Phillipines beaches...
Discussion
Folks,
Thought I'd turn to your assembled wisdom. I am off on a round the world trip very soon. Pitch up in China in September. I was originally planning to get the Shanghai-Kobe ferry and may still do so, however in order to get a visa I've had to book a flight out of China...
My silly side took over and a £45 Cebu ticket to Manila spoke to me
Landing on the 22nd Sept.
I'd quite like to find some nice quiet beaches to chill on and work on my beer consumption, and also not to get killed to death on the way.
Any ideas?
Thought I'd turn to your assembled wisdom. I am off on a round the world trip very soon. Pitch up in China in September. I was originally planning to get the Shanghai-Kobe ferry and may still do so, however in order to get a visa I've had to book a flight out of China...
My silly side took over and a £45 Cebu ticket to Manila spoke to me
Landing on the 22nd Sept. I'd quite like to find some nice quiet beaches to chill on and work on my beer consumption, and also not to get killed to death on the way.
Any ideas?
Subic is easy to get to from Manilla and has some good chillin' beaches. (and of course the Special Economic Zone can be fun)
flight to Paluwan is easy from manilla and gets you "properly off the grid"
Or a beach resort in Borocay if you fancy the all inclusive style.
I am sure there are plenty of other spots too.
flight to Paluwan is easy from manilla and gets you "properly off the grid"
Or a beach resort in Borocay if you fancy the all inclusive style.
I am sure there are plenty of other spots too.
Ace. These are all useful ideas.
I initially only booked the flight as I have been pissing around with a Chinese visa application and needed an onward ticket- it was only 45 quid, but actually a few weeks in the sun doing sod all will be a nice break after a month across Europe by train
I'm a sensible traveller, but the FCO website is a little 'down' on the Phillipines crime-wise, are there any areas to avoid or common scams? (I've done India by train so have dealt with most of them including 'poo on the shoe' and a half-hearted mugging)
I initially only booked the flight as I have been pissing around with a Chinese visa application and needed an onward ticket- it was only 45 quid, but actually a few weeks in the sun doing sod all will be a nice break after a month across Europe by train
I'm a sensible traveller, but the FCO website is a little 'down' on the Phillipines crime-wise, are there any areas to avoid or common scams? (I've done India by train so have dealt with most of them including 'poo on the shoe' and a half-hearted mugging)
Central Manila like any large city with this level of poverty has the obvious issues, Angelese obviously has its own unique situations, and from what i understand down south isn't too good (Davao and places like that ... )
But there are others here that know the Ph way better than me!
But there are others here that know the Ph way better than me!
Beaches in the main Luzon island in the Philippines are bloody awful. Most are made of gravel and shattered coral from decades of dynamite fishing.
Having said that, if you don't mind gravel underfoot you can still relax on them. Beer is cheap, and some other things too.
Subic is an hour or so from Manila, and you can possibly arrange an airport pick up, or work the public transport to get there. Tourist infrastructure is sadly lacking in the PI though. it is nothing like Thailand, with air-con buses everywhere aimed at tourism.
As John says, Boracay has some really nice beach, but it is pretty much private to keep the dregs and orts at bay. Wife and I were down there for a long weekend a few years ago and it was excellent, but the booking, with flights and hotel, cost $1000 for two nights.... You can do it cheap, but the place is still basically expensive.
I've never been to Palawan in the 15+ years I've lived in the PI, but I hear it is the nicest, most unspoilt part of this country.
Flying into Manila has improved immeasurably over the years, but there are still all sorts of taxi scams and such-forth for the unwary traveler.
There's no real 'backpackers' scene in the PI, but you might get some info on accommodation in the Lonely Planet website.
Yes, there are 7000 islands here, but
Having said that, if you don't mind gravel underfoot you can still relax on them. Beer is cheap, and some other things too.
Subic is an hour or so from Manila, and you can possibly arrange an airport pick up, or work the public transport to get there. Tourist infrastructure is sadly lacking in the PI though. it is nothing like Thailand, with air-con buses everywhere aimed at tourism. As John says, Boracay has some really nice beach, but it is pretty much private to keep the dregs and orts at bay. Wife and I were down there for a long weekend a few years ago and it was excellent, but the booking, with flights and hotel, cost $1000 for two nights.... You can do it cheap, but the place is still basically expensive.
I've never been to Palawan in the 15+ years I've lived in the PI, but I hear it is the nicest, most unspoilt part of this country.
Flying into Manila has improved immeasurably over the years, but there are still all sorts of taxi scams and such-forth for the unwary traveler.
