Manila Travel Guide

South of Manila - Tagaytay City

2010-06-15T07:11:00.001+08:00

One of the exciting places to see just outside of Manila is the cool city of Tagaytay in the Province of Cavite. With its cool climate because of its elevation, wide variety of restaurant and food choices, places to stay and things to do, Tagaytay City is a great place to escape the Manila heat. About an hour and a half drive from Manila to Tagaytay passing by the newly renovated SLEX (South Luzon Express Way) via Sta. Rosa Laguna Exit, and taking the Sta Rosa-Tagaytay Road will bring you to the city proper. The other way to Tagaytay coming from Manila is via Roxas Boulevard to Aguinaldo Highway, passing by the other towns of Bacoor, Imus, Dasmarinas, Silang.

Tagaytay is also famous for its view of the Taal Volcano crater inside the Taal lake. Several local guides offering boat rides and trekking services to tourists can be seen all around the city. Because Taal crater is an active volcano, local tourist and government agencies warn tourists from time to time of the level of geological activity around the volcano island.

A favorite destination among visitors of Tagaytay is the People's Park, also known as Tagaytay Picnic Grove. For a minimal fee of 50 pesos per person, except for children below 4 years of age which can come in free, one can roam around the park and enjoy the great view of Taal volcano. Additional fees may apply for the use of other facilities and park attractions like the zipline and cable car for the adventurous, picnic tables and gazebos, and the park's inn.

Tagaytay is also known for its fresh fruits and vegetable products. Several small stalls can be seen along the road offering tropical fruits and products made in Tagaytay and the surrounding towns. A lot of restaurants line up along the Tagaytay ridge where customers can enjoy delicious meals with the view of Taal volcano. The city is also a popular place for people to relax to. A lot of establishments offering spa and relaxation treatments are located in the city and its neighboring towns. Tagaytay is also home to a lot of spiritual and religious residences. With the number of beautiful gardens and churches, Tagaytay has become one of the favorite out-of-Manila wedding destinations.

Other notable attaractions/businesses in and just outside of Tagaytay are the following:

Palace in the Sky - located at the highest point in Tagaytay, is the old unfinished Presidential Palace. Now reduced to just an old building with some unfinished walls, it has a great view of Tagaytay and surrounding towns.
Days Hotel Tagaytay - Accessible hotel, right across the old catholic church along the main road.
Nurture Spa - known for its Spa and relaxation treatments
Gourmet's Cafe - (along Aguinaldo Highway going to Silang) cafe offering dishes made from their own garden
Josephine's, RSM, Leslie's, Taalenya, etc. - Row of restaurants along the Tagaytay ridge offering great tasting local dishes with the view of the Taal Lake
Immaculate Conception Church - Catholic church along the main road in Tagaytay popular for weddings
Pink Sisters' Convent - religious convent with beautiful garden open to the public
Taal Vista Hotel - Newly renovated hotel and one of the more popular hotels in Tagaytay
Mushroom Burger - famous for vegetable burgers
Sonya's Garden - a beautiful garden offering customers with an unforgettable dining experience, also famous for their bed and breakfast (Alfonso, Cavite)

Where to Eat in Manila: Illustrado Intramuros

2010-01-12T23:41:00.001+08:00

Illustrado is a Spanish-Filipino fine-dining restaurant located inside Intramuros. It is behind the Manila Bulletin publishing office along Calle Real Del Palacio, the street that from San Agustin Church leads to one of the tertiary educational institution located inside Intramuros, the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

Illustrado, relevant to its environment, has an old Spanish mansion house theme. The front part of the building where the restaurant is, is the Silahis Arts and Artifacts selling Philippine-made native products and antiques. They are also selling massage oils that my mother-in-law love that she would often buy a few bottles to bring back to Hawaii whenever she visits Manila. With ample parking, and courtyard garden in front of the restaurant that can serve as venue for social occasions.

The last time I ate at Illustrado, we sat at the main dining area in the ground floor, adjacent to the Kuatro Kantos Bar-the cafe area where they serve light meals and desserts. I like the soup they call Dematisse of lobster and shrimp bisque, and their version of Kare-kare. Illustrado is perfect for dining without the usual crowd and rushed city-life feel of modern restaurants.

Travel Outside Manila: 100 Islands Pangasinan

2009-12-30T15:50:00.001+08:00

Hundred Islands National Park, Alaminos, Pangasinan. - Hundred Islands National Park is a set of islands of various shapes and sizes just off the shores of Barangay Lucap, Pangasinan. It lies within the Lingayen Gulf located in the province of Pangasinan facing the South China Sea. It is now a protected area managed by the Philippine Government to conserve and promote tourism in the area.

