Sheridan Sisters adventure one of many to come - November 2018.
Living in Australia for 12 months meant I had easy access to Asia. However, I chose to stay in Australia for the whole of my 1st year visa (currently on my second now), not wanting to waste a day. Two of my friends from the farm decided to go to the Philippines for a month in January 2018 and as soon as they returned to Australia and told me all about their trip, I knew it was a place I wanted to visit. I was also aware I didn’t know many people who had visited the Philippines so I decided I wanted to go asap in order to beat the undoubtable tourist influx over the next few years.
Whilst spending my 5 months at home reviving my bank account, I booked flights to Manila and asked my sister if she’d like to join me and to my delight she said yes!
From here I spent weeks researching where we should go. Originally we had 10 places in pencil but soon realised with a time limit of 3 weeks and the mass scale of the country we would have to halve these and so the 5 places we decided on we’re Siargao, Moalboal, Coron, El Nido and Puerto Princesa. We had desperately wanted to swim with whale sharks but the only place where we could see these at this time due to seasons was Oslob and as mentioned in my last blog that was never a place we would consider due to the ethical issues surrounding this.
Siargao was a wonderful first stop. Oozing laid back surfer vibes it was a perfect paradise to recover from jet lag. With great surfing, palm trees & coconuts everywhere, plenty of healthy eating options and various day trips available, it was a destination I quickly fell in love with (despite the not-so-wonderful weather half the time and my incident with a motorcycle). For places to stay - White Banana or The Avocado Tree are very popular but be sure to book in advance.
As mentioned the eating options in Siargao are wonderful and probably the best of the places we visited in this trip. For your smoothie bowls; Shaka is the place to go pricing at 250php for a (very large) bowl which kept me going till dinner everyday. With a beautiful view of the sea and coconut trees I couldn’t recommend it more for breakfast. Shaka also serves proper coffee (this is hard to find in the Philippines, your 3-in-1 instant is much more common if you can stomach that, I personally can’t and therefore look out for these coffee hotspots). You can get a smoothie bowl and coffee for just 300php (£4.70). Another good place for coffee on this island is the pleasure point cafe - we spent the most of one rainy day in this small but delightful place and had we not met a wonderful American couple who we spent our entire time chatting to, it would make a great place to get on with any admin you may need to do.
Bravo was a little highlight we found one evening because the “party” was there that night - every night in Siargao there is a different bar hosting the party for the night and on this one day we decided we’d be a little sociable (well... we stayed for one drink - we hadn’t come to the Philippines to drink and stayed sober most of our trip but we’d spent the whole day with another set of Americans who had invited us out and so we decided it would be nice to show our faces). However Bravo turned out to be a charming bar/restaurant and so we decided to return the next day for dinner which was reasonably priced (around 250php for a meal - £3.90) and the atmosphere was wonderful.
Mamas grill is the locals favourite and I think our best dinner destination also. For just 190php (< £3) I had three skewers: 1 vegetable and two meat (note I was not a vegetarian yet), a bowl of rice and a large bottle of water. It’s a very simple setting - you order your skewers from the counter on arrival, they ask you what sauce you would like (sweet, spicy or a mix ), you’re given your order number and then you pay at the counter at the end. Note - we both chose the mixed sauce and I fully recommend this, I still sometimes dream about it. As I said, it’s the locals favourite so it gets busy early on - going at 6pm was perfect and the ambience is marvellous (I always prefer to surround myself with locals rather than tourists).
For activities we unfortunately didn’t get to do as much as we would have liked. This was partly due to the more rainy climate in Siargao compared the rest of the Philippines and partly to do with me burning my leg on a motorcycle exhaust. Out of the four days we had there, two were pouring with rain. The first rainy day didn’t really affect us, because we had already booked a private boat to take us around the surrounding islands (1500php, £23.50). Although we got soaked and my sister is still a bit scarred from how long it took her towel to dry once we reached the safety of our hostel, the islands were a fun day out. However if Siargao is not your first stop I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as the islands do not remotely compare to those in Coron or El Nido for example.
