I've never been to the Philippines but after putting this together it's right on my list now. There are oodles of cheap places to stay and I've picked highly rated accommodation and whilst keeping this budget friendly too but with prices for hostel or budget places from £10 a night you could make this even more budget friendly but the places I've picked have great reviews. For internal flights I've priced hold luggage as I guess most people will be taking hold luggage on a trip like this. I've also included where possible all transport such as ferries and bus journeys although there may be some odd additional cost such as taxis etc from airport but this should be minimal cost.
18/06-20/06
You'll fly from London with Air China to Manila. You have a stop in Beijing en-route but due to the time difference etc you arrive into Manila on 20/06. I've flown with Air China before and they are Ok. I'd just take a good book or your iPad as the IFE is a bit naff with a limited selection but every flight we had was on time or early.
20/06-22/06
You arrive into Manila at 00:50am (lovely)! You will need to go through customs etc and then recheck in for your flight to Cebu which leaves at 5:50am. If you wanted you could head to a hotel and leave on a later flight but I think it's best get the flying out of the way. You'll arrive into Cebu at 7:15am and will make your own way into the city centre. You have two nights in Cebu at the Pillows hotel which has great reviews and is located right in the city centre and has breakfast included.
22/06-26/06
On 22/06 you'll fly from Cebu to Caticlan where you have a door to door transfer service which includes the boat to the island of Boracay. You'll stay on this amazing island for 4 nights at the Frendz Resort Boracay.
26/06-29/06
You'll be returned to the airport on 26/06 and will fly to Puerto Princesa. On arrival you can make use of the free airport transfer with the accommodation you'll stay at for the next 3 nights at Subli Guest Cabins. This place looks lovely and has free breakfast and is easily accessible to most sights. I'd certainly be looking at exploring the nearby second longest cave in the world in Puerto Princesa!
29/06-02/07
You'll take a bus to El Nido and spend 3 nights in El Nido at Buenas Haven which has good reviews. Make sure you explore Nacpan beach and also Shimizu Island which looks amazing.
02/07-05/07
You'll take the ferry on 02/07 to Coron where you'll spend 3 nights at Balaibinda Lodge.
05/07
You'll fly to Manila for a final night stay. You'll make your own way into Manila and stay at the White Knight.
Air China is ok... okay is a big word though, for the price i paid it's ok, but if i had an option of another airline for around 50 pounds more, i would take another airline. The 8:25pm flight from LHR was donkeys year old and the ICE was ok for movies, but the GUI was a joke.
Another 4 hours flight to MNL next...
dennistoundoll
21 Mar 17#40
Just a heads up.........the bus to El Nido........that's a journey and a half! I would also avoid Boracay. Thumbs up for Palawan and El Nido and the underground cave system at Puerto Princesa is an amazing day out.
senor_eggnogs
19 Mar 17#39
Dude you are brutal
Sharpharp
19 Mar 17#38
Fixed it for ya
horsey
19 Mar 17#37
Pick up a decent wife while you are there
frithmon
18 Mar 17#36
Philippines amazing country, fantastic people, don't be so hasty to write off Manila the recent corniche development is very smart, don't buy food on the beach in boracay.go down the side streets and save a fortune, beware of airport charges
cundall
18 Mar 171#35
I fly on Tuesday evening with Air China, i paid 599 for 2 adults and 1 infant - i am also flying to Cebu (after a few days in MNL), but to go to Bantayan island.
I have been to the Philippines more than 30 times (family / property etc), i do agree for first time visitors to stay away from MNL, but once you know the place it is an amazing city to visit (you just need to know where to go).
Regarding flights with PAL - i have done this once and never again... it's far too long for a direct flight as i found the seats a little small. I have flown from Doha to São Paulo which is further and was fine - just PAL is more like pack them in, plus the staff are not that friendly. Not like PAL back in the day, also PAL has been subject to many strikes over the years...
