2 Weeks in the Philippines
Philippines Travel Itinerary & Guide
13 Days in the Philippines
The Philippines was one of the most amazing countries I’ve ever visited! This itinerary includes adventuring around Donsol Bay (to see the whale sharks), Bohol, Panglao, El Nido and transit time in Manila. You’ll get to stay in glamping tents, huts on the water, and swim in beautiful waters.
Day 1:
Arriving in the beautiful Philippines, we were very eager and excited to begin our trip! Starting out in Manila, we caught the first flight down to Donsol Bay. We chose Donsol Bay/Legaspi because we wanted to see the whale sharks in their natural migration patterns.
Manila Marriott Hotel
The Manila Marriott is a beautiful hotel located right next to the airport and is perfect for a layover. We also did stay in the Manila Hyatt City of Dreams during another layover which was cheaper and really nice as well. I wish we could have spent more time in the Marriott because of how nice and comfortable it was…but there was adventuring to be done! We checked out around 7am to catch the first flight to Donsol. If you have Chase Ultimate Rewards, I highly recommend using points for the Hyatt.
Flight to Donsol Bay
We took a flight from Manila to Legaspi Airport on Philippines Airlines. Note that many of the flights in the Philippines do end up being delayed, so take time to account for that. Manila airport is huge so make sure you’re going to the right terminal.
Donsol Bay Airbnb
Arrange with the AirBnB host a van service ($40) round trip from the airport to Donsol, it’s about a 1 1/2 hour drive.
This Airbnb (link provided) made our entire trip to Donsol! Norma, the host is so kind and accommodating, we loved spending time with her and her staff. The AirBnB is perfect, there are four different residencies, but Norma tries not to fill them all so it feels like your private resort. She’ll help arrange all of your activities, there is a pool, and canoes. The best part: the food!!! Norma’s fresh food is so delicious! Some of the best meals I’ve had, cooked with lots of love! She’ll spend time with you while you’re eating, so you really get to learn a lot about the area.
Lunch at Airbnb Then Explore
Enjoy the AirBnB’s pool, the canoes, rafts, and walking around the beach outside of the AirBnB. Have fun playing with the kids around the town. They’ll want to come up and hang out. Then enjoy the beautiful sunset before dinner at the Airbnb, which will be a fresh delicious meal.
Day 2:
Swim with Whale Sharks
Start early in the morning to go see the whale sharks! We had our AirBnB host arrange a tricycle to take us from our AirBnB to the Whale Shark Watching Center. When you arrive, you’ll need to rent snorkeling gear, double check it before you leave because some of the equipment is on the verge of breaking and then they’ll charge you extra for it breaking. (This didn’t happen to us, but our AirBnB host warned us.) After renting your equipment, you’re required to watch a safety video (for you and the whale sharks), place your name on the waitlist, pay the boat fees, pay the special tax and register with the government. Then you’re ready…kind of….they typically try and fill a boat with 6-8 people, you can pay extra to go with just your party or you can team up with another group to save money and go out quickly. We spent about two hours on the water, they don’t use sonar or any equipment to find the whale sharks, other than men watching from a few lookout points on the boat. It’s a beautiful ride up and down the coast, but ultimately we didn’t see any whale sharks. We were really disappointed and kept wondering if we should have gone to Oslob where we would have had a better chance, but I’m really glad we did the right thing and tried to see the whales in their natural habitat without throwing them off their migration patterns.
Lunch in Donsol
We walked around the town of Donsol and ate lunch outside of the Whale Shark center. The meal was alright, but we did prefer Norma’s meals.
Relax at the Beach
We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the AirBnB, kayaking, and hanging out on the raft. We also hung out by the pool and had fun watching the sunset as kids from the town would come over and hang out with us. Then enjoy another fantastic meal at the Airbnb.
Day 3:
Travel from Donsol to Bohol
Travel from Donsol to Bohol
This included a van ride from Donsol to Legaspi, a flight from Legaspi (10:55am) to Manila then a quick transfer to Bohol arriving at 3:55pm. We then arranged with Jessa, our AirBnB host a pick up from the airport to her home.
Check into Riverside Native House Airbnb
We really did enjoy staying at Jessa’s AirBnB. Every night and even for breakfast, she would invite us to join her family and her and her friend would cook the most amazing meals. It was a lot of fun to learn about life in the Philippines and I felt like it was a great opportunity to make friends. Just a few notes about the AirBnB, which they are improving as we speak, they didn’t have hot water in the showers and the toilets needed a bucket to flush, they were small annoyances compared with the enjoyment we got from staying there (and like I said, they’re working hard to improve these). She’s adding more huts to stay in too, right along the water so I’m excited to see all the great things her and her husband are adding. We stayed here the entire time we were in Panglao/Bohol area, but I would recommend maybe staying two nights here and then doing two nights in Panglao since we spent a lot of our time there. Her AirBnB is a great location though for all of the Bohol activities and about 30-45 minute motorbike ride to the best parts of Panglao.
