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Phillipines? Why not? Family of 5 seeking adventure in SE Asia . . .

Phillipines? Why not? Family of 5 seeking adventure in SE Asia . . .

Old Apr 20th, 2010, 12:54 PM
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Phillipines? Why not? Family of 5 seeking adventure in SE Asia . . .

I haven't seen very many posts about Phillipines in these forums - not sure why that is . . .

Here is the story: Myself, along with my husband and 3 kids (will be ages 7, 9, 12) are beginning to plan our first family humanitarian aid related trip next July. We will be going with a couple other families and have the first week covered with h.a. activities. We would like to stay on for another week and just have fun. We love nature, water, hiking, biking, mountains. Keeping in mind the age of my kids - does anyone have any areas - activities that they would recommend we check out?
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Old Apr 20th, 2010, 06:57 PM
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The Philippines is not very popular on this board, not sure why. Their tourist infrastructure is not as well developed for one thing, and there are fewer non-stop flights there from the US and Europe for another. If you can tell me where in the Philippines you will be for the first part of your trip, I might be able to give some more specific recommendations, as it is a large country. I don’t have a lot of experience there, but my first two reccos would be the Baguio rice terrace area for hiking and other nature activities, or the Palawan island areas for beaches and water activities. See something like the El Nido resort at http://www.elnidoresorts.com/. There is also Cebu; my caveat there is that you have to get far out of Cebu City to really experience the more remote beach areas and countryside. Many of the “resorts” in Cebu city are pretty much city hotels on a beach (like the Shangri-La hotel). See something like the Alegre Beach Resort, which is about a 2-hour drive from the Cebu ariport. http://www.alegrebeachresort.com/

My one concern is your time of year: July is the rainy season, and most areas are going to be on the rainy side, esp. in the north and western parts like Manila, Baguio and parts of Palawan. (Cebu in the east would be less rainy, but still gets on average almost twice the rain in July as NJ does. I grew up in NJ and see from your posts that you live there. Think about rainy summer days at the beach in NJ with three kids. And no boardwalk!) There can also be typhoons which can be pretty severe. I am not saying it wouldn't be fun, but see weatherbase.com and other weather websites to see if the potential for rainfall is something that you are OK with in terms of the planned activities. It's good to know what to expect.

Bear in mind that the rainy season in the Philippines will also be Malaria season and consider whether anti-Malarials are necessary or appropriate for children as young as yours. The Scottish NHS has very useful travel health website at http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/home.aspx (see esp their Malaria page), and the cdc.org website.
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Old Apr 20th, 2010, 09:58 PM
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Hi chickenlittle! I am a Filipino with two young kids (9 years old and 2 years old) and I am very proud to say that our country has some of the best beaches the world has to offer. Not only that, there are also a lot of things to do in the city center. The best time to visit would be November to January since the weather is much cooler. June and July are known for its heavy rains and typhoons while April and May are very hot and humid.
If you are coming in July, there might not be a lot of options because of the weather. I suggest you spend 3 to 4 days in Manila and the rest in a resort destination. If you really want to experience the beaches- there is the white sand beach in Boracay. You can see the chocolate hills and tarsiers in Bohol. Stay at a wonderful resort in Cebu- either Abaca or Shangrila. Palawan is wonderful for the underground river. There is wonderful wakeboarding in Camarines Sur. You can swim with the whalesharks and take a boatride to see thousands of fireflies in Donsol. You can hike to the famous Pinatubo mountain- now just a crater after the great eruption in 1991. You can also experience both mountains and the beach in Anawangin cove.
In the city- you can stay at a historic hotel in the heart of old Manila- Manila Hotel and take trips to nearby parks, old spanish forts and the Old Walled city of Intramuros- there are wonderful tours given by a man named Carlos Celdran that your kids would surely enjoy(http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/). You may also opt to stay in Makati- Peninsula, Intercon, The Mandarin, New World REnaissance and take trips into old Manila and spend lots of time in the central business district to check out nice malls and outdoor cafes/shops in nearby Fort Bonifacio Global City.
There is just so much to see and do. Hope my list didn't confuse you. Just wanted to show you what you can actually do in the Philippines.
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Old Apr 21st, 2010, 08:15 AM
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I'm always astounded that more Americans don't visit the Philippines. Virtually everyone speaks some or a lot of English, it's really cheap, and the people are great. The beaches are just amazingly beautiful, and especially when you get outside of Manila, it's very laid back.

