Want to have a cozy place to rest in while you're traveling here in the Philippines? Finding the right hotel is the answer.
Travelers want to have a nice a comfy place to stay in while traveling. Food, Entertainment, services, etc. These are all things you will want. Most tourists are looking first for the right hotel whenever they are going to travel. Wherever in the Philippines, hotels are a place to stay where you can relax, have fun and enjoy the good ambience while you are releasing your body's tiredness in traveling. As a Traveler you should find comfort and relaxation at the doorstep of your hotel.
If you like to go around the metro, there are lots of beautiful and cozy hotels in manila. Manila Hotel, Hotel Niko, 5-star Hotel, City Garden Hotel and the list goes on
What's in a Hotel? How will i enjoy my travel in the Philippines while staying in a hotel to have a rest? Is it affordable to stay? These questions should be first and foremost when you are deciding on what hotel to book during your vacation stay.
Research well as there are so many choices and the hotel you choose can make or break a vacation.
Around the Philippines you can also find some various hotels when you are going somewhere outside Manila. You could also see beautiful sites around the hotel you're checking in. And sometimes the airport itself will take you straight to the hotel of your choice.
"The service"
Filipinos are to be known hospitable. So don't worry about the services they give you. From the receptionist to the managers, bellboys and chamber maids, they are all there to serve. What you need is what they will give you.
"The Facilities"
You can choose from the types of the rooms. Executive, single, double, take your pick. Each rooms has own compositions. Some will have a Jacuzzi, air conditioners, spa and cable televisions. This will depend on your budget. If you want to have special services, take the executive suite. If you want to have a simple room, you could take the single or two-bed rooms.
"Food and Entertainment"
Food and Entertainment will always be the second priority for the traveler. It will be enjoyable staying in a certain hotel travelers are entertained by the various performers while dining in feisty restaurants.
Hotels are the second homes of the tourist and travelers. Hotels can be also be a venue for your events like a wedding, company meetings, parties and so on.
Now, you can experience the extraordinary life if you choose to stay at the hotels if you’re traveling here in the Philippines. Comfort and pleasure at its best!
Philippine native cuisines are natural taste bud ticklers that induce appetite like fatty oil is to grill fire. But there are certain culinary secrets that enhance the subtle taste of native dishes, especially where marinating and sauces are concerned. Here are some secret tips for a more enjoyable Philippine native cuisine.
Most fried native dishes, like fried fish and pork chops, are rubbed with a dash of salt and flour a minute before frying. This results in a super crispy and juicy fred native cuisine, with all the food flavors intact and succulently oozing at a bite. For a much tastier native dish flavor, fish, pork or beef is marinated with soy sauce and vinegar, or better, soy sauce and natural “kalaminsi” or lemon juice. This marinating procedure is done 30 to 45 minutes before cooking, either by frying or grilling. Grilled pork liver is also thus marinated for a mouth-watering aroma and taste.
Native cuisine fried or steamed fish are often stuffed with sliced native tomatoes, garlic, ginger, “kinchay” leaves, a little powdered pepper, and onions. At times this native dish is mixed with cooked ground beef or pork. The fish’s abdomen is sliced open, gull and gills removed while leaving the liver and intestines intact, and the spices are stuffed inside. Then the abdomen is stitched closed with a clean white thread. The fish is then wetted enough with a soy sauce and “kalamansi” or lemon juice concoction for some 15 minutes, and then fried or grilled.
With grilling native cuisines, the usual method is to wrap the fish or pork with aluminum foil. This cooking method evens up cooking all sides of a native dish fish, pork, or beef but it’s unhealthy because of the lead content of the foil. The best alternative---and one of the native cuisine culinary secrets of cooking grandmas in the country---is to wrap food in banana leaves while being grilled. This saves the native dish from too much burning and boosts natural food and spice flavor enhancement.
Finally, native cuisines usually go with a specific dip sauce. Dip sauces of mixed vinegar, soy, or preserved fish for a specific native dish may heighten taste bud stimulation. Native cuisine Kare-Kare’s true gourmet potential lies on how good the preserved shrimp or “bagoong” sauce is cooked.
Philippine native cuisines are enjoyed more when the secret ingredients are in and the right sauce concoction for a native dish is in place.
The island of Boracay in the Philippines is recognized as one of the most beautiful beaches all over the world. As numerous as the activities that both foreign and local tourists can indulge in; Boracay also boasts of a number of accommodation alternatives. One of the many accommodations on this island is Pink Patio Resort.