Day 4:
Chocolate Hills National Park
Motorbike from the AirBnB up to the Chocolate Hills, it’s practically a straight shot and took us around 1 1/2 hours. We decided to book it all the way up to the Chocolate Hills and then work our way back for the other tourist attractions.
Man Made Bamboo Forest
Ride through the Bamboo Man Made Forest, and if safe, stop and take some pictures.
Philippines Tarsier Sanctuary
These little things are so cute!!! We really did enjoy the tarsier sanctuary. Be sure to be quiet since the tarsiers get really upset if there are loud noises.
Most hide under leaves and are really tiny, but the staff will help point out where you can find them. If you want to get a good picture make sure you have a good distance lens on your camera. The souvenir shop is really good too.
Bamboo Hanging Bridge
A quick stop after the tarsiers is the bamboo hanging bridge. You have to pay a small fee to cross, but I think it was worth it. It’s a little bit scary if you’re afraid of heights…alright I practically wanted to crawl across it. On the other side, treat yourself to a delicious coconut and check out some of the souvenir shops.
Zip Lining
If flying down the streets on your motorbike and walking across the bamboo bridge weren’t enough of a thrill, it’s time to go zip lining. It’s extremely quick; they’ll have you pay and within minutes you’re screaming as you fly through the air. You get to go twice and the view of the river is beautiful.
River Lunch Cruise
Grab a late lunch at the floating restaurant, a giant pontoon, with a buffet, live performer, and drinks for purchase. The boat floats down the river and stops at various stages where performers show you traditional Filipino dance styles. The food is alright, but you get to try a variety of Filipino food. Make sure to check the times as we grabbed the last boat out.
Relax & Eat Dinner at Airbnb
We planned out our next few days and relaxed at the AirBnB. Then Jessa and her friend made us an incredible meal.
Day 5:
Island Hopping Tour
Head down to Alona Beach in Panglao on your motorbike, there you can sign up for an island hopping tour. I can’t remember the price off the top of my head but I believe with snorkel rental it was around $20-30. The island hopping tour is terrific!
If it’s early enough they’ll take you to see dolphins, if not they take you off the shore of another island where you snorkel for around an hour. We started to get bored since everything began to look the same after 30 minutes, so our guide asked us if we’d like to pay a little bit more for him to take us to see sea turtles, we said yes, and it was absolutely worth it! I think we saw around 7 or 8 sea turtles, the guide even took my camera to help get better pictures.
Then from there we ate lunch on the island, it was alright food (you could actually pack a sandwich and some beers to bring with you instead). Then we went to the best place: Virgin Island! It’s a beautiful-dreamlike sandbar that is fun to hang out on and take pictures.
Shaka
Explore Alona Beach area and grab a snack and some great sangria from Shaka, an environmental conscious vegan restaurant. I’m not vegan but I love everything this restaurant stands for. The food is great, decor perfect, and the staff is so friendly!
Day 6:
Hinagdanan Cave
The Hinagdanan Cave was one of the best highlights of Bohol. A tucked away cave that you can actually swim in! I didn’t have the guts, but you can watch local kids jumping from the high rocks into the cave water. You pay a small entrance fee and a small fee to swim. Make sure you bring a towel or buy one at the souvenir shops outside.
Explore Alona Beach Area
We explored the Alona Beach area again, ate food at one of the resorts (Be Grand Resort), and swam. Be sure to wear lots of sunscreen!
The Buzzz Ice Cream
Be sure to grab ice cream at some point from the Buzzz cafe or their small ice cream stand close to the parking lot outside of Alona Beach. One of the best ice creams I’ve ever had!
Firefly Tour
After dinner, Jessa arranged a private firefly tour that left right form the house. It was fantastic! If you’ve ever seen the movie Avatar, it seems a lot like that. Trees completely doused in lights. Unfortunately, it’s really hard to capture a good photo, so just enjoy in the moment!
Day 7:
Our original plan was to fly from Bohol to Manila then take an AirSwift flight to El Nido (this is the only airline that flies to El Nido). Unfortunately, we booked the 2:00pm flight on El Nido (the last flight of the day) to ensure we had a good buffer, but then our flight was cancelled due to a mechanical issue. After a lot of waiting, debating, and lack of information, AirSwift put us up in a hotel for the night in Manila. If you can stick to the original itinerary, today would just be a travel day to your AirBnB and then checking in (I’ll include the AirBnB info in tomorrow’s section-you do not want to miss this AirBnB, we actually extended a night there). Since we were stuck in Manila, we made the most of it and had an incredible time! AirSwift then put us out on a 5 a.m. flight in the morning.
