1 Week in The Philippines. Where Should I Go?

Hello everyone.

Thanks to Cebu Pacific and their cheap deals I have a return ticket to the Philippines for 3 weeks - 2 of those weeks will be spent in Taiwan.

My question is where should I go? I keep hearing bad things about Manila and good things about Cebu and I've done some research and hear good things about Manila!? so confused.

What I like to do - site seeing, water sports, get pampered, eat like a pig and don't mind checking out malls for a bit.

Anyone advice or perhaps recent experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Comments

  • I didn't like Cebu, a lot of 70 yr old men with 18 yr old girls..

  • wherever your wallet takes you?

  • IMHO Cebu City and Manila are ok but just for a few days each. Manila has plenty of shopping malls for you (not of interest to me though) I can only recommend walking around Rizal Monument, walking the foreshore, walking Intramuros, and getting dropped off and walking around the American War cemetery. Cebu City I can only recall visiting a few churches, The Taoist Temple, Fort San Pedro, Magellan's cross, and a Hilltop viewing area. Neither city worth a return visit.

  • I wasn't a fan of Manila. It's just a big city - dime a dozen. The Malls at Makati are incredible (huge) but not that dissimilar to the shops we have here and the prices aren't any better.

    I'd get straight on a plane and fly to any one of the islands - find an activity you really want to do and enjoy it, then treat yourself to a nice hotel (very cheap outside of the big tourist destinations like Borocay). Make the time to talk to the locals, eat where they eat etc - they are genuinely lovely.

    I enjoyed traveling around Cebu, from the northern tip down, but do wish I'd got across to Bohol too. Next time…

  • I'm currently in el nido, Palawan. Its beautiful, and the weather has been superb.

    We flew into Puerto princessa then hired motorbikes to ride up to el nido. You could also fly direct to do nido from manilla.

    Good scuba diving, beautiful beaches and very relaxed.

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