Nestled in the heart of Boracay, Philippines, Pink Patio is now known as Patio Pacific Resort. It is accredited by the Department of Tourism in the Philippines and was recently recognized as a “AA” Resort. From the hotels of the Pink Patio Resort, the main hub of activities and destinations of Boracay -- such as the various restaurants and bars, the pristine beaches, and the different dive sites that have attracted tourists from all over the world -- is just a stone’s throw away.
Pink Patio Resort provides businessmen and other corporate visitors the chance to incorporate business with leisure. Its fully air-conditioned conference hall is ideal for meetings and other corporate functions as well as private events. Pink Patio Resort offers visitors a complete line of amenities such as wireless and lapel microphones, audio-visual equipment, a three-layer whiteboard, and overhead projector. It allows guests to select from four kinds of layouts namely banquet, classroom, cocktail, or theater. The conference room can accommodate as many as 120 persons at once.
At Pink Patio Resort, mealtime can be a feast as it provides foreigners a taste of the best cuisine that Boracay can offer. For tourists who are looking for the aroma of brewed as well as other varieties of coffee, Pink Patio Resort provides people with some of the best tasting coffee. In addition, health conscious guests can likewise treat themselves to fruit juices, sandwiches, and garden fresh salad. Likewise, Pink Patio Resort offers carefully prepared seafood using the best spices.
For people who want to keep themselves fit and proper, Pink Patio Resort is home to the only fitness center in Boracay. It houses some of the best fitness equipments such as stairmaster, free weights, multi-station, stationary bicycle, and of course, the treadmill. Visitors may wish go for a relaxing vacation on the Alpha Machine Capsule. This high technology facility provides a mixture of aromatherapy and sauna complete with stereo sound and ionized air making it the ideal rejuvenation treatment.
So for people looking for accommodations on the island of Boracay, Pink Patio Resort is definitely the place where they can get a guarantee of an enjoyable and rewarding vacation.
The Philippines is rich in avifauna (i.e. species of birds). There are about 400 resident bird species and almost 200 of them can be found only in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, Bohol is one of the favorite destinations of bird-watchers. The Rajah Sikatuna National Park is a good place to start bird watching. It is the widest remaining forest that can be found in Bohol. The Rajah Sikatuna National Park covers 29 barangays and is the main water source, being a watershed, of Bohol's rivers. The Rajah Sikatuna National Park is considered as a hot spot for principal biodiversity.
In Rajah Sikatuna National Park's headquarters, you can find a small hostel where a birders' logbook and a visitors' book is found. Reading them can be useful in bird watching. A Rajah Sikatuna National Park guide will be there to help you throughout your bird watching activity.
Rajah Sikatuna National Park has set out a number of trails where visitors can go bird watching. While following the trails, you will encounter various species of birds. Don't forget to bring birdcall tapes so that some birds that are naturally shy will emerge from their hiding places. With luck you may be able to see the rare bird species present in Rajah Sikatuna National Park.
Some of the bird species that are present in Rajah Sikatuna National Park are the following: Silvery kingfisher, Philippine Eagle Owl, Philippine frogmouth, Brush cuckoo, Black-faced coucal, Philippine nightjar, Philippine coucal, Large-billed crow, Pygmy swiftlet, Spangled drongo, Red-keeled flowerpecker, Metallic-winged sunbird, Pink-bellied imperial pigeon, White-bellied woodpecker, and many more.
Aside from birds, Rajah Sikatuna National Park also has a butterfly sanctuary. Monkeys thrive in the forest and are already used to seeing people everyday. These would often be kind and friendly to anyone who comes near. 26 bat species can be found in Rajah Sikatuna National Park within the caves that abound in limestone formations.
Regarding plants and trees, Rajah Sikatuna National Park has something to offer. You can find 16 verified species of Dipterocarps, 17 species of Apitong, and 90 new fern species. On top of the hills in Rajah Sikatuna National Park, you can have a great view of the well-known Chocolate Hills in Bohol.
To get there from Bilar, take a motorcycle taxi (habal-habal) to the Rajah Sikatuna National Park's accommodation area at Logarita. You can have an overnight stay at their hostel for P50 for a night. The park's caretaker will take care of food.
The Rajah Sikatuna National Park is a haven for nature lovers. Bird watching is the main attraction in the park. The nature trek in Rajah Sikatuna National Park will touch your soul.