Pangasinan is a province in western Luzon north of Manila. About 300 km from Manila, a 5-hour drive to Alaminos, Pangasinan, and another 5-minute drive will bring you to Baranggay Lucap. Here is where tourists may register and enter the park for a minimal fee of 20 Pesos for each adult. You then have an option to take a motorized boat tour around the islands for 1,400 Pesos per boat which can carry up to 5 adults.

The islands are mostly rock formations and only a few of the bigger islands are accessible to people. You'll be awed at the different shapes and rock formations of the many different islands. Each island offers several unique features, some have caves, others with small lagoons where people can enjoy and swim, the bigger islands have white sand beach where cottages where built to accommodate people, while another island (the governor's island) offers an elevated view of the hundred islands.

The islands will remind you of the chocolate hills of Bohol, only partially submerged in ocean. The hilly rock formations actually extend to the land part of Alaminos, Pangasinan. There are only a few accommodation and restaurants in the area, but have transient houses along the road. One restaurant near the Park is Maxine By The Sea, offering good food and several room accommodations.

How to Go to Manila: Getting In and Out of the Metro

2009-12-18T23:44:00.002+08:00

There are several ways to get to Manila either traveling by air, land or sea.

By Air
International
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) System hosts all the international flights going in and out of Metro Manila. It is the only international airport within Metro Manila.

NAIA has 3 terminals serving international flights. NAIA Terminal 1 serves all, except Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, international inbound and outgoing flights. NAIA Terminal 2, also called the Centennial Terminal is exclusively being used by Philippine Airlines for its domestic and international flights. NAIA Terminal 3, is the newest and biggest terminal in the NAIA complex. NAIA Terminal 3 was built to move international flights from the original terminal and free up its capacity for upgrade and development. Currently, Terminal 3 hosts Cebu Pacific, PAL Express and Air Philippines domestic and international flights.

There is another international airport, 85km north of Metro Manila, the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, which is currently undergoing development to replace NAIA as the main international airport of the Philippines. DMIA is located in Clark Special Economic Zone, in Angeles City, Pampanga where the US Air Force used to stay (Clark Airbase). It currently serves low-cost carriers that avail lower landing fee compared to NAIA. From Clark, you can either travel by land or take another domestic flight to get to Manila.

Domestic
Domestic flights that serve travelers going to and from another part of the country uses the NAIA Terminals 2 or 3 and the Manila Domestic Airport. PAL local flights uses NAIA Terminal 2, while Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, and PAL Express uses NAIA Terminal 3. The rest of local airline carriers: SEA Air, Zest Air, InterIsland Airlines uses Manila Domestic Airport.

By Sea
The Port of Manila, also known as the Manila International Cargo Terminal, is the main sea port of Manila. Located at Manila Bay, it is the main international shipping gateway of the Philippines. It is divided into 2 sections, the North Harbor near Tondo and South Harbor bounded by Intramuros and Ermita. From Manila, you take inter-island trips using the local ship carriers, Negros Navigation, Sulpicio Lines, and SuperFerry to get to the other parts of the country.

By Land
Bus
You may get to Manila by Bus, coming from almost anywhere in the country. Be familiar with the location of the bus terminal in Manila though, because there is no single terminal hub for provincial buses when you arrive at the city. Bus companies have their own private terminals scattered around Metro Manila.

Rail
There is an existing railway system that provides long distance passenger service. The Philippine National Railways, currently provides Tayuman-Legaspi and vice versa route. Manila station is located at Tayuman, which is part of Tondo, Legaspi on the other hand is part of Bicol Province south of Luzon.

Car/Private Vehicle
If you are using a car of private vehicle, the easiest way access to Manila is through the North Expressway in the north of Metro Manila and South Expressway in the south. These 2 major roads are the main highways connecting Metro Manila to the other provinces.

Via Nautical Highway
The Philippine government developed a nautical highway, Strong Republic Nautical Highway, linking major roads to vehicular ferry routes effectively forming a nationwide vehicle-accessible transport system. The system virtually links Metro Manila and Luzon to the rest of the Philippine islands as far as Mindanao. Travel time between Manila and anywhere across the island of Luzon through this system were supposedly reduced significantly.

Manila Travelers' Telecommunications Guide

2009-12-17T19:40:00.012+08:00

Travelers to Manila won't have any problems with their telecommunications and internet access needs. Cellular phones, network providers' cellphone SIM, electronic mobile devices, wireless internet access and internet cafes are readily available at shops around Metro Manila. TV and Radio broadcasts are very popular and still the biggest media source of the public.