I think this trip is far too packed in, it's little things like travel from Puerto Princesa to El Nido - depending on the mini bus this is a long trip... (over 6 hours) - even though google maps has it down as 2 hours... (tip use Lexus travel). If you lose a day travelling then you need to factor this in. Remember when in the PI - things happen when they want to happen... boats don't always run... flights don't always go on time etc
You don't want to rush your trip to the PI - try one or two islands (that you stay on) only for 2 weeks or you will not enjoy your trip. Also try to remember what time of year to visit due to the tropical weather... I nearly missed a connecting flight in HKG due to storms in June one year...
dealornodeal977
15 Mar 17#14
"I've never been to the Philippines" is all I need to know about this thread. Cold as the OP has no experience of the distances/logistics involved. This is a complete shot in the dark.
To anyone curious about holidays and foreign travel: Skyscanner, Booking dot com and Trip Advisor are great websites, it's very easy to find cheap destinations and good lodgings with very little effort.
GeeJay86 to dealornodeal977
15 Mar 171#22
Agree to some extent. From experience travel around the Philippines is far from luxury. The bus to el nido will be a 5 hour cramped minibus. The cheap boat to coron is a noisy chugging outrigger boat for 8 hours. Not luxury. However they aren't complaints. As a backpacker I thoroughly enjoyed 8 hours on GLASS seas in the sun, sunbathing with a beer or two, takin in the incredible views. And Filipino time is well...when they're ready
rachelandgromit to dealornodeal977
15 Mar 17#24
But then do you expect when you talk to a travel agent or book a flight that every person you speak to has travelled there or are making personal recommendations? For every deal I post I do look at Tripadvisor and logistics on transport and getting to and from places rather than it being a 'shot in the dark', lots of my deals are based in my own itineraries or trips I've done myself or even places I've stayed in. Even Tripadvisor is people planning their own trips or people giving advice based on trips they have done. Unfortunately I've not visited every country in the world yet but what I can say is that this would be an itinerary I would follow myself.
For example I'm about to book flights to Jordan now and I'll be following an itinerary based on a deal I previously posted. When I post deals its when I've seen good value flights but I'm also planning my future travels :laughing: I just hope it helps someone else whilst I do it!
jokerevo to dealornodeal977
17 Mar 17#34
I just booked 391 direct in july with Philippine airlines. If you can sneak off before summer school hols then there's bargains to be had.
jokerevo
17 Mar 17#33
I'd rather people didn't discover Pi like they have thailand etc..the reason why it is still largely unspoilt is because no one really knows about it. For beach holidays, it's right at the top.
londonstinks
16 Mar 17#32
Yeah mate, my point was that even an ice cube can **** you up.
londonstinks
16 Mar 17#29
Do not drink the water in El Nido, don't even have ice cubes in your drinks. Girl and sister just came back from Philippines and were both incredibly ill from the water, her sister had to have IV fluids in hospital as a result.
dealornodeal977 to londonstinks
16 Mar 17#30
Surely that's common sense? Make sure your vaccinations are up to date before you travel.
If you have not been to this part of the world before, unfortunately you are very likely to get sick. This is your body adjusting to the introduction of new microbes and bacteria. Some will cope better than others. After decades of travelling, and having experienced cholera, lyme's disease, amoebic dysentery and and various other parasitic invasions, my stomach is pretty bombproof and I usually enjoy local street food no problem. It's fine to brush your teeth with water and ice is imported from a wholesaler daily and is safe, however you will be adjusting to new microbes and bacteria that your body has no immunity too. Use your intuition, if a bar or restaurant is empty go somewhere else. Flu can also be an issue in this part of the world, most flu viruses originate in Asia, so you will be exposed to new strains. The most important thing, make sure you have good health insurance.
Don't let this put you off though, as you will be missing out on a beautiful country full of wonderful people. Just make sure its the right holiday for you.
mark777 to londonstinks
16 Mar 17#31
I'm off to El Nido next month
thanks for all your effort Rachel
couldn't agree more about the water, if its not in a bottle i wouldn't drink it, first time i went i had a cherry slush type drink from a stall in a mall and not soon after i was vomitting, i've been more than 10 times and that was the first and only time i was ill
rachelandgromit
16 Mar 17#28
I agree re flight prices and in the past Cebu Pacific have had great deals. When I posted this I did compare flight prices and at under £300pp for the long haul, this was the cheapest.
