Hi My wife and i and three teenage children are going to the Philippines In january 2020 for 2 1/2 weeks. I would love some ozbargainers advice on must do activities, experiences, restaurants and accommodation.
Ideas around Palawan and best way to travel around the island would be appreciated.
Thinking of doing a scuba dive course
Best way to access to money and mobile data SIM
Thank You
Good advice Thanks
the Philippines completely and entirely runs on cash. the best way to get cash in the philippines is a "BDO remit cash card" u can usually get them from any good filipino store in australia. BDO is the biggest bank in the Philippines. u hand over what ever amount u want on the card and pay a fee of about $15 and thats all, no other fees. they load the bank card with your money which is now converted into pesos and in the BDO bank, they give u a pin like a regular bank card and u take the card with you. u have unlimited fee free withdrawals after that at any BDO atm in the Philippines.(they are everywhere) the card is disposable so u just throw it when it runs out. we usually get 2 or 3 everytime we go.
its very cheap and u have unlimited withdrawals. because u dont want to have alot of cash on you in the Philippines u can just take out what u need. unlike a credit card where u withdraw alot at a time to save on fees.
if u find a store that has them they might be able to explain it better lol.
The Philippines doesn't completely run on cash. I've used a credit card in certain stores, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels. Even at service stations. But, yes, most day to day things will be cash only.
What happens to your money if the BDO card is lost or stolen?
well its the same as a bank card here. they have to know the pin. if its lost or stolen just go into a BDO branch and get a replacement. and i think there is a number on the back to lock it.
Thank You hadn't heard about the BDO cash card
Get a local SIM, I just get a free Globe SIM on the way out of the airport. It works a bit different here. First you have to put cash (load) on the account, and then you select which plane you want (e.g. GOSURF999 is P999 for 8GB over 30 days). But the person at the Globe booth can do all that for you. I'm sure Smart do the same at the airport.
For cash I use ATMs at recognised banks, such as BDO or BPI. I use an ING Direct card as they rebate any international fees, assuming you meet their requirements for the month before. I use a BankWest Credit Card for my hotels and flights, as it's zero yearly, no international transaction fees, and free travel insurance.
I take enough cash for the first few days, normally P20k. There used to be a P10k limit per person, but I think that's been increased now. I order this a couple of weeks before I travel. Ask for smaller notes if you can, locals hate the P1,000 notes. Then I just withdraw P10k from my ING account whenever I need it.
The way I pick a hotel is first go to Google Maps, find the area I'm staying in, then search for either bars or restaurants, and pick a hotel walking distance to the cluster of nightlife. The sites I use are Agoda for hotels, Kayak to search for flights (but always book direct with flights), and rome2rio if I don't know how to get somewhere. And I use TripIt to tie it all together.
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific fly direct, and Cebu Pacific often have great sales. We flew three people plus infant, $1,100 return just last month.
There are plenty of people on the street offering tours, and your hotel will be able to organise something too. But the one must see in Palawan is the underground river. El Nido is the best place I've ever been for island hopping. If you plan on doing island hopping, get yourself some water shoes, waterproof bag, and waterproof camera. Those three items are the best investment I've made in terms of travelling to the tropics.
Thanks for your tips
No worries. Have fun.
Do most places which accept credit cards also accept Diners? Some Citibank credit cardholders have this card for free and it gives points for foreign exchange transactions.
Yes tried and tested earlier this month. Although this was in the city I'm not sure elsewhere
Do your scuba course here before you go. Cost wont be hugely different between PH & AU, but time is better spent doing course skills and drills in AU to get your cert, then you can enjoy diving in tropical water in PH.
Plenty of great diving in Palawan.
I recommend a trip to Davao. Less touristy and a lot of adventure stuff to do for sooo cheap. Sky cycling, white water rafting $10, snorkel with giant star fish. It’s not as touristy…. yet
Thank You sounds great
If you are focused on exploring Palawan islands for the majority of your trip, Puerto Princesa, El Nido and Coron are the key areas. There is a number of packaged boat tours offered in El Nido/Coron.What we did before in Coron was we hired a private boat (costed us around $80 for full day, this was early 2015 so could have increased already) so we didn't have time constraints and had the option to go to less touristy islands/areas. The boat guys cooked lunch for us and were really friendly and helpful, I just cannot remember if the food was included in the $80. I remember there is also an offered boat ride between coron/el nido so that might be a transport option too if you plan on exploring both.
Cebu is amazing too,apart from so many pristine beaches, attractions like the gatorade-blue colored waterfalls (kawasan falls), sardine run in Moalboal for freediving/snorkeling, scuba diving with thresher sharks in Malapascua are worth doing over there. Best roasted pig (lechon) I have tried as well is in Cebu. It is a transport hub, so from cebu, you can actually fly/take ferry to go around islands in the Visayan region(known for amazing islands/beaches).Bohol which is a ferry ride away from Cebu has the infamous chocolate hills.
There is a lot of youtube vlogs on PH travel as well for ideas.
I have a citibank plus card. There is a citibank ATM at Manila airport, normally withdraw there to cover the first few days and take AUD notes, which I change at old school money changers. Generally speaking, I find money changers with an armoured guard out the front do the most volume and give the best exchange rates.
I agree with Damian in that P1000 notes ($35AUD) are like krptonite for many street vendors, especially outside tourist areas.
Not sure if you had plans, but I'd avoid Manila totally if possible. definitely not the nicest place in the Phils. If you need to stay there for a day or 2 and intend using cabs, install GRAB before you leave. It is their version of Uber, but cabs at manila airport can have a long wait or a 300% tourist tax.
If you fly Philippine airlines from SYD, they give you a free Globe sim that has 2 or 3 days load on it.
Also, Phils is alot closer to US culture than AU culture, so make sure you save P20 notes (AUD 50c) for tipping. may need to tip more in other circumstances too.
Best way to travel hire a driver and van, to get around hire a motorbike or bike (in the island) do not even think of driving or riding in the capital. Be advised if you do not have a full motorbike licence in Australia you will not be covered by your travel insurance for motorbike
Best way to get money is ING bank debit card, All foreign transaction fees and ATM fees are refunded by ING plus you get great VISA or mastercard rates all the time. Better than 95% of money changers plus you get to avoid the experience of dodgy ones. It has conditions must have 5 transactions and $1000 deposited the month before. You will need cash for most payments outside hoteland airfares so bring lots and have your ING everyday debit card
Get a travel agent or ask some Aussies/ expats
Sims at the airport, buy both smart and globe sims since reception is patchy in the provinces. Buy some prepaid load and ask the man at the booth to enrol you to a promo for amonth or a week and show you how