Mobile Phone Network

Filipinos are heavy text message (SMS) users and most member of the population in Metro Manila owns a mobile device or have access to mobile communication. For 30 Philippine pesos, (60 US cents) you can buy a prepaid sim card of any of the network providers with preloaded airtime. Cellphone airtime load can be purchased in several shops in the malls, restaurants, convenient stores and hotels. The same network load can be used to surf the internet through mobile services of the major networks. When buying your SIM, I suggest you stick with either of the two Philippine telecom giants Smart or Globe Telecom. If you are in contact with someone using local network provider, choose whatever network they are using. Sun cellular, the third largest network provider has very aggressive marketing strategies providing all sorts of promo however, has not achieved the quality of service Smart and Globe can provide.

Mobile Phones and Devices

A wide variety of cellular phone models of different makers, and mobile devices from netbooks to the latest laptops are available in shops around Metro Manila. Though generally more expensive compared to Hongkong or Singapore's prices, supply of electronic devices won't be a problem.

Internet Access

Several commercial establishments are already offering either free wireless internet access to customers or paid access to those interested. Filipino household penetration of broadband services are still low making internet cafes the most common way of how Filipinos access the internet for 20 Pesos per hour (40 US cents/hr). Internet Cafes are not just common in the malls and commercial establishments but also near educational institutions and residential neighborhood.

Radio and TV
TV is still the most basic source of information and entertainment in Manila, and the Philippines as a whole. The country uses NTSC analog signal and still has a long way to go before they will be able to adopt the digital broadcasting. Most hotels and accommodation venues however have subscriptions to cable TV providers.
Radio broadcasts in AM and FM are available anywhere in the city.

Transportation Travel Guide: Going Around Metro Manila

2009-12-17T16:24:00.004+08:00

While in Metro Manila, you must be able to familiarize yourself with the available transportation systems in place to know how to go around the city.

Taxi Service

The Philippines has one the cheapest taxi rates in the whole world. With flag down rate of 30 Philippine pesos (60 US cents) and additional metered rate of 2.50 pesos for every kilometer or so, it is very inexpensive to use taxi service to go on short distance city trips, to transfer between hotels, restaurants or malls.

Airport taxi however are not cheap with defined rate per destination location comparable to taxi rates of other cities in the west. Most reputable hotels provide transportation transfer to and from their hotels to the airport anyway.

Rail System.

Through the years, modern railway system has been put up to reduce traffic congestion of busy roads around Metro Manila. However, due to continuous influx of commuters, steady rise in the number of private vehicles and the extended use of old public transportation buses and jeepneys, Metro Manila traffic has become one of the worst among developing countries. Still, it is worthy to note the importance of the existing rail system in going around Metro Manila.

There are currently 5 existing rail systems that run across Metro Manila. Although yet to be implemented, the color coded naming scheme was developed to unify the existing systems. Interconnection between railway systems are to be built and a unified fare system similar to Hongkong's Octopus card and Singapore's E-Z Link card are to be used. The existing fare rate for Metro Manila's rail systems are distance-based and generally lower compared to those of similar systems of its neighboring countries.

Current line name	New line name
LRT Line 1 (LRT-1)	Yellow Line
MRT Line 2 (MRT-2)	Purple Line
MRT Line 3 (MRT-3)	Blue Line
PNR Northrail	Green Line
PNR Southrail	Orange Line

The LRT line 1, also called Metrorail, connects Caloocan City in the north to Manila and Pasay in the south. Caloocan City is Metro Manila's gateway to Northern Luzon, where most of the bus stations going to the provinces in the north are located. In the same way, Pasay City is where most of the buses serving South Luzon and nearby islands, are stationed. The LRT Line 1, passes along busy districts of Manila, where stations are accessible to the city's commercial districts, the Port of Manila, Intramuros, and some of Manila's educational institutions.

MRT Line 2, on the other hand, connects the western part of Metro Manila to the east, from commercial district of Manila to Marikina and Pasig City.

MRT Line 3, which probably serves the most commuters, runs along EDSA, Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue, connecting major business districts of Metro Manila. It starts at Pasay, in the south, and connects the business district of Makati to Ortigas and Quezon City business districts, making it the busiest railway in Metro Manila.

The PNR Northrail is currently closed, while PNR Southrail runs through Caloocan City, Manila, Makati, Taguig, Paranaque and Muntinlupa Cities.

Buses

City buses are also common, some of which even serve nearby towns and cities surrounding Metro Manila. Most of the lines these buses serve uses EDSA as the main road which connects the major business districts of Metro Manila.

Jeepneys

Jeepneys are the main transportation link around Metro Manila. These are converted military jeep, which started after the World War II to serve commuters on short distant trips. It has become a symbol of Philippine culture with its flamboyant decorations and popularity. It is inexpensive to ride a jeepney with separate fixed lines that serve almost all parts of Metro Manila. The traditional jeepney however faces a serious threat of phase out due to environmental and economic factors. Jeepneys due to immense popularity has clogged most roads while cruising with empty seats, burning unnecessary fuels. New generation of eJeepneys (electric powered) were already launched in Makati and are expected to replace aging jeepneys in the future.

