Must-see hotels in Philippines

  • Raffles Makati

    Manila

    Two five-star hotels in one skyscraper. The Raffles consists of 32 stunning suites on the 9th and 10th floors. They feature high ceilings, wooden…

  • Manila Hotel

    Manila

    One of Asia’s grand and regal hotels, where everyone from General MacArthur to the Beatles to JFK has spent the night. It’s more than 100 years old, yet…

  • Hive Hotel

    Manila

    The lower-budget sister of Cocoon is hardly a downgrade. Rooms are slightly smaller, but efficiently designed with open closets and lovely room dividers…

  • Makati Shangri-La

    Manila

    With a soaring lobby lounge punctuated by floor-to-ceiling bay windows and sequoia-sized columns, the Shangri-La wins the award for Makati’s most stunning…

  • Amanpulo

    Palawan

    The Philippines' top resort has one of the remote Cuyo Islands all to itself and can be reached only by private plane from Manila. The island is ringed by…

  • Atmosphere

    Negros

    The most luxurious resort in Dauin, possibly all of Negros, Atmosphere has a dash of Miami Beach style leavened with Filipino warmth and a dedicated team…

  • Nuts Huts

    Bohol

    This near-legendary place polarises opinion. Ensconced in tropical forest on the Loboc River, it's perfect for those eager to experience and explore the…

  • Pandan Island Resort

    Mindoro

    This postcard-perfect, privately owned resort island is a low-key tropical paradise. It's on a long, curving white-sand beach, and has a combination of…

  • Lind

    Boracay

    Ibiza meets Miami Beach meets Filipino hospitality at this smoothly run boutique resort at White Beach's private northern end. Aesthetically, it's Boracay…

  • Sangat Island Dive Resort

    Coron Town

    Pulling up at the beach at this private island feels like discovering the cool kids' secret hideout. Sangat has a full-service dive centre, kayaks and jet…

  • Red Carabao

    Manila

    With its innovative program of cultural immersion, Red Carabao Manila treads the line between hostel and tour. If you want in, you must commit to a multi…

  • Farm at San Benito

    Around Manila

    The Philippines’ signature wellness and detoxification centre is the Farm at San Benito, a peaceful paradise hidden in the jungle less than a two-hour…

  • Flower Island Beach Resort

    Palawan

    Warning: leaving this idyllic low-key resort can induce severe depression. The staff are warm and friendly, the native-style cottages are a perfect mix of…

  • Kermit Surf Resort

    Siargao

    Located down a quiet road just northeast and inland from the centre of GL, Swiss-Italian-owned Kermit is a deservedly popular choice. The 10 rooms include…

  • Al Faro Cosmio Hotel

    Busuanga & the Calamian Islands

    Offering a touch of the Mediterranean and a dash of Disney-like fairy-tale architecture, this Swiss-conceived place is perched on a hilltop overlooking…

  • Makabata Guesthouse & Cafe

    Manila

    This training hotel provides at-risk youth with a chance to get a start in the hospitality industry. But it's more than just a feel-good story. Rooms…

  • Henry Hotel

    Manila

    We run out of superlatives when describing the two Henry Philippine properties – first the stunningly creative original in Cebu, and now this: a leafy…

  • Canvas Boutique Hotel

    Puerto Princesa

    A refreshing lobby equipped with public iMacs heralds that you are in one of Palawan's most sleek and stylish refuges. The bright, buoyant rooms are all…

  • Duli Beach Resort

    El Nido

    Duli features six thoughtfully conceived bungalows mixing European (the owners are Dutch) and local styles on a jaw-dropping beach about 45 minutes north…

  • Our Melting Pot

    Around Manila

    Makati's original backpacker relocated to a larger space in 2016 and added more beds, a fully equipped kitchen and a guests-only roof deck, while…

  • Palo Alto Bed & Breakfast

    Puerto Princesa

    Surrounded by tall trees in a rambling complex 3km north of the airport, Palo Alto is a refuge from the city's traffic and noise. The 19 rooms are set…

  • Element Boutique Hotel

    Manila

    This functional and fashionable new French–run hotel adds another splash of originality to Makati's up-and-coming Poblacion area. The 14 rooms come in a…

  • Sunset Colors

    Port Barton

    It's on the mainland but feels like a fantasy private island. It consists of several homey cottages and rooms, all swathed in rattan, and one larger,…

  • Funny Lion

    Coron Town

    Funny Lion has the nicest rooms in town and incredible views from its 5th-floor walk-up bar area, where duelling cold-water whirlpools, sunset views and…

  • Verde View Villas

    Puerto Galera

    The views from this hilltop property 1.5km east of Sabang are nonpareil. Four luxurious pool-front rooms boasting Apple TVs stare straight at magnificent…

  • The Henry

    Cebu City

    The Henry's marketing blurb says 'like no other' and that's 100% true in Cebu, for this cutting-edge hotel – think industrial-style lobby, ginormous…

  • Daluyon Resort

    Sabang

    The winner of numerous sustainability awards, the Daluyon goes to show that luxury doesn’t have to come at the expense of the environment. Inside the…

  • Diniview

    Boracay

    High up the green valley behind Diniwid Beach, these five private hillside villas look ready for an architectural magazine photo shoot. The owner has…

  • Cocoon Boutique Hotel

    Manila

    This is QC's most chic address for the wannabe hipster in you. The rooms are fit for the pages of Wallpaper*, with beautiful 3m-long recycled-hardwood…

  • Amarela

    Panglao Island

    This classy beach getaway is run on environmentally sound principles. It's so boutique it has its own art gallery and library. Rooms with polished…

  • Secret Paradise Resort

    Port Barton

    Stress seems to slide away at this tranquil hideaway, on a pretty mainland bay one hour by boat from Port Barton. The British owners, dedicated to…

  • Bohol Coco-Farm

    Panglao Island

    The best base for backpackers in Panglao, if you don't mind being inland, with nipa huts that are entirely appropriate for the rustic setting. There's a…

  • Bravo Surf Resort

    Siargao

    Young, Spanish-owned Bravo has become one of GL's happening spots. This is thanks in part to its attractive, closely spaced nipa-roofed cottages with…

  • Qi Palawan

    El Nido

    The husband-and-wife-run Qi Palawan is a beautiful top-end option on El Nido's remote east coast. Eight stand-alone bungalows dot the lush grounds; the…

  • Vicky's Place

    Coron Town

    This quiet budget option on luscious Maricaban Bay, run by eco-conscious local dive instructor Brenda, is a wonderful place to chill out. She maintains a…

  • Balai sa Baibai

    Camiguin

    Meticulously manicured oasis of style and sophistication, created by a Filipino-British couple whose finely calibrated taste is evident in every feature,…

  • Garden Bay Beach Resort

    El Nido

    A small hidden paradise at the very end of Caalan Beach, Garden Bay takes some work to get to, but that's part of its appeal. The seven pleasingly rustic…

  • Sonya’s Garden

    Around Manila

    Alongside its lovely restaurant, Sonya's runs an exquisite B&B set among a beautiful flower garden. In grand cottages, rooms are expansive and rustic with…

  • Puerto Pension

    Puerto Princesa

    This towering wood-and-bamboo structure has sweeping bay views from the top-floor restaurant (breakfast only). Swathed in rattan, with wood floors, rooms…

  • Ticao Island Resort

    Southeast Luzon

    In Tacdogan, about 8km north of San Jacinto, nine plush cabanas front a perfect and secluded cove, while four fan-only budget rooms huddle off the beach…

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