Philippines forum

Well, I was thinking 3-4 weeks but the thing is, I have been to a few places in SE Asia so could skip around a bit. I was thinking maybe a few really good locations. Maybe spend about 5-6 days in the Phillipines and then Ankor Wat since I missed it last time, maybe Phenom Penn and finally, Ko-Sumei, Ko-Pha Ngan and then if there is time, check out a day in Bangkok as I depart. So, I think I could put togethr the entire trip with the exception of the Phillipines because I have no idea where anything at all is over there. One more thing, I basically plan on having a rough itenerary and then just flying there and doing whatever.
Jason

That sounds about perfect. Just something to get me started. . . to take a little bite of the Phillipines before heading to Cambodia and Thailand. Thanks.
Jason

Jason, I visited Philippines in the June, 2008. It was "dedicated" trip, so I spent 1 day in Manila, then several days of scuba diving in Dumaguete (Negros Oriental), then 2 nights on Siquijor (mysterious island, where the healers live), visited Bohol/Panglao (to see tarsiers) and at the end - Mactan (the island, where Magellan was killed).
Because Philippines are only part of your trip, you can easily skip Dumaguete and visit only Manila, Siquijor and Bohol.
Connection are very simple:
1. From Manila you can fly to Dumagete, than get ferry to Siquijor.
2. From Siquijor to Bohol you can also get by ferry.
3. You can get from Bohol to Cebu by ferry (surprise! :) ).
4. From Cebu city there is direct flight to Bangkok.
By the way, Cebu airport is located on the nearest Mactan island, so you can visit place of last battle of Magellan.

Philippines is a big country (7100 islands), so it is impossible to visit every famous place during one trip :)
I visited only Vysayas (central part of Philippines), and Siquijor is my favorite place. Boracay is very nice place too, as far as I know, but because I wasn't there, I can't give any advice about it :)

Last time I was in Boracay was in the 1980's. It was already becoming a tourist trap and I found it sad to see such a beautiful place being desecrated by the unrestricted development. My friend, who went there a few years ago, described it as a red light district by the beach.

So if you are looking for a party place, Boracay can be on your list. If you are looking for unspoiled nature, I would recommend Northern Palawan over Boracay. You could probably spend a week there or even longer.

If you like the mountains, there is always Sagada or Bukidnon.

No need to worry. Filipinos are nice and accommodating. Some are hospitable to a fault. However, that doesn't mean that incidents of theft or being duped don't happen here. Especially in Manila. So if you have the time, you may visit the Department of Tourism to know the contact numbers of the local tourism office. They can provide assistance.

If you want a white beach, Boracay is the first option. You can also try isle hopping in Caramoan (in Luzon's Bicol region). There are lots of white beaches there, and based from experience, any beach facing the Pacific Ocean is the best.

The island of Bohol (in southern Visayas) has natural and cultural destinations.

You can check out my blog (http://franz-goingplaces.blogspot.com) to know more. I hope this helps.

You can start going in Boracay then back to Manila,so you don't have a airport problems.There's a lot of places to visit in the Philippines but you need time to explore it.

bluevoy, since you mention the fact you are a travel agent i will ask a question of you. i will be bicycling in Malay and then in the Philippines. i thought of coming by ferry Sandakan to Zamboenga, what do you know of that trip? i was thinking easier then bike on plane. otherwise 'cebu pacific airlines' into cebu, from KK in Borneo. would love to visit Palawan but far from cebu where i meet a friend in mid jan. thank you all of you for info.