Pro Tips:

• No visa needed (as a US citizen) but I did have to fill out a form (online) before I got to my departing airport (the check in desk asked for it before issuing my boarding pass)
• Unlike most other Southeast Asia countries, it was MUCH harder to book as you go here in the Philippines. This was a bummer because I really like being to able go with the flow and not be locked in to how long I am going to stay before I arrive. The best hostels sell out, the boat expeditions between Corona + El Nido sell out, and flights can sell out. Plan ahead!
• Speaking of, The Philippines is logistically tough. It’s doable, but it seems like every travel day includes at least 3-4 modes of transports, which just slows everything down. For example – when Nicole + I went from Siquijor to Moalboal here was our route:
  • Homestay in Siqujior –> Siquijor Ferry Terminal via taxi
  • Siquijor Ferry Terminal –> Dumaguete Ferry Terminal (Maayo Terminal) via ferry
  • Dumaguete Ferry Terminal (Maayo Terminal) to main Dumaguete Ferry Terminal via taxi
  • Dumaguete Ferry Terminal –> Liloan Ferry Terminal via ferry
  • Liloan Ferry Terminal –> Moalboal via taxi (since we opted out of the public bus with no AC & we still would’ve needed a taxi from the bus terminal to the hostel lol)
    • Total time: ~9 hours
    • Total cost: $28 usd (but taxi’s were split in two since I was with Nicole)
      • In summary: the cost isn’t the issue, it’s the time and mix of modes of transport that causes headaches, but hey, that’s the price you pay for paradise 🙂

• I found atms everywhere I went, but there is definitely a possibility of arriving to an island that either doesn’t have atms or has them but they aren’t working. As such, make sure to have cash with you.
• If I could do anything over I would considered flying in & out of Cebu City. I tried to avoid spending time in Manila since everyone told me that there wasn’t much worth seeing there. It seems like flights into Manila really like to arrive past midnight, which makes things tough. I opted to arrive at 3am and then fly out to Coron at 6am. It was MISERABLE but that’s the backpacker lifestyle LOL

CITY: Coron

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Hop Hostel and it was pretty awesome! Would highly recommend. The beds are super comfy and very nice. Personal plug + curtains. Rooms stay cool with the AC. The pool area is nice + rooftop bar is a great spot for sunset. I met tons of cool people and we all did a boat trip our second day in Coron. It does sell out so definitely book as soon as you can.

WHERE TO EAT:

Le voyage – After my nightmare travel day from Cambodia a mango smoothie bowl was what got me through the morning 🙂 I then promptly went back to the hotel to sleep for 2 hours.

Cafe Soccoro – Cute spot to work or read. I had a mango smoothie + a delicious chocolate chip cookie.

Brewhouse – My favorite spot to eat during my time in Coron. Very cool open patio with a bunch of different restaurants that you can order from! Highly recommend.

WHAT TO DO:

What surprised me most about Coron was that the town itself is nothing to write home about & it’s about 20 min from the beach…. so I was pretty confused why everyone said that Coron is a must see. Turns out the highlight here is to get out of the town and into the water!

I sadly didn’t have time to scuba dive here (which is world class). It’s known for its ship wrecks! But if you don’t dive, the best way to explore the area is get on a boat trip! With all my new friends from the hostel we set out at 8am to explore a bunch of lagoons. It was a fabulous day swimming in crystal clear aqua waters 🙂

Overall Thoughts:

Obviously my experience in Coron was tainted by the fact that I was incredibly sleep deprived… but I still wasn’t all that impressed. The town wasn’t much to rave about, and given the distance to the beach, I just mostly hung at the hostel outside of my day trip. That being said, I really wish I could’ve gone scuba diving. The boat trip & snorkeling was spectacular so I can only imagine what it would’ve been like diving deeper into the water!

TAO Experience Review

HOW LONG: 3 days / 2 NIGHTS

One of the best things you can do in the Philippines is take a boat excursion from Coron to El Nido (or in reverse). There are many companies that off this adventure & you can choose from 3 days up to 5 days. It’s an incredible way to see more remote parts of the Philippines, meet great people, soak up the sun, snorkel in more untouched areas, & have a blast, all while also acting as your transport between two destinations. I loved the efficiency haha.

