Chasing Waterfalls in The Philippines
It seems like it’s becoming a bit of a tradition for me to visit Southeast Asia in November. One time is was Malaysia and Bali, and then it was Phuket, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai! This time, I was able to cop pretty cheap tickets (less than $450 roundtrip) to Manila, Philippines! This time, I traveled with my friends, Faith, Damon and Robyn.
Manila
The view from our room at the Manila Hilton
Though we were flying into Manila, I had no intention of staying in the city for long. Typically, for trips like this, I plan the first couple days in the first location to account for any delays (flights and/or bags) and to let our bodies adjust to the time change. We stayed at the Hilton Manila, which was really close to the airport. Although for the majority of the first two days, we spent time resting (Damon spent the whole trip resting, lol), and just walking across the street to the mall for food, we made it our business to spend some significant time at the hotel’s pool, which is arguably one of the best ones in the city.
After we were a little more adjusted, though, we made some time to hit up a karaoke bar, and explore the Mall of Asia.
#ProTips:
You can catch a great sunset on the bay side of the Mall of Asia.
Also, if you want to be close to most of the action, book a hotel in that area. I recommend the Conrad. And book a bay view room!
Uber is not a thing in the Philippines. Download the Grab app. When you use that, you can choose to pay with your pre-loaded credit card info or with cash.
If you decide to take taxis, just make sure they are using the meter instead of quoting you a price that may be unreasonable.
For me (and many others), there isn’t much to see in Manila. Just spend a couple days there before flying to one of the islands and spending the majority of your vacation there.
Cash is king! There a certain places you can use cards…but don’t be the annoying person in your group always saying you don’t have cash. Utilize the ATMs when you can, or take out enough cash before you start exploring the cities. A lot of blogs will tell you that ATMs are few and far between…especially on the islands. I, however, saw ATMs everywhere. Use ‘em!
Poolside drinks at the Hilton Manila to kick off our vacation
Cebu
Waking up to this view in Cebu every morning was the perfect start to each day
So, then we were off to Cebu! We stayed in an Airbnb a bit off the beaten path. Nice space…unfortunately, we didn’t take advantage of the rooftop jacuzzi. By time we got home from our daily activities, we were always worn out. Also, it was hot as hell up there! Robyn spent some time up there alone one morning and was most likely on fire while trying to do it for the ‘gram…
Here’s what we did, though:
I searched a couple Facebook travel groups to find recommended drivers. After locating one, and reaching out to him via WhatsApp, we had our next two days scheduled!
Day 1 would be our trip to Kasawan Falls (it’s a 3-hour drive so I recommend going with a driver as opposed to trying to take a bus). We thought we were just going to see the falls, and swim around for a bit. But somehow, we were convinced to go canyoneering. No regrets! It was really fun and an experience I’m glad I didn’t miss out on, but it’s hard work. If you have bad back, knees, or any injuries, you may wanna think twice about canyoneering. There’s quite a bit of rock climbing and hiking involved. Other than that, you are taking in the beautiful sights and jumping off small/large cliff into the gorgeous cliffs. Note: You don’t have to jump off the cliffs if you don’t want to. DAMON…
We had the option of hiking 45 minutes down to the starting point of the cliff jumps, or taking the zip line (for about $10USD)…we chose the zip line. LOL! Highly recommended! #AintNobodyHikingFor45minutestoGETtoTheHikingArea
After we finished that activity, our driver took us to the white sand beach in Moalboal to relax for a few hours until sunset.
Sunset at Moalboal Beach in Cebu.
On Day 2, our driver picked us up and took us on an 8-hour city tour. The highlight of the day for us was the Sirao Flower Garden. It’s a photographer’s dream!
We also visited Magellan’s cross and came across a parade/festival which was a great surprise.
El Nido (Palawan)
Be sure to have cash on hand for the tricycle rides in El Nido.
Palawan is a big island and there are a number of beautiful places to visit while there. But, I kept reading that El Nido was by far the most beautiful area. So, I decided that we’d stay there. And instead of flying to Palawan’s main airport, we booked Air Swift, which is a regional airline that flies directly into El Nido. It’s worth the few extra dollars. Once we landed at the small boutique airport in El Nido, our transportation to our hotel was a motorized tricycle…now…hear me out! LOL. That’s the main mode of transportation in El Nido!They are super cheap, easy to catch, and I loved the fact that they gave the island a more “local” feel. heck out my IG highlight story at the end of this blog entry! You’ll see them on there! Anyway, we stayed at the Lagun Hotel, and it was a great choice! The customer service was awesome, and it was walking distance from the strip with most of the bars and restaurants worth checking out.
The rooftop pool at the Lagun Hotel in El Nido was a favorite.
The name of the game in El Nido are the island tours you can go on. You will see stalls everywhere to book them. They are typically all-day affairs and reasonably priced. My crew booked Tour A (Tour A and Tour C are the ones most people recommend). Lunch is included and you get to see so much! Aside from the canyoneering we did in Cebu, this island tour was the highlight of the entire trip for me! Below, the photos will tell the story!
Ironically, what we decided to dine on a couple times while in El Nido, was Mediterranean food. I read that the small city had amazing falafel, so I tried it out at two different spots…one an actually sit-in restaurant (Happiness Beach Bar), and one falafel stand (Holy Smoke). I was disappointed either time! The food was so fresh, and the happy hour margaritas at Happiness were wins!!
Other than the island tours, we spent a little time at Vanilla Beach, which is a great place to watch the sun set, and relaxing at our hotel pool bar. On Day 2, we spent the majority of the day relaxing at Nacpan beach, which is also where people go glamping! Definitely something I’d consider next time.
El Nido is definitely a place I wouldn’t mind returning to…and that’s coming from someone who is not big on repeat visits.
