june 2017, first trip

[usa32]

I am scheduled(mentally) to go to the Philippines in june of 2017.

I want to visit borcay,tagatay and palawan during this visit.

 

Does anything have any good places to check out for reasonable flights/hotels etc?

 

Specifically where you get the most reasonable flights.

Expedia, shows around 1400 roundtrip from Indianapolis to manilla.  Sound about right?

 

Thank you!

[scott h]

Whelp, 3 different islands that are widely dispersed. Let me ask you, how long are you going to be visiting? Let me put it into perspective as to why I ask. Due to infrastructure here you will burn at least one maybe two days just traveling between those destinations. Lets say you fly into Manila, it will take most of the day to reach Tagayatay. Then another day getting back to Manila to catch a plane and reach Boracay. Etc. etc. etc. Travel time here really eats time up.

Are you going to be traveling by yourself? If not and you have someone meeting and traveling with you I would really suggest that you just throw yourself upon their mercy. Tell them what you are interested in and just open up your wallet .

 

[Old55]

If you were to depart sooner the airline tickets would be cheaper. June is "high" season. I bet you could fly for well under a thousand bucks if you depart in April or May.

[robert k]

Scott H makes an excellent point that until you have experienced it for yourself you can't really understand how time consuming it can be getting around. Some people complain about arriving in Manila at midnight, but it's fine with me because I want to get to the hotel and traffic is light enough that means a half hour 45 minutes at most. Last time I left I moved to a closer hotel in Cubao and I caught a cab at 7 pm sharp for my 11 pm international flight and I was by no means early! If I could arrive and leave at 3 AM it would be fine with me. When travelling by bus and ferry, I recommend catching the first one. Many places don't have 24/7 service and you don't want to miss the last connection/bus/ferry. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

12 hours ago, usa32 said:

Expedia, shows around 1400 roundtrip from Indianapolis to manilla.  Sound about right?

Yes and no.  If you like to stick to convenience then its a fair price.  If you like to screw around to save a few dollars then you can use sites like SkyScanner or Googles matrix software to find flights from nearby airports.

For example, I found a 28 day round trip flight on Korean airlines from Toronto to Manila in June for only $882.  How much hassle would it be for you to get a return flight to Toronto to take advantage of that?

Or use the discount airlines like Southwest to get to a major city on the west coast that has cheap fares to Manila.  Then you can search for flights from LA or SanFran or Seattle, all of which have big filipino communities.

Or just wait and watch until something comes on sale.

EDIT:  I suggest 28 days because you get a free visa for up to 30 days so no need to go to BI

Edited July 29, 2016 by Dave Hounddriver

[davewe]

I have traveled to the Philippines 8 or 9 times. I rarely end up using the same airline and rarely the same portal. There are always different prices on different portals and saving a hundred or 2 is always my goal.

I agree with others that Google Matrix and Skyscanner are two go to places for me.

But as for hotels, I am loyal to Agoda. It's almost always a bit cheaper and I use the points I get for free stays.

I also agree that if you can go another month you will save vs. June but I know that isn't always possible.

[Reboot]

40 minutes ago, davewe said:

I have traveled to the Philippines 8 or 9 times. I rarely end up using the same airline and rarely the same portal. There are always different prices on different portals and saving a hundred or 2 is always my goal.

I agree with others that Google Matrix and Skyscanner are two go to places for me.

But as for hotels, I am loyal to Agoda. It's almost always a bit cheaper and I use the points I get for free stays.

I also agree that if you can go another month you will save vs. June but I know that isn't always possible.

The Matrix site had Miami-Manila on 9/30 for $733..with a stop in NYC and Seoul. That seems rather cheap compared to some other sites.

Edited July 29, 2016 by Reboot