Travel tips for visiting the beautifully underrated islands in The Philippines!
I recently stayed in the Philippines for 10 days while visiting my college friend Ryan from Colorado who is working in Manila for 6 months. Planning the trip was a bit more challenging that expected due to lack of information so I decided it’s worth sharing my knowledge for those of you looking for reliable facts on this gorgeous and humble country.
Before you read on- it’s worth noting that I traveled with a group of 3 friends whom are adventurous, enjoy the finer things in life, but are budget conscious.
Top islands to visittttttt:
Boracay Island is the party haven of the Philippines. We opted to not visit Boracay as it is more touristy than the other islands (according to Ryan who has been there). And while it offers more nightlife and shopping we decided that’s not what our group of 4 friends were looking for this go around.
Bohol, Panglao Island is also a romantic destination but a bit more traveled than Coron. Bohol boasts other unique activities such as swimming with whale sharks (a 2 hr boat ride to Cebu island), The Chocolate Hills natural phenomenon, tarsier animal sanctuaries, and the Loboc River.
Coron, Palawan Island is a stunning romantic destination and touted as the most beautiful of all the Philippine islands. We went here for 3 nights and had an incredible time. You can find great food (see below), unique local places to stay, and tons of once-in-a-lifetime adventures such seeing WWII shipwrecks, hiking to fresh water lakes, and pristine beaches. (BTW- Conde Nast just named this the most beautiful island in the world, NBD.)
Miscelllllllllaneous information:
Traveling to the Philippines you’re going to have to fly into Manila’s NAIA (Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport). From there you can travel to the various 7,000+ islands (see below for options).
Currency: The Philippines money is the Peso. The US Dollar is actually very strong in the Philippines: 100 pesos is about $2.15 dollars.
Tipping: At restaurants a “service charge” is usually included in the bill so not necessary to tip in addition to that.
Taxis: Take a “fixed rate” or white taxi from the airport (NAIA) and negotiate the price before you get in. It should be about 400-700 pesos for the ride from the airport.
Tricycles: This is their form of “taxi” when you are on smaller islands. Also can negotiate the price and is usually about 50 pesos pp per ride. Tipping is usually not necessary unless your driver goes above and beyond for you in some way.
Water: Don’t drink it unless you are at a resort or nice restaurant. Bottled water, like in many international locales, is your BFF.
Gettttttting to the islands:
Air: The best option is flying from Manila (NAIA) to the island however, it can be expensive. There are 2 main local airlines to consider: Cebu PacificAir and Philippine Air. Philippines Air is far superior in my opinion. It is run more efficiently, cleanly, and you get 1 bag checked for free. With Cebu you must pay about 700 pesos per checked bag ($17). *If you travel through the Busuanga airport on your way from Coron please note the blind singing band that plays while you board your plane. It’s awesome.
Boats: There are boat options to travel to islands but they are long and often unreliable. However, day island hopping FROM the islands by boat is a must.
Accommmmmmodations:
In Bohol: We stayed at the Hennan Resort on Alona Beach which was very affordable considering the incredible amenities and beautiful location. It’s a bit resort-y but if you’re looking for a glamorous time this is a winner. Along the Alona Beach you can get cheap massages, stroll to see various talented cover singers, and traditional street (well, sand) food.
In Coron: We originally wanted to stay on the water or on a private island but decided it was worth the convenience to stay in Coron Town near the shops, restaurants, shopping, and main dock. (Coron Town is NOT actually on Coron Island- which can be confusing.) I highly recommend staying at The Funny Lion. So accommodations in Coron are a bit diverse. You can have a very local cultural experience or you can stay comfortably. While The Funny Lion is safari inspired not Filipino per se, they offer flawless customer service, quality simplistic decor, fantastic food, strong drinks, reasonable prices, and a GORGEOUS view… their amazing rooftop bar has two hot tubs, free massages, and the most incredible view of the sea and sunset. So yeah, I’m a fan.
Activities/ Things to doooooooo:
Island hopping is what you’ll spend the majority of your time doing in the Philippines.
Coron: We opted to book a private boat for 2 days in Coron as opposed to a larger boat filled with strangers. We used Nice in Paradise Tours which included our own boat and a fresh cooked traditional meal each day (usually fish, crab, corn, fruit, rice,etc). It was approximately $50/per person each day for 4 people. At first the control freak in me wanted to pick the destinations for our day tours in Coron, but the tour company insisted on their own itinerary which ended up being well planned and executed. We really enjoyed our knowledgeable day tour guide as well, who did things like pick up the most deadly jelly fish and let us hold it… after he plucked off the fatal tentacles of course!
***Essential sites in Coron: Kayangan Lake (check out the underwater rock formations), Barracuda Lake (awesome cliff jumping here), Twin Lagoons (we brought a raft!), Siete Picados (the best snorkeling you’ll ever witness), Bohol Beach, any shipwreck snorkeling you can find, and Macapuya Island (most gorgeous beach EVER).
Bohol: Again, island hopping. You can arrange a boat tour via the concierge at any hotel or front desk. We learned you can also walk down to the beach and approach any boat to negotiate a ride price with a boat owner. Make sure to visit “Virgin Island” off Alona Beach in Bohol- we took the most stunning photos there. Like this one below from Instagram.
More Bohol activities: The Chocolate Hills is a popular destination to travel to (by car) and witness the natural phenomenon. We opted to visit the Chocolate Hills Adventure Park (CHAP) and ride the bicycle zip line to get a view of the Chocolate Hills. We also did a ropes course at the park… because why not?! In addition I highly recommend doing this SUP tour on the Loboc River because it’s insanely picturesque.
Fooooooooooood:
Be careful: “Buy one take one” is the Philippine version of Happy Hour which means you don’t get a drink for half price, you get 2 drinks for the price of 1. Which means you end up drinking more! (I may speak from experience.)
Bohol: We found amazing Mexican food at a divey restaurant on the beach in Alona (don’t remember the name!) We ate most of our meals at the Hennan Resort where we stayed and if you go there try the club sandwich, it’s delicious. The Bohol Bee Farm is an organic restaurant and shop with unique souvenirs, personal care products, and gelato. It’s right next door to Hennan.
Coron: We tried the recommended Bistro Coron which was delicious but with no AC it was kinda unpleasant on a hot day. I loved La Sirenetta (right on the water) they had TONS of margarita options and the food was excellent. We tried balut from a street vendor. And while I’ll try ANYTHING this was a stretch. It’s a duck embryo that is boiled. And you eat it straight out of the shell. You’ve been warned.
Manila: We spent a day before and after our island excursions in Manila. While it’s not traditional Filipino food in any sense, it’s worth visiting Wildflour restaurant in BGC because the food is that tasty. We also had a night in Manila and we ventured into an upscale speakeasy called Bank Bar accessed from a 711 store. Kinda amazing, right?!
In case you need any MORE convincing to visit the Philippines…take a peek at this video of our trip. #PhilFabFour
One Reply to “Travel tips for visiting the beautifully underrated islands in The Philippines!”
this is so fun! thanks for giving a great review of the places we are proud to have in our country 🙂
hope you get back to see the other amazing places that were not included in your itinerary.