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 Traveller's Tales: Doing business in Philippines
Take note of the helpful information on business travel near in Philippines. You may read about their business tips and guides. Find out the local business customs and guide on business travel. Also, you might want to read our
Baguio city guide,
Bohol city guide,
Boracay city guide,
Cebu city guide,
El Nido city guide,
Manila city guide,
and Puerto Galera city guide.
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| A Deocares |
16 April 2005 |
Stayed at BSA TOWER - Manila, Philippines.
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Verify which banks offer you the appropriate ATM access, some ATMS in malls much more dificult to obtain money. Easier at Benak branches. Changing travellers checks much more complicated and long drawn process (1.5 hrs) and with each bank you need to verify which checks go with what bank, my Visa Checks thru AAA had to be done thru a Visa affiliated bank.
SM in Baguio one of the best SM malls I visited. A more open floor plan and not a boxed-style mall. Wonderful restaurants. Discovered a vegetarian resturant with funky setting, an art gallery/coffeeshop/restaurant called "O My Gulay" It is on the penthouse level of a building beside the PCI-Equitable Bank Building on Session Road. Excellent take on vegetarian-style dishes. Also non-vegetarian dishes available. Menu not extensive but what they have is excellent. Cash only payment. Golden Pine Hotel/Restaurant cor Legarda and Carino St. in Baguio. I have stayed here for a number of years. I love their facilities, their restaurant, their friendly and personal service and its proximity to the city center. Very good value also. Interenet access 24 hours near the lobby. Le Souffle restaurant at Camp John Hay, Baguio excellent food the Filling Station at Camp John Hay, Baguio excellent burgers.
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| A Ho |
29 January 2005 |
Stayed at Pearl Manila, The - Manila, Philippines.
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Shopping & eating out at Robinson Plaza nearby while in Manila; I like "Mario's Kitchen" at "Taste Buds" one floor above National Bookstore, inside that mall. I found better USD to Pesos rate offered by the foreign exchange counter inside Robinson Department Store than "Robinson Bank" branch inside the same mall. If you like open air diner w/loud music bands, go to one of those restaurants at Manila Bay sea-side; the other option is "Ratsky" at Tomas Morato Ave. in Quezon City, a little bit faraway by taxi but music band w/ filipino (dirty??) jokes, I found it crowded but my filipino friends like that place very much.
For inexpensive seafood, I went to DAMPA (wet marked), beyond the int'l airport in Paranaque; you buy your own seafood from the market & take it to one of those existing restaurants nearby & they cooked it the way you want. Always went around by taxi as I found the fare not expensive by my benchmark, but be prepared to tell the driver by which route you want to arrive at your destination as most of the time taxi drivers will make a long detour in order to have a bigger fare. My solution was to tell the driver once inside that I'm in a hurry & that I will give a tips when the trip is quite long.
Always lock both rear-doors once you are inside a taxi & beware of cellphone snatcher when you talk with or when your cellphone is visible while walking on the street/road. Don't let your wife/girlfriend/daughter dangle the cellphone by a lanyard. Keep in mind that your USD150 valuable is more or less equal to one month salary for the majority of the locals. If you use Philippines SIM card for your calls, GLOBE is ok for major cities, but use SMART at places in the provinces as the latter network coverage is much better.
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| T Martin |
18 January 2005 |
Stayed at BSA TOWER - Manila, Philippines.
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I had a friend with an auto but after a few days selected to take taxi's because they are inexpensive and the drivers are more familiar with areas. Through the doorman at B.S.A. Tower I arranged with a gentleman to drive me on private tours to different area Provinces outside Manila. It was quite good and very inexpensive a typical 12 hour tour with him providing vehicle and gasoline ran $50 and less per day. It could have been cheaper but I gave him $50. I felt comfortable with him going to areas that I would not have gone alone. I was interested in seeing the new and normal tourist areas but also experiencing how the real Filippino people lived so I went into areas that tourist would not have normally ventured in to and felt very secure.
I advise that you take at least three credit cards. I only took one for I thought since I had a $25,000 limit on the card that I would not encounter any difficulties. I ran into problems when Landmark Department Store on the first day made an error on the card processing. Through out the 18 days there it created some difficulties in some stores from then on. Communication was no problem since nearly all the people speak English. I found the people to be extremely friendly and wanting to help.