I chose Tao Expeditions because a friend had told me about them and they seemed to have great reviews. They have a farm on El Nido that is spectacular & if you do the 5 day package you get 2 nights there. They aren’t cheap, but I really can’t complain since the quality of the tour was fabulous. The food was amazing, the accommodation (adorable open air beach huts) was awesome, the staff were friendly, the boat itself was just comfortable & had lots of areas to chill & read or soak up the sun as we sailed by island after island.

Accommodation:

Food:

Views:

I would HIGHLY recommend adding this to your itinerary if you are ever in the Philippines, & I would recommend doing the 5 day experience if you have the time. I sadly only could do the 3 day experience, & it was tough to say goodbye to the group & leave the beautiful Tao Farm.

CITY: El Nido

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at Oia Beach Hostel and would not recommend. Sadly the hostel I would’ve like to stay at was sold out by the time I was booking my stay here. Oia was a 15-20 min walk from town down a very dark road, which was slightly nerve-racking as a solo female traveler. The hostel itself was under construction as I think it’s very new and basically still not finished. The bathrooms & showers were gross and constantly out of toilet paper. The room was dark & crowded. There was AC though! The hostel I would book if I ever go back is Frendz Hostel (but it sells out!!).

WHERE TO EAT:

El Nido is quite touristy & set up for Western tourists, which means there are tons of trendy, upscale restaurants as well as lots of cute cafes. I was here for four days and spent plenty of time in said cute cafes for some much needed admin time.

Hama coffee – Gorgeous views of the beach as you sip your coffee (or iced cocoa if you’re me). Lovely breakfast food too.

Brunch coffee – Probably my favorite breakfast spot (& it’s all day breakfast!!). I always worked from here as their wifi was very strong!

Gusto – Gelato & cafe spot – I had dinner here my first night here and they had great wifi.

Rituals – this is a gym (they had day passes available so I went a few times) and coffee shop. The coffee shop was very quiet and tranquil so I enjoyed working from here as well as catching up with friends.

Food truck – Quite the literal restaurant name, but the food was damn good! Delicious Asian street food.

Dayo Cafe – Known for their fluffy soufflé pancakes (but be warned it can take up to an hour to have these made), their food is delicious! Highly recommend this place for breakfast while in El Nido

Grounded coffee – a great spot to work from. Simple, sleek & modern.

Fuego Burger – This was a flippin’ delicious burger!! It’s in a newly developed corner of El Nido and I have no doubt in the future this will be bustling with people.

WHAT TO DO:

El Nido has quite a few, fun adventures to offer! *If it’s in Bold I did it!

Canopy Walk – a fun adventure doing a canopy walk through the trees above EL Nice. Beautiful views! It’s a cheap, fun, fairly quick activity in El Nido (I think maybe budget about an hour for this).

Zipline to another island- take a tuk tuk ride to Palawan Zipline Adventure. After the zipline, enjoy a cocktail on Marimegmeg beach. There is a little cute shopping area with cute restaurants here as well.

Go to Lio beach for beautiful beach day!

Scuba diving is very popular here. I was exhausted from my Tao Expedition so decided not to go, but I kinda regret it. It’s supposed to be great scuba diving here.

Get a day pass to the Ritual Gym and get sore since you probably haven’t worked out in forever haha.

Get a cheap massage from The Organic Spa

Overall Thoughts:

Lots of people said they didn’t like El Nido. Lots of people said they loved El Nido. As such, I wasn’t really sure how I would feel. After being in Coron (& decisively not liking it), I was nervous. However, I really enjoyed being here. I could’ve stayed longer. I loved just walking the streets in this small town and getting a massage, working on my computer from one of the many cute coffee shops, and then getting a breakfast meal (no matter the time of day) from one of the many cute restaurants. All of this set right on a beautiful beach with towering limestone mountains surrounding it. Yes it can be touristy, but hey I’m a tourist!

