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 Traveller's Tales: Advise for travellers in Philippines
Heed our handy tips on safe travel in Philippines. You may read about travel warnings, health, what to wear, travel with kids, travel with pets, local weather, local government, medical information and traffic information in the area.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.
Pages (5 of 6):
1 2 3 4 5 6
| G Tunder |
03 June 2001 |
Stayed at Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort - Cebu, Philippines.
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If you are looking for a quiet get-away from a big city, this is the place. You can relax at the resort all day, but if you are looking for nightlife/restaurants outside of the resort, you will be hard pressed as a foreigner to find something adequate. The area outside of the resort is exceptionally poor and so not much in the way of things to do outside.
There were no markets for cheap local goods around either. Most places will overcharge foreigners (Americans) for everything from Taxi's to food. I never had a problem with locals making me feel unsafe like other parts of SouthEast Asia.
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| F Cervoni |
25 May 2001 |
Stayed at Manila Hotel - Manila, Philippines.
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Traffic is a mess in Manila. You literally should allow yourself hours to go from the hotel to the airport just to play it safe or if you are traveling with four people or less, the hotel does offer helicopter service which we considered, but we were five people so we couldn't take advantage of this great service. Like others have said, don't waste your time in Manila, make sure you reserve a flight and hotel in advance to go to Cebu and island hop.
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| M Cohe |
16 April 2001 |
Stayed at Alegre Beach Resort - Cebu, Philippines.
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There is nothing to do here but sit on the beach. The staff lied to us about nearby destinations, and the road through the shanty town to get to the resort is so intimidating that we did not venture out to explore on our own, for fear that we would be targets of crime, having come from the gates of the overpriced resort.
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| W Verpoest |
15 April 2001 |
Stayed at Jupiter Arms Hotel - Manila, Philippines.
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Arriving in Manila is not very pleasant. You are immediately confronted with not jusified high taxi prices from the airport to downtown Manila. The standard charge to Makati is around 400 peso (it should be no more than 100 peso). This illustrates the general problem of travelling in the Philippines: the country has a lot of potential but uses the wrong concept: charging high prices for foreigners, without a good service. Hotels are too expensive, foreigners are charged systematically higher for all kind of services, etc. This is really a pitty, because the Philippines have more potential than e.g. Thailand: more beaches, people are speaking English, excellent cheap shopping opportunities, etc. My message to the Ministry of Tourism of the Philippines: make a study tour to Thailand, and see how effective everything is organised in Thailand, for an excellent price. Tourism is big business in Thailand, it will stay marginal in the Philippines if the system will not be changed.
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| R Soria |
06 April 2001 |
Stayed at Bayview Park Hotel Manila - Manila, Philippines.
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Like any bustling metropolitan area, Manila is teeming with people and have the usual problems that go with urbanization. What makes it worse is the heat and humidity of Manila (and the entire country for that matter). Yes, taxis are cheap but because of the horrendous traffic condition, getting stuck in a taxi (or a jeepney.... which is quite popular there) isn't the best way to spend a vacation. As an option, there's the light rail which is not subject to traffic congestion. However, because there are only 2 lines, it's not useful for destinations that are not anywhere near the tracks.
Particularly for travellers from the USA, shopping is actually affordable in the Philippines as your dollar will stretch further. From brand names to the run-of-the-mill, there's bound to be a choice for everyone.
Food is likewise a bargain. Even the fancy restaurants offer something that will suit everyone's palates. Try BARRIO FIESTA, a Filipino restaurant near Bayview Hotel that offers good food at pretty reasonable prices. For the more adventurous foreigner, try the Kamayan (which means eating with your bare hands). And for those who prefer fastfood chains, try Jollibee, the local counterpart of McDonalds.
For the nature-loving tourist, the best places to see are outside of Manila. About 1 to 2 hours drive south of Manila are Pagsanjan Falls and Taal volcano. 6 hours north of Manila is the city of Bagiuo.
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| C Rualizo |
06 April 2001 |
Stayed at Mandarin Oriental Manila - Manila, Philippines.
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It was scary because news about kidnappings and unstable government.
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| J Laurenti |
22 March 2001 |
Stayed at Bayview Park Hotel Manila - Manila, Philippines.
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Manila doesn't demand much attention for history and culture, and what there is can be engagingly seen from a horse-drawn carriage through Intramuros ($2)--but beware of carriage drivers who extend the supposedly comprehensive tour without telling you it will cost more. (Get out immediately if he identifies himself as "Danny-Boy.") Go on a clothes-buying spree in the modern and appealing Robinson Place mall. I had a very good dinner at Zamboanga restaurant on Adriatico Street, a short walk from the Bayview--its nightly "cultural" show is a bit ersatz but entertaining.
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| M Feldman |
17 March 2001 |
Stayed at Palm Plaza Hotel - Manila, Philippines.
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As a former resident of Manila (18 years ago), I was shocked to see how the infrastructure is almost as bad now as it was then. It is very depressing to continue seeing families sleeping on the street and being confronted by beggars throughout the downtown. The only redeeming aspect is the smiles of the people and the excellent live music venues, such as Suburbia and the Cowboy Grill.
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| C Heng |
14 March 2001 |
Stayed at Bohol Beach Club - Bohol, Philippines.
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Diving in Bohol is a nice experience especially the instructor and dive master are very helpful and really doing their best. However, it's very annoying when we tried to have lunch or take a break on the beach of Balicasag because almost all women of the island came to sell souvenir and some of them even came up to our boat! It would be much better if they make some souvenir booths on the beach and visitors can go and have a look by their own free will instead of trying to escape!
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| S Hogg |
20 February 2001 |
Stayed at City Garden Suites Manila - Manila, Philippines.
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Location is not very attractive, but neither is anywhere in Manila. not a very safe area (I felt uneasy even though I was with some Filipino friends).
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Pages (5 of 6):
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