I also used Air Asia and Cebu Pacific for the domestic flights and used flexible dates to find good fares, although hold luggage bumped the price up a bit which is always extra with Air Asia and Cebu Pacific. Like other have said Air Asia and Cebu Pacific have great sales occasionally so it is worth keeping a check on prices.
Daveseans
16 Mar 17#27
Good job putting it altogether with travel details and pricing.
dudedude
16 Mar 171#25
Terrible flight prices. Philippine Airlines has direct flights for £422.
senor_eggnogs to dudedude
16 Mar 17#26
Hi Rachel,
I follow your post with great interest as it helps me plan my holiday. However I have to say that flights prices can be a lot cheaper I have been comparing flight prices on date etc and basically prices seem to jump up between 15 june till mid/end August. Did a quick google flight search and if u skip out summer holidays there are plenty of flights within sub £450 region. Some China Southern flights are even below £400, although there is a long transit time with these as you mentioned
Also, can I suggest that for travel inside Philippines, please look at Airasir and Cebu pacific. If you subscribe to their mailing list, they do ridiculously cheap flights ie flights from Manilla-Cebu, Manilla- Kalibo (Boracay) etc. Cebu pacific do regular peso fare ( 2p travel!) promotions for travel inside Philippines.
I am planning a travel myself to Phillipines so if you have any ideas/suggestion. Please post it.
For those voting this cold, please do some research. This is a very good deal for whats included.
Voted Hot!
x80ssm
15 Mar 17#23
best country. beautiful. go oslob for sure
DeafCassette
15 Mar 17#19
I know I sound ungrateful, but thanks for putting this together rachelandgromit. This is just the kind of thing my wife would be bang all over. :smiley:
rachelandgromit to DeafCassette
15 Mar 171#21
It did make me laugh though. Then again I have to tackle the M6 daily and nothing can ever compare to the stress of that :confused:
I meant utilities as in water problems at home. But if I said water problems it sounded like it was to do with your bladder!!
Vatman95
15 Mar 171#20
Each to their own. You're missing out on the opportunity to meet some of the most positive and kindest people in the world. I held a similar view before I visited and there are no beaches which compare with the talcum powder sand of the Phils.
DeafCassette
15 Mar 17#18
Solution is perhaps stay at home and hope you don't have any utilities problems.
Whaddya mean utilities problems??
No, look I might be being a miserable so and so, but it is a pain in the neck. That said, it isn;t just "Third World" places.. I'm "fortunate" enough to have been to Tokyo and NYC this year already. Huge sprawling heaving metropolises where people just get in your bloody way! It's like commuting to work... Well, in NYC it WAS commuting to work, but you get what I mean... OK, rant over... !
DeafCassette
15 Mar 17#15
Call me a miserable ****, but I am so done with what I call "Third World Tourism".
I did Macchu Picchu last year, Tanzania a couple of years ago, Colombia before then, Bali...
I know it is a function of society, and only to be expected, but you get hassled the **** out of where ever you turn, the water doesn't switch on, and the pollution stinks all for the dubious "luxury" of a week or 2 on a beach.
No, no, and no again - call me Victor Meldrew, but going on such a holiday is a pain in the bloody ****!
rachelandgromit to DeafCassette
15 Mar 17#17
I actually don't have anything to say in response to this!
Solution is perhaps stay at home and hope you don't have any utilities problems.
earlcebu
15 Mar 17#16
I travel a lot to the Philippines. Best is to get a flight to Cebu instead of Manila. It's served by major airlines. You can still get that long haul price range if you use Momondo, Skyscanner or Kayak. It's more fun in the Philippines
GeeJay86
15 Mar 171#13
I don't want to tell people as I want it to remain natural unspoilt beauty all to myself but...the Philippines is by far the most beautiful place I have EVER visited. Tops Thailand, cambodia, Indonesia, malaysia (incl perhenthian islands). It's another planet, the people are super friendly, and accommodating. I've been dying to go back ever since I left from staying a month.
