I spent a week in Boracay, Philippines, earlier in the month and loved it.

Boracay is a small island just off the North Western tip of Panay Island. It doesn’t have an airport, so getting there involves a flight to either Caticlan or Kalibo (on Panay Island), a ferry trip across the straits (only about 5 – 7 minutes) and then a transfer to the hotel.

The flight from Manila (that I took) was great, simply for the fact that they use Bombadier Q300 aircraft – propeller driven aircraft that seat a maximum of 50 people.

This means that you’re flying at around 12,000 – 15,000 feet and, as long as it’s clear, you get spectacular views of the Philippine countryside.

The flight down from Manila takes about an hour, and arriving at Caticlan involves a sweep over Boracay island, touching down on a short runway and deplaning into an airport building about the size of a reasonable farm house. Loved it.

I booked through the My Boracay Guide website and the service they provided was absolutely excellent.

Our bags were miraculously extracted from the baggage trolley and we were on our way to the ferry before we knew it.

The ferry across the strait was quick and we were quickly and painlessly checked into our hotel just over 35 minutes after landing – and on the beach about 10 minutes after that.

If you do go to Boracay I do recommend booking through My Boracay Guide – and that’s not even an affiliate link!

That Boracay is stunningly beautiful goes without saying, and I’ll let the pictures in the slide show below tell that story.

But one of the nicest things about it is that it’s so relaxed.

Yes – you get people trying to sell you mangoes, fake watches and reflective sunglasses, but if you say no they leave you alone. No hassle, no pressure.

You also get people selling snorkelling trips, island hopping trips, jet skiing and other past times. We took an Island Hopping trip which was spectacular – I’ll do a separate article with pictures for that one – and I do recommend it.

At night the beach front comes alive. The beach front restaurants all place tables and chairs out on the beach and serve an incredible range of caught-that-afternoon-fresh seafoods – absolutely out of this world.

There’s a mall close to Station 2 on the white beach (where most of the action takes place) where you can buy pretty much anything – clothing, medicines, food, internet access and anything else you may need.

And at the other end of the white beach there’s a fresh market, selling fresh fruit,vegetables and meat.

We had a great time, and were sad to leave. The slide show below shows some of the sites and scenes, but they don’t depict the friendly, relaxed atmosphere and great service we received.

In the middle of chaotic, noisy and colourful Manila is Greenbelt – a haven of upmarket shopping malls, relaxing gardens, restaurants, bars and a church.

Situated in Makati, it’s surrounded by hotels of all prices: from the very reasonably priced Prince Plaza 2, which is right on the doorstep, to the Shangri-La, Peninsular, Inter-Continental and Dusit – which are between 5 and 10 minutes walk away.

Also nearby are the older shopping centers of Glorietta and Landmark. Not as upmarket as the Greenbelt Malls, but still with an excellent selection of shops.

Greenbelt really comes into its own, though, after dark. The selection of restaurants leaves you spoilt for choice: anything from Cuban (one of my favourites), through various European cuisines to Thai, Japanese and more.

I’ve eaten in many of them and I’ve never yet had a bad meal. In fact they’ve all been superb.

There’s nowhere like Greenbelt anywhere else in Asia – at least not in the places I’ve visited. The closest I can think of is Knutsford Terrace, in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong – but it lacks the ambience, the entertainment and the surroundings of Greenbelt, it has no shops and it’s a fraction of the size.

Access to the complex is through security checkpoints, (same as any building or complex in Manila) where you’ll need to open bags for inspection and have a metal detecting wand waved over you.

That and the prices ensure you’re pretty safe anywhere inside, although you always need to hang on to laptops and watch for pickpockets.

My favourite location for dinner and entertainment in Greenbelt is Havana – a Cuban bar/restaurant offering great food and live music. You can sit inside or out – and the Patio area is a prime spot from which to watch Manila’s rich and beautiful.

Havana is located on the ground floor. It’s located in a part of the building that curves round a patio area and all the other establishments on that level are restaurants, all offering outside seating.

The result is a wonderful atmosphere. Lots of tables, food of all kinds and lots of laughter and conversation (real conversations, between real people, not Facebook conversations!).

The music in Havana starts at around 10:00 and the band plays Latin rhythms – as you’d expect, I guess. And if you feel the need to stretch your legs to walk off your meal the gardens all have well lit paths and walkways that you can stroll around in complete safety.

Whether you’re staying in one of the Makati hotels, or somewhere further away, an evening in Greenbelt is an absolute must – whether you’re there on business or pleasure.