CITY: Bohol

HOW LONG: 2 NIGHTS

Three weeks before getting to the Philippines, my friend Nicole texted me asking if she could spontaneously come meet me wherever I was going to be!! She had two weeks between leaving & starting a new job. I was so excited to have her join me for 10 days!!!

ACCOMMODATION:

We stayed at the Bohol Hammock Hostel & while we didn’t stay in hammocks as the name suggests, it wasn’t too far off that. It’s located in the middle of the island (not near the port) so it’s a bit of a trek to get to it, but once you are there, you are right in the middle of all the stuff there is to do in Bohol. The pictures of the hostels didn’t make me think it was going to be amazing, but the reviews left no question in my mind that we should stay here. I was still slightly nervous that my friend Nicole might not be down for a more rugged backpacking experience, but she was so into it. We absolutely loved it here! We slept outside (with mosquito nets) on little mattresses (more like mattress pads haha), but the vibe was so lovely. The meals were communal & it was so easy to chat with folks. Lots of areas to read a book or chat in a comfy swinging bed. I would not hesitate to stay here again, but before you book, def look at the listing to make sure it’s your speed lol.

WHERE TO EAT:

We ate breakfast & dinner at the hostel since it’s located a fairly remote area & it’s the perfect opportunity to make friends with everyone. Given this I don’t have many food recommendations, however, definitely go to Hapi – ta for lunch before or after your visit to the Chocolate Hills! I had my very first Pork Sisig and it became my very favorite meal of the Philippines! It’s like small pieces of pork belly grilled up in a hot plate with onions & eggs. I mean I don’t think a meal has ever sounds more perfect for me 🙂 YUM!

WHAT TO DO:

Rent a scooter & explore!!! Nicole & I hopped on our rented scooters and headed to Panga waterfall. We loved cooling off in the spray & jumping off the rocks. A great swimming hole!

Next we went to the main viewing area of the Chocolate Hills. Gorgeous!!

We also went to the Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area. This little primate only grows to between 3.35 to 6.30 inches tall. They are TINY!! But oh so cute 🙂 Some fun facts (& not so fun facts):

• They are very shy & nocturnal.
• Tarsiers have the largest eyes relative to body size of any mammal.
• Tarsiers are the only entirely carnivorous primate. They don’t eat plant matter of any kind.
• They are endangered due to rapidly shrinking habitats and fragmentation. Oil palm, coconut, and coffee plantations have replaced the dense vegetation that tarsiers need to maintain their numbers successfully. 
• They do not do well in captivity. If they get too stressed, they will commit suicide.
• You can read more about them here.

We also did the hike offered by the hostel at sunrise to see the Chocolate Hills. While it was cool, I thought it was a much cooler seeing the hills more up close.

Overall Thoughts:

We really liked Bohol. Easy to scooter around. Fun waterfalls. And the Chocolate Hills were so interesting to take in. I’d love to come back & go scuba diving here. Definitely worth a visit I would say.

CITY: Siquijor

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

We stayed at Bougainvillea Guesthouse, which is owned by the owners of the dive shop and is conveniently located on top of the dive shop. Made the early more dives pretty easy 🙂

It was lovely, but basic. Nice, comfy bed. AC worked great. Had everything we needed but wasn’t anything luxurious.

WHERE TO EAT:

Marco Polo– Decent pizza right on the beach.

Luca loco – cute little spot with good smoothie bowls & other great lunch options

Aroy Makmak – I was missing good Thai food & this hit the spot. As always, it was right on the beach.

Bajabar – nicer spot for dinner. We had fun drinks & good food.

Shaka Cafe – My favorite spot in all of Siquijor. If it were up to me I would’ve gone everyday but Nicole forced me to try new things haha. The smoothie bowls were SO good and the vibe was so perfect for the Philippines. Lots of cute, comfy seating and with beach views.

WHAT TO DO:

Scuba diving is one of the main attractions. Nicole got her open water certification while I got my advanced certification! The folks at Mystic Diving even accommodated us being able to the course together even though we were doing different ones. It was awesome to be able to dive together!

