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DoubleRS
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:11 am Post subject: PALAWAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| I've been ALL OVER South East Asia and PORT BARTON on Palawan is the BEST PLACE for a vacation if you're not into dancing/night life. On Palalwan I went to Sabang, Puerto Princessa, El Nido and Port Barton. Port Barton was the cheapest and nicest place I stayed on the entire island. Super friendly people, delicious food, island hopping, isolated beaches with friendly people. |
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sweet_potato
Joined: 05 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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| North of El Nido there is Busuanga (sp?) which has a wild life island and really cool ship wreck diving. I didn't have enough time to check it out when I was there, but I'm going back for it! |
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ichan
Joined: 09 May 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 6:21 am Post subject: |
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| Palawan the BEST... |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 3:44 am Post subject: |
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| I'll admit that Boracay has gotten touristy and commercial but it's still a great place to hang out. Palawan, or more specifically Puerto Princesa, was nice and quiet but has fewer attractions but that could be good if you're wanting to get away from it all. |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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I just got back from a two-and-a-half week vacation split between Boracay and Cebu, and my advice... avoid the Philippines altogether. Every single place we went (including our day trip to Bohol) was either a warzone-meets-outhouse s***hole filled beggars and scammers or a somewhat more attractive area filled with beggars and scammers. I am still baffled as to how anyone could come back from that country and in good conscience recommend it to anyone else.
Last edited by geldedgoat on Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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Both Boracay and Palawan are great.
Boracay is best if you want some of the beach activities - i.e. beach bar, banana boats, live music, etc.
Palawan is best for amazing island-hopping, privacy, seclusion, and absolute stunning surroundings. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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| geldedgoat wrote: |
| I just got back from a two-and-a-half week vacation split between Boracay and Cebu, and my advice... avoid the Philippines altogether. Every single place we went (including our day trip to Bohol) was either a warzone-meets-outhouse s***hole filled beggars and scammers or a somewhat more attractive area filled with beggars and scammers. I am still baffled as to how anyone could come back from that country and in good conscience recommend it to anyone else. |
Your loss, dude. |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Yaya wrote: |
| Your loss, dude. |
It most certainly was, and I would feel very bad about myself if I didn't warn any prospective visitors against spending hard-earned money in that scam of a country. I suppose if your ideal vacation involves little more than wading through squallor and dodging panhandlers to catch a handful of slightly above average views it might be a good choice, but honestly there's much cheaper alternatives in our corner of the globe for that. |
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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 10:08 pm Post subject: |
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| geldedgoat wrote: |
| Yaya wrote: |
| Your loss, dude. |
It most certainly was, and I would feel very bad about myself if I didn't warn any prospective visitors against spending hard-earned money in that scam of a country. I suppose if your ideal vacation involves little more than wading through squallor and dodging panhandlers to catch a handful of slightly above average views it might be a good choice, but honestly there's much cheaper alternatives in our corner of the globe for that. |
You're preaching to deaf ears because many disagree with you. I've been to the Phils scores of times and so have many others on this board. Sorry if you didn't like it but you seem to be the minority. |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 10:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Yaya wrote: |
| You're preaching to deaf ears because many disagree with you. I've been to the Phils scores of times and so have many others on this board. Sorry if you didn't like it but you seem to be the minority. |
We each have our own opinions and are entitled to voice them. Apparently here we disagree, though I can't imagine why.
For beach vacations, in the past two years I've done Waikiki, Hawaii (the big island), and, most recently, Boracay. In Waikiki and Hawaii I didn't have to argue with people at the airport to be allowed my carry-ons so I wouldn't have to pay even more in excess baggage fees. I didn't have to argue with every single local from baggage claim to my taxi to not touch my luggage because I didn't want to have to tip someone for 10 seconds of light labor. I didn't have to enter a ferry terminal, pay a terminal fee, immediately exit the terminal, and then drag my luggage through 200 meters of muddy sand to get to an oversized canoe doubling as a ferry. I didn't have to drive 20 minutes through foul-smelling ghettos to get from the ferry to my hotel. And once at my hotel, I didn't have to shoo off over 100 panhandlers every day while trying to relax on the beach.
What I did have to do, however, was pay roughly 15% more. It should have been 5% (I checked), but my parents, who I met for both vacations, insisted on using a AAA travel agent (we tried to do this again for our Philippines trip, but AAA doesn't deal with the Philippines; now we know why).
...and that's just Boracay. There, at least, the beach was nice (when, like I said, I wasn't telling the same people to leave me the f*** alone for the seven thousandth time) as was the diving and 'mall' area restaurants. Cebu, on the other hand, had absolutely zero redeeming qualities. The beaches were terrible, the ghettos were bigger, dirtier, and smellier, and everything was three times as expensive.
All of this would have been tolerable had the trip been cheaper than it was, but after you factor in terminal fees (which I didn't know about beforehand), baggage fees (15kg max a person everywhere except Boracay, where it's, surprise, only 10kg), tips, and dishonest taxi drivers, it was actually a fairly expensive vacation. And expensive vacations can be good if they come with a nice, clean atmosphere and/or plenty of unique cultural experiences. Unfortunately the Philippines offered neither.
So how did you come away with a positive experience? Have you not been anywhere nicer before? I know, this being the internet, that will come off sounding very rude, but I really don't intend it to be (really, I don't). I genuinely do not understand how people leave that country feeling good about having spent money to go there. Lower expectations is the only thing I can come up with. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:39 pm Post subject: |
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Okay, I've been pretty clear that the Philippines is not my favorite Southeast Asian destination. That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that this was your first time in a developing country. Next time, go to Guam. I think it might be plastic enough for you.
