Philippines | 7 Days Off the Rainy Season’s Beaten Path
Despite the title, the rain was light and the trip was a dream! Don't let the rainy season hold you back from exploring the lesser known parts of this amazing country!
To be honest, this is a bit of a funky itinerary. Here’s why. Each July I join a few friends on a birthday trip and then tack on an extra week of travel. This year's destination was Koh Samui and unfortunately most of Southeast Asia is in the midst of the monsoon season this time of year. So, choosing that extra week somewhere that was a reasonably close distance and time zone was a challenge. Since the Philippines have been on my other travel buddy and my list for some time, and lots of Filipino friends have been raving about it for ages, we said screw the weather and went for it.
We set out on seven days to avoid rain and tourist traps, and find some adventure and relaxation. I think we succeeded!
Day 1: Manila
After a super long trip from my new home in New York, I landed in Manila and headed over to the I'M Hotel in the Poblacion neighborhood of Merkati in Manila. Manila is vast and if there's one message that came through in research it was that the traffic is abysmal and to park it in one neighborhood if you can. I took their advice and chose Poblacion for it's location in safe Merkati and proximity to some of the city's newest restaurant and bar scene.
To fill the time while I waited for my San Franciso-based friend to join me, I signed up for a food walking tour of Poblacion with Miguel on AirBNB experiences. Miguel was an excellent tour! He offered up so much interesting information on the history of the Philippines and Manila, and all the changes taking place right now, from neighborhoods to politics to a sincere focused on the cultural identity of the country. I'm a huge fan of AirBNB experiences if I don't already know someone in the city since this perspective is invaluable to understanding a place. I won't give away his tour stops, but it was this amazing mix of food stalls to new restaurants, signifying the change of old to new in the neighborhood.
Poblacion is filled with amazing restaurants and fun bars - later in my itinerary I head back to Manila and have a bit more on a few spots to check out.
Day 2: Negros, Dumaguete
We rose early and caught our 8:30am flight from Manila to Dumaguete. I know early flights aren't ideal, but I can't emphasize enough how much better your travel in Manila will be if you depart early and arrive early or late. Traffic really is that bad and it saves you hours by arranging your travel this way.
We'd booked at the Atmosphere hotel just south of the city of Dumaguete and as our hotel included free transfers (many do!) a driver was waiting for us at the airport. In a half hour we were at the hotel and ready to go by 1. We immediately organized our trips for the days we were there which included going straight into a refresher dive right off the hotel beach. I love walking into a dive and the hotel has a beautiful dive spot steps from the hotel. After our dive we spent the afternoon at the bar enjoying snacks, drinks and company.
Day 3: Whale Sharks & Negros Sights
The next morning we took off bright and early (5am 😬) to swim with the famous whale sharks off neighboring island, Cebu. Though on another island, the whale sharks are actually closer to Negros and Dumaguete than they are to Cebu's largest city and tourist hub, Cebu City. Our travel included about 30 minutes to the ferry, the 30 minute ferry ride, and then another 30 minutes or so to the dive site. By 7 we were on the beach in our snorkel gear and flippers, ready to go.
The hotel gave us the play-by-play before we got there so we knew what to expect. Without that explanation it would have seemed a bit chaotic. There are loads of people waiting their turn for their group number to be called. When called, you pile into a narrow row boat and the guides row you out to attach to a rope that forms a half circle around the whale shark feeding areas. Each group gets 30 minutes to swim and observe, then back to the beach. I never felt rushed or crowded, and despite the bustle vibe, it was all very comfortable and bizarrely orderly.
To make sure the tourists get their turn once out on the boats, fishing boats go up and down the rope line feeding the whale sharks that follow in tow. While we were there, two to three sharks were passing the line at a time. They are big and the first time I saw one I definitely swam back a few feet! But you quickly see that they are quite gentle and hyper-focused on feeding. We might as well have been invisible. They swam all around us including in front and underneath. They are beautiful and it was a unique experience I'll never forget. Those 30 minutes went by far too fast!
A bit on the efficacy of the operation. In my research I found loads of opinions on whether this is an eco-friendly activity. Some groups say feeding any animals goes against their natural migration and feeding patterns. Others argue that the spike in tourism has given local Filipinos more incentive to care for and be conscientious of the animals and their habitat, while providing much needed jobs. Our eco-friendly resort (literally no plastic on site among many other conservation and local economic support efforts) shared that the whale shark population is up since they started doing this 20 years ago, the habitat has improved from no longer allowing dynamite fishing, and studies have shown that their migration and feeding habits are still in tact. They only allow feeding from 7am to noon, which requires the sharks to continue to feed in other areas. I can't say for certain that this is or isn't an ethical choice but do encourage anyone considering it to do some research and come to your own conclusion.