Our favorite thing to do was get on our rented scooters to just drive around. On our last day we literally drove the circumference of the entire island. It was awesome!

There are tons of beautiful waterfalls to go swimming in. We loved Zodiac Falls– there’s a big rope swing if you want to jump in. You can also go to the Old Enchanted Balete Tree. Put your feet in & you’ll be in for a ticklish surprise.

Also, every evening it’s very important to park yourself at one of the many beachfront restaurants + bars for sunset with a drink in your hand. Beer for Nicole. A mango smoothie for me 🙂

Overall Thoughts:

Holy moly did we LOVE Siquijor. We wish we could’ve stayed longer. In fact, originally we were only supposed to stay here 3 nights but we extended our stay (& opted to cut a night from Moalboal). Do not miss out on coming here. Somehow this tiny island just worms its way into your heart and you never want to leave. The untouched beaches. The clear waters. The nicely built roads perfect for zooming around on your scooter with the wind in your hair. The scuba diving available right off the shore. The colorful sunsets. Need I say more?!

CITY: Moalboal

HOW LONG: 4 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

Nicole & I stayed at Maayong Hostel. It’s a fairly new hostel (they were still building rooms while we were there). They only have one dorm room with 12 beds and the rest of the place is private rooms (which looked very beautiful). While the facilities were very nice (beds were comfy, AC worked great, room was very clean, etc), because there was only one room, it wasn’t super social. Given I was with Nicole, this wasn’t an issue, but if I was solo, it would’ve been tough. The common space was filled with comfy seating & hammocks + the cafe served yummy smoothie bowls & sandwiches. Moalboal is very small so this place is in walking distance of the beach & all the restaurants, but it’s far enough out that it’s very quiet and easy to get a good nights sleep. If you are traveling with someone, I would definitely recommend this place!

WHERE TO EAT:

There are tons of cute Instagrammable restaurants here. It’s clear that Moalboal is trying to attract Western backpackers haha. Honestly just walk around (as I’ve said Moalboal is small) & you’ll find great restaurants to eat at.

My highlight was Shaka Cafe – I mean it was my favorite place in Siquijor so I was delighted to find it in Malapascua too 🙂

WHAT TO DO:

There are lots of activities to choose from in Moalboal:

• Snorkel with the sardine run – it’s spectacular.
• Scuba dive off the coast & with the sardine run – Truly a must-see.
• Go canyoneering – Nicole & I loved this adventure. You get to zipline, cliff jump, slide & walk your way down the canyon. It’s nice to just moving your body in such fun ways through a gorgeous tree filled canyon under the beautiful blue sky. This is a highlight for everyone that comes to Moalboal.
• We didn’t do this (as we had questions about the ethics around it), but you can do a day trip from here to go snorkeling with Whale Sharks.

All of these activities can be booked through your accommodation or through any of the agencies in town (except the snorkeling you can just rent/buy a snorkel from the guys at the beach). It’s very easy and literally any person is going to be HAPPY to help you 🙂

Overall Thoughts:

Moalboal can obviously be a bit touristy, but we loved it. Lots to do, cute restaurants, gorgeous sunsets- I mean it’s hard to complain. Nicole & I had such an awesome time together & this is sadly where we said goodbye. I am so thrilled she used her two weeks off between jobs to hop on a flight to see me & adventure around together. I can’t wait to meet up in another international location soon!

CITY: Malapascua

HOW LONG: 3 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at the Malapascua Budget Inn. It’s fairly basic, but it does the job! The bed was comfy and there were lockers to store your stuff. The island is very, very tiny, so basically anywhere on the island is centrally located, but this did feel very central. Wifi worked decently for being on a remote island. Bathrooms were pretty clean and staff seemed to be cleaning the dorm rooms & bathrooms all the time. Helpful when everyone is dragging sand everywhere.

WHERE TO EAT:

For being such a tiny island there were a decent amount of cute restaurants!