Just to help you out in future endeavors: don't bother going anywhere in Southeast Asia, as these complaints will likely only be magnified in a place like Bali. |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:04 am Post subject: |
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| northway wrote: |
| That said, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that this was your first time in a developing country. |
No, it wasn't. I've been beyond south of the border before as well. Like I already said, s***holes can be nice if they're priced accordingly and have some diamonds in the rough. That's just not true of the Philippines, though.
| Quote: |
| Just to help you out in future endeavors: don't bother going anywhere in Southeast Asia, as these complaints will likely only be magnified in a place like Bali. |
I've heard Bali's even worse. I'm trying Cambodia next. A friend of mine recently visited there and gave a fairly honest review that still made it sound enticing. |
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Kurtz
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me
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| Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 12:32 am Post subject: |
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The PI is an archipelago comprised of 7000 islands. I think it's a little harsh to call the whole place a shitehole. It's a poor country and people of humble means flock to where tourists go and perhaps the country is seen in a poor light by tourists. Perhaps the traveller needs to do a little research and steer clear of these places. Many travellers swear by PI, perhaps that's for a reason, they've done some research and found paradise.
"I've heard Bali is even worse", LOL, if it's good enough for Australian politicians to holiday there with their family, that's good enough for me. Again, steer clear away from dickhead drunk Australians on Kuta beach and perhaps you'll find some mind-blowing places in the interior, it's a famous place for people into the art scene.
In these days of mass-tourism, it takes a bit of research to get away from the riff-raff but generalizing a country on a bad experience is narrow-minded at best. |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 6:07 am Post subject: |
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A lot of people on Dave's have badmouthed Boracay recently, including myself. I didn't like it either. It is unlike other parts of Philippines. Meaning mostly worse. It is an island run like a business.
I have rarely heard a good word spoken about Cebu either.
Try Bohol, Puerto Galera, Palawan, or some other place not Boracay and you may change your mind. Filipinos are among my favourite people I have ever met.
As far as beggars go, every country has them. They go where rich tourists are going to be. They are much more concerned with getting their next meal than the image of their country or the feelings of rich tourists.
| geldedgoat wrote: |
| Yaya wrote: |
| You're preaching to deaf ears because many disagree with you. I've been to the Phils scores of times and so have many others on this board. Sorry if you didn't like it but you seem to be the minority. |
We each have our own opinions and are entitled to voice them. Apparently here we disagree, though I can't imagine why.
For beach vacations, in the past two years I've done Waikiki, Hawaii (the big island), and, most recently, Boracay. In Waikiki and Hawaii I didn't have to argue with people at the airport to be allowed my carry-ons so I wouldn't have to pay even more in excess baggage fees. I didn't have to argue with every single local from baggage claim to my taxi to not touch my luggage because I didn't want to have to tip someone for 10 seconds of light labor. I didn't have to enter a ferry terminal, pay a terminal fee, immediately exit the terminal, and then drag my luggage through 200 meters of muddy sand to get to an oversized canoe doubling as a ferry. I didn't have to drive 20 minutes through foul-smelling ghettos to get from the ferry to my hotel. And once at my hotel, I didn't have to shoo off over 100 panhandlers every day while trying to relax on the beach.
What I did have to do, however, was pay roughly 15% more. It should have been 5% (I checked), but my parents, who I met for both vacations, insisted on using a AAA travel agent (we tried to do this again for our Philippines trip, but AAA doesn't deal with the Philippines; now we know why).
...and that's just Boracay. There, at least, the beach was nice (when, like I said, I wasn't telling the same people to leave me the f*** alone for the seven thousandth time) as was the diving and 'mall' area restaurants. Cebu, on the other hand, had absolutely zero redeeming qualities. The beaches were terrible, the ghettos were bigger, dirtier, and smellier, and everything was three times as expensive.
All of this would have been tolerable had the trip been cheaper than it was, but after you factor in terminal fees (which I didn't know about beforehand), baggage fees (15kg max a person everywhere except Boracay, where it's, surprise, only 10kg), tips, and dishonest taxi drivers, it was actually a fairly expensive vacation. And expensive vacations can be good if they come with a nice, clean atmosphere and/or plenty of unique cultural experiences. Unfortunately the Philippines offered neither.
So how did you come away with a positive experience? Have you not been anywhere nicer before? I know, this being the internet, that will come off sounding very rude, but I really don't intend it to be (really, I don't). I genuinely do not understand how people leave that country feeling good about having spent money to go there. Lower expectations is the only thing I can come up with. |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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You may be right. I haven't visited every single speck of dirt in the Philippines, but I did visit three of the most famous travel destinations there and was woefully disappointed. It could be that other islands are better, but I hope you'll excuse for being skeptical about them not being littered with shanty towns as well; I just don't see how the Philippine culture of 'f*** it' would suddenly disappear in a short boat ride.
If you can figure a way to comfortably vacation there on a budget of $50 a day (including airfare), Boracay would be worth it. Drop it to $30 and Bohol might be. But it would take a very large amount of money for me to ever willfully step foot in Cebu again.
| BoholDiver wrote: |
| As far as beggars go, every country has them. |
You're being very disengenuous here. How many times have you been approached by a beggar in Korea? Japan? A quadruple amputee could count on all his digits the number of times it's happened to me. And I can't even begin to imagine one aggressively following me like the ones in the Philippines did... multiple times... daily. |
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