If you go to coron, get scuba diving in the WW2 shipwrecks! In fact, dive anywhere :smiley:
And for those afraid of "foreign" languages, most Filipinos speak fairly good English.
Hot
jokerevo
15 Mar 17#12
If you want to experience quieter beaches go towards end of may or first 2 weeks of June. It's cooler.
Boracay has been over commercialised but hey...
If you're not a beach person avoid lol. The humidity can be a killer.
alex260993
15 Mar 171#11
nice deal, voted hot but there are some things i need to point out....if you are in manila don't bother going anywhere by car (unless its too the airport) as the traffic is horrendous (to put it bluntly) and i am not joking if you need to make a flight, leave a good couple of hours before you actually planned to, i stayed in a hotel where you could actually see the airport...it took us an hour to get there by taxi
second don't avoid any of these places despite what people say (me included i suppose with the above post) as Philippines in general is a lovely place to visit, in Borocay not only do you have beautiful beaches but also a really nice market that has a restaraunt with the particularly lovely concept apparent only in Asian countries where you can buy fresh fish (by fresh i mean still alive) from the market and then get it cooked up in the restaraunt in a variety of styles, if that doesnt take your fancy then please try any of our other favourite dishes such as adobo or deep fried pork belly or sesig. El Nido has a vast variety of water activities you can try and same with Coron which has hot springs another market and scuba diving tours as well as clombing Mount Tapyas (via stairs of course...all 700+)
lastly i should warn that June onwards is our rainy season as our Summer is around February to May, so not only will it be hot and humid, it will also not be as pleasant with all the rain
donquixote
15 Mar 17#10
I wouldn't avoid Boracay at all, yes it's busy in some parts of the island but if you head up towards the other 'stations' you'll get calmer locations and its absolutely fantastic. But for a first trip to the Philippines this is an awesome itinerary.
ansonuk
15 Mar 17#9
Avoid Boracay - PI equivalent of Benidorm
rachelandgromit
15 Mar 171#8
I'm certainly going to be planning a trip there soon it looks lovely!
GDawes
15 Mar 171#7
search for 4k drone Philippines in YouTube for some amazing footage of idyllic resorts, beaches and places.
ansonuk
15 Mar 171#6
Lovely people and country, my Mrs is a nurse from there. President Rodrigo The Fist Duterte is dishing it out and cleaning the place up
minnersworld
14 Mar 172#5
i did this trip last year for a month. amazing. i did exactly what you did there but a little longer in places. el nido u want to take 2 days jst for boat tours . best tours are A and C tours. they have a to d tours. strongly recommend those. boracay is jst a party and porta princesa does not have alot unless u head to the water caves . :wink: for your creation
custommade07
14 Mar 171#3
Fantastic itinerary. Good job putting it all together. My only advice is to get out of Manila as quickly as possible and escape to the idyllic Islands such as Palawan and Boracay :smiley:
rachelandgromit to custommade07
14 Mar 171#4
Yep, literally fly in and out and then just one night at the end before flying home. From what I've read it's not really a great place and there seems so many more beautiful places to visit.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
18/06-20/06
You'll fly from London with Air China to Manila. You have a stop in Beijing en-route but due to the time difference etc you arrive into Manila on 20/06. I've flown with Air China before and they are Ok. I'd just take a good book or your iPad as the IFE is a bit naff with a limited selection but every flight we had was on time or early.
20/06-22/06
You arrive into Manila at 00:50am (lovely)! You will need to go through customs etc and then recheck in for your flight to Cebu which leaves at 5:50am. If you wanted you could head to a hotel and leave on a later flight but I think it's best get the flying out of the way. You'll arrive into Cebu at 7:15am and will make your own way into the city centre. You have two nights in Cebu at the Pillows hotel which has great reviews and is located right in the city centre and has breakfast included.
22/06-26/06
On 22/06 you'll fly from Cebu to Caticlan where you have a door to door transfer service which includes the boat to the island of Boracay. You'll stay on this amazing island for 4 nights at the Frendz Resort Boracay.
