Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Highwayman]

I was thinking of flying in on a Wednesday or Thursday and flying out on a Sunday or Monday.

Would that be enough to travel around Cebu city, over the Lapu-Lapu on Mactan, and also over to Alona on Bohol?

Or would that be pushing it, and would it be better to spend most of the time on Bohol?

Is it worth it spending a full day in Cebu city and doing some sightseeing and barhopping?

[ttompatz]

[Highwayman]

Appreciate it! I think I'll focus on Bohol then!

[Yaya]

Don't expect too much in Bohol. I was there in 2011 and it was a big letdown. They hype up the Chocolate Hills and the tarsiers, but I was interested in neither. I hit Alona Beach and gosh, IT SUCKED SO BADLY! It's short, more expensive than thought, and unless you're a diver, there's nothing much to do.

I prefer Cebu over Manila, and well, you can check out a few spots there like Ayala Mall, IT Park, Mango Avenue and others. Mactan Island isn't all that but you can spend the day at a beach there.

[ttompatz]

Disaster tourism....

A 7.2 quake followed by a brush by a super typhoon... the damage (fallen churches, two lane roads turned into divided highways, etc) won't be repaired any time soon.

.

[Yaya]

You can also try Moalboal if you like diving or bars; Bantanyan Island if you want few crowds; and Malapasqua if you want a beautiful white beach. The three destinations require several hours on bus to get there, but I've heard good things about them.

[Wad]

If you've only got 5 days forget Moalboal, Bantanyan, or Malapasqua. For example, Bantayan is a 4 hour bus ride from Cebu city to Hagnaya port and then another 1 1/2 hour ferry ride to the island. The problem is that the ferries can not be counted on to run on any schedule. You might get stuck on either side for days if the weather is not permitting.

[thrylos]

I have just returned from a one-month trip to Philippines. I have been there a few times before, but never for 4 weeks. I went to all the places mentioned around Cebu in my 4 weeks there this trip around. I've been to Palawan, Boracay, Alona, Puerto Galera, etc in previous trips.

Despite the people, both local and tourist, I had a good time. Despite them, because both groups are pretty awful. Most 'tourists' are Korean/Japanese students studying in Cebu out for a weekend, 20 or 30-something groups of 10-15 Japanese or Koreans diving, or older white dudes visiting their 20-year old fiancees and/or girfriends or wives while trying to find land to settle down with them and extended families.

The locals are absolutely right in trying to fleece them, they deserve it with their attitudes and plain idiocy. Malapascua (the furthest one from Cebu, about 6-7 hours door-to-door, if doing public transportation) is great for diving, but that's it. It was pretty hard-hit by yolanda. Resorts are up and running, but the 'town' still looks like...well, like a hurricane hit it. The beach is full of litter and shit, and no one cares to clean it up, except in the 'high season', when more tourists come. The water itself is extremely clean and clear. BUT, the locals will make your life HELL. They have nothing (but boats), so they either want you diving or renting their boats for the day to go sailing or snorkeling. God forbid you want to just relax on the beach, you will get harassed constantly without avail.

Second stop was Bantayan. Definitely more happening (though also hit hard by Yolanda) than Malapascua, about 5 hours from Cebu town. Main action is San Fe, the town where the boat docks from Cebu. Beach this time of year brought lots of seaweed and was there for a typhoon, not big, but really heavy seas. Again, no one bothers to clean up the beach, as it's low season, so it looks like shit, but the water's fine. The beaches north of the pier are more sheltered, and really beautiful and clean, but zero to do, just the resorts, and a bit too far back to town for any nightlife. The rest 75% of the island (and it's of a decent size) is an absolute ghetto-- some factories, lots of local villages, the main town of the island, all absolutely worthless. At least the harassing was less, as there are quite a few local expats living there, with the accompanying bars, restos, hotels, etc. mixed in with the local market of that town.

Next was Camotes, just 3 hours away from Cebu town, a short 1-hour drive north to Danao, then a 90-minute ferry to Camotes. It's two islands connected by a bridge. The ferry leaves you on the 'resort' island, while the other is the one with the main town, commerce, markets, etc. The resort island was the nicest, cleanest island I saw. Truly what you would expect to see on an island in the Philippines, with palm trees, neat little local houses, clean gardens, etc. Hung out on the beach, with local eateries serving fresh fish/shellfish, etc at local prices, tons of Koreans being...Korean...., and disgruntled locals dealing with them. Despite them, it was the closest to what I was looking for-- nice beach, good food, nice people. 2 out of 3 wasn't bad.

Cebu city, while infinitely better than Manila, is still a dump. Lapu-lapu/Mactan, where all the 'resorts' are located, reminds me of a tropical inner-city Detroit. Miami doesn't have such crap neighborhoods, and that's saying something. Cebu city, itself, is a better micro-manila. The best thing going for it is Mango Square, an open-air mall with lots of bars and 'men-friendly' nightclubs, outdoor eatery stands and well-packed until late-late at night.