Travel to El Nido
Original plan was to take an 11:15am Air Asia flight to Manila then a 2:00pm AirSwift flight to El Nido.
Singing Cooks and Waiters (in Manila)
To make the most out of our stay in Manila we checked out the Singing Cooks and Waiters restaurant. Which was really fun, really goofy, and surprisingly had really great food! The entire staff sings and dances while severing your food. They’ll pull you up and dance for a great time. Be sure to get there right when it opens as the restaurant fills up quickly. The staff is so nice here! If you’re in Manila, I think it’s a great place to stop on a layover.
Day 8:
Since we missed our original flight, AirSwift put us on a 5:00am flight so we arrived around the time that we would have normally woken up, just in time to start an incredible day!
Check into Nature Served on a Silver Platter Airbnb by Elaine Wayne
This is hands down the best Airbnb I have ever stayed at…scratch that…the best place I’ve ever stayed! Imagine waking up in a huge and comfy queen size bed in the middle of your luxury glamping tent to the beautiful sunlight and sounds of nature, then making your way to the semi-outdoor private shower with all organic bathing products. Once you’ve finished showering, step out onto your porch, swing on the hammock while the incredible staff sets up your delicious, mouthwatering breakfast. Then let Elaine, the sweetest host, plan what activities you’d like to do for the day and she’ll have it set up in moments. Elaine offers plenty of surprises, so I don’t want to give away everything, but you absolutely have to book this AirBnB! (Link to the Airbnb.)
El Nido Tour A
One of the most beautiful and exciting days was adventuring through El Nido on Tour A. We had Elaine, our AirBnB host set up the tour with a company she knew (the link on this activity isn’t the one we used, but it gives you great information on the different tours offered). We had friends that used Kracken tours (https://www.facebook.com/KrakenElNido/) and loved it.
The Tour A includes the Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Shimizu Island, and 7 Commando Beach. This is one of the most popular tours and was probably the highlight of our time in the Philippines. Be sure to bring lots of sunscreen and also underwater shoes as some of the areas are really rocky underwater when you exit the boat. Lunch is provided on the tour as well!
Dinner at Nature Served on a Silver Platter
After showering and applying Elaine’s homemade organic lip balm, enjoy a delicious dinner in one of the most beautiful and romantic dinner settings. Elaine will be sure to even surprise you with a wonderful show!
Get a Massage
After an incredible dinner, if you’re not too tired, ask Elaine to arrange one of the best massages you’ll ever have.
Day 9:
Cooking Classes
Whenever I travel, I love to take a cooking class. With a great cooking class, you can learn about a country’s culture, people, history, and how to make a delicious meal. Before traveling to the Philippines I was having a hard time finding a cooking class for us, but upon arriving at Elaine’s glamping site, we learned she actually offered a cooking class! We chose from a menu what we wanted to learn to make, she created a shopping list and had one of her amazing staff members take us to a local market! It was fascinating to go to a local market, one of the few places where you won’t find other foreigners in El Nido. After buying our ingredients, we were taken back to the glamping site, where we learned to shave a coconut and cook a delicious coconut curry. It was served beautifully on our patio.
Sunset at Corong Beach
Enjoy beautiful sunset and drinks at Corong beach. A lovely strip of sand lined with outdoor bars and cafes. We arranged for our ride to pick us up right after the sunset but we wished we would have stayed longer because it looks like the fun starts when the sun goes down!
Day 10:
On this day we checked out of our beautiful glamping sites, gave Elaine a big hug, wanted to cry a little bit since we were leaving paradise…but luckily we had something to look forward to: the El Nido Resorts…HUTS BUILT ON THE WATER!
We had Elaine’s staff drop us off at the El Nido resorts office then took a 1 1/2 hour van ride then an extremely choppy boat ride for around a hour (a few people did get seasick on the boat) but it was all worth it when we saw the sun shining down on the water reflecting on our beautiful huts! When you arrive on the island you’re greeted with a delicious drink, a necklace made of flowers, warm smiles and a lovely song performed by the staff.
Why stay at El Nido resorts?
We wanted to stay at the huts on the water as a bucket list item! From the pictures we really liked Appulit, there are a few other resorts including one closer to El Nido. The website for the resorts isn’t really descriptive so we weren’t 100% sure what the experience would be like but a few notes:
1. It’s mostly all inclusive except for alcohol, special meals, spa treatments, and some activities like scuba diving. Besides that, buffet meals, juice, and water are included.
