I have a bunch of ff miles and was considering a winter getaway to either Thailand or the Philippines. Never visited
either destination but i am in the process
of doing some research. Was planning on going for about 10 days in mid February. At either destination i wanted to check out the
city for 3 or 4 days and then head to the beach. I am going solo, any suggestions?

Thailand is wonderful. I've never been to the Phillipines, but I can attest to the glory of Thailand. It's beautiful, the people are incredibly friendly, the food is delicious and it's cheap. The temples are stunning. The commerce is bustling without being oppresive. You might read some of the trip reports posted on this board.

You'll find that this is a very Thailand-oriented forum, so I would imagine most of your responses will be specific to Thailand.

Having said that, I can tell you that my husband and I were also torn between these two locations and ultimately chose the Philipines because it reportedly has better water, white sugar-like beaches, snorkeling and diving. I guess it all depends what you're looking for.

Hello Erov:
I have been to both countries, about the same number of times...
I adore them both dearly, so this is like choosing which favorite pair of shoes to wear to a party!

Both countries have very gracious and welcoming people, interesting histories and heritage, both quite gorgeous in their beaches outside of the cities, and both have amazing cuisines.

The Philippines for me was easier to deal with because: everyone spoke English, people seemed less "conservative" and more "westernized" (perhaps because it once was ruled by America so the ties are stronger there?), and more importantly, I think it's cheaper!

However, Thailand was amazing too.

If I were you, I would go to Thailand this time, and make sure to visit the Philippines another time.
It is such an underrated destination, in my opinion.

The Philippines would be a great place to go to. I've never been to Thailand before. The Philippines is beautiful. In Manila, there's a lot of shopping and they have good food. A suggestion though, would be to watch out for cab drivers and try not to eat food from the street vendors. Also, bottled water would be great to carry around with you than drinking from some water fountain.

Anyway, in the Philippines you can travel to Boracay. They have a beautiful white sand beach! You can go sailing or snorkeling. It's a very small city, only about 7km so you won't see any jeepneys or taxis. The closest thing to a taxi would probably be a tricycle, and hey .. those can be fun to go around in.

There are a lot of other places you can visit as well. Like Davao and Palawan, those are very nice islands to visit. There's also Sagada. They have two caves, if I remember right. Anyways, one is called the Sagada Cave (I think that's what it's called .. I went there a few years ago) and it take about 3 hours to explore. It's a very fun experience. You can also see the Hanging Coffins .. it's truly amazing.

Well those are some places to visit if you're going to the Philippines. Have fun!

i have to weigh in on thailand as well, although i have never been to the pill...
i cannot imagine anything better than the thai beach areas and bkk itself...

bkk offers the rich and poor a little of everything and lots in between....you can live like a king in bkk for a modest price...

my favorite hotel is the bangkok marriott resort and spa...great pool and relaxing place...middle of the road in price and exceptional in quality...

you are single and probably want to hit "the places", so more middle of town might suit you better...

lots to do, shopping, sight-seeing, shopping, eating, shopping, shopping, eating--food is very cheap as well

the beach areas are more expensive generally, but can be very reasonable if you don't need all the creature comforts...koh samui is popular ...hua hin just south of bkk is nice and easy to get to....

thailand was very fun.. i enjoyed Bangkok and the islands. great guest house in bangkok - called Suk 11 off busy sukhumvit rd. the sky train stops a block from the guest house and you can take the sky train to the crazy glitz malls of Siam Sq. or take it the other direction to the Chatumak market, biggest flea market in the world (it was rad)
the food great people great, beaches great and getting around was very very easy and convenient.
i have a feeling the philippines will be cheaper though, with better beaches, however transport around could be more since you have more ferries and flights to take to cover distance rather than just hopping a cheap train in thailand.
either way, both good choices.
well, if you decide philippines, ill be there mid feb too... see ya on the beach!

i've spend a good deal of time in both capital cities. and I must say bkk has more too offer for the tourist.

in general they offer too diffrent cultures manila is spainsh/american oriented and BKK is stright up asian.

Ericka is correct though this s a big time thai oriented forum. and you should prob listen too those who have actually been too the philapines..

dont listen too me though I prefer that less tourist come too bkk. they just make life more expensive for those of us trying too live there. :]