Philippines - Manila or Tagbilaran/Bohol

I will be travelling to the Philippines in October with 4-5 days each in Manila and Tagbilaran/Bohol. A search of the forums turned up approximately nothing for either location. Has anyone been and can offer suggestions? I am specifically looking for solid restaurants and interesting things to see/places to visit. I’m not expecting there to be much on Bohol other than the Chocolate Hills and some beaches but expect there might be some interesting food and shops in Manila.

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Eric

Eric, send a private message to LMD Ermitano (his user name on the board - he goes by Noel) - he posts all the time about restaurants in the Manila area, but I’m not sure if he ever checks this particular folder.

Thanks Bob.

Where are you staying in Manila? There’s plenty to choose from, local, Spanish, French, American, Italian, Chinese and Japanese cuisines just to name a few. For French food, you can go to Impressions at Resort World or Brasserie Cicou which are both run by French chef Cyrille Soenen. For Spanish faire, try Terry’s which is run by Spanish chef Juan Carlos de Terry. If you are in Makati/Greenbelt area there so many restaurants to choose from. Almost all of them allow BYOB. In Tagbilaran/Bohol, not many to choose from other than restaurants in hotels. I’d suggest you dine by the beach where you can choose from a variety of freshly caught fish,lobsters, clams, oysters and have them cooked anyway you like.

Yes, definitely ask Noel for other suggestions.

C G,

Thanks for you suggestions. I’ll be staying at The Manila Hotel on the waterfront across the street from Fort Santiago in the center of the city. Unfortunately, not especially near any your suggestions.

Eric

Go to Panglao. which should’t be too far from Tagbilaran.

In Panglao are the best beaches in Bohol, just pick a resort / place that suits your needs.

The best resort in Panglao is Eskaya : http://www.eskayaresort.com/

Other options are:

http://www.panglaoisland.com/ - Panglao Island Nature Resort & Spa
http://www.boholbeachclub.com.ph/ - Bohol Beach Club

For restaurants, try the Bohol Bee Farm as they also serve a pretty good food there (you can also stay there, but I do not know how it is) http://www.boholbeefarm.com/ .

Lastly do not forget to visit the Bohol Chocolate Hills and the Tarsier Reserve.


For Manila - ask Noel (LMD Ermitano)

  • Joel

Thanks Joel!

I thought that I’d close this out for anyone who might do a search and turn it up someday.

It turned out that our hosts for the trip had arranged dinners for us with various groups most evenings of the trip so we were not sourcing restaurants very often. The only real recommendation that I can make is a restaurant call Saffron on Panglao Island at Bohol. It is part of a resort hotel next to ours (ours was Hennan Beach Resort - which was excellent) and serves a variety of local and international dishes. Overally the food was really well done (easily the best of the trip) and it was a beautiful outdoor dining room.

Thanks Joel for the Bohol Beehive recommendation. It was also right next to our hotel and we went for dinner. Others of our group also tried it for lunch. Pretty solid.

My other comment on the trip is that the Manila Hotel was a nice place to stay in the center of the city (we were there for a conference). The hotel has an incredible grand lobby with constant action. There is live music in the lobby every evening as well as live jazz in the bar later in the evening. The restaurants are solid and overall a nice place to stay. It is also minutes from all the historic sites in Manila. Unfortunately, that part of the city is otherwise generally unpleasant to spend time in. It is immediately adjacent to the port so the streets are packed with trucks on top of all of the usual traffic.

Thanks again to all who replied.

Eric

Bump. Any recent experiences in Manila?

Was there last February. Manila (or the larger Metro Manila) is not bad but its not really a place I would recommend personally. Traffic has gotten out of hand and its a busy mega city with 10 million+ people. I would strongly recommend other destinations primarily beaches in the South. Palawan (El Nido specifically) is no secret anymore as it was named Conde Nast’s best island/beach last year. I would still recommend it however for those who like the beach/island experience. Just look at the Youtube videos to see what you can expect, its a beautiful place but sadly getting a bit crowded already. The secret is to rent a private boat and go as early as possible before the entire wave of tour boats arrive, then you will have a surreal experience as you will have the entire place to yourself.

El Nido can range from dirt cheap ($20 a night) to ultra luxurious (Aman Resort - $800 / night). There is also private island resort group that is around $400 a night but is all inclusive, forgot the name but probably can be Googled. Another alternative is Coron which is even a bit cheaper as there is a public airport, unlike El Nido that only has a private airport jacking up the flight costs 4 fold.

Samples of what to expect:

El Nido: https://www.google.com/search?biw=2560&bih=1310&site=webhp&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=el+nido+big+lagoon&oq=el+nido+big+lagoon&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i8i30k1l3.43283.47581.0.48147.18.18.0.0.0.0.108.1378.17j1.18.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.18.1372...0i67k1.c6G4yGR5Ayo

Coron: https://www.google.com/search?q=coron+twin+lagoons&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwix6p2PwqfVAhVhl1QKHf1fBREQsAQIOw&biw=2560&bih=1310

All useful info for a future trip, but sadly I’m stuck in Manila for work this time.

I went to Manila a few years ago and stayed at Shangra La near Greenbelt in Makati. Check out Fort Santiago in Manila. Had some interesting history about Lapu Lapu and Jose Rizal.