesia in your description and it would still be valid.I believe the instances you described Pawwed just serve to teach us a lesson for next time.For me its all part of the fun of traveling in Asia.

I see it if these kind of things would put a big dampener on your holiday then it would be best to stay at home but if you want to have an adventure go to the Philippines.

Perhaps you were just unlucky regarding those situations.For example I also have taken a jeep just parked on the side of the road but there was a french man and his filipina wife waiting and since she spoke the language she organised everything for us and refused to accept any money when we offered to pay for the jeep.

It memories like that which make me love the Philippines.

eddiethornton

Of course tourists would say that of Dublin. They are correct as Dublin is a a dirty dangerous city also.

I'm sorry my experience of Borocay wasn't what you expected, but unforunately it just wasn't for me. Too dirty and improverished.

Pawwed Rig

Gav104 wrote: »

As for the Boracay comment I will direct your attention to this Best Island in the world .Its a very well known travel magazine awarding Boracay the best island in the world...

This was a reader poll which always get hijacked by voting blocks similar to 'A Nation Once again' being voted the best song of all time on a bbc poll and the bridge leading to Wembley Stadium would have been named 'The Roy Keane Bridge' if the organisers of the poll had not backed down. These top 10 lists should be taken with a pinch of salt

pancakes101

thanks for the feedback everyone, its helpful to get other peoples opinions. we actually spent 3 weeks in thailand last and while there is loads left for us to see and i do want to go back id like to try somewhere new. I had herd that the philippines was as nice if not better than thailand so was interested to check it out. i know from researching online that the getting around can be a bit difficult but i figured it would be similar enough to all the flights and boat trips we had to take in thailand. in relation to palawan is it really a 6 hour trip from puerto princecsa. would coron be better to get to? i think we are going to avoid manila if we can nothing to do with danger etc that happens everywhere but i dont think theres much there we wnt to do. were prob going to have to cut out a few palaces sooooooo if you could pick your top 3 places what would they be!? were running out of time to book and jut cant make a decision!!

Yamanoto

eddiethornton wrote: »

Hi there,

I've been to the Phillipines a couple of times and I'm afraid I have nothing good to say because its a ****hole....

Manila is overcrowded, dirty and dangerous. I spend a week in Borocay Island while waiting to get back on qa job we were delayed in and it was pretty awful too. The food was awful and the hotel was disgusting also.

Another thing that I found horrible was the locals defacating on the beach.

So to summarise, you're writing off a culturally and ethnically diverse nation of some 90 million people, who make their home on an archipelago of some 7,000 islands, primarily on the basis that the food & hotel weren't to you liking and you took exception to folks having a plop on the beach.

adamski8

Yamanoto wrote: »

So to summarise, you're writing off a culturally and ethnically diverse nation of some 90 million people, who make their home on an archipelago of some 7,000 islands, primarily on the basis that the food & hotel weren't to you liking and you took exception to folks having a plop on the beach.

Well his opinion is as valid as anyone who went somewhere and had a good time!
In fairness though if shiitting on a beach is socially acceptable there of course thats a valid reason for not liking a place and may be an indication of the 'culture' of the place.

Yamanoto

adamski8 wrote: »

Well his opinion is as valid as anyone who went somewhere and had a good time!
In fairness though if shiitting on a beach is socially acceptable there of course thats a valid reason for not liking a place and may be an indication of the 'culture' of the place.

It's more likely an indication of a wholly inadequate public sanitation service, a population density which puts pressure on already substandard infrastructure, and a lack of political urgency to engage with those offering innovative and sustainable solutions to issues of public health in the developing world.

The poster of course has every right to an opinion, though I'm unsure as to the validity of labelling the Country at large a ****hole, based on what was written above. Public defecation is something you'll oft encounter across many parts of Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Given a viable alternative, I'd imagine most folks would choose to do their business in a cleaner, more comfortable and private place.

Gav104

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

This was a reader poll which always get hijacked by voting blocks similar to 'A Nation Once again' being voted the best song of all time on a bbc poll and the bridge leading to Wembley Stadium would have been named 'The Roy Keane Bridge' if the organisers of the poll had not backed down. These top 10 lists should be taken with a pinch of salt

For sure those type of things can always open to abuse some more excessive than other but this is a yearly poll of which Boracay was number 4 in 2011 and consistently ranks in the top 10 each year .I really don't believe it is out of place among the others mentioned in the list.

This always happens with places like this,it gets hyped up so much it inevitably does not meet some peoples high expectations. The only way to find out for sure is to research ,research,research and go there yourself.

If any does plan on going to Boracay in future I recommend the Trip advisor forum for fairly up to date info about the place.

adamski8

Yamanoto wrote: »

It's more likely an indication of a wholly inadequate public sanitation service, a population density which puts pressure on already substandard infrastructure, and a lack of political urgency to engage with those offering innovative and sustainable solutions to issues of public health in the developing world.