The second day was lovely and sunny and so we decided to head to Shaka for breakfast and then hire surf boards (200-300php depending on the size of the board for one hour or 500php with an instructor - having both surfed before numerous times we opted without instructors however it’s quite a busy beach and the waves can be a bit tricky so I think if you’re still quite new to surfing paying for an instructor would be well worth it - both for your safety and others because you really need to be able to steer yourself away from others - one girls nose was dripping with blood having been surfed into). Whilst we were surfing my sister met some Americans who offered to take us out on their bikes to explore more of the island. Having suffered a motorbike accident previously in Australia, I checked they were experienced riders and as it turned out they both rode motorcycles back home in Seattle so we were very safe (if we ignore stranger danger); I agreed and off we went. What unfortunately happened was that the cover that should be over the exhaust pipe was not there (often the case in Asia - do check and be careful) and so I ended up burning my leg quite badly - second degree burns. This meant that our day was cut short and as luck would have it, it was a Sunday meaning the pharmacy was closed. Luckily one of the boys was a paramedic so he dressed my wound and I visited the pharmacy the next day to stock up with supplies. I wanted to keep my wound dressed and dry for a couple of days and so I didn’t make it to the lagoon or rock-pools. However it ended up pouring with rain anyway, so I wasn’t too disheartened as the Cristal water wouldn’t have appeared as clear as usual but if you have time and good weather I suggest you visit them and I will be returning to Siargao to explore them myself.
The Philippines is a very well organised country I quickly learnt and there is no need to order airport transfers anywhere (from outside the airport here in Siargao there will be vans waiting for your arrival and they will take you to general Luna or Cloud 9 for 300php per person - around about a forty minute journey - and your hotel / hostel will call them the day before you leave to arrange for them to pick you up and take you back to the airport, note you pay the driver directly and not your accommodation). Overall I loved Siargao and was very pleased for the recommendation from my friend to visit this island and definitely think it makes a great first stop to a Philippine adventure.
Our next destination was Moalboal. This meant flying from Siargao to Cebu, taking a taxi from Cebu airport to Cebu South Bus Terminal (which despite what the internet claims takes well over an hour!!! Costing around 300php) and then boarding a bus to Moalboal which costs only 140php per person (£2) - we were told 3 hours maximum but this turned out to be a 5 hour bus journey. This didn’t matter because we weren’t in a rush, we’d landed at 2pm and had all afternoon to get there. However, not realising quite how far Moalboal was from Cebu airport we decided to book a private transfer from our hostel back to the airport which was 2500php (obviously a far more costly way but for the equivalent of £18 each and a 3 hour door-to-door journey instead of a 6 hour one we decided it was worth it rather than risking missing our 1pm flight to Coron).
Do not let the journey put you off as Moalbal was both mine and my sisters favourite place! Both being water babies and avid animal lovers it was incredible. Everyday you can witness the sardine run, only ever seen here in Moalboal and South Africa (but only witnessed on a couple of days a year in South Africa). We snorkelled over the sardines on our first morning and I was beginning to worry that we’d made a mistake booking a dive here too as I was so blown away by the view of the sardines from just snorkelling. However, it really is even more spectacular when you dive. The sardines are all around you and it is utterly breath taking. Definitely my favourite dive to date - comparing to Bali and the Great Barrier Reef. As an unqualified diver it will cost 3000php but if you’re qualified it’s around 1000php for all equipment and the guide (they do not allow unguided dives here - probably due to the sardines being protected).
If the sardine run is not reason enough to visit, every afternoon turtles come up to the reef on the beach to feed and can easily be witnessed by snorkelling. Please remember to keep your distance and strictly no touching - it’s obviously intrusive and you will be fined (as you should be!). Please also if you see people disturbing the turtles do not be afraid to speak up, the turtles can’t talk for themselves and some people really aren’t aware they’re doing anything wrong. I stopped two girls who were both very apologetic and thankful for me explaining why they shouldn’t touch these animals. Admittedly not everyone will be as nice and remember to keep yourself safe too but there is no harm in asking (I would probably go on to film anyone who ignored me with my GoPro, report them and have the last laugh when they’re fined but luckily that hasn’t had to happen yet).
A short trike ride away also lies Kawasan falls - a place Kate and I were almost reluctant to leave the sardines and turtles to visit but were both so pleased we did. A return trike from Chief Mau costs 800php (they’ll try to charge 1000+ so make sure to barter) and then the entry is 45php and you can hire a locker for 150php. It is well worth a visit and utterly stunning! For those of you more daring and without leg burn wounds you may chose to do the canyoneering tours here instead - Chief Mau offer their own and lots of people did it and all loved it. I think we’d have also done this had it not been for my leg and my sisters urge to get back to see the turtles in the afternoon. Note, J who also visited the Philippines on a separate trip slipped a disc in his back from canyoning here so do be careful.
