Overwhelmed by info...First time in Philippines...What Island
 

Will be spending 2 weeks in Philippines with my husband and 2 teenage daughters. Although Borocay "looks" beautiful from the pictures I'm not sure that's my choice. Kind of like the Phuket of Thailand....over rated. What other island is a good options and somewhat easy to access? Also looking for clean budget guesthouses as we will have to get 2 rooms. 1000 PP for each room would be great. Any recommendations would be great.

Hello Nikki! If it is your first time in the Philippines, Boracay is highly recommended. It is not overrated. The beach is really beautiful, there are so many hotels and inns to choose from. The island hopping is a must as well - Puka beach is awesome! But take into account that it is very touristy. If you want a more rustic and untouched feel, please research the following places - Siargao, Panglao, El Nido. Its more peaceful and equally beautiful. Though nothing can really compare to the really white fine sands of Boracay. Good thing about the above mentioned places, there are plenty of direct flights from the capital Manila, via really really cheap budget airlines like Cebu Pacific, Zest Air, Air Philippines, etc, esp if you book early. The cheapest accommodations would be in Siargao because it hasnt been infested with too much tourist.

To: PinoyPride

I just don't know if Boracay is for me. I hate over crowded beaches, although I'm sure my teenage girls would love it! The beaches look fantastic but I've been trying to find somewhat of a decent place and price for the second week of January and everything is at the top end of my budget or higher than what I wanted to spend.
I was quite interested in Bohol and El Nido but after looking at Siargao......WOW! AMAZING! Have you been there personally?
It will be our last 2 weeks of beach paradise before we fly home to the cold and snow so I really want to enjoy my final weeks in the sun! Is the weather good at this time in all those places in mid_january?

Hello Nikkiparis!

I have personally been to Siargao already. That was i think in the year 2005. It was way backward at the time. Maybe now its more convenient for the tourist. As mentioned before, it is still quite untouched. There are 2 types of beaches there, the calm one but with very sharp rocks (slippers recommended) and the sandy ones with really huge waves for surfing. Another part of Siargao that is really worth going to is the Suhoton Caves. Its a family of caves and lagoons in middle of the sea. Hopefully though, youre not the type to get sea sick easily - the only way to get there is through a small motored boat in a 2 hour journey on the rough seas. WORTH SEEING THOUGH. *maybe now that its 2013, they have a friendlier way to access it.

If you find Boracay expensive, El Nido isnt the place for you then - in terms of budget. El Nido is way more expensive than Boracay and the accomodation options are way too little compared to Bora. January until May is the peak of Boracay, that is why the prices are jacked up! January though, wont be as crowded as the months of March to May. Your daughters will SURELY enjoy Boracay. I hope you will too.

If you have more than enough time, spend 4 days in Bora then 4 days in Siargao. =)

We are planning January 14 - 28 in Philippines. I think I would rather just set up in one place for my last 2 weeks of holidays and explore other islands with day-trips. I think to make my girls happy we might stay in Boracay....I can come back another time with my husband and explore more islands then. I will just have to budget larger for Boracay. Do you recommend any guesthouse? Or maybe house rental? I don't want to spend much more than 5000 PP a night. Will that even be possible at high season in Boracay?

I've been to Boracay a year ago. The beauty of the beach is not overrated - it's really beautiful (which is why we're coming back on December) but I understand why you don't want to mingle with the crowd. For an equally beautiful beach, I recommend the Bantayan Island in Cebu. The rooms are very affordable (you should find something with your budget of Php1000 per night, the beach is to die for (many compared it to Boracay) but there's no noisy crowd to disturb the relaxing atmosphere. While there, you should also hire a boat and visit the Virgin Island - named such because it really is "virgin", no buildings, no resorts, etc.

If you have any questions, I'd love to help you out. =)

Hi all,

I am planning to visit Philippines in first week of June for Honeymoon for 7 N/8 D

Can anyone suggest me the places to visit and where to stay (If possible villas with private pools etc).

And also which is the best way to enjoy scuba diving and other sports activity.

@Nikki, I live in Boracay and the island has quite a few more beaches besides White Beach that you can visit also...

8 more to be exact and you can see pictures and descriptions of them in my guide "The 9 Beatiful Beaches of Boracay" here: http://boracaycompass.com/beaches-guide/

Those 8 other beaches are far from crowded, so if you go to Boracay and you want to get away from the crowd, just hop on a tricycle and you will be on an uncrowded beach before you know it.

I still love White Beach though because it's so convenient, everything you need is close and the beach and water is just really nice.

Tip: White Beach is most crowded in the afternoon and peaks out at sunset. During morning and noon time the beach is relatively quiet.

I love Boracay but an alternative is Alona Beach Bohol which isnt as touristy. Offers a lot more than Boracay in ther culture and sightseeing areas. Fantastic snorkeling and diving.

If you are really into a beach trip, maybe you wanna try Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte. It is so beautiful, the blue waters the white sand, the view, it's just perfect. There are also recreational activities like zip line and banana boat ride as well as jet skiing. I think you'll enjoy it.

I was just in Boracay, and I was disenchanted. I went a few years ago, but in the intervening time the island has gotten much more crowded and dirty. It's now grossly overbuilt, and there are consistent problems with sewage discharge into the waters (especially on the side opposite White Beach), and this year White Beach itself had a lot of problems with seaweed and algae. It's still a wonderful place in many ways, with some excellent cheap restaurants and a lot of fun activities, but this time it was all just too much for me. It's also difficult to explore other areas using Boracay as a base.

I stayed at the Shangri-La (way way over your budget) because I was going for a wedding there. It's breathtaking and beautiful but the most expensive place I've ever stayed in my whole life. But every time I left the resort, it was a struggle.

I've also been to Bohol and found it much more comfortable and nice. And I loved the beaches there. I didn't stay at Alona, but it's a beautiful beach. And I've been dreaming about Palawan, but El Nido is also extremely expensive (much more than Boracay). If it were me making this choice, I'd certainly look beyond Boracay. Perhaps look at Malapascua, which is near Cebu.