10 Best sights in Philippines

[mogo51]

Good morning all,

I know there is a lot of publications out there that will tell us the best spots and sights to see within Philippines.  But thought it would be good to get the views of the members and share their insights into what they have seen and enjoyed.

I thought maybe we could have it in two locations, Luzon and Cebu area, including all relevant surrounding islands as they are located?  This will give a better idea for the members in their relevant area.

 In Luzon, the 100 Islands off Pangasinan was very good.  But the means of seeing them are very poor.

Also San Juan  beach. La Union is very picturesque'

Over to you.

[robert k]

Tough question Ron. The view out my front door was one that made me most happy. 

[Jack Peterson]

 The best view for me is from the Aircraft Window as we leave Manila, but seriously, I have fallen in love with Siquijor Island, 1 hour from Dumaguete and probably the same from Cebu. 

Jack

 Morning All 

[scott h]

Since I live in Luzon, Metro area, most of my things for you are here. That and I am a history wonk so my list reflects that.

1, intramuros, in Metro. Old Spanish fort and original capital. Take you most of the day.

2. Corregidor, Americas Singapore during ww2. Need to take a ferry to get there, will take all day, and is very, very well done by the tourism department

3. casa de Filipinas. it on the Bataan Peninsula. Hotel resort combination. Owned by the family of a wealthy architect. While creating the resort he went around the country buying old historical buildings. He disassembled them and moved them to the resort and turned them into a living museum. example if you want to spent the pesos, you can rent a the bed room of a rich plantation owner. A newer section of the resort is all new construction but build along historical lines. If they couldn't buy and reassemble a certain type building they did it from blue prints. The flood plain where the resort is located is also one of the assembly areas for the start of the Bataan death march

4. Villa Escadero, located in Laguna, south of metro. Old coconut plantation turned into a resort. Still a working plantation though. Old church turned into a museum that has the accumulated stuff off millionaires over the years. Not a bad museum actually. cultural show that is worth seeing, but I found the best attraction is the buffet restaurant. The plantation had their own power plant built on the river an the dam still blocks the river, the eating area is located below the dam and the tables are in the stream so your actually eating at tables while ankle deep cool water runs over your feet.  

5. Tagayatay, great views, lots of restaurants and hotels

6. Palace in the sky, a boondoggle built buy Markos, supposed to be for Pope JP visit in the 70s never completed, but you can see for miles up there, entire Metro on a clear day, see the weather systems move across the landscape et et

7. Pico de loro resort in batangas, really nice set up in Batangas. Beach and jungle walks. good restaurants and support facility's, nice drive to get there

8 Laguna de Bai, Huge lake near Manila, nice to drive around it, Anti polo and kamirinas (artist colony) are along the ring road.

9. Your SO will probably like Padre Pio's shrine, south of manila big set up for the religious minded, you would know better than I

10. My house, welcome anytime

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, mogo51 said:

sights to see within Philippines.

Someone mentioned that I had been living in a 3rd world country too long because I did not know about back up cameras on cars.  But I suggest someone who does not know the 10 best sights in Philippiines has been married too long 

I better not post pics but search "filipina bends over" 

[earthdome]

Here are some from Luzon.

 

100 Islands

Vigan

Banaue Rice Terraces

Sagada

Ambaklao Road, the drive from Baguio to Pan Asian Highway, about 100km.

Some things I haven't done yet on Luzon. The Caramoan Islands (where some survivor seasons have been). Mt. Pinatubo, maybe see it by small airplane. Pagudpud beach on norther tip of Luzon.

 

Plus I really liked our visit to Palawan. Underground River and other attractions.

[BrettGC]

1.  Alona Beach and hugging whale sharks; it's just off Bohol, so only a 2 hour ferry ride to Tagbiliran, Bohol, from Cebu City then a trike the rest of the way.  Bohol is worth a couple of days stay.  There's a lot to see there.  

2.  The view after hiking up Mount Pinatubo in South Central Luzon; that's the eruption back in 1991 that some would say expedited the US withdrawal from The Philippines.  Day trips with varying lengths of hikes to the top run out of Angeles/Clark and Manila daily.

3.  Only one if you have a dive ticket:  Diving the wrecks and reefs in and around Subic Bay.  Numerous Japanese and USN WWII sites that haven't been completely picked clean and surprising how clean and clear the water is there now only 26 years since the effort to clean it up began. 

4.  The drunken view from Kokomo's watching the world walk by on Fields Avenue Angeles City.

5.  The sight of the Australian consular official the next day in Manila handing you your new passport the night after point 4 (yes, the voice of recent experience - long story, don't ask  ). 

That's it for now  but if you get the chance, head down to Leyte, it's amazing the recovery Tacloban and surrounding areas have made after just a few short years.  And while you're down there head to the the mountains about 2 hours South and have a look at some of the Old Japanese emplacements; it beggars belief how they got in there and even more so how the US forces rooted them out. It's a tough hike even today with most of the route being sealed roads.

 

Edited July 11, 2017 by BrettGC

[Steve GCC]

Luzon;

1. Vigan was nice cultural place for a few days and lots to see

2. In Manila the American war elementary was well kept and a sobering experience

3. Tagatay and Tal Volcano, worth the boat ride across and the horse to the top to smell the sulphur

4. The drive up the canyon to Bagiuo I always enjoy the scenery

5. 100 islands for me is ok but a bit dull and recently went and in my eyes they have ruined it, just like Boracay.  Now too commercial and concrete huts all over.  No more little local straw huts for bbq fish at lunch time.

South;

1. Cebu island

Moalboal to dive with Whale sharks was great although not much else there.

Malapascua island for long weekend diving was great, small island and some great boat trips and Thresher sharks

2. Boracay was ok if wanted to party but now very very commercialised IMHO

3. Bacolod was ok for long weekend at friends wedding, 7 falls is nice but a hike

Edited July 11, 2017 by Steve GCC

[Mark Berkowitz]

5 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I better not post pics but search "filipina bends over" 

[sonjack2847]

I have found that each time I travel somewhere over here it looks better than where I have just come from.