We spent 3 full days in Moalboal and I feel this was perfect - day 1: dive and turtles, day 2: Kawasan falls and snorkelling for Kate, I rested my leg and day 3: sardine run snorkel and turtle snorkel. I could have stayed a lot longer snorkelling around though and Moalboal is certainly a place I will return to on my next trip to the Philippines.
After getting our private transfer back to Cebu we flew to Coron, once again having not sorted any kind of airport pick up but as guessed (and hoped) there were vans waiting for your arrival and we were taken to our hotel for 150php each. Here we stayed in the delightful Bahay Kawayan Backpackers Hotel and I cannot compliment the place enough. It is not only charming, with lovely private huts offering a choice or air con or fans (note - amazing fans!!!!!! I even had to use a jumper one night in the fan room) but the most amazing and kind family who run it. Kate and I had planned and booked three nights in Coron but whilst attempting to book a dive the locals told us a typhoon was coming on the Wednesday (the day we planned to get the ferry to El Nido) and so we were best to leave Coron a day early and miss the dive. When we told our accommodation that we would therefore be checking out a day early without even asking they gave us a refund for the night we would miss. However, the typhoon arrived early and we actually ended up stuck on Coron and had to stay an extra two nights - the owners were so lovely, praying everyday that we would be able to get to El Nido soon and they even took pity on us and dropped our nightly rate from 1350php to 1200php. They really made our stay in Coron and so I recommend everyone to stay here.
Anyway, Coron’s islands are as spectacularly beautiful as everyone claims. All Philippinos asked us were we going to Coron and those that had been before would rave about it and those that hadn’t were very jealous. The sea was some of the bluest-greenest crystal clear water I’ve ever seen and their bays on the two boat trips we did were just mesmerising. We did Tour A (900php) and Tour B (1100php) in Coron, but if you have time limitations they offer an ultimate tour which combines the best destinations of these two tours in one day for 1500php. However, you don’t get very long at each stop by doing the tours separately anyway so I would only advise doing the combo tour if you can only afford to spend one day in Coron. They also offer a reef and shipwreck boat trip which a friend did and recommended but this is where we planned to dive had the typhoon not hit.
Having said this, I think two boat trips in Coron is enough and add a third day if you want to do a dive (Coron town has absolutely nothing so don’t go to Coron unless you’re happy to do boat trip excursions).
Getting stuck in a typhoon is never ideal however it gave us both some time to get on with some admin and relax (it’s exhausting moving from place to place every three days) and it also gave me a good chance to find some great food recommendations for you all. Levines is a rooftop restaurant, our friends that we met on our first boat trip and who we ended up spending all our time here with (as they were also stuck) described it as eating in a treehouse and that’s quite apt! If you get there from 5pm and it’s been a sunny day the sunset view it supposed to be amazing but sadly we missed this both days as we got back from the boat too late and the typhoon days there was obviously no impressive sunset to witness however the food is so exceptional that I could have been sat in a cafeteria and still returned! Fully recommend. Now I don’t know about you but when it’s raining outside all I want is coffee and cake - Tea and Shake: Daniels Cafe was perfect for this! The four of us spent all day there and they have free WiFi (also hard to come by in the Philippines).
Overall, Coron is definitely worth a visit and can still be thoroughly enjoyed even in a typhoon - it was a slight blessing for my leg which ended up having three dry days and looked much better for it (although the sea was good at cleaning it) but it should not be visited in place of El Nido - make sure to visit both and I was pleased we did come to Coron first as for me El Nido slightly took the lead.
Getting to El Nido from Coron is very easy (when there isn’t a typhoon). There is a fast ferry that runs daily at 12pm (be at the port for 11am and have your ticket already - we bought ours the day before we had planned to leave). The ferry takes about 4 hours and as long as you’ve taken your sickness pills you will be fine, but seriously do take them as it’s quite a ride! At the port there are trikes waiting for you - due to the fact we’d all got stranded in Coron we had cancelled our accommodation in El Nido so when we turned up we had no where to stay, however I decided to head for the hotel we had planned to stay in anyway and hope for the best. The two we’d met in Coron had also managed to get the ferry with us and so hopped in our trike too. We each paid 50php which was definitely way more than we should have but because it was pouring with rain I wasn’t going to argue and sometimes perspective is a wonderful thing and as 50php isn’t even £1, I don’t feel too disheartened about the whole thing. Luckily our original accommodation still had room for us - we stayed at just inn where we paid 3600php for a very nice double room with air con for three nights. This price included a very large and delicious breakfast with either tea or coffee (sadly your 3-in-1 coffee so it was tea for me). This accommodation was also run by a lovely smiley family (and their puppies - bonus points) who can help organise boat tours and onward travels.
