Manila Travel Forum

hay im planning four weeks in philipines. im going to go manilla cebu and boracay thats were i heard i should go wats the best ways to geting there from manilla. is there any other places people suggest to go in that four weeks. im planning on 1000AUS A week would that get me nice hotel and partying everynight and maybe few girls lol. also then i heading to thailand can i fly out of cebu to chiang mai thanks if anyone can help

Doing it Manila >>> Cebu >>> Boracay should be good but if you want to go to Thailand after Philippines, it might be wiser to do a Manila >>> Boracay >>> Cebu, so you can fly out from Cebu to Bangkok (no direct flights from anywhere in the Phils to Chiang Mai)

1000AUD a week is about 41,000PHP and that should get you by if you are not the type whose other surname is "luxury" (a.k.a useless extravagance - e.g., paying PHP5,000+++ on a 5-star hotel a night when you touch your bed only at 3AM and hie off at 7AM). There are respectable places that you can get at as low as even PHP800 a night in Manila and even lower in the provinces. Yep, "a FEW girls" can still fit in the AUD1,000 if you go by the budget places (esp in Manila)

4 weeks with only Manila, Cebu & Boracay? are you an anthropologist looking for artifacts? LOL! get moving mate! there are a lot of options.. like 3D2N in a place should be more than fine!

Let me start (and hope other VT folks drop in w/ their suggestions)...

From Manila
You can head north to Angeles(Clark) and/or Subic. Or there is Baguio, Sagada, Cagayan, Ilocos, Pangasinan... even farthest north to Batanes and back to Manila. But don't go to all those places - a month won't be enough! You can also head south to Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Mindoro, Romblon, Albay(Mayon Volcano), Sorsogon(whale-sharks) or Camarines Sur(wakeboarding). Hey, those are just options, so research them well and choose as even another month won't be enough! Warning: don't ya ever google PALAWAN if you are fixed on Manila, Cebu & Boracay cuz that will surely change everything. That place (called PALAWAN) is not called "the last frontier" for nothing! It's just a long stretch of different kinds of "paradise". PALAWAN!

From Cebu
You can actually roam to the north (i.e., Malapascua, Bantayan) and to the south of the island (i.e., Badian, Moalboal etc). And never miss to hop unto Bohol, even Dumaguete, Siquijor, Bais and onwards to Bacolod and Iloilo. Then again Leyte and Samar are nice options if you're more into the unadulterated type of destinations!

Why not hop into the Mindanao destinations?
Siargao is a surfer's paradise. Camiguin will also beckon. Davao is a hip place with many things to delight you. Even go to Zamboanga, Dipolog, Dapitan, Cagayan De Oro and see so many different things even most Filipinos from Manila are not familiar with but wanting to see!

If you let VT folks in on what you like most, many of us can tell you where to go so you maximize your 4 weeks @ AUD1000/wk! And hey, don't be surprised to encounter resort owners who are from Oz or elsewhere there!

From Manila you can take a flight going to Cebu City or Boracay (via Caticlan, the nearest town to the island). Take note Boracay is a relatively small island off the coast of Aklan province. If I am not mistaken Boracay is 2 kilometers wide and 8 kilometers long. From Caticlan, you have to take an outrigger boat to get to Boracay. As for Cebu City, it is the most cosmopolitan city outside the capital Manila. Cebu-Mactan Airport does not have direct flights to Thailand. Check the airport website at http://www.mactan-cebuairport.com.ph/ If you do not want to criss-cross the country, I suggest you enter Cebu City first, then take a flight going to Caticlan (for Boracay), then from Caticlan to Manila and Manila to Thailand.

There are other destinations in the Philippines you can visit like Bohol Island-Province which is near Cebu City. It depends what type of vacation or destination you want.

when are you planning to come to Manila?

you should take note that once in a while (especially during these time of the year, around June-October), a typhoon is passing by the Philippines.

im coming october 15 just with a backpack and myself were are you living in philipines

I would spend a little time in Ermita. In this area you will find reasonably priced hotels, malls, casinos, bars and easy walk to MRT.

Map of Ermita and hotel info.
http://www.hoteltravel.com/philippines/manila/ermita_map.htm
Pretty good bar for food and drink specials and local info from expats.
http://www.gpointmanila.com/

You could head up to Angeles City too, you can go cheap on the Victory Liner bus or take the Swagman Hotel "Fly the Bus" offer.

Good bars in Angeles City for food, cheap drinks and information from expats.
http://www.margaritastation.com/
http://www.kokomoz.com/

Map of Angeles City.
http://www.acmap.com/map.asp?map=f4

Just a note, I think your free visa on arrival is for 21 days unless you are planning on a different type of visa.

You could fly to Thailand and check out Bangkok and Pattaya too!

Hal

I'm from Batangas.

Well, I just hope you'll have a great trip here in the Philippines! =)

check out toilena room & board! its the basic room without the frills. but hot shower, good service, good aic conditioning units.

i wrote a tip about it. coz i just stayed there last time i visited manila. its a deal. =)

oh yes thats like 3 hours from manilla bantagas hay

well, it depends on what part of Batangas you're going. As to our place, it's just 2 hours or less (without traffic!)

ohk i no a philipino girl in sydney that was from your area she keeps telling me to go stay with her sister but i thought it was bit far away

Well I would stay in Manila a few days and head off to Angles City for all the girls you want then go north to Vegan.I would also go to Palawan for a few days or weeks its much nicer than Boracay but does'nt have the night life that Boracay has.If you like good beaches Palawan has the best underground river El Nido Caron much better than Boracay.Boracay is overrated and expenive. Palawan is better and a lot cheaper and alot more to do.Vegan is a old Spanish city and very nice if you like old things.You can take the bus to A/C stay till you wear out head north to Vegan to rest fly to Boricay or Cebu.I would even think about getting a girl for a guide.A single white male ,if your a single white male, is more likely to get screwed than if your with someone and who knows the way around etc and can speck Tagalog.Who knows you might get married and can't get a better girl, much better than Thai's.I've stayed in 20.00 to 200.00 a night rooms is the 200 room 10 x's better not really.1000 a week maybe maybe not depends on what and where you stay and what you do. have fun

the girls are all very pretty - I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself!
:-)

Sounds like you're a single guy traveling. If that is the case you must go to Angeles City. The nightlife is remarkable and the women are gorgeous. Check out this site. I find it very resourceful.

http://www.beyondphilippines.com