2. There is a lot to do on and around the island that’s included: sunset cruises, paddle boards, kayaks, snorkeling tours, repelling, rock climbing, nature walks, afternoon tea, and more.
3. It’s an extremely environmentally friendly resort! They really do try and conserve and protect the surrounding environment while educating guest how to do so as well!
4. Even though drinks are not included there is a happy hour special for certain drinks.
5. It is expensive but for all that’s included and the experiences of just waking up over the ocean, walking to your balcony and looking down to see beautiful wildlife underneath you is priceless.
For the next parts of the itinerary, this is really up to your interests, but I’ll share details on what we did.
To book your reservation: http://www.elnidoresorts.com/apulit-island/
Rock Climbing
One of the first activities we did was rock climbing. It was really fun, but really challenging! They didn’t have shoes that fit my feet well (I wear men’s US size 13-14). The instructor was nice and it was a great way to interact and meet other guest on the island.
Day 11:
The El Nido Resorts offer plenty of activities but we did the following activities.
Repelling
Repelling is a popular activity with a limited number of slots so be sure to reserve as quickly as possible. Also, since it’s an early morning activity, a lot of people skip out and don’t show up, so when signing up if they tell you it’s full, still try and show up!
The guides for repelling are incredible! I have a bad fear of heights and this was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done, even over skydiving, but they were encouraging and patient. The views from the top are beautiful and it’s a thrill that will leave your heart pumping for hours after.
Kayaking and Paddle Boarding
Paddle boards and kayaks can be found close to the activity center. Just grab one and be on your way! There are tons of beautiful areas to explore.
Snorkeling
We chose to do one of the afternoon snorkeling tours. It was around a 15-25 minute boat ride off the island. Very beautiful! The guides are really helpful and constantly looking out for your safety! When you’re finished snorkeling, beers are available for purchase.
Day 12:
The saddest day of all: beginning the long journey home! We ate breakfast, checked out of the resort, took a boat back to TayTay then a van ride to the El Nido Airport. From El Nido, we flew back to Manila with no issues and checked into the Hyatt City of Dreams Hotel.
Hyatt City of Dreams Manila
It’s really close to the airport and though not as spectacular as the Marriott it’s still great. If you have Chase ultimate rewards points, it’s a fairly good redemption rate for a night, a lot better than Marriott. There are a few restaurants in the area as the hotel is part of a larger complex. There is also a large casino on the first floor.
Day 13:
We then traveled back to the states via Air China (which was actually really nice-only bad part is you can’t use your cellphone on board the flight…even if it’s in airplane mode! Chinese Civil Aviation does not allow the use of cellphones onboard airplanes. The flight attendants will even stand over you and watch until you turn the phone completely off.)
Tips and Tricks:
The Philippines was terrific and absolutely a dream destination. I highly recommend going soon, before it begins to be overrun by tourist (like Iceland or Thailand).
After creating this itinerary and traveling throughout the Philippines for close to two weeks, there are a few things we would have done differently:
1. We probably would have skipped Donsol Bay and gone to Cebu. Donsol Bay did have a beautiful charm and we felt like the only tourist at times but I think we did miss out on a few things in Cebu and Cebu has a more robust airport so it would have made our itinerary a lot smoother.
2. We would have shortened our stay in Bohol and spent part of our stay actually on Panglao.
3. We should have taken an ealier AirSwift flight to El Nido so there would be an extra flight to try and get on. (Probably wouldn’t have changed anything, but worth noting.)
A few things to note for the Philippines:
1. To get almost anywhere you need to go through Manila or Cebu and transfer. This takes a lot of time away from your itinerary, so try to minimize the amount of travel you do.
2. Manila is a huge airport, that’s extremely spread out, it takes awhile to get across, so build time into your schedule for this.
3. Air travel isn’t that reliable with plenty of delays and cancellations.
4. Be sure to check the state department and your local embassy’s website for any travel warnings. Also be sure to check in on any news sites or google news to ensure everything is safe.
5. In regards to number 4 I felt really safe in the Philippines. Everyone was beyond welcoming and nice. There were multiple times I could have been ripped off and taken advantage of, but never had an issue.
6. Arrange all of your transportation from airports ahead of time.
7. Don’t drink the water, ice, or eat fruit/vegetables that can’t be peeled.
8. Bring lots of bug spray and sunscreen (mosquitoes are plentiful).
9. Bring an underwater camera.
10. Get travel insurance to help with any delays.