I'm back from my trip to the Philippines it was so nice to get away and hot haha. .. We got all the paperwork done and we have the marriage licence thanks for all the help and advice I was given on here.. We also went to palawan its such a beautiful island .. My only complaint is wifi it so bad out there even in hotels my phone won't always connect anyway I hope everyone is ok
Hi @Davids , welcome back , good to hear it was a successful trip . Internet connections are a common problem in many places in the Philippines . Did you travel up to El Nido ?
It's a joke sometimes do you use wifi out there I don't understand sometimes my phone will connect.. No we didn't go El nido we just stayed round Puerto prinsesa it's beautiful nice people and it had clean air I was surprised at how cool it was there ...have you been before?
Yes I've been to Palawan twice . Stayed in Puerto Princesa then travelled up to El Nido both times .. PP is nice with some things to see and do there . I really like El Nido but I don't think I could face the five or six hour road trip again , even for the island hopping trips that it's famous for . Yes internet is a big problem often , I bought a pocket wifi last time I was there , , but still wasn't good , probably due to weak signal . I find most hotels wifi is ok if not great . My gf has Philippine sim with data , so we sometimes use that for hotel bookings etc. Glad you enjoyed your trip .
Hi Davids good to hear that you enjoyed your trip. Yes its true, the wifi in lot of hotels can be a bit hit and miss. Whenever I visited, I always bought a local SIM and added load and accessed via Smart or Globe.
Most hotels in Puerto Princesa are small , and virtually all in El Nido are small guest house type accommodation . To be honest I don't really like recommending accommodation to anyone , as everyone has different standards and requirements . I think it's better to just check the websites like Agoda etc and select what suits your needs . Both times in Puerto Princesa , I stayed at the Empire Suites Hotel , which is very central, close to many restaurants and had a decent size room . The first stay was better than the second. On my second visit , the elevator wasn't working ( no big deal ) we had no hot water , but worse , the front rooms face a noisy music bar / club which was open untill early am . I wouldn't recommend either of the places in El Nido to be honest haha , and Im not mega fussy .
I know what you mean about recommending accomodation. It’s a bit like recommending movies. Your fault if they don’t like it. I saw this a few weeks back: http://www.bwplusivywall.com/ I wonder if it is as good as it looks?
Yes looks nice , I think you know what you are getting with BW , as their standard seems pretty consistent at their hotels . A bit like the more budget Red Planet /Tune hotels , you know what to expect before you arrive . Are you going planning to go to Palawan @Sanders ?
Want to go, for sure. One of my reservations is whether or not it would be okay with a younger child. Certainly that hotel seems fine.
Well the flight isn't too long , only about one and a half hours from Manila or Cebu , and the airport is very close to the city . Regarding things to do , there is the Honda Bay island hopping trip , The Underground river , Bakers Hill , and a few other offers like the Glow worm experience to try . Also there are a couple of beaches in or near the city , but they are not the best for activities . Maybe more interesting for an adult , not very exiting for a child , but I'm sure you will know what will appeal to them .
Glow Worm experience? I would like to go up the underground river but to do that I will need to take the family.
Oops , sorry should've said Firefly experience . We didn't do it but some have said it was good . Basically it's a night trip by boat along a small river to see many fireflies glowing , trips usually include a meal afterwards . The underground river is a fair distance from the city 2-3 hours drive if I remember right . Then you have to wait for a boat to take you across to where the river is located . Then you wait for a boat to take you into the river The river is very long ,but you you only go part of the way before turning back . There are many nice rock formations , but it's too dark to get good photos , maybe if you have a good camera . It's quite a long day with an early start , and if busy ,as it is usually ,there's quite a lot of waiting around for your turn .
Are the boats and the tour safe enough? Are life jackets provided? (The other week I took my daughter on a 4 seater paddle boat ride around a local duck pond and they made her wear a life jacket - 5 year old non swimmer)
Yes the boats were not overcrowded , and everyone is given a life jacket to wear . That's on the first boat to the river, and the boat you catch to go on on the river . On the river boat , you will also be issued with a hard hat to wear , which will prevent any damage from any low hanging rocks , and also stop bats pooing on your head . They seemed to be quite strict as to the numbers on each boat . Each boat on the river , has a tour guide standing at the back giving some commentary ,and carrying a flashlight to shine on various different rock formations .
Been there quite a few times when we lived in Cebu, John. But there are better waterfalls just south of Bogo in the north of the island which aren't quite as commercialised.
