I travelled to the Philippines (Cebu and Manila) this past Spring for a short business trip. I didn't have much in the way of expectations, and I'm kind of glad I didn't. We arrived in Cebu and the airport was like something out of the 60's. You check yourself at one desk, while you have to go to another to pay for your baggage - then return to the other desk to complete the transaction (no kidding). But, at the same time, the airport is 100% solar powered! A-mazing LOL

Both cities go from rural to concrete jungles in a matter of minutes. And the hustle is on, as soon as you arrive. We came here immediately after leaving India and I have to say, the change in people was astoundingly different.

While in India, the people were very gracious and kind. The people in Cebu/Manila have a different way of carrying themselves - I can only describe it as "ambitious". LOL

We stayed at the Shangri-La in Manila, which is nice (on par with a Courtyard Marriott, I would say). The hotel is in the center of a very nice local mall area that has plenty of things to do/see/eat.

The rooms were clean, but because Manila is such a humid zone, seemed a little musty (for my taste). The staff were great - told us about local hot spots (which my co-workers took advantage of), and I visited the on-site spa for a massage. This seems to be the "to-do thing" when in Manila. It was quite nice, but not the muscle wrenching Swedish I'm used to. $20 for 90 minutes? Who's complaining? Not me!

Manila was our last overnight stay on our trip, so for my goodbye breakfast, I order a platter of fresh mango slices. They appeased, and boy, was that fantastic! I hadn't had fruit for 3 weeks and was starving for it. It was the best ever.

Would I return to the Philippines for vacation? No. But it was nice to be able to experience it 1st hand (and on someone elses' dime) to know that!

Thanks for your report.

Actually the resort islands Palawan and Boracay rank in the top 5 throughout the world. It's a world away from Manila.

I have not been to the Phillipines but as an RN have worked with scores of Phillipino nurses over the 35+ yr. career and found them to be hard working and a lot of fun to be with. Pretty good food too. .

As I mentioned on your other topic about India We've been there 7 times and while many folks are nice there are many others pulling the Delhi hustle. I can't tell you how many times I've had to fend off someone trying to put the moves on me for more money. That's my experience. Believe me I can tell you stories you would not believe from a cabbie trying to scam me to malfeasance by the big bank there ICICI.

There is huge corruption there and if you have been following the latest news the govt. suddenly announced a plan to phase out certain notes to try to ferret out all the "back" money hidden away.

Meant "black" money,.

Hello, @mamasanh! Thanks for the share. The experience might not be that good at first, but I think there's a lot more to see in the PH. I agree with @jacketwatch. The Palawan and Boracacay are both stunning islands but these are already the places tourists used to go (not to take anything away from both). Apart from these islands, there are also places to see at the Northern part of the PH which I think tourists do not consider most often. The mountainous regions such as the Baguio, Banaue, and Benguet are also great attractions even though they are hard to reach. The Ilocos Region is another place to consider. We've been there months ago and I could say you wouldn't experience the same as you had in Manila

@jacketwatch Yes, sad to say it became a common practice for some of these men to take advantage of the tourists when possible. I always suggest to other tourists to always be vigilant and to have an agreeable deal before taking any of their service. Yes, it's undeniable that there's corruption happening but I don't think it won't affect the tourism in the PH.

As evidenced by Palawan and Boracay being so popular!