It’s hard to believe that it’s been already three weeks since we left the Philippines. As we are enjoying our time in Southern Thailand, we thought it would be nice to look back on our itinerary, point out our favourite spots and see what we maybe would have done differently.
Itinerary
We spent about two and a half weeks in the Visayas and 10 days in Palawan. We had four stops in the Visayas: Panglao (Bohol), Siquijor, Apo Island, and Moalboal, plus a transit stop in Cebu City. In Palawan we stayed in Coron, El Nido, and Port Barton, plus a night in Puerto Princesa before our flight.
Our itinerary was really well paced in general – see below what we may have done differently. Against our expectations, we were a bit disappointed (ok, this is a really strong word – maybe “less enchanted”?) by Palawan. Of course, it is beautiful, but the vibe in the Visayas was more chilled and less “over organised” tourism. The only place where we could discover that again was Port Barton. If you read our article on Palawan, you know that we still enjoyed ourselves a lot and we are happy to have travelled there.
Top 3
Generally, we would go back to all the places we’ve been to without much hesitation. The three places below, however, have a special place in our heart.
Siquijor
This little black magic island, its laid back atmosphere, its amazing views and its incredible marine life just off the shore was our first big crush in the Philippines. Our hotel in a very remote setting also contributed to that. We stayed five days, but could have whiled longer for sure. (More about Siquijor here)
Apo Island
You hop into the water and you’re surrounded by turtles. Who wouldn’t be amazed by that? Only 900 people live here, electricity works only in the evening, and the fanciest resort doesn’t have running water. Apo Island is a truly unique experience. (More about Apo Island here)
Port Barton
A few restaurants and hotels, many boats – and empty paradisiac beaches, only a scooter ride away. Everything we were missing in Coron and El Nido, we found in Port Barton – and we probably saw the most beautiful beach of our life so far. (More about Port Barton here)
Things to skip (maybe)
It wasn’t easy to find things that we really didn’t like. So these are just a few that maybe don’t need to be on top of your list.
Coron (except diving)
As said repeatedly, we had a nice time in Coron. However, we don’t see it as an unmissable stop, with the exception of the shipwreck diving, which is a unique opportunity. El Nido, and Port Barton in particular, to us were much more worthwile otherwise.
Chocolate Hills
It’s a pleasant (yet slightly lengthy) drive from Panglao, but the hills were a little underwhelming to us. One of those cases where the pictures look more impressive than reality. However, we think that there are plenty of other things to do on Bohol that we didn’t do (yet).
Alona Beach
Panglao has beautiful beaches, but Alona isn’t one of them. You can find plenty of restaurants and shops, but if you’re looking for quiet beach time, definitely look elsewhere.
Food
We didn’t hear many good things about Filipino cuisine. We don’t think that’s very fair. No, it doesn’t have the richness of Malay or Thai cuisine. But we ate well (also vegetarian!) and everything was always insanely fresh. Our favourites were Pancit Bihun (glass noodle stir fry) and Adobo. We also had a few excellent pastries, such as banana cake or coconut buns.
Will we be back?
Yes, please! Can we go back now? We already have a list of places we want to see: Malapascua, Bantayan, Siargao, Donsol… We would also go back to Bohol, and explore a little more. Then there’s the rice fields north of Manila! Hopefully we’ll be back soon.
Budget
In 27 days, we spent a total of 2100€ in the Philippines. We spent an average 25€ per night on accommodation, and 17€/day on food. A total of around 500€ went into transport, which includes everything from the internal flight to scooter rental and gas. The rest went mostly into activities, such as excursions, diving, and yoga.
What else?
Roosters
Ah, the roosters. Roosters everywhere. And if, like us, you have that image in mind of the rooster that does one wake up call at dawn… you’re wrong. At least in the Philippines. So just for that, it’s worth bringing some ear plugs.
(Tap) water
One thing that we should have thought of checking in more detail was the quality of water. This could have avoided us a couple of not so great days in El Nido (there doesn’t seem to be another place in the Philippines with such bad water quality). If you go to El Nido, make sure to brush your teeth with filtered/bottled water and not to swallow any while showering. As for drinking water in general – our Steripen worked great, and many hotels and restaurants also offer filtered water refills for free or a small fee. Free drinking water was also available at airports and ferry terminals.
Marine life
The Philippines may have ruined us forever for any other country when it comes to marine life and clear water (curious to see what Indonesia will be like). Just off the coast you can find corals, fish, and turtles, not to mention what can be seen when venturing a bit further. So if you’re a diver, don’t wait and head to the Philippines (it’s also comparatively cheap). And if not, you will find some of the best snorkelling in the world.
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