Manila
It's a pity that Manila is often disparaged, as there's much here to like.
It's a pity that Manila is often disparaged, as there's much here to like.
Several threshold events in the history of the nation occurred in the Visayas.
Generalisations fall short when describing this vast region of misty mountains, sprawling plains and endless coastline, whose population is as diverse and unique as the landscape.
Cebu is the hub around which the Visayas revolves.
Even though Panay is a microcosm of everything the Visayas has to offer, the long white-sand beach at Boracay is all that many visitors to the region, or for that matter the country, ever see.
Like an ambitious and beautiful pageant winner unwilling to relinquish her crown, Boracay primps and preens year after year, going through its own version of cosmetic surgery in the off-season in order to maintain its crown as the trophy beach of...
To many travellers, North Luzon simply is the Cordillera, with everything else fading into insignificance.
Nothing defines Palawan more than the water around it.
As far as most visitors are concerned, Cebu City is Manila minus the mayhem.
Vibrant, woodsy and cool by Philippine standards, Baguio (bah-gee-oh) is the undisputed nerve centre of the Cordillera.
A rugged island cut in two by an almost impassable mountain range, Mindoro is part tropical paradise, part provincial backwater.
The town of Puerto Galera (pwair-toe gal-air-ah) proper is centred on Muelle pier, a humble jetty flanked by a line of restobars and a couple of hotels.
Mention Mindanao to most Filipinos not living in this island province and you will see a look of mild befuddlement which quickly turns to genuine surprise when foreigners say they want to travel there.
The diverse, ruggedly beautiful island of Negros is a place we'd unhesitatingly recommend to any traveller.
The bustling capital of Palawan is generally regarded as little more than a jumping-off point for excursions elsewhere on the island.
The southern Luzon peninsula of Bicol is home to two of the Philippines' emblematic tourist attractions: the whale sharks of Donsol and the regal - and deadly - Mt Mayon volcano.
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