The poster of course has every right to an opinion, though I'm unsure as to the validity of labelling the Country at large a ****hole, based on what was written above. Public defecation is something you'll oft encounter across many parts of Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Given a viable alternative, I'd imagine most folks would choose to do their business in a cleaner, more comfortable and private place.

well tbh your first paragraph does describe a shhiittehole! probably why he and potential travelers are put off going there

Gav104

pancakes101 wrote: »

. i know from researching online that the getting around can be a bit difficult but i figured it would be similar enough to all the flights and boat trips we had to take in thailand.

For me I wouldn't say it is difficult.... more time consuming.As its an island nation traveling around can take a while but picking the places on your must see list and making a plan for that will save you a lot of stress.Its not Vietnam lets say in which your route is either north to south or south to north.In the Philippines you branch off in a lot of different directions.

in relation to palawan is it really a 6 hour trip from puerto princecsa. would coron be better to get to?

What I recommend for you to do is this.Fly into Puerto Princesa ,take the mini van to El Nido and yes it is about six hours but it is totally worth is as El Nido is an absolutely amazing place.Google it. Then take the 8 hour ferry to Coron or take this Island hopping trip that also takes you to Coron.There you can dive world war 2 japenese wrecks.There is not many places in the world you can do that in. Finally then fly from Busuanga (which is the main town in Coron) back to Manila. This way you don't have to travel back on yourself.

My top 3 places in no order would be Sagada and Banaue in the mountrains ,El Nido in Palawan and either Boracay or Puerto Galera..Honourable mentions to Bohol and Donsol purely for the chance to snorkel 3 feet away from a 10 meter Whale Shark.

Gav104

adamski8 wrote: »

well tbh your first paragraph does describe a shhiittehole! probably why he and potential travelers are put off going there

In the two and a half years I have lived here I have never heard of this taking place.... while I don't doubt this event took place.Its not a daily event.

You're not going to be sitting on your beach lounger sipping on fruity cocktails with a little umbrella in it and in the corner of your eye you see a local squatting next to a coconut tree laying eggs.

Pawwed Rig

Gav104 wrote: »

For sure those type of things can always open to abuse some more excessive than other but this is a yearly poll of which Boracay was number 4 in 2011 and consistently ranks in the top 10 each year .I really don't believe it is out of place among the others mentioned in the list.

This always happens with places like this,it gets hyped up so much it inevitably does not meet some peoples high expectations. The only way to find out for sure is to research ,research,research and go there yourself.

Readers polls aren't worth the paper they are written on. I have been to Boracay. It is dirty, overpriced and you cannot walk 2 feet without someone trying to sell you something. I can appreciate a resort island too for example Koh Phi Phi in Thailand is beautiful, Borocay doesn't even come close. In fact The Canaries would be better place to visit.That an Makati were the lowest points of the Philippines (terrible dreary place with no soul).
But as I said other areas such as Banaue, Sagada, Pueto Gilera, Malati were much more enjoyable and are worth a visit.

I am still not sure what the OP is looking for. He/she seems to be comparing it with Thailand. These are 2 very different destinations

Yamanoto

adamski8 wrote: »

well tbh your first paragraph does describe a shhiittehole! probably why he and potential travelers are put off going there

Tourism statistics indicate close to double-digit growth for the Philippines this year alone, with visitors from highly developed nations - Japan, Korea & the US, constituting close to 50% of total arrivals. Since 2009, we've seen a drop in inbound numbers. Perhaps the regular sight of vomiting, fighting, urination and outdoor sexual gymnastics on the streets of Ireland go some way toward explaining why potential travellers are put off coming here? And us with indoor lavvies and all...

Kittywake

Hi Pancakes101,
I spent 6 weeks travelling in Phillipines this year in April/May, and 3 years ago I was there for 4 weeks -I loved it so much I wanted to go back and see more!
We flew directly from Manilla to Puerto Princessa in Palawan and went to Sabang and the underground river, then on up to El Nido by mini van. We stayed two nights in Sabang as we had enough time and really loved the place. El Nido was amazing, out of this world. The scenery was spectacular, the snorkelling, the food, the water was gorgeous. You do boat trips A,B, C and D whic are designated trips to different islands. We did them all on different days, and had BBQs on the islands, and snorkelled off the boat- amazing. The journey to El Nido is long and the roads aren't good but its worht it when you get there. We took the Ro-Ro bus coming back (a full size bus) which was actually alot slower then the mini van beacause it stops and collects people all the way along the road.
From Palawan we flew to Cebu and spent a night before catching an early flight to Dumaguete on Negros and getting a ferry to Siquijor island. This is known as a mystical island with witches to some Fillipinos but it is a fabulous island. We stayed at Coco grove for 6 nights and from there we went on a day trip to Apo island where we snorkelled and dived with turtles -fantastic! We also hired a scooter and drove a round the island.
Next stop was Bohol - we took a ferry from Siquijor to Cebu, and Cebu to Bohol. We stayed in Panglao island - very touristy and busy, and smaller than I expected. We saw the chocolate hills and the tarsiers and enjoyed it. We also went dolphin watching at 5am and saw hundreds of wild doplhins feeding.
Our next visit was between Camiguin and Malapascua- we went for malapascua, home of the Thresher Shark dives. If you are a diver it is fantastic, if not there isn't a whole lot to do. It's a beautiful place but a trek and a half to get there, I would give it a miss on my next trip!
Finally back to Boracay. I love it here. Amazing White Beach, the quieter Puka beach which is worht getting a taxi to. White Beach is a very busy spot at certain times of the year, especially christmas and easter, so avoid at those times. It was so much busier this year than when I was there 3 years ago so it's popularity is going up. It is more expensive to stay here than other places in the Philippines. We stayed at Casa Pilar and found it clean and comfortable. For food you have to try Dos Mestizos .. fabulous. We met with locals that we had met previoulsy and they showed us great hospitality.