One of the most famous as well as interesting Philippine provinces, Bohol plays home to health care units that provide outstanding medical services to tourists and residents in the area. The Bohol hospitals and health care system is improving and the medical establishments in the province are categorized into several divisions, which include rural medical care units, medical centers as well as governmental hospitals. Below are some of the health care facilities that people can visit in the province.
This public health care facility can be found at Miguel Parras Street in the City of Tagbilaran. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital offers affordable and high quality dental, medical as well as vaccinating services to the residents in the province who cannot afford to seek assistance from private hospitals. The costs of treatments and medicines available at this place are less when compared to other Bohol hospitals and health care facilities. In case of emergencies, patients can call any of the medical staff at Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital at (038)-411-3185.
Boholanos who are far or not accessible to Celestino Gallares can always go to Don Emilio Del Valle at Ubay. This medical establishment provides efficient health care services to financially challenged patients. Physicians serving at this place specialize in different medical fields including pediatrics, surgery as well as obstetrics. This institution also provides emergency services. To provide assistance to individuals who need serious medical attention and treatments, the institute has wards and rooms.
Patients who prefer to seek medical assistance from tertiary medical establishments can always go to Englewood Hospital near Bool and Baclayon junctions. To offer excellent health care services to patients, this institute features advance medical facilities. Additionally, Boholanos will not have problems about medical costs because this establishment offers discounts to patients who are under the blue-card program implemented by the provincial government. To seek immediate help from this health care establishment, people can reach any of its administrative staff at (038)-411-3018.
Situated along J. A. Clarin Street in Tagbilaran City, Tagbilaran Puericulture Center and Maternity House specializes in obstetrics and gynecology. Even if this is a private medical institution, the costs of consultations at this establishment are not that high. Aside from obstetrics, this institution also provides emergency services. Patients can reach any of the physicians as well as medical staff at this health care institution by calling this number, (038)-411-3191.
Palawan is one of the biggest islands in the Philippines. It is located at the west of mainland Luzon, and at the east of the South China Sea. Palawan comprises of tiny islands near its mainland. Its pristine blue coasts, white sand beaches are among the reasons why Palawan is a main tourist destination. The capital of Palawan is Puerto Princesa.
Puerto Princesa is located at the mid-section of mainland Palawan. The city used to be named as “Puerto de la Princesa”, meaning “port of the princess”, referring to Princess Eulalia of Spain. Its key position as a seaport used to serve as a port area for Spanish ships during the Spanish regime. Centuries later, Puerto Princesa bloomed into a city, thriving mostly on the prosperous tourism industry.
To reach the city, there are domestic airlines and charter planes that offer direct flights. Ships are also a viable option, but cruise ships are better choices because the sea voyage takes 20 hours.
The city of Puerto Princesa in Palawan offers the beauty of “eco-tourism”. Tourist spots in the capital, and in mostly Palawan, offer an array of nature activities, simply because the beauty of the city is simply natural. Its main attractions comprise of national parks, caves and underground rivers.
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River is a river underneath the St. Paul Mountain. The river empties westward to the South China Sea. As they enter the mouth of the cave, visitors are greeted with different geologic formations underneath the mountain. Visitors can also take pleasure in bird watching, trekking and hiking.
The St. Paul Mountain does not only show its geologic history through the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, but through its different caves as well. There are three main caves in the mountain—the Lion’s Cave, the Cawili Cave and the Daylight Hole. The Lion’s Cave is known for its lion-shaped statue on its entrance, when in fact the statue is a natural rock formation. The Cawili Caves offers spectacular limestone patterns. Lastly, the Daylight Hole is a cave that houses a pitch-black underground river with only the rays of sunlight guiding the rower the exit to the underground river. Basically, the natural highlights of Puerto Princesa are dependent on Palawan’s fantastic geological history, since Palawan is one of the oldest islands in the Philippine Archipelago.
Hiking and trekking are the most popular activities in the capital of Palawan. The Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park offers forest tours for the family of nature-lovers. Lush green trees, cold streams and strenuous treks are available on the northeastern edge of Puerto Princesa. For those who plan to relax on the beach, boats and island hopping tools are available. Also, do not forget to check out the diving sites when hopping—as Palawan waters shelter the most wonderful marine creatures in the world!
Puerto Princesa is truly a haven for those who appreciate nature’s beauty. What the city boasts of is that its splendor is simply natural—a rare gift that should forever be preserved. Visitors in Puerto Princesa are always reminded of how truly magnificent and precious our nature really is.
Puerto Galera is the home of many marine life species. The huge variety of corals and underwater creatures is an added attraction to the already beautiful beaches. It is not surprising that both local and foreign tourists explore the wonders of the waters of Puerto Galera.