July, however, is not the best time to go, and because hurricanes come so frequently, you never know if the weather will be good then. I went in September a couple of years ago and had solid rain for part of every day I was in Boracay, though the beach was still beautiful, and the rain usually stopped for several hours (and, frankly, I welcomed the lack of sun sometimes since it's so hot). I enjoyed both Manila and Cebu and also went to Bohol, which was just lovely.

It's interesting that people say the tourism infrastructure isn't very well developed (a lot of people say that). The hotels in Manila and Cebu were bargains and offered a great deal of luxury and comfort for the price. I stayed at beautiful boutique resorts in Boracay and Bohol and was able to get a guided tour of Bohol for a bargain price through my hotel. The food was great (but I'm a real fan of Filipino food, and not everyone is) not to mention cheap. All in all it was the ideal vacation destination. The timing was the only bad thing. By later in October (about 3 weeks after my return), there was sun and much less rain.

But the islands were hit with typhoons right before and during my stay (the one during was in the north and not terribly strong), though I was lucky enough to miss the worst of the weather by being in the right place at the right time, and none of our travel was interrupted. Last year, there were several major typhoons and a lot of damage and flooding in Manila (and elsewhere).
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Old Apr 21st, 2010, 09:59 AM
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Unfortunately if we go on this particular trip the date is set. It is for families, therefore in the middle of the summer -- our school break.

Thank you for all the great information. I really appreciate it and am encouraged by the comments regarding the Phillipines as a good vacation destination.

Cicerone - yes - those suggestions all sound right up our alley. Checking into Cebu.

Tobyandchie - Great suggestions -- I am busy googling them and taking notes - my kids would love to see thousands of fireflies -- they are "into" bugs. LOL

Doug - Can you please pass on information on the resorts you stayed at in Boracay and Bohol?

It is unfortunate that our summer vacations and the "seasons" of that part of the world aren't in agreement. I guess we will have to hope for the best.

Thanks again!
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Old Jun 14th, 2010, 12:01 AM
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Just so you know, there is no malaria in Manila, Cebu, Boracay, nor Bohol. Mosquitos carrying malaria are in the outskirts of Palawan. So be not afraid. But I suggest putting on a lotion insect repellant because there are mosquitos carrying the dengue virus. Other than that, you will enjoy your stay in the Philippines. The people are very nice, we have the best beaches in the world, food is cheap and delicious!
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Old Jun 14th, 2010, 07:18 AM
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When in Manila I would suggest you stay at the New World- its location is great for shopping and restaurants. In Manila you need a driver or at the least you will be using taxis to get around as has been mentioned the tourist infrastructure is not as good as other places in SEA. It remains a mystery to me as well as to why the veterans on this board avoid the Philippines. The US dollar goes a lot farther in the Phillipines than other countries in SEA and language is never a problem. See my trip reports from years back for ideas on what to do when in Manila and day trips.
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Old Jun 14th, 2010, 07:26 AM
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travelnmymind and BillT:

Thank you for you input. Due to weather concerns, this trip is being revamped and we are going to try to do it at a time of year when the weather is more suitable.
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Old Jul 7th, 2010, 12:04 AM
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Try it late October or early November where there is less rain. If you are going to Palawan (Puerto Princesa) then don't worry about any typhoon because very seldom the area hit by typhoons. It is still rainy season though but no wind and you can still enjoy your stay because rains just come and go.
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Old Oct 21st, 2010, 06:51 AM
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Jervin -- thank you so much for the info -- eps. about Palawan.
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