North Luzon
Tuguegarao’s best deal, especially if you bump up to the huge, rear-facing ‘matrimonial deluxe’ rooms. Rooms are surprisingly modern and well kitted out,…
Must-see hotels in Philippines
Bacuit Archipelago
If you're looking for a private-island luxury resort that isn't quite as expensive as the competition, Matinloc Resort has you covered. It's in a…
Southeast Luzon
Located on a quiet side street just off Magsaysay St, this creeper-clad stone house is the most characterful and best-value place in town, with 15 clean…
Negros
Diving backpackers get bang for the peso at these simple, fan-cooled nipa huts (one has optional air-con) set in a leafy garden. The complimentary…
Cebu City
A long-running hostel with lively, helpful staff and decent dorm rooms – though bathrooms need a deep clean and better maintenance, and facilities need…
Coron Town
This tidy, narrow high-rise houses six cool, crisp, four-bed mixed dorms and just two private rooms. The dorm beds, with personal plugs, lights and…
Dumaguete
A faux Spanish hacienda, replete with oil paintings, a wide wooden staircase and pots overflowing with ferns. The rooms have solid wooden floors and…
El Nido
A nice mix of rooms and a knowledgeable and helpful owner make this a great all-around option towards the quiet far end of rocky Caalan Beach…
Donsol
This excellent budget standby is right next to the visitors centre so you don't have to go far for whale-shark interaction. The fan rooms and two-bed…
Manila
Everything about this place is in direct contrast to the disorder of the streets outside. Rooms possess all mod-cons and border on boutique, with touches…
Princesa Garden Island Resort & Spa
Puerto Princesa
This huge holiday resort sprawls over 4 hectares on the eastern outskirts of Puerto. It lacks a beach, but six connecting pools (the back porches of some…
Port Barton
With the best resort food in Port Barton, a few spiffy air-conditioned cottages and a quiet location at the northern end of the beach, Besaga is a cut…
Western Visayas
Fairly remote and certainly quiet, visitors can choose between two interesting types of bungalows, charming Bali-style bamboo huts (P1200) and larger,…
Sugar Beach
This long-running Swiss-owned place offers a classic mellow beach vibe with hammocks and nipa huts of variable quality scattered about its leafy grounds…
Bohol
A French– and Filipino–owned place in a superbly tranquil riverside setting. It feels very remote, though it's only 2km from Loboc town. Bamboo-and-thatch…
Dumaguete
One of the city's most professionally run hotels with long years of experience helping travellers arrange travel plans. The Spanish Mission decor adds…
Baguio
Situated in a classic historical building that harks back to the turn of the (20th) century, this understated hotel boasts a grand dining area with dark…
Siargao
Just behind the highly recommended restaurant of the same name are a few beautifully crafted, sophisticated wood cottages, with stone-lined outdoor…
Siargao
Owned and operated by a friendly young couple, one of whom is a top surfer and can school you on the basics, this laid-back place has a number of simple…
Malapascua Island
This full-service resort smack in the middle of Bounty Beach has some of the nicest rooms on Malapascua behind its popular beachfront restaurant. Plush…
Southeast Luzon
Virac's best budget guesthouse is a mazelike two-storey building with aquariums in the lobby and a labyrinth of clean rooms of varying size and quality…
Southeast Luzon
Halfway between Boac and Gasan, this quirky place comes with well-furnished and very good-value rooms around a neat garden. The larger rooms sleep up to…
Siargao
High marks go to the design of these large hardwood-floored cabanas at this meticulously cared for upscale development. Several suites face the water with…
Boracay
The large one- to two-bedroom apartments (44 sq metres to 200 sq metres), recently renovated, are a comfortable mix of rustic and modern with fully…
Cagayan de Oro
The seven-storey New Dawn has compact and efficiently designed rooms – green and white is the prevailing colour scheme – and professional and responsive…
El Nido
The eye-popping design of this luxury hostel draws its inspiration from the nests of the local swiftlets. The prices are eye-popping as well, but you can…
Pamilacan Island
The area's cheapest and most well-established accommodation option. Huts range from double to family – the double with views on the water's edge is the…
Sabang
Budget travellers finally have a go-to place to congregate in Sabang thanks to this warm and welcoming French–Filipino-run place a five-minute walk inland…
El Nido
Inviting stone paths show the way into this central hideaway a short walk from El Nido's beach. The common areas make the place. They consist of a lush…
North Luzon
Tucked at the far, quiet end of Blue Lagoon, this chilled-out, family-run place has 14 tiny yet chic rooms overlooking Dos Hermanos rocks and a slim white…
Tacloban
This three-storey hotel, occupying a handsome 1930s home, looks like a colonial villa. The rooms are comfortable enough, if not as grand as the exterior,…
Puerto Galera
The new French management has installed four modern beachfront rooms over the restaurant to complement older digs at the back. The latter have been…
Southeast Luzon
Opened in mid-2017, Zenturia is immaculate. In stark white four-storey buildings, rooms offer contemporary comfort with muted tones, super-soft beds,…
Cebu City
This chain hotel's rates fluctuate wildly according to demand. If you get in at the low end the small but extremely functional and identical rooms (there…
Boracay
Far from the White Beach action, especially if travelling by vehicle, Chillax, true to its name, is a hostel best considered by those looking for peace…
Bicol
It's more of a budget hotel than a backpackers' joint but this is the clear budget standout in Naga, a friendly place with a restaurant-bar, streetside…
Vigan
With the feel of a medieval mansion, Grandpa’s has an impressive array of decent-value digs. All rooms have brick walls, capiz-shell windows, wooden beams…
Boracay
The party rarely stops at this fun and raucous hostel with whitewashed, simply furnished rooms a short walk from Bulabog Beach. Because of its popularity…
Boracay
The 'BBC' is across the road from White Beach, but don't let that deter you. It has a lovely pool area with plenty of shade less than a minute's walk from…
Western Visayas
This sophisticated stone townhouse is the most fully stocked rental you can imagine, and sleeps six. The design is smart and guests get the run of the…