Once we finished our swim, we showered, changed and jumped in the car to head back to Negros. On Negros we spent some time in one of the island's many hot springs (claimed to have restorative powers), saw a beautiful waterfall, and had lunch in the small interior town of Valencia. It was charming! My hope was to do some hiking around the volcano but with the recent rains most of the trails were closed for mud and mud slide risk. In the dry season I imagine the hiking and views are pretty epic!
Despite an incredibly full day, we were back to the hotel by two. The Atmosphere spa is well known and has received loads of awards so we went ahead and booked massages (one of the best I've had, really!) before relaxing at the pool bar the remainder of the day. We tried a few treatments while at the hotel and all were superb. The massage, face and hair facials all exceeded expectations. The latter two were particularly helpful given all the time in the sea on this water-based part of our trip!
Day 4: Apo Island
Apo Island is a world class dive site that draws people from around the globe and it just so happens to be practically straight out from the Atmosphere Resort. So, we opted for two dives to check it out. Our guide was fantastic and we saw an abundance of fish, coral and marine life. There certainly wasn't a lack of places to look! Around one corner of the island is a large shelf that makes for a particularly enjoyable dive from 10 to about 20 meters. We were in the rainy season and, as a result, the water was a bit choppy and at some points visibility could have been more clear and currents less challenging. Given the island's shape, one side was protected and still provided for a clear and calm dive site.
With a start time of 8am, transit to the island of around 30-45 minutes, and two dives, we were back at the resort a little after 1 for lunch and some relaxation.
Day 5: Bohol
While sad to leave behind such a beautiful island and fantastic resort, we wanted to make sure we saw a bit more of the Philippines in this quick trip. We chose our next stop as Bohol both because of the very easy transit between islands (a 2-hour direct ferry ride in reasonable accommodations) and the renowned topography of Bohol's chocolate hills, rivers and farmlands.
We opted for the 9:40am ferry and were instructed to leave our hotel by 8am. The ride there was brief, but the hotel suggested we arrive early in the case there were any schedule changes or delays due to weather. The ferry was a bit behind on departure but arrived in sunny and beautiful Bohol right on time.
We chose to stay at the Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa and it was certainly a beautiful setting. We had our own hut which even included our own mini pool, a large room, view of the beach and an outdoor shower area that is larger than my New York apartment’s living room. It was a bit quiet and the other guests were there as couples. I wouldn’t recommend it as a lively or fun crowd, but as a place to relax, find some quiet and enjoy the pools, it was perfect.
Day 6: Chocolate Mountains and Bohol Countryside
Bohol is not a large island, but the main attractions are very spread out so we opted for a full day tour. A car picked us up from our hotel and we were off. First, we stopped at the man-made forest, a somewhat bizarre tourist attraction. Apparently there was erosion on the hills surrounding the main road across the island. To stop the hills from sliding, the people of Bohol imported mahogany trees and a tourist stop was born.
Next we continued to the Bohol Tarsier Conservation area. For a small fee you can walk through a habitat where the nocturnal Tarsiers are napping on branches during the day. They are bizarre creatures (they say Yoda from Star Wars was inspired by the tarsier) and it was amazing to see them from a short distance. If you watch the video below you can see the tarsier’s slow finger movement which I found mesmerizing!
Our drive continued to the famous chocolate hills. The hills are a topographical anomaly as they spring up in symmetry across the landscape. The term “chocolate” comes from the dry grasses on the hills that turn brown during part of the year. They are worth seeing and are quite photogenic! We also stopped to do some off roading at the coaxing of our driver. If four-wheeling is your thing you might like it - I found the entire thing hot, dirty and overwhelmingly touristy (there were four wheeler traffic jams on the “course”) so don’t personally recommend it.
Last, we stopped for a late lunch at Lantaw, a locals favorite open-air restaurant with views of the ocean below. The food was fantastic, definitely a worthwhile lunch spot for something casual and authentic.
Day 7: Poblacion Dinner & Bar Crawl
For our last evening in the Philippines we returned back to Manila to ensure we could catch our early flight the next morning. We once again stayed in Poblacion and had an amazing night running around the neighborhood to check out different restaurants, bars and nightlife. Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen provided an amazing dinner with entertaining cocktails (three foot flames not withstanding - see video below). We also tried a few cocktail bars along Alfonso, my favorite being The Apartment, a tall building with several different rooms. One room had a great live band, lively atmosphere and very friendly people.
Day 8: Depart
There’s nothing particularly special about departing for the airport but as a word of caution, give yourself extra time! Unless you’re traveling very early on a weekend (our car came at 5am) the traffic in this city can be extreme. A few hours to go a short distance is not unheard of so leave early!