How about Car Hire?

Of course, as a traveler you may consider rent-a-car or car hire service, but if you're not familiar going through the labyrinth network of Metro Manila roads, the traffic system, and driving culture in the Philippines that decision can be fatal. It is best to hire your driver as well, which can cost you more but if you'll be able to build a good rapport, he can also act as your guide and interpreter to local language. Although most Filipinos speak and understand English, trading in local language, Pilipino, is still the way to get the best deal out of almost everything. Furthermore, most Filipinos, driver's included are very social people and would treat their customers well, making them your best travel guide around Metro Manila afterall.

Intramuros Travel Guide: Rediscover Old Manila

2009-12-17T11:26:00.004+08:00

Travel to Manila will never be complete without visiting the old walled city now more commonly called Intramuros. Strategically located along the Pasig River and Manila Bay, it was the ideal place for the early settlers of the old city to trade with other Asian and foreign neighbors. Intramuros, which means "within the walls" in Latin, is the oldest district of Manila, now part of the 5th congressional district of the Philippines' capital.

Intramuros can be easily accessed through Roxas Boulevard, which is directly connected to roads from the NAIA International Airport and the Manila Domestic Airport. It is also stone throw away from the Port of Manila where major sea vessels come in and out of Metro Manila through Manila Bay. It can also be reached through Manila's busy main roads where most jeepneys and buses pass by just outside its walls.

To its north, across the Pasig river, are the densely populated district of Tondo, the Manila's China-Town district of Binondo, and busy districts of Quiapo and Sta. Cruz. Along the east and south boundaries of Intramuros is Ermita, where Manila's nightlife is located. Also, just outside Intramuros are important government institutions and buildings like Manila City Hall, Manila Post Office, and several other structures that represent distinct architecture designed by Daniel Burnham during American period in the early 1900's.

The charm of Intamuros lies within the ambiance of the Spanish-occupied Philippines era. Within and immediately outside the walls of Intramuros, you'll have the feel of how Manilenyos of the past lived their lives. You'll find old structures, ruins, and a few of the oldest and grandest churches in Manila. Most part of the wall were either rebuilt or restored while modern structures and commercial restaurants were limited to within the vicinity of educational institutions. Before, there were trenches surrounding the wall, until they were converted to golf course during the late 1990's.

Going around Intramuros.

You can actually travel and go around Intramuros by foot. Horse drawn carriage or Kalesa, its local term, are quite common inside Intramuros and are still popular for tourists. Be wary of abusive drivers though, never trust you visit around the walled city to them. Aside from the experience, I don't see any other practical reason to take Kalesa, being uncomfortable (compared at least to taxis), the ride may actually be more expensive.

Fort Santiago

Located at the northwestern part of Intramuros, Fort Santiago served as the military fortress for the Spanish forces, later by the British, American even the Japanese during their occupation of Manila in the second World War. It is the heavily fortified and well laid out which probably made it the best preserved part of the walled city. It is also known to house the Philippine National Hero, Jose Rizal, while under arrest by the Spanish government before he was put into a firing squad in Bagumbayan, now Rizal Park, just outside Intramuros.

You may go inside the gates of Fort Santiago for a minimal fee of not more than 100 pesos (2 USD). Visitors may come in from 8 AM to 6 PM daily.

Wall Structures.

Be on the lookout for wall design structures, entrance gates, bulwarks, ravelins, and redoubts. Most of these structures especially wall entrances are named during the Spaniards occupation of the city.

Churches

Just across the gates of Fort Santiago park, you'll see the Manila Cathedral, the official church of the Bishop of the Archdiocese of Manila. Also known as the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, was originally built in 1581. The existing modern structure of the church however was built in 1958 following it total destruction after the World War II. A block away from the Manila Cathedral is another well known church inside Intramuros, the San Agustine Church. Completed in 1607, it is the oldest standing church in the Philippines and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1993. San Agustine Church was actually the third church built on the site, the original made of nipa and bamboo was completed in 1572.

Buildings, Ruins, Momunents, Plazas and Gardens

Old buildings, ruins, monuments and plazas are distributed around Intramuros. Some of which were transformed into gardens which can be used for functions and reception for weddings and social gatherings.

Antique Shops, Souvenirs, and Restaurants

There are also a few shops in Intramuros that trade antique items and souvenirs. One noteworthy shop is the the Illustrado, which also has a garden and restaurant that serves good food.

A travel stop at Intramuros is a must as a guide and for better understanding of Manila and its culture.