El Nido
Part of the growing Pukka Bar empire, this whitewashed, compact Miami Beach–style hotel on emerging Lugadia Beach is aimed at flashpacker couples. Rooms…
Must-see hotels in Philippines
Cebu City
This biking-tour operator also has a little guesthouse, with cosy bamboo rooms (with air-con or fan, and shared or en-suite bathroom) and a six-bed dorm…
Boracay Private Mountain Casitas
Boracay
These thatched-roof cottages offer panoramic (and perfect sunrise) views over Bulabog Beach and southern Boracay. They're a bit dated, but that's part of…
Siquijor
The original and still the best Solangon resort, in large part because of its enviable beach (swimming only at high tide). The charming wood-floored…
Cebu City
Brushing up against the Ayala Center, and its myriad restaurants and shops, is the ultraplush Marriott. No piped muzak or cheesy white-suited pianist…
Mindoro
Located out on Sablayan's wide gray-sand beach, Gustav's has a genuinely remote quality. The 13 rooms are simple thatched concrete affairs, some stand…
Sagada
Sagada's most upmarket option is adorned with the awesome, powerful prints of the late Sagada-born photographer Eduardo Masferré, who recorded the lives…
El Nido
There's nothing fancy about the Bill (much like its name). It's just a clean, modern, business hotel that's quieter than most places in town – a classic …
Bicol
Apple Peach is designed in that contemporary minimalist whitewashed style that you'll either love or hate. Still, the austere charcoal-and-white rooms on…
Camiguin
No longer the classiest of Camiguin's resorts, this property stretching from the highway to the water could use some attention. More modern A-frame…
Panglao Island
This large, recently rebranded resort hotel enjoys a stunning setting on an astonishing white-sand beach, and boasts two infinity pools and a private …
Moalboal
In a peaceful location on the tranquil southern side of Moalboal, Love Beach has an attractive bar and pool area, restaurant with excellent sea views,…
Banaue
This inn sits at the top of Magubon hill, overlooking the town and the rice terraces. Rooms are pleasant and clean, and service is friendly. Ask the owner…
Coron Town
Located 2km north of the centre, this is a quiet retreat with 22 rooms surrounding a lush pool and garden. The rooms are plenty modern but are done up in…
Jeepney Hostel & Boracay Kite Resort
Boracay
Just off Bulabog Beach, Canadian-owned Jeepney caters to hard-living kitesurfers with regular parties, a kitesurfing centre and a sports bar (open 24…
Manila
The T Morato area of Quezon City has suddenly become a mecca for Manila boutique hotels. Ian Schrager himself would admire the B's vintage industrial…
Apo Island
Perched above the village beach, a bit messy with simply furnished rooms, this is where budget-minded divers tend to stay. Rooms have balconies with…
San Juan (La Union)
Run by Aussie Brian Landrigan, a nearly 30-year veteran of the area, this resort started as beach shacks but is now an upmarket surfers’ village, ranging…
Bicol
Naga's newest hotel sits comfortably at the top of the posh pile, with 45 ubermodern and spacious rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and cloudlike beds…
El Nido
Frendz quickly became the hottest thing in El Nido town upon opening in 2019. Besides an eye-catching design, with rooms rising four storeys high around…
Eastern Visayas
A popular resort hotel with several pools. The rooms aren't flash, but they do have marble floors and flat-screen TVs. Has decent food (try the roast…
Banaue
The Greenview is one of the most popular places in town, which is unsurprising since it covers the backpacker bases: a decent restaurant, mostly…
Thresher Cove Resort & Dive Center
Malapascua Island
On a private beach a 10-minute walk north of Bounty Beach, this well-managed operation is an excellent all-rounder. Dorms have air-con and are cleaned…
Manila
The best downtown hostel is in an up-and-coming area on the border of Pasay and Malate, and is equally convenient for Makati. The highlight is the rooftop…
Mindoro
This resort slinks down a hillside about 1km beyond the new RORO terminal. The nipa huts, hung with shells and surrounded by a light screen, are the…
Bacolod
This centrally located mall-like complex combines three hotels with a range of shared facilities, the most important being an attractive rooftop pool. The…
Panay
Occupying its own island, this absolutely private resort is one of the best offshore options. Those who fantasise about being a castaway (no internet, no…
Donsol
Twin resorts a couple of hundred metres apart just north of the visitors centre. Vitton is the more upmarket of the two, a sprawling resort with rooms in…
Baguio
There’s a cabin-in-the-woods feel to this lodge overlooking Baguio Country Club. Well removed from the centre, it’s so quiet (unless the live band is…
Iloilo
This chain's icon, a sombrero and palm tree, suggests something akin to Club Med. And the pool area, with a small slide and faux statuary, tries to evoke…
Banaue
Sanafe Lodge has extremely cosy rooms, and the best-looking restaurant in the centre. The ‘deluxe’ double rooms are pretty posh (for Banaue), if a bit…
Bicol
One of Tabaco's neat and serviceable lower midrange options, Gardenia has large, clean doubles, volcano views and a relatively quiet location behind the…
North Luzon
Location, location, location. The rooms may be clean, good-sized and have wood floors and nice verandahs, but it's the perfect stretch of alabaster sand…
Baguio
The spacious, wood-panelled interior of this large lodge at the heart of Camp John Hay leaves you with a vague feeling that there ought to be a ski slope…
Around Manila
Talisay's most upmarket resort sits on the waterfront near the junction of the main Banga–Tagaytay Rd. Stylish rooms and villas (up to four bedrooms) have…
North Luzon
Towards the more low-key end of Blue Lagoon, this fading yet strangely stylish place sits in front of the beach's best surfing waves. Polished cement and…
Iloilo
This strange hybrid high-rise – part therapeutic spa, part cosmetic clinic and part boutique hotel (all on separate floors) – is aimed at the medical…
Iloilo
If you want to experience a bit of old Iloilo, then Grand Dame's location with La Paz Market directly across the street and historic Jaro just to the…
Bicol
Although removed from the peninsula's northern coast, sea-facing CK is handily located just south of Guijalo port (ask for Harvey at the port) and the…
Moalboal
This resort enjoys a wonderfully secluded location on the rocky coastline just north of White Beach. The snorkelling offshore is the area's best, or just…
