Manila Travel Forum

I may be going to manila again for a work meeting in either dec 2007 or jan 2008. How is the weather during that time of the year?

Also, any recommendations on good day trips to surrounding areas? During my last trip, I have enjoyed tagaytay and villa escudero thanks to cielo :) I was thinking of correigidor island and mount pinatubo for this trip, are these good places? Any other good places around manila?

Regards
Victor

December-January weather is fine, about 25-28C during day time and cooler in the evening.

Mt. Pinatubo is an overnight trip. Corregidor has the option to be a day trip or overnight. Other day trips from Manila are Pagsanjan Falls, Hidden Valley, probably Subic.

December and January are usually the coolest months here but thanks to global warming, those months that just passed were like summer to me! Corregidor is OK as it is rich in WWII relics and ruins. Mt. Pinatubo will involve some hiking and mountain climbing, be sure your legs are up to it.

As suggested by Asianbelle, Subic is also a good option if you're a nature buff and want to do some jungle trekking. Riding the rapids to the Pagsanjan falls in Laguna province is also cool. You've been to Tagaytay but have you climbed up the Taal volcano? If not, then here's your chance to do just that.

The weather during that time is perfect because while it's still tropical and hot, it's not as humid as the other months and that is really refreshing, especially for the locals. :)

Corregidor Island is good if you like history. I also would recommend Pagsanjan Falkls or Hidden Valley Springs in Laguna.

Regards!

Very nice to hear that the weather is generally good during that time of the year :)

I think I will visit corregidor island because I miss it during the last visit. What are the main attractions at subic bay and the hidden valley?

Hi,

Subic has a wealth of attractions:

1. shopping
2. beach resorts
3. forest treks
4. tiger safaris
5. wreck diving
6. nature trails

On the other hand, Hidden Valley Springs, as the name implies, is a spring resort with several naturally heated pools in the middle of thick forest vegetation. It is an organized resort for lovers of peace and quiet. An overnight stay is the minimum,if I'm not mistaken.

Regards!

Check out the Subic website: http://www.subicbay.com.ph/
and here's the one for Hidden Valley: http://www.travelph.com/day_tours/daytour-hidden-valley.htm

Thanks a lot for all the very good advice so far! There are really many choices around manila, but unfortunately I think I can only choose 2 of them because of time constraint. Will check out the recommended websites and thanks once again :)

Btw, regarding taal volcano, yes I did manage to climb the volcano and it was really wonderful but the weather was very hot when I was there. If you are interested, you can drop by at my VT talisay and tagaytay pages :)

Just found out that another possible option is to spend about 2 days at a nice beach at either boracay, bohol or cebu. Which of these places will be a better choice?

For me, it's a toss between Boracay and Bohol.

If you are just after the beach, then Boracay is the place to go. But if you want to have a beach and see other attractions, then I suggest Bohol's Panglao island. You can stay at any of the resorts on the island then take a whole day tour of Bohol's many features like the Chocolate Hills, Loboc river cruise, tarsier viewing, Baclayon church, etc. I'm sure the resort you'll stay in can arrange such a tour.

Great, now I have the following plans.

Plan 1: Around Manila
- Corregidor Island (1 day)
- Either Mt Pinatubo, Subic Bay, Pagsanjan Falls or Hidden Valley (1-2 days)

or

Plan 2: Further Away
- Bohol (2-3 days), including beach activities and sightseeing.


Will make the arrangements nearer to the end of the year (hopefully the trip is still on then). Once again, a big thank you to all of you who have given me good advices!

..just wanted to say that your original query/plan (corregidor and mt. pinatubo) was excellent.

Bohol offers some wonderful experiences and sights (such as the Tarzier primates)...but for me the perfect beach visit would without a doubt be to Boracay. Hands down!

I'm not sure what you have seen IN Manila, but Intramuros would be a nice place to visit and see some of the city's historical past.

I will also second the suggestion to ride/climb the Lake Taal Volcano...but definitely bargain down the price because they GOUGE the foreigners for the horse ride up.

Safe journeys!!

Thanks for more advices from VT members!

For plan 2, it was a difficult choice between boracay and bohol. I decided to choose bohol because it offers more attractions in addition to the beach and sea, especially the famous chocolate hills which I always wanted to see for myself :)

As for Taal Volcano, I managed to climb up to the volcano during my last trip to manila (see my VT talisay page). It was a nice climb with beautiful scenery but the weather was very hot. Did not take the horse ride because of the additional cost, and also it will be very difficult to take photos if I am on the horse :)