26/06-29/06
You'll be returned to the airport on 26/06 and will fly to Puerto Princesa. On arrival you can make use of the free airport transfer with the accommodation you'll stay at for the next 3 nights at Subli Guest Cabins. This place looks lovely and has free breakfast and is easily accessible to most sights. I'd certainly be looking at exploring the nearby second longest cave in the world in Puerto Princesa!
29/06-02/07
You'll take a bus to El Nido and spend 3 nights in El Nido at Buenas Haven which has good reviews. Make sure you explore Nacpan beach and also Shimizu Island which looks amazing.
02/07-05/07
You'll take the ferry on 02/07 to Coron where you'll spend 3 nights at Balaibinda Lodge.
05/07
You'll fly to Manila for a final night stay. You'll make your own way into Manila and stay at the White Knight.
06/07
You'll fly back to London via Beijing.
Price Details
Long haul flights book at £578.94 https://www.budgetair.com
Fly Manila to Cebu £65.86 http://www.airasia.com
2 nights in Cebu book on https://www.ebookers.com £51.55 use code AFFBOX0317
Flights from Cebu to Boracay https://beta.cebupacificair.com 4,947.72/£80.91
Book door to door return ferry and transfers http://www.southwesttoursboracay.com 2467.59/£40.34
4 nights in Boracay £77.22 book on https://www.ebookers.com use code AFFBOX0317
Flights from Boracay to Puerto Princesa https://beta.cebupacificair.com 9805.68/£160.32
3 nights in Puerto Princesa £49.68 book on https://www.ebookers.com using same code as above.
Bus from Puerto Princesa to El Nido book on http://www.elinidoparadise.com 1100/£17.98
3 nights in El Nido £94.27 book on https://www.ebookers.com using same code above.
Ferry from El Nido to Corum book at http://www.elnidoboutiqueandartcafe.com/TravelCenter.html 3520/£57.54
3 nights in Coron £74.82 using code above book on https://www.ebookers.com
Flight Coron to Manila 5874.16/£96.04
1 night in Manila £28.42 using code above book on https://www.ebookers.com
£1473.89/£736.95
Latest comments (41)
Air China is ok... okay is a big word though, for the price i paid it's ok, but if i had an option of another airline for around 50 pounds more, i would take another airline. The 8:25pm flight from LHR was donkeys year old and the ICE was ok for movies, but the GUI was a joke.
Another 4 hours flight to MNL next...
I have been to the Philippines more than 30 times (family / property etc), i do agree for first time visitors to stay away from MNL, but once you know the place it is an amazing city to visit (you just need to know where to go).
Regarding flights with PAL - i have done this once and never again... it's far too long for a direct flight as i found the seats a little small. I have flown from Doha to São Paulo which is further and was fine - just PAL is more like pack them in, plus the staff are not that friendly. Not like PAL back in the day, also PAL has been subject to many strikes over the years...
I think this trip is far too packed in, it's little things like travel from Puerto Princesa to El Nido - depending on the mini bus this is a long trip... (over 6 hours) - even though google maps has it down as 2 hours... (tip use Lexus travel). If you lose a day travelling then you need to factor this in. Remember when in the PI - things happen when they want to happen... boats don't always run... flights don't always go on time etc
You don't want to rush your trip to the PI - try one or two islands (that you stay on) only for 2 weeks or you will not enjoy your trip. Also try to remember what time of year to visit due to the tropical weather... I nearly missed a connecting flight in HKG due to storms in June one year...
To anyone curious about holidays and foreign travel: Skyscanner, Booking dot com and Trip Advisor are great websites, it's very easy to find cheap destinations and good lodgings with very little effort.
For example I'm about to book flights to Jordan now and I'll be following an itinerary based on a deal I previously posted. When I post deals its when I've seen good value flights but I'm also planning my future travels :laughing: I just hope it helps someone else whilst I do it!