There's no real 'backpackers' scene in the PI, but you might get some info on accommodation in the Lonely Planet website.
Yes, there are 7000 islands here, but
Edited by King Herald on Wednesday 8th July 14:52
Boracay is a bit of a crazy place. Bangkok meets Benidorm.
Great fun though and you can dip in and out of the party scene as much as you like..
I've stayed here which is pretty unique:
http://spiderhouseresort.com/
As for the cost, it's all relative, expensive for Asia, pretty cheap compared to Europe.
I've also been surfing in Siargao which is a bit of a mission to get too but beautiful, proper desert Island stuff.
The guy before sounds like he lives there so obviously knows his stuff but I've had nothing but positive experiences of the beaches, there's more than 7000 Islands to explore so they can't all be gravelly rubbish!
Great fun though and you can dip in and out of the party scene as much as you like..
I've stayed here which is pretty unique:
http://spiderhouseresort.com/
As for the cost, it's all relative, expensive for Asia, pretty cheap compared to Europe.
I've also been surfing in Siargao which is a bit of a mission to get too but beautiful, proper desert Island stuff.
The guy before sounds like he lives there so obviously knows his stuff but I've had nothing but positive experiences of the beaches, there's more than 7000 Islands to explore so they can't all be gravelly rubbish!
tom5678 said:
The guy before sounds like he lives there so obviously knows his stuff but I've had nothing but positive experiences of the beaches, there's more than 7000 Islands to explore so they can't all be gravelly rubbish!
Yes, you're right, I was thinking of the island I live on, Luzon. And someone did mention Subic though......which is gravel, and all up that coastline.I'm sure as f
k not traveling for hundreds of miles on planes, roads, and then ferries, just to lay on 'a nice beach' beach though. 
King Herald said:
I started my own 'round the world' trip in 1990, through Europe, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.....and that was as far as I got.
That sounds familiar King Herald said:
25 years later I'm still out here. Being outside of England gets addictive.
Edited by XJSJohn on Thursday 9th July 05:02
fieldl said:
As an alternative, get a cab down to Batangas it'll take about an hour or so from Manilla Airport then get the ferry to Puerto Galera in about 30 minutes. Shorter trip than the delay will be on an internal flight. Plenty of hotels, diving, and beaches. Won't cost a great deal.
Ive spent about a week or so at PG diving .. the local dive sites are only a few minutes from the beach, .. well worth going to Verde Island for the day if u are an experienced diver .. it is a submerged mountain pinnacle with some fantastic fish life ( and ripping currents - hence the fish .. ).the beach at PG is 'ok' / nothing special .. however a few minutes along the coast White Beach is nice.
I spent most of my time diving and in the local bars ( .. bit pricier than Angeles but still entertaining ).. and u can get a motorbike or trike over to white beach very easily for not much.
Edited by alfaman on Thursday 16th July 12:13
QROPS said:
Also have a look at Laoag City, and the el cheapo beach huts in Pagudpud. If you're ever in Makati let me know and we can catch up for a beer.
Thanks very much. Plans have lengthened considerably so I definitely won't make my September flight but may pass by Nov time depending on how it goes 
Im jealous, you'll have a blast. Check out panglao off of bohol island since youre flying into cebu, its a short ferry ride away. Its abit dive focussed but plenty of bars to chill on the beach and you can hire scooters to explore the larger Bohol island. I was there before their most recent typhoon which I hear damaged the area, but I'm sure its still a good place to while away a few days.
Edited by Daveeoo on Monday 31st August 06:48
Travel sucked away all my time and I never made it! Planning to return to Vietnam for a while next summer though, so have plenty of time to enjoy cheap flights and explore some of the rest of Asia. Currently in South America...
Www.loquitohermoso.com
Www.loquitohermoso.com
Excellent that you travel and enjoy your time , best education to travel and mix with indigenous population.
If you decide in the future to visit the Philippines , Negros Oriental is an ok place . Most of the foreigners here are old geezers like me . Content to sit around drinking San Migs and talk about the hell raisers we used to be !
Beaches ? No white sand , so not a tourist destination, although Dauin ( pronounced Darwin ) has many resorts for divers .
Good luck in your travels and take best care .
If you decide in the future to visit the Philippines , Negros Oriental is an ok place . Most of the foreigners here are old geezers like me . Content to sit around drinking San Migs and talk about the hell raisers we used to be !
Beaches ? No white sand , so not a tourist destination, although Dauin ( pronounced Darwin ) has many resorts for divers .
Good luck in your travels and take best care .
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