Cheers,

There are two great places to visit a couple of hours’ drive South-West of Manila: Tagaytay (about an hour’s drive) and Matabungkay (about 2 hours’ drive)

Tagaytay is easily doable in a day from Manila.

It sits on the Northern edge of Lake Taal, and inside the lake sits the Taal Volcano. The volcano is an island that sits in the middle of the lake, and the island itself contains another lake. And inside the inner lake is one of the volcano’s 23 craters. It’s pretty amazing – just like Russian dolls!

The volcano is officially active, although the last eruption was in 1977. (Depending on your outlook, that may mean one’s just about due!).

Driving south west from Manila, past Cavite, the road climbs steadily up to Tagaytay, which sits at around 2,000 feet above sea level.

Although it’s not as high as Baguio (around 5,000 feet), the altitude means that the climate is a lot cooler here.

That makes Tagaytay a popular tourist destination as well as home to new developments (sub-divisions) catering to ex-pat retirees – especially as it’s so close to Manila.

The Aguinaldo Highway (going from Manila past Tagaytay and on south to Batangas) passes along Tagaytay ridge and past the Tagaytay Picnic Grove.

The Picnic Grove is a series of restaurants that sit along the ridge above the Taal Lake and give magnificent views of the lake itself (which lies around 1,000 feet below) and the volcano.

Come here on a weekend and it will be pretty crowded, but make the trip on a weekday and you can have a great meal (the local Filipino food is a must) and a peaceful couple of hours soaking in the view.

If you’re looking for a day trip from Manila, Tagaytay is great. Even allowing for Philippine traffic, it’s within easy reach, affords you a relaxing few hours (lots of kid-friendly facilities) and you can be home in time for evening drinks.

About another hour past Tagaytay is Matabungkay, near Batangas.

I didn’t go into Batangas itself because I was staying at the Matabungkay Beach Resort, about 20 minutes before reaching the city. So the resort I can vouch for, the city I can’t!

And the resort was great. Sitting on the beach and away from the city, it was peaceful and relaxing.

Because the sea in the bay is generally calm, the resort is able to operate a number of floating rafts, which you can hire. They have covered seating and can take anywhere from 2 to around 15 people.

The seabed is very shallow in the bay, so you climb aboard your raft and one of the resort staff will wade out into the bay, towing your raft, to anchor it for you. From there you can swim, chill out, listen to music or whatever.

Tell the resort staff what time you’ve hired the raft until and, at the appointed time, they’ll wade out and tow you back.

You can take your own food, or you can wait until someone from one of the local restaurants wades out and offers to take your order. That’s what we did, and I recommend it.

Let them know when you want to eat and they’ll go away, prepare your meal and return with it later (in our case a couple of hours later).

The resort also has motor boats you can hire (with a driver) on which you can take a tour of the bay. There’s not an enormous amount to see, though – it’s nothing like 100 Islands. But it’s fun to go out and cruise around for an hour.

Most resorts in the Batangas area offer transportation to and from Manila (ours did, and so did the others I researched before going), so if you don’t fancy the drive down there simply book in advance and arrange for the transportation.

If you’re at a loose end over a long weekend in Manila, Matabungkay is definitely a trip to consider. Well worth it!

Cheers,

One of the disappointing things about Philippines is that many of the really beautiful places are not within easy reach.

Back here I talked about Baguio. It’s a 7 hour drive North of Manila, but at least there are hotels you can stay at up there, so an overnight stay is easy.

Not so with 100 Islands, although you can stay overnight in one of the cottages on Quezon Island – just don’t expect room service.

They’re about a 6 or 7 hour drive from Manila, North West, on the coast of Pangasinan Province, near the town of Alaminos (where you can get hotel accommodation).

100 Islands actually comprises 124 islands, although the 124th is only visible at low tide. They’re compressed into an area of about 4,500 acres – the size of a large farm in the UK or a reasonable sized one in the US.

Like many of the islands around Phuket (Thailand) the islands here are mushroom shaped because the sea water has eroded their bases.

That makes for some fascinating shapes and interesting looking caves.

But they’re all lush, some have outstandingly beautiful beaches and the water around them is absolutely crystal clear.

We did the trip in a day, driving from Binalonan and returning in the evening. You really only need a half day or so there, unless you plan on vegging out on one of the beaches. But apart from the natural beauty and tranquillity of the place there’s really nothing to do.