All in all,Philippines is an amazing place and I can't wait to go back! we were four months travelling in SE Asia and this is my fave place to go! You will love it.

pancakes101

thanks kittywake! do u know if it easy to get affordable accommodation on palawan say approx 10e per person thats clean and safe? money is our main worry in planning as we dont have a huge amout to spend bt stil want to enjoy the trip, likewise how much do the day trips cost on average? and how long did u spend in palawan and boracay as we were thinking we might have to just do one or the other as were dont want to be flying out of our way and spending too many days travelling, is it easy to go frm palawan to cebu then boracy or would u recommend going through manila instead? thank you so much!

Gav104

If you're looking for a twin sharing or a double for 20e then sure but most of those places won't be on the internet.They will be just a fan room with maybe even a shared bathroom .You will need to ask out a local to bring you there or just keep walking around with your backpack until someone calls you over.

Electricity in Philippines is very expensive so the rooms prices will reflect this .In Thailand rooms are cheaper.So what you will get for 30e in Thailannd will be very different to what you get in Philippines.Agoda is a good website for hotels in the Philippines so it will give you an idea what to expect.

I think the highest price for the island trips is like 1400 peso per person and that includes a really good lunch.There is other ones that are closer to the mainland and the price will reflect that as your not traveling as far and not using as much fuel.Also you would need to rent fins,mask and snorkel if you don't have and I think you need to pay tourist fee if you go out snorkeling ...Something like that,Im sure kittyhawk will explain it.

Manila is a bigger city and will have more connections available to fly to boracay if you choose.Cebu Pacific is the most popular airline in the philippines.You can either fly to Caticlan ,take a 5 minute tricycle ride to the port and take the short ferry ride to Boracay or fly to Kalibo and take a 1.5 hour bus or mini van to the pier in catclan. Of course as it always is the flight to Caticlan is cheaper than Kalibo .Caticlan is also a short run way so your limited to your baggage allowance .Around 10 kg I think.

If you don't wish to spend money on the flight to Boracay an alternative in the past few months is the 2go ferry from Batangas to Caticlan 2gowebsite Batangas is about 2 to 3 hours south of Manila.Its very easy to get there.Then it is an overnight ferry so you'll save on a hotel that night and you should be in Boracay the next day around 7 am-ish .... Its the Philippines so everything is always late or atleast plan for it to be.

If your having difficulty choosing between El Nido or Boracay consider that alot of people would ponder what Boracay would have looked like 10 years ago feeling that is very commercialised nowadays ,This would be less so in El Nido were it still has a lot of natural charm about it.In the next few years international airports and highways will be built in El Nido which will significantly impact the "feel" of it

So I recommend getting there before that all changes.

If there is anything else you want to know ask away.

Kittywake

Hi Pankcake,
As Gav has said, Agoda is the best website to use for Philippines, we used it all the time while there. We were in Palawan for 9 days, but 6 - 7 days is fine if you are tight for time. We spent two weeks at the end of our trip in Boracay but again a week is fine there too.
When we went to El Nido, we stayed at Ipil Travel Lodge and had booked in advance. However the other people on our minivan hadn't booked accommodation and just walked around and found rooms when they got there, and this was over the Easter holidays. You will find safe clean accomoodation no problem in El Nido for your price range. The electricity is turned off for a few hours during the day in most places. The trips range in price from about 900 peso upwards and you also have to pay a tourist "tax" which covers you for ten days to visit the islands. Its not much, maybe 200 peso or so.
It really doesnt make a difference if you fly to boracy via manila or cebu - we checked all flights on skyscanner and through Cebu suited us better. We flew into Caticlan and flew out of Kalibo. Caticlan is handier as it is much closer, so I'd try to fly there.
When getting the boat to Boracay from Caticlan you have to purchase several tickets - a terminal fee and a tourist fee aswell as the boat ticket. Make sure you buy those your self at the port. When we were at the airport they were selling these tickets with a huge mark up, so just go straight to the port and get them your self. Also you can get a bangka over which is a traditional fillipino boat, or you can get small ferry over. If you have heavy bags Id say get the ferry because it can be tricky walking the very narrow gang plank to get on/off the bangka with a bag on your back!

If you can go to both places I really think you should. Like Gav said, Palawan is still 'undiscovered' so its a great time to see it, because I have no doubt that in a couple of years time it will be developed. Also the Underground River in Sabang has been named as on of the new seven wonders of the world, so that is already bringing more crowds there.

Anymore questions, im happy to answer...