Palawan or Boracay
 

Has anyone stayed at the Coco Loco resort in Palawan or Fridays in Boracay? My fiancee and I are trying to decide which beach to visit. We are planning to go to Banaue and Lake Taal before hand, and finish off our trip in Cebu.<BR><BR>Are there any other places that are a must see or resorts you can recommend?<BR><BR>Thanks!!!!

Hi Ging,<BR><BR>I have been to both Boracay and Palawan, and although I have not stayed at the resorts you mention, I have heard of them. Palawan is beautiful, is Coco Loco on its own island? I think it is. Absolutely beautiful, service is probably great. Coco Loco is not one of the premier places to stay in Palawan, but I think it is perfectly nice. However, you are somewhat isolated (stuck in one place) and I would also think about some of the trouble that the southern Philippines has been having. After all, it was a resort in this area that some tourists were kidnapped from and they were not only foreigners. Boracay has a fabulous beach, better than in Palawan, and there are tons of restaurants, bars, and shops to chose from for entertainment. However, not quite as secluded and inimate as Palawan. Fridays is one of the higher end, better places to stay and it is at one end of the island a little separated from the other places, so you would still have some privacy. So it sort of depends on what you like. <BR><BR>Banaue and Lake Taal are also great. Spend more time in Banaue and think about making a trip over to Sagada (a few hours away but supposed to be great). Lake Taal is very interesting, make the trip across the lake to the island and hike up (or take a mule) to the top. There are also supposed to be some very good hot springs in Laguna Province. But Lake Taal is really just a day trip from Manila, or stay over one night. Good luck and congrats.

Alison, <BR>Thank you so much for the helpful advice. We really appreciate it!<BR><BR>Take care,<BR>Ging

Just wondering if you stayed overnight in Banaue and Lake Taal. Where would you recommend staying?

Hi Ging,<BR><BR>If you have a place to stay in Manila, you can do a day trip to Lake Taal, but there is also a nice hotel there called Taal Vista Hotel. As the name might suggest, it is up above the lake looking down, very nice views and I think they might serve an afternoon tea. You could easily rent a car and driver for the day to take you to Taal Lake (also called Tayaytay). Banaue is very far from Manila, about a days trip over very bad roads. You can do it by bus, but they are almost certain to breakdown. We rented a van and driver. Because it takes so long to get there you will want stay over, we stayed two nights and it was not enough. We stayed an the Banaue Hotel. It is probably the nicest hotel there by Banaue standards. Perfectly clean and relatively good restaurant. Do not expect 5 star accommodations. I would suggest at least three nights there as long as you are into hiking and walking around - that's what you do there. From there if you have time, travel over to Sagada where there are some very interesting (I've been told) caves where there are coffins because they bury the dead in the caves. Also excellent hiking. I believe that there is also a way to fly, you can get about 3/4 of the way there and they get a bus.

Thanks again Allison, your recommendations are great! I am looking forward to this trip. I 'll let you know how it goes.<BR><BR>Take care,<BR>Gia

Hello, I just spent 3 days at Fridays in Borocay & loved it. Everything was lovely---def go for the best accommodations they offer. I did get very sick one night --- from the resort food---so be careful what you eat. But, imagine this, the stay was so wonderful the day missed being ill barely diminished how much i love the place. Service was excellent---be sure to get the boat transfer where they meet you at the airport. Take the shorter route from Manila on the more expensive airlines----i can't recall the airline name. Anyway, Friday's staff meet you at the airport & takes care of everything---including greeting you on their beach with fresh fruit juice & shell necklaces. and a boat ride with life preservers----rare in the philippines. I haven't been to Palawan because of the kidnappings of americans there---but the photos look beautiful. Cebu is lovely---let me know if you need a hotel referral---my husband is there on business often. One suggestion---if you fly on singapore airlines to asia you can get a 1 night stayover in singapore for free---it might be worth checking out. You can email me if you need any more info----I am an american living in the philippines & travel quite a bit. [email protected]

Hi,<BR><BR>We stayed near Palawan at the Lagen Island Resort for 3 nights in June. It was totally awesome. The food was fantastic, still want thoses mangoes! Activities were great - snorkeling, scuba, sunset cruise, beach picnic, sandbar dinner, etc. Would stay there again (if it wasn't so far away!). It's on the northwest side of Palawan. We felt totally safe the whole time. Wherever you decide to go, have a wonderful time.

Hi their again,<BR><BR>I'm leaving this for tblue travel. My family has a home in Cebu, it's where I am from. My fiancee and I are planning to go to Plantation Bay for a few nights. I was wondering if you had flown to Vietnam - Hanoi in particular. We are planning to try and go for a week before heading to the Phil. We are flying on Asiana Airlines via Korea. Thanks again for all the great feedback, this makes planning our honeymoon much easier.