Finally, Moalboal is a bit south-west of Cebu city, about 2.5-3 hours by minivan, but no boat, as it's on the west coast of cebu island. The main drag is alright, nothing special, big on diving. The white beach about 10k north is a great beach with nothing to do after sunset. Prices in Moalboal reflect the place it is, nothing special, but still paying a bit of a premium for being in a diving town. Foreign places there (resorts, dive centers, bars) range from the really nice and friendly to worse than the Philippinos when it comes to fleecing you. As everywhere else in that country, you have to ALWAYS be careful.

I always thought in past trips that they smelled me as a newb, even though I realized better. After this trip, I realized they don't care-- they will try fleecing you at every opportunity they can, whether you know or not, and it's just not with 'us foreigners'. This trip, I realized that the majority of people there do not trust anyone, not their countrymen, not strangers, and, sadly, not their own families. Despite it, you can have a lot of fun, eat and drink well, meet very interesting people, see incredible things, but you can also loose your shirt with a blink of an eye.

Good luck to those going!!

[watergirl]

Hi guys..
I too have only a short vacation and so was thinking of going to alona beach and bohol (mainly because of the weather and short travel time), but alona beach has TERRIBLE reviews on-line. I understand it is a developed and not pristine, deserted beach which is similar to Koh samui thailand (has anyone been there?), but the pics still look beautiful to me. And, being on a tropical beach, cheap massages, great food for very cheap is still nice.
Still though, very bad reviews for a tropical beach, and makes to think of going to Palawan.
How was Palawan did u find? Everyone seems to love it, but is it worth the much longer journey??

[ttompatz]

That depends on your available timeframe.
There are other beaches on Bohol besides Alona.
http://www.bohol.ph

If your only goal is a stretch of white sand, warm water, perhaps some diving and cheap massages then it still works. So will most of the other beaches on the south and east coast of Bohol (Anda).

If you want "pristine" then Alona is not the place.

Palawan is nice but travel takes time. You won't be doing it for vacations of less than a week.

.

[thrylos]

If you are short on time and just want to relax for a few days, I would recommend White Beach in Puerto Galera. About 4 hours door-to-door from Manila, (3 hour bus ride to Batangas pier, 45 minute boat trip across straits to Mindoro island.)

Yes, it's developed with concrete hotels, but the beach itself is big, clean and relatively empty most of the time, with a whole stretch totally undeveloped. Decent food at the various places, rooms from 500-1000 pesos and up, depending on how much you want, with all the masseuses and boat trips you could ask for.

Only downside is that there's not much to do after sunset, but that's normal for most places outside Alona and Boracay. You can always head in to Sabang, the major 'town' of the area, with restaurants, girly clubs and places that stay open 24 hours.

Palawan, as Ttom mentioned, is really a pain to get to and not worth it unless you have time or really want to go diving. And it isn't cheap, at all!

[watergirl]

Interesting your take on Palawan. Everyone just goes on about it, but the pics don't look that pretty to me, so I don't get it. Maybe, it's all the rocky formations which are not so pretty to me ( I come from a rocky area so).
Thing is, the Anda beach and the one near Manila, are there people there?
I 've found that some of the places recommended by the Lonely planet, are really like almost deserted places.

Also, what's up w/ airline 'cebupacific' being classified as unsafe by the EU and banned from their airspace.. I know it's been lifted but still, that's bad right?

Thanks for the tips, guys.

[ttompatz]

[thrylos]

Don't know Anda, but White Beach in PG won't be TOTALLY empty.

Look, if you've never been to the Phils before, you have to go to Boracay, check out places near boat station 3. It truly is the best the country has to offer. Personally, I don't like it, but it's still the best place (if you're not diving, that's another story altogether). Once you've been there, you MIGHT find something that suits your style, but nothing like in the way of Thailand.

If you're looking for something similar to Thailand, you need Cambodia, Sihanoukville, which isn't that great anymore, or check out Saracen Bay in Koh Rong Samloem. $40/night+ food gets you modern/western beach front bungalow in tropical paradise with hell-all to do but enjoy the beach, sun, food, and mostly decent company in a very chilled out space. (Less if you opt for a hammock in the dorms at Orchid) Right now, it doesn't get much better than that anywhere else in SE Asia, as I have learned.

Whatever you decide, have a good time anywhere you are, that's the point, right??!!

[KimchiNinja]

I was there for a month earlier this year; Cebu and Bohol. Not super interesting, but okay...

Alona beach is fine, stay on the good end by the Alona tropical beach resort.

Cebu is better than Manila for sure, and Ayala Mall area is okay. There are some good pork restaurants (Lechon).