holiday philippines_3"holiday philippines" Best place in Cebu Philippines for beach holiday?
I have heard that Boracay is now a spoiled paradise catering to mass tourism, so think I'll go elsewhere , many people say Cebu is nice, but I have no idea where is good for me. I don't like the quiet places, I need nightlife, bars , entertainment , shopping etc, can anyone recommend the best place to go? Thanks!
mactan!!!!! check it on google. especially shang ri la mactan cebu. its mad gorgeous!
A holiday to Balasan, Ilo Ilo, Philippines on Jan 2011
The Best Philippines Recipes on a Philippines Holiday
Coming to the Philippines allows you to enjoy the tropical country in many ways. For starters, your visit to this archipelago cannot be complete without hitting the beach. If you love the city, go to Manila or perhaps Cebu and cool down and enjoy its enormous malls that have almost everything you need from designer clothes and bag to grocery or watch a great movie at the cinema.
If there is one thing that Filipinos love to do, it is eating! They love having get-together's and feast over the exotic dishes ranging from fresh seafood to delightful meat recipes. For many years, the Philippines have been known to not only be a tourist destination but a great place to enjoy a wide variety of food. Going over a brief view of the country's history, it has been influenced by many cultures which the people have been influenced and has shaped the culture in many ways and this includes cooking.
From the Far East to the Malayo-Polynesian, Spanish, American, Japanese and Arabian, the Filipinos have creatively found ways to incorporate their techniques to come up with distinctly Filipino dishes. And because of this, the recipes here are so plenty but if you are looking for purely "Pinoy" food, you won't run out of these. You will find that meals here are prepared in many ways from raw to roasted, deep fried and lots more.
Despite the country moving towards modernization, the people has still managed to make sure that their culture stays alive. The recipes that people use in their homes happen to be passed from their elders to the present generation. As the years pass by, the recipes have stayed the same while some tend to modify it to make it more modern but the essence of the dish still stays the same.
Whichever part of the country you go to, every region and province have a specialty to boast. If you head to be Bicol, you will enjoy the hot and spicy dishes that they cook. They love to use coconut milk in their dishes to add more flavor and a famous recipe they have is "Bicol Express". The Ilocanos are engrossed with cooking dishes that have lots of vegetables such as the "Pinakbet". "Chicken Inasal" is a specialty of the Ilonggos. Basically, rice is always present in most restaurants. Even the rice here come in various forms, there's plain rice, java, garlic, fried rice and lots more!
There are lots of other Pinoy dishes here that should be tasted such as the "Sinigang" which is actually a sour soup that can have shrimp, pork or fish in it. A very Filipino cooking recipe is the "Adobo" which can either be of chicken meat, pork or a mix of both. During special occasions, the "Lechon Baboy" is served or in English, "Roasted Pig". They also love food that is grilled such as pork barbecue and "Liempo" which is grilled pork belly dipped with soy sauce filled with spices.
holiday philippines_2"holiday philippines" Where to go for a good holiday in Philippines ?
I would like to know where is a good place to go for a holiday in ph, I would like a beach holiday with lots of busy place not too quiet but not laddish louts, good places to go shopping & scuba diving, good architecture, good religious places cathedrals etc nice hotel (not top class ones value for money) & good restuarants etc. And how do I get there from Bangkok best route, flight low costs airline, maps I hear it is so beautiful but so many island some too quiet.
Based on what you want to see and enjoy you have at least two options; Panglao island, Bohol - they have nice resorts and reasonable room rates, nice food, not too quiet, the Phils oldest church can be found in Bohol the Baclayon Church. although Puerto Galera is the diving hub of the Phils but the Visayas offers more diving sites and lots of wonderful dive spots. For diving check this out; http://www.divephil.com/aboutus.html
for shopping go to Tagbilaran major shops are Alturas, Bohol quality and Marcella
from Bangkok take either the Philippine airlines and the Thai airways to Cebu. From Cebu transit flight to Bohol. Make sure your hotel bookings includes hotel and airport transfers.
Your second option probably better than the first is Lapu Lapu City in Mactan Island of Cebu.
Various hotels from 5 star to reasonably priced room rate. Nice food and also offers variety from exotic to foreign cuisine. You can also choose from not too quiet resorts to lots of people.
For religious places drive down to Cebu City the capital and visit places the Sto Nino Basilica, cebu cathedral etc http://www.basilicadelsantoninodecebu.org.ph/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Cebu
There are many diving spots in Mactan. the equipments are at par to the international standards, good reasonable rates and qualified staff also. refer to the link above.
Cebu is the shopping capital of the south and there are lots of them. when you are in cebu make sure to grab a copy of "what's on in cebu" from your hotel or talk to hotel staff for local tips. you can google cebu and there are too many places to go in cebu. in case you have limited time just focus in Cebu City and Lapu Lapu City.
the oldest street in the Phils is Colon Street there are also many shops and huge department store in the area. although this place may have a historical significance but it's disappointing that there's no building with major architectural significance at the Colon street. Nice food is all over the place but make sure to visit the reputable type for safety issues.
From Bangkok book a flight to Cebu and again make sure to have hotel and airport transfers in you hotel accommodations.
You can get an international rent a car service like Avis, Budget, thrifty etc to go around Cebu if need be. Rent a car service is not self drive although it's chauffeur driven the rates is reasonable. personally getting a rent a car is good thing for your travel is relaxed and safe as well.
Finally, be careful.
Good luck!
Holiday in the Philippines (Video from Dipolog) 2008 1/2
