I would definitely recommend The Philippines. I go there quite often as my wife is a Filipina.
The place most tourists head off to is Boracay. I first went there back in the early eighties when it was just for backpackers. Obviously now it has been developed but is still a nice place to go. Wondeful white powder beaches. Places to stay to suit most budgets. Google Boracay for more info. Good diving and snorkeling.
One place that I have heard of that is excellent but not yet ruined is Malapascua Island. In the north of Cebu.
My all time favourite Island in The Philippines MUST be Camiguin Island. It is wonderful there. You can do all the things you want to there and no beach sellers etc to annoy you. It is a volcanic island. has one main volcano(dormant) Hibok-Hibok it is called. there are six other small volcanoes. There are numerous hot springs and cold springs. It is a real Paradise! Excellent diving and snorkeling! I love the Island.
There are some good ,cheap places to stay that are run by foreigners. Always choose places run by foreigners when in the Philippines. they are better run and ALWAYS better value for money. They know what the tourist wants. I have been to that Island many times.
if you have any questions -- just fire away!
I'm going for a week in March as part of a trip that also involves Singapore and Macau.
I'm flying from Macau into Clark airport. I don't really want to hang around Angeles City but I'd like to see Mt Pinataba so I may stay in that area for a couple of days. I'd also like to visit Corrigedor.
Cebu may be too far away, there seems to be plenty to do on Luzon. Would you recommend the beaches at Subic?
I'm flying from Macau into Clark airport. I don't really want to hang around Angeles City but I'd like to see Mt Pinataba so I may stay in that area for a couple of days. I'd also like to visit Corrigedor.
Cebu may be too far away, there seems to be plenty to do on Luzon. Would you recommend the beaches at Subic?
I don't know Subic that well but have passed through a number of times. there are some nice beach locations there though-- a spin off from the American era there.
Wise not to stay in Angeles too long-- that is the main 'sex cente' in the Philippines. yet another spin off from the American era. they had a massive air force base at Angeles and the Navy were in Subic Bay.
What you do does really depend on the time you have.
You could think about visit the rice terraces at Banaue. Obviously Manila is worth a couple of days. depends what you really want to do.
enjoy the Philippines.
Wise not to stay in Angeles too long-- that is the main 'sex cente' in the Philippines. yet another spin off from the American era. they had a massive air force base at Angeles and the Navy were in Subic Bay.
What you do does really depend on the time you have.
You could think about visit the rice terraces at Banaue. Obviously Manila is worth a couple of days. depends what you really want to do.
enjoy the Philippines.
We are thinking of going to the Philippines in 2009 as my partner's brother has moved there with work. Would be interested to hear from anyone who has been there recently, particularly with respect to the weather and the current political situation.
Always difficult to assess the current political situation. Only a few weeks ago a small group 'holed up' in a 5* Hotel in Manila and tried unsuccessfully to overthrow Pres Arroya. That was all sorted very quickly by the Military.
All appears to be stable at present now and the economy has improved rapidly over the last few months with the peso gaining in value. Generally that has not happened much in the past.
Of course, there is some unrest in certain parts of the Philippines. You did not mention where you would be going in the Philippines.
Travel insurance could be a problem. Most companies will willingly sell you a policy and then invalidate it if you have a claim if you did not read the small print stating that it is the buyers responsibility to check the Foreign Office recommendations about travel to the Philippines. It is extremely important that you check that first BEFORE buying any policy. Most travel agents have no idea about what the FO says.
My wife and I spend most of our time on Mindanao which is a no-no as far as the FO is concerned. I have never seen or experienced any real problems there. Personally I don't bother with the policy and take out health insurance in the Philippines. That could be a big problem for me now as I have only just completed treatment for cancer.
Weather is also difficult to predict and depends when and where you go. I have seen rain often in so called dry seasons! You may need to make yourself aware of when the typhoons tend to strike. Certain regions get it much much worse than others- another factor to consider. For instance the Bicol region is very susceptible especially around Oct to December.
A general rule of thumb is like anywhere in SE Asia. the best climate is between November to April.
Hope this helps. Any questions then just ask, OK.
All appears to be stable at present now and the economy has improved rapidly over the last few months with the peso gaining in value. Generally that has not happened much in the past.
Of course, there is some unrest in certain parts of the Philippines. You did not mention where you would be going in the Philippines.
Travel insurance could be a problem. Most companies will willingly sell you a policy and then invalidate it if you have a claim if you did not read the small print stating that it is the buyers responsibility to check the Foreign Office recommendations about travel to the Philippines. It is extremely important that you check that first BEFORE buying any policy. Most travel agents have no idea about what the FO says.
My wife and I spend most of our time on Mindanao which is a no-no as far as the FO is concerned. I have never seen or experienced any real problems there. Personally I don't bother with the policy and take out health insurance in the Philippines. That could be a big problem for me now as I have only just completed treatment for cancer.
Weather is also difficult to predict and depends when and where you go. I have seen rain often in so called dry seasons! You may need to make yourself aware of when the typhoons tend to strike. Certain regions get it much much worse than others- another factor to consider. For instance the Bicol region is very susceptible especially around Oct to December.
A general rule of thumb is like anywhere in SE Asia. the best climate is between November to April.
Hope this helps. Any questions then just ask, OK.
Hi pedro
Thanks for your helpful post. I have printed off the FCO advice and will have a look at our insurance policy to see if we would be covered (we have already bought it as we have annual insurance).
I think my partner's brother lives in Manila so this is where we will be based. He works for Shell so we expect he will be able to find us a good tour company for trips etc as we are not keen on doing all our sight seeing independantly. We are hoping to go in Feb or March 2009 so the weather should be reasonable.
I've got the 'Rough Guide' out of the library so i will study that over Christmas to see what we fancy doing. Are there any particular airlines you would recommend travelling with?
Thanks for your helpful post. I have printed off the FCO advice and will have a look at our insurance policy to see if we would be covered (we have already bought it as we have annual insurance).
I think my partner's brother lives in Manila so this is where we will be based. He works for Shell so we expect he will be able to find us a good tour company for trips etc as we are not keen on doing all our sight seeing independantly. We are hoping to go in Feb or March 2009 so the weather should be reasonable.
I've got the 'Rough Guide' out of the library so i will study that over Christmas to see what we fancy doing. Are there any particular airlines you would recommend travelling with?
You could try this site as regards flights to the Philippines.
http://www.pic-uk.com/en/
Singapore Airlines are good and do many good deals as does Qatar Airways. The weather when you go should be good in Manila. Personally I prefer to organise travel myself when in the Philippines but that can be a bit stressful if you are 'new' to the country. If your partner's brother is based in Manila then I am sure he is 'streetwise' and can be very helpful indeed. I assume he will know where to recommend you to go to and what travel agencies to use. My advice would not to be tempted to do too much.
regards,
http://www.pic-uk.com/en/
Singapore Airlines are good and do many good deals as does Qatar Airways. The weather when you go should be good in Manila. Personally I prefer to organise travel myself when in the Philippines but that can be a bit stressful if you are 'new' to the country. If your partner's brother is based in Manila then I am sure he is 'streetwise' and can be very helpful indeed. I assume he will know where to recommend you to go to and what travel agencies to use. My advice would not to be tempted to do too much.
regards,
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