Where should i go on my first trip?

[Mike J]

On 3/21/2024 at 5:18 PM, FritzSeng said:

If anyone has tips for Bohol, Cebu, Boracay, Manila, El Nido or Panglao I would be extremely happy too :)

Have been to all, but only passing thru Manila.  Boracay has beautiful beaches but was crowded with lots of tourist, not a bad thing if you enjoy meeting other folks.  El Nido was a bit of a disappointment.  The town itself is small, run down, lots of litter.  But the banka boat tour (island hopping) was fantastic.  The key to a good experience for my wife and I was to book the entire boat.   If you choose El Nido, also do the underground river tour.  Google for more info.  I really like Panglao lovely beaches and for some reason there were few tourists, but that was 6 or 8 years ago.  It may be more popular now.  Bohol was also nice, chocolate hills are an interesting place to visit.  Cebu City has some great beaches and resorts but they can be expensive.  The traffic in Cebu City is horrible but you can hire a taxi for a day tour of historical sites.   

[BrettGC]

Welcome Fritz.

Palawan is worth a visit but not necessarily El Nido.  There's plenty to see and do around Puerto Princessa on the natural front (the capital} and surprisingly Puerto Princessa is actually cleaner. 

I really like Panglao, it's a toned down version of Boracay to a certain extent and you can combine it with Bohol.  Panglao and Bohol are joined by two short causeways.  Tagbileran (capital of Bohol) was actually one of our options on places to live but the call of the family was stronger in the end. Panglao was my first time diving with whale sharks so always stands out in my mind. 

Peter mentioned Siquijor.  It's also one of my favourites mainly due to the fact it's not been developed too much and the scenery is spectacular.  There's a small airport there now so you can fly in with relative ease.  Barring that there's ferries. 

You can see Cebu City anytime on one of your entries or exits so similar to Manila in that respect so if you plan to return it's easy.  Subic is close to Manila and the wreck diving is very good, it's not Truk Island good, but still worth it.  Further north on Luzon there's the historical city of Vegan and it's a beautiful well preserved city from Spanish colonial times.  

So many options but hard to cover it all in one trip. 

Edit:  Just as an aside, if you don't have a SCUBA ticket, it's well worth obtaining one.  I did most of mine during my time with the navy but completed my rescue and deep diver courses here in PI; there's not much point in going further with unless you want to become an instructor.  The instructors were every every bit as professional and safety conscious as you'd expect from PADI anywhere else in the world.  Be wary of the dive tours that allow you to SCUBA without a ticket.  Some of these guys get people killed.  An example was on one tour I was on they had an air compressor for cylinder refilling but the air intake was much to close to the engine exhaust....  Needless to say I didn't dive that day. 

Edited March 23 by BrettGC

[Gator]

On 3/21/2024 at 5:18 PM, FritzSeng said:

Hello,

I'm flying to the Philippines in exactly a week, now I'm unsure whether I should use the 3 remaining days for Manila as previously planned or should change my plans and go to El Nido.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who has been there so I would be extremely happy if you could help me out :)

If anyone has tips for Bohol, Cebu, Boracay, Manila, El Nido or Panglao I would be extremely happy too :)

I don't know if it makes a difference to the recommendation but I'm 24 and traveling alone.

Kind regards

Fritz

Hello and welcome to the forum. 

Not sure what your plans are for the rest of your time here are. But if you only have 3 extra days and will be in Manila, then I’d forget about traveling to Boracay, Bohol, Panglao, etc  as you’ll loose at least a full day to a day and half just traveling back and forth. Some places require taking a ferry and they are very dependent on the weather - too windy, high seas or a tropical storm and they cancel them. 

Personally I don’t care much for Manila as it’s too crowded and the air pollution gets me coughing real bad within a day or two of being there. 

If you meant places to visit during your entire 2.5 week stay, then yes, a trip to two or three of the places you mentioned (or that others have suggested) would be doable.

If you have a motorcycle endorsement on your license you can rent a motorbike at many of the places you mentioned. Bohol would nice - ride up to the Butterfly farm and the nearby Tarsier monkey attraction then head back to Alona beach on Panglao Island. Great food along the beach and accommodations to suit about every budget. 

[Guy F.]

Puerto Princesa was far better than El Nido. If I had only 3 days I'd stay around Manila- not in Manila itself but in the region. The Rizal Museum would be on my list.

[Arlene]

I missed this topic, for sure you’re back in your country now. Hope you’ve enjoyed your stay.