If you have not been to this part of the world before, unfortunately you are very likely to get sick. This is your body adjusting to the introduction of new microbes and bacteria. Some will cope better than others. After decades of travelling, and having experienced cholera, lyme's disease, amoebic dysentery and and various other parasitic invasions, my stomach is pretty bombproof and I usually enjoy local street food no problem. It's fine to brush your teeth with water and ice is imported from a wholesaler daily and is safe, however you will be adjusting to new microbes and bacteria that your body has no immunity too. Use your intuition, if a bar or restaurant is empty go somewhere else. Flu can also be an issue in this part of the world, most flu viruses originate in Asia, so you will be exposed to new strains. The most important thing, make sure you have good health insurance.
Don't let this put you off though, as you will be missing out on a beautiful country full of wonderful people. Just make sure its the right holiday for you.
thanks for all your effort Rachel
couldn't agree more about the water, if its not in a bottle i wouldn't drink it, first time i went i had a cherry slush type drink from a stall in a mall and not soon after i was vomitting, i've been more than 10 times and that was the first and only time i was ill
I also used Air Asia and Cebu Pacific for the domestic flights and used flexible dates to find good fares, although hold luggage bumped the price up a bit which is always extra with Air Asia and Cebu Pacific. Like other have said Air Asia and Cebu Pacific have great sales occasionally so it is worth keeping a check on prices.
I follow your post with great interest as it helps me plan my holiday. However I have to say that flights prices can be a lot cheaper I have been comparing flight prices on date etc and basically prices seem to jump up between 15 june till mid/end August. Did a quick google flight search and if u skip out summer holidays there are plenty of flights within sub £450 region. Some China Southern flights are even below £400, although there is a long transit time with these as you mentioned
Also, can I suggest that for travel inside Philippines, please look at Airasir and Cebu pacific. If you subscribe to their mailing list, they do ridiculously cheap flights ie flights from Manilla-Cebu, Manilla- Kalibo (Boracay) etc. Cebu pacific do regular peso fare ( 2p travel!) promotions for travel inside Philippines.
I am planning a travel myself to Phillipines so if you have any ideas/suggestion. Please post it.
For those voting this cold, please do some research. This is a very good deal for whats included.
Voted Hot!
I meant utilities as in water problems at home. But if I said water problems it sounded like it was to do with your bladder!!
Whaddya mean utilities problems??
No, look I might be being a miserable so and so, but it is a pain in the neck. That said, it isn;t just "Third World" places.. I'm "fortunate" enough to have been to Tokyo and NYC this year already. Huge sprawling heaving metropolises where people just get in your bloody way! It's like commuting to work... Well, in NYC it WAS commuting to work, but you get what I mean... OK, rant over... !
I did Macchu Picchu last year, Tanzania a couple of years ago, Colombia before then, Bali...
I know it is a function of society, and only to be expected, but you get hassled the **** out of where ever you turn, the water doesn't switch on, and the pollution stinks all for the dubious "luxury" of a week or 2 on a beach.
No, no, and no again - call me Victor Meldrew, but going on such a holiday is a pain in the bloody ****!
Solution is perhaps stay at home and hope you don't have any utilities problems.
If you go to coron, get scuba diving in the WW2 shipwrecks! In fact, dive anywhere :smiley:
And for those afraid of "foreign" languages, most Filipinos speak fairly good English.
Hot
Boracay has been over commercialised but hey...
If you're not a beach person avoid lol. The humidity can be a killer.
second don't avoid any of these places despite what people say (me included i suppose with the above post) as Philippines in general is a lovely place to visit, in Borocay not only do you have beautiful beaches but also a really nice market that has a restaraunt with the particularly lovely concept apparent only in Asian countries where you can buy fresh fish (by fresh i mean still alive) from the market and then get it cooked up in the restaraunt in a variety of styles, if that doesnt take your fancy then please try any of our other favourite dishes such as adobo or deep fried pork belly or sesig. El Nido has a vast variety of water activities you can try and same with Coron which has hot springs another market and scuba diving tours as well as clombing Mount Tapyas (via stairs of course...all 700+)
lastly i should warn that June onwards is our rainy season as our Summer is around February to May, so not only will it be hot and humid, it will also not be as pleasant with all the rain