DevoZen Cafe – very cute, small cafe with a nice area to sit outside in the shade and do work. I had a zoom call from here & it worked great!

VillaPotenciana – Veggie restaurant right on the beach. This was my FAVORITE restaurant. I ate here two of the nights I was here. I had my new favorite Filipino dish, pork sisig, but a vegetarian version with mushrooms. SO YUMMY!

Wangshin little cuisine – cute open market with lots of stands/ options for food here. This is just one of them. The people working here were so lovely and we had fun trying some local desserts.

Bebotts – I had breakfast here one day. Decent, but nothing to write home about. Nice to have some eggs though!

The Sunset Shack – I was craving a smoothie bowl and this place delivered! They were happy to make any modifications or additions I requested so I had a dreamy, delicious smoothie bowl.

WHAT TO DO:

The main thing to do here is scuba dive with the Thresher sharks!! Just off the island of Malapascua is a Thresher shark cleaning station, called Monad Shoal. This is where tiny fish remove parasites from the sharks’ skin + clean their gills & mouths.

Truly any foreigner you see walking around the island (there are no cars) will be a scuba diver. There really wouldn’t be any other reason to come so out of your way to this tiny island off Cebu.

As such, there are tons of dive shops, so I was a little overwhelmed with how I was going to pick one. Luckily, a guy I met at the hostel recommended the Atlas Divers. He had walked around and determined they were the cheapest + they included lunch during the trip. Sometimes I hesitate to go with the cheapest outfit because scuba diving is not something you want to cut corners on, but he had already dove with them once & said everything felt very professional. This made my decision easy.

It was a very early morning (5:30am wakeup call) since the Thresher sharks are more likely to be seen in the morning. We had three dives and it was SPECTACULAR. I loved it. We saw lots of Thresher sharks and we also got incredibly lucky with a Tiger shark spotting. It’s pretty rare to see, but I was glad to find out AFTER we got out, that they can be dangerous to humans haha. Anyway, seeing the Thresher sharks was so cool! Some fun facts about these beautiful creatures:

• They grow to be about 10 ft (3 m) long
• They use their elegant, long tails to hunt, whipping it with such ferocity that it stuns prey such as squid, sardines, & juvenile tuna
• They always give birth to two pups, one male & one female
• They are not dangerous to humans and are pretty darn cute!

Other than diving, I filled my time with planning my Japan trip, catching up on writing this blog (I am perpetually behind!!!!), I had a fun finance call with a friend (shoutout John), and I squeezed in some of my final cheap massages. One at DevoZen Spa & one at a more run of the mill spot (and cheaper) around the corner that just had a sign along the oceanfront path.

Overall Thoughts:

If you are a diver, don’t even think about missing this stop. It was awesome! If you aren’t a diver, there’s no reason to head to Malapascua. Given the narrow focus of the island, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect in terms of being able to fill my time outside of diving or what the level of accommodation/restaurants would be, but I found the island quite charming!

CITY: Manila

HOW LONG: 1 NIGHT

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at NomadsMNL Hostel, which is a hostel RIGHT next to the airport. It’s designed for people who are only flying in/out of Manila and need a close place to crash for the night. No bells & whistles but it did the job for me! Beds were capsule style & there were lockers in the room. Wifi didn’t work all that well for me but that’s not the end of the world. 

WHERE TO EAT:

I just grabbed a boba tea for dinner and then went to bed.

WHAT TO DO:

Honestly I got in & out as fast as I could! I did manage to sneak one last foot massage before I left Southeast Asia & it’s wonderfully cheap massages!

Overall Thoughts:

I didn’t see much of Manila, but I don’t think I would love it here from what I have heard. No regrets on only spending one night here.

BUDGET FOR 23 DAYS IN The Philippines:

Accommodation: $300 ($13 per night)

Food: $300

Groceries: $0

Activities: $1285

Miscellaneous:

Local Transportation: $556 (this includes 2 internal flights, lots of ferries + lots of long taxi rides)

Total: $2543 (Daily average: $110)

Transportation to next destination: $287 (flight to the Japan)