Best plan of action is to hire a motorised canoe when you get there, along with a driver, and let them take you round the islands.

The boat hire is PHP 500 for a half day (if I remember correctly) and the boatman will take you round to the most interesting places, as well as the 3 developed islands.

Buy some food at the stalls near the jetty before you leave (and remember to include the boatman in the quantities you buy) and then put yourself in his hands. You will be well looked after.

Here are some pictures – click on the thumbnail below and then click again on the picture that comes up to get a full sized picture:

100 Islands is beautiful.

If you hire a car and driver from Manila you can do it as a day trip.

Allow 6 – 7 hours to get there, 5 or so hours there and 6 – 7 hours back. Your driver will sleep in (or near) the car while you’re exploring the islands so the early start and late return won’t trouble him.

But if you’re driving yourself you may want to book a hotel in Alaminos and stay overnight.

About 7 or so hours drive North of Manila is Baguio.

It’s located nearly 5,000 feet above sea level in the middle of the mountainous part of Northern Luzon.

And it’s spectacular.

At least the countryside around it and some of the developments are. The city itself is like many other Philippine cities – colourful, but noisy and polluted.

However two places that are well worth a visit are Camp John Hay – a resort development with a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, plus hotels and cottages – and Mines View.

Getting to Baguio involves a road trip from Manila.

You can take one of the long distance buses (very cheap) or you can hire a car and driver (more expensive but still excellent value), or you can drive yourself.

Road travel in the Philippines is not as safe as in Europe, the US or Australia but, oddly, I find driving there to be quite easy.

The problem with the buses is that they’re driven at break-neck speeds and maintenance is often less than thorough. So traveling on them is always interesting.

If you get a good driver, of course, a car and driver is a great option.

But I always prefer to drive myself when I visit, because if I’m driving I’m in control.

I can (and do) pull over to let the buses past. I’d rather have them in front of me where I can see what they’re up to, than sitting on my rear number plate with possibly dodgy brakes.

The first part of the drive from Manila (about 60 miles or so) is on the North Luzon Expressway. The NLE is a good quality 2 or 3 lane highway. No problems there.

But once you get to Angeles the NLE ends and you get onto single-lane-each-way roads. And your average speed plummets.

There are all sorts of vehicles on these roads. From heavy farm vehicles carrying sugar cane, to the buses, to normal cars, jeepneys and tricycles.

All of them traveling at a wide range of speeds and all of them likely to turn across in front of you without the slightest indication.

So defensive driving is a must.

The problem with a car and driver is that if you do have an accident, and the other people involved see the car contains a foreigner, your problems instantly multiply.

Of course, the same risk exists if you’re driving yourself – but at least you’re in control and I’ve never experienced any problems.

Again, though, defensive driving is a must!

So, continuing North along the MacArthur Highway you get to Agoo, from where you have two options for getting to Baguio:

1. Kennon Road, which is fully tarmacced but from which buses and heavy vehicles are excluded
2. Marcos highway, which is a better road, used by the buses and heavy vehicles, but not nearly as spectacular.

If you’re in a car I do recommend Kennon Road. (If you’re in a bus you’ll have no choice – it’ll be Marcos Highway).

Travelling along Kennon Road you climb from somewhere near sea level up nearly 5,000 feet to Baguio.

And you travel along winding roads up the sides of mountains, through gorges and past attractive villages along the way.

The climate in Baguio is completely different to much of the Philippines because of the altitude. It’s less humid and a lot cooler. And cold in the Winter – which nowhere else in Philippines is!

When you get to Baguio two places to head for are Camp John Hay and Mines View.

Camp John Hay was originally a US forces camp. Today it’s been developed into a spectacular resort with a world-class golf course, hotels, self-catering cottages, a convention centre and shopping malls.

Plus you can explore the roughly 1,700 acres, which make up the property. They’re largely forested, but with well maintained paths and trails you can follow.

And you can do this either on foot or on horse-back (pony-back actually).

The other place to head for is Mines View.

Whereas John Hay camp is restful, Mines View is a hive of activity with lots of stalls and small shops selling local products, and all the usual hustling from people trying to sell you typical tourist stuff.

But the views out across the mountains are wonderful.

Here are a few pictures (click on the thumbnail below and then again on the resulting picture to get a decent sized image):

If you’re traveling to Philippines I do recommend a visit to Baguio. Because of its location, the climate is very different to most of the Philippines and the surrounding area is beautiful.

As long as you like mountains, that is.