If traveling by air for more than 12 hours to get there I found it miserable going economy and changed coming back to Business Class for the seats in economy are just too close and too narrow. At first I had concerns because security is so obvious in every store, bank, mall and public building but once I came to understand that this is just part of life especially in Manila I became comfortable with it and it made me feel more secure. I am looking forward to possibly returning towards the end of 2005. I met a lot of wonderful people. The average income of the majority of the people with good jobs is only approximately $190 per month but they are an extremely happy and polite people.
One should decide exactly what they are looking for before deciding to go if they do not have time to visit several islands. Cebu is for the tourist that enjoys the beach and Manila for those that enjoy museums, shopping and the large city, the northern part if you are looking for the mountains and cooler weather. Traffic is unbelieveable so I do not suggest that any foreigner rent a car and expect to drive themselves. The rule of the road is who is the bravest and willing to take the most chances. Thank you for making the arrangements. I would recommend your services to others.
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| D Reyes |
04 June 2004 |
Stayed at Saint Illian's Inn Makati - Manila, Philippines.
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If this your first time in the Philippines, this tip is for you. Don't drink tap water! Before you go out shopping, go to the bathroom and make sure you bring a toilet paper. To exchange your dollars, go to SM, money changers and banks. SM only changes newer 100 dollar bills. The only place I know that exchange Travellers checks are the American Express office in Makati. Beware of Taxi who refuse to use their meters or asked for additional fee. Find another one. Watch your wallet or purse on MRT/LRT (elevated trains). If you have to eat on a restaurant or a store (sari-sari) with precooked food (turo-turo), ask for any freshly cooked ones and don't drink the water. Avoid food that's cooked outside or sold in a bus. Be careful when crossing a busy intersection. Police might give you a fine for "jay walking". Beware of snatchers; Don't use your cell phones while walking and keep your cameras secure.
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| D Tribe |
19 May 2004 |
Stayed at Dusit Hotel Nikko - Manila, Philippines.
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Money changers and most banks will not change travellers checks. Hotels do change at 5% - 15% below going rate. American Express will change at their office, closed Sundays and taxi fare cuts into exchange rate. No-one sells US Dollars, only buys. Banks will not transfer funds except for clients. Can cause frustration.
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| T Yamashita |
03 April 2004 |
Stayed at Boracay Regency Beach Resort - Boracay (Aklan), Philippines.
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Regarding payments in Boracay Island, there were 5% charges on the use of credit cards at most of places and the exchange rate was not as good as the one at Manila International Airport.
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| R Mcgregor |
24 March 2003 |
Stayed at City Garden Suites Manila - Manila, Philippines.
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Inexperienced travellers should always shop at the major shopping centres. Goods without marked prices may undergo sudden cost increases if a "white face" is spotted. Money changers on the main road (A. Mabini) are generally trustworthy, but count your money before leaving the window. Avoid the money changers on the side streets.
"Kamayan" is an excellent restaurant; traditional Filipino fare, and be prepared to eat with your hands.
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| E Peters |
03 February 2003 |
Stayed at Lorenzo Resort South - Boracay (Aklan), Philippines.
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White Beach is obviously the place to stay on Boracay; the shady walkway behind the beach is a real plus.
We got far better exchange rates in Manila than on the island (7.20 to the HK$ vs 6).
Banza is one of the very few good restaurants, however everywhere does great fresh juice and shakes.
Mandala Spa is superb -- spent four very happy hours there.
The round island boat trip was a joke; promised free soft drinks did not appear for some time, lunch was burnt, crew dropped litter, and the waves were too rough (they said) to complete the circuit. We got off half way through.
Nightlife -- Charlh's, Bom Bom, Summer Place -- was very laid back rather than the testosterone/decibel cocktail of some other Asian resorts.
Overall, this is a lovely place to chill out. White Beach has been ranked one of the best in the world; but one gets the impression that a lot of resorts etc are resting on their laurels.
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| T Hatano |
19 January 2003 |
Stayed at Boracay Terraces Resort - Boracay (Aklan), Philippines.
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Boracay is a perfect location to get away from the busy city life. But, prices are very expensive, compared to other locations within the Philippines.
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| F Garcia |
04 December 2002 |
Stayed at Pan Pacific Hotel Manila - Manila, Philippines.
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There are a lot of choices in Manila. I can't imagine how they have improved the restaurant selection and affordable prices. Unfortunately, I advised travelers not to carry Travelers Checks that is not issued by AMEX because none of the business establishments, bank or money exchanges accepts travelers checks.
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