You can reach Puerto Galera either by plane or by boat. It will only take couple of hours if you travel by plane from Manila. If you plan to travel by boat, you will have to spend a whole day for travel.
The average visibility in Puerto Galera's waters is at 70 to 100 feet the whole year round. The temperature of the water ranges from 25 to 29 degrees Celsius. Puerto Galera offers a huge area of beautiful beaches. Another attraction are Puerto Galera’s shipwrecks are excellent for scuba diving.
Here are some of Puerto Galera’s dive spots:
If you’re a beginner and are looking for a shallow spot, the Manila Channel is excellent for you. The Manila Channel offers several types of anemones like Clown fish, sea stars, christmas tree worms and other colorful reef fish.
Another dive spot for beginners is the Coral Garden. It has lots of soft and stony large corals on crevices with the sometimes-occasional immature Whitetip sharks visiting every now and then. The approximate depth is 10m or 32 feet from the beach.
Another spectacular spot in Puerto Galera is the Hole in the Wall. You’ll be dropped off in a field of table corals. The Hole in the Wall is a large swim through the area and you’ll eventually see an assortment of reef fish, butterfly fish, pennant fish, trumpet fish, and angel fish. The Hole in the Wall is connected to other dive spots.
After a dive in the Hole in the Wall you’ll find yourself in another dive spot known as the Canyons. The area is teaming with many different types of fish life living within the corals. The Canyons is a world class dive spot in the Puerto Galera.
The Alma-Jane wreck is the newest dive spot in Puerto Galera. It is a beautiful steel cargo ship measuring over 30 meters in length beneath the sea of Puerto Galera. Even though the ship only sank in the early twenties. It has attracted large snappers, bat fish and lion fish.
Other than the beautiful sandy beaches, Puerto Galera offers magnificent dive sites. You'll definitely be fascinated by Puerto Galera's beauty beneath its blue waters.
One of the most popular and advanced cities in the Philippines, Makati City plays home to numerous sightseeing spots and exciting special events. Tourists in the city are always ensured of relaxing and wonderful visit to the place for it features world-class and first-rate hospitality service providers. Additionally, people can also have an enjoyable and remarkable time with their friends and families because the city also features attractive restaurants and bars. Hence, to have a safe and worry-free travel to Makati City, Philippines, it is necessary that tourists refer to Makati travel guides to have a closer look on business establishments and activities that they can do in the area.
Tourist Attractions in Makati City, Philippines
A special section in Makati travel guides that is truly helpful for travelers is the tourist attractions section. In this part of the guides, people can have knowledge on things to do and places to visit in the city. Contrary to the knowledge of many individuals that the place is only popular for tall buildings, Makati City also features historical attractions like Guadalupe Ruins, American Cemetery and Monuments, as well as Libingan ng mga Bayani. Meanwhile, for those who are in the mood for shopping, Makati travel guides also offer knowledge on best shopping places in the city, which commonly include Glorietta, Power Plant Mall, and Greenbelt.
Hotels in Makati City, Philippines
For tourists who are new to the City of Makati, Philippines, other attractions in the place are the topnotch hotels. Most Makati travel guides feature five star and four star hotels in the area such as Makati Shangri-La Hotel, The Peninsula Manila, and Mandarin Oriental Manila. Hence, to help tourists look for best valued hotels, they can always make advance reservations at the famous Dusit Hotel Nikko, Oxford Suites Makati, and Ascott Makati. For people who are on tight budget, they can always check out the features of Makati travel guides on Makati lodges and inns like Manila Elks Lodge, Kagitingan Lodge, and Vinta Lodge.
Restaurants in Makati City, Philippines
Another attractive feature in Makati travel guides is the section wherein all the popular restaurants and bars in the place are described. The locations, menus and specialties of famous dining places such as Aveneto Pizzeria Ristorante, Bread Talk, and Almon Marina, are available in Makati travel guides, so travelers have nothing to worry about finding these restaurants. Meanwhile, for the convenience of tourists, the travel guides also feature fast food places in the city including Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Jollibee.
I had been assigned to a lot of places around the Philippines (mostly around Luzon) and my almost two (2) year assignment in Zamboanga City, had been one of the challenging (at first-since I had set some unlikely expectations-which is my bad) and at the same time most memorable.
The officer-in-charge at the Zamboanga site had to be replaced due to some work related conflicts. I was the lucky one ('unlucky' at first as I had said) to be deployed and be assigned for the next eighteen months. Personally, I did not find any conflict since I do not have had my own family to leave behind. The only family that worried the most was my mom (as always). I pretended that I was okay to ease the tension my mom was dealing with. Nonetheless, I was in a way worried since I was hearing and seeing a lot of not-so good news through media then.
I started my search some historical background of Zamboanga City to make me relaxed in a way. I was confused of what I was reading when it was described as the City of Flowers, 'El Orgullo de Mindanao' (The Pride of Mindanao) and 'Zamboanga Hermosa' (Beautiful Zamboanga). At the back of my head I said then, 'this is interesting!' Zamboanga had been regarded at tourism as the Asia's Latin City.
At the moment I arrived at Zamboanga, I felt a spine-tingling sensation and I know everything was going to be fine. In Zamboanga, for the next couple of months, saw and witnessed how dissimilar cultures of Muslims and Christians jived to come up with colorful festivities and holidays. The 'Dia de Zamboanga' had been a commemoration of the place when it was declared a chartered city during the Commonwealth Government times. It was usually in February that it was commemorated. Usual Christian or Catholic Holy Days like Christmas, Fiesta de Barangay or Fonda de Barangay (feasts in honor of their patron saints), Fiesta se La Immaculada Conception (feast of the Immaculate Conception), Fiesta Pilar or Zamboanga Hermosa Festival, the Santacruzan, the colorful Flores de Mayo and of course, the Holy Week are faithfully observed by Christians, Catholics and devotees alike in a very creative manner. For the first time in my life as well, I experienced some noted Muslim Holy Days such as the Festival of Sacrifice (Eis al-Adha) or 'Greater Eid'-which observed the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God and this had been commemorated worldwide as well. Another Muslim commemoration was the Eid al-Fitr or Hari Ray Puasa which marked the end of fasting period and the Isra Wal Miraj; an event observing the nocturnal journey and ascension of Muhammad.
These festivities or commemorations had really changed my attitude regarding my impression of Mindanao, specifically of Zamboanga City. It had been a home for me for almost two (2) years and the place had welcomed me as one of their natives. I realized after my assignment the first (1st) impressions of the foreign navigators who discovered the place, how they were mesmerized and fascinated by the beauty of now the City of Flowers in the Philippines.
'The City of Friendship'-this is the moniker of the wonderful city of Tagbilaran. The Institute for Solidarity in Asia considered Tagbilaran City as one of the eight (8) Philippine Dream Cities (along with Surugao City, Calbayog City, Naga City, Marikina City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, La Union City, San Fernando City and Samal City. The city’s economic stability and progress was recognized by the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center as being one of the 'Most Competitive Cities in the Philippines'. These acknowledgments made Tagbilaran City one of the best cities in the Philippines for leisure and business.
The city of Tagbilaran has been the start-off to Bohol Island's main attractions: aged stone churches, heritage sites, dive sports, white sand beaches, the Philippine Tarsiers sanctuary and the world-renowned Chocolate Hills. Eco-Tourism is one of the main economic drivers of the progressive island of Bohol. Literally speaking, the whole island is but a taste of paradise on earth. In order to maintain, upgrade and promote tourism in Bohol Island, the local government made sure that accommodations and means of transportation are provided. Aside from these wonderful spots, the island's culture is being showcased through their colorful festivals (like the Sandugo Festival in Tagbilaran City which commemorates the Blood Compact between Datu Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi during mid-1500). Thus, history could definitely assert how friendly the first settlers or locals of this wonderful place were, since they were the first to welcome international diplomacy. This only proved how thankful and generous the Boholanos were with their place and wanted it to share with others.
The city of Tagbilaran in the island of Bohol is one of the most progressive cities in the Philippines. Though Philippines is an archipelagic country (made up of many islands), access or getting through sea and air posts no problem or difficulty. Since tourism and business attract possible visitors and investors, the local government created an official website (http://www.tagbilaran.gov.ph) to access Bohol Island, especial the city of Tagbilaran online or through the World Wide Web.
The official website contains vital information, a glimpse of the wonders of the Bohol Island as a whole, interactive page wherein individuals could leave a message or remark and many more. With the help of the power of the internet, getting to know Tagbilaran City and the overall beauty of Bohol Island is definitely just a few clicks away.Tagbilaran City has been regarded as the gateway to the wonderful island of Bohol. Being a City of Friendship is highlighted annually by the Sandugo Festival-a commemoration of the first international pact the locals made during the 1500's with Spain.