As mentioned, El Nido for me just ever so slightly takes the lead from Coron but not everyone agrees so do visit both (for example, Coron is less touristy and a bit cheaper so those are two benefits). However, for me El Nido was simply more beautiful. There are four different tours - A,B,C and D. Tour A and C are both prices at 1200php, tour B is 1300php and tour C is 1400php. Combo tours are also available at 2000php. The two most popular tours are A and C and these are the two I had my hopes on before arriving. We ended up doing tour C and then a combo tour of A and D and both trips were amazing but the combo tour slightly won for me. Due to the typhoon we could only fit two tours in but we had planned to have a third day here possibly for a dive but I think I’d have ended up booking tour B as the snorkelling and beaches were both exquisite. The snorkelling in the Philippines I have to say is the best I’ve seen! The coral is alive and healthy, which was especially lovely to see after the heartbreak of visiting the Great Barrier Reef a year previously.
Another reason I loved El Nido is they really care and educate you about the environment. Absolutely no plastic is allowed to be taken on the boats which go to visit the islands and the coastal guard does stop boats every now and then to check peoples bags for this. I was absolutely made up when I bought a coconut off one of the locals and was handed a bamboo straw which I kept and took around with me everywhere! You are also told not to feed the fish (something I would hope everyone is aware of but sadly not the case) explaining that it affects the food chains below. I should have noted earlier, on top of the tour fees, you are required to pay a 200php environmental fee. This is valid for 10 days so keep hold of it.
There are also two hidden extra costs. El Nido is quite a rocky area so for tour C it is compulsory to hire water shoes (100php) and it is also heavily recommended for the other tours. Hiring a snorkel and mask in El Nido is 100php (Coron it is 150php for snorkel and mask as I should have mentioned above). I bought a snorkel from home and this proved very wise - I probably saved at least 1000php but it is a bit of a pain to carry around so weigh up if it’s worth saving the £15.
If you are travelling alone and/or fancy a hostel with a good vibe and cheap drinks then Outpost Beach Hostel is fantastic. We went there one night for dinner to meet Steph, a friend I had met in Australia and had a great time, but be warned the rum is strong - I had three and was suffering in the morning. Luckily, I don’t think there is a better hangover cure than a boat trip with stunning views and good swimming so I quickly recovered. Or like Steph, you could just order a beer at the first stop. The only other place we ate out was Big Bad Thai which was lovely and for El Nido, not too expensive but to be honest you get fed so well on these tours that you won’t fancy a huge meal in the evening anyway.
From El Nido it was very easy to reach our last destination, Puerto Princesa but it was not comfortable. It’s 500php for a ‘seat’ in a van which takes about 5 hours. Be warned however, it’s a “nine” seater van - only 7 seats are proper seats and then two tiny fold out seats but they will pick more passengers up on the way and you are expected to move up and share your seat. At one point this “nine” person van was carrying 16 people and I was very unamused (which the man in charge quickly realised because I show everything on my face and so he moved me to the back which as a rule has less people crammed in due to the lack of leg room but as I’m 5”1 that’s not a problem for me, thankfully). However, £8 for a 5 hour journey is not bad and that’s what I had to keep reminding myself but I do wish it’s something I’d been warned about prior.
As it was our last stop, I booked us into a luxury hotel (deluxe double room) but the price was so reasonable working out at about £10 each per night with strong air con, a powerful warm shower and plasma TV. We had two full days here but you only really need one to visit the natural wonder of the world - the underground river cave. This is a pricey adventure (2000php) but a must see.
There is also an option of island hopping at Honda Bay but it’s said not to compare to El Nido or Coron and with it pricing in at over 1500php we decided to give this a miss and took up my ritual of finding a hotel pool nearby to laze around and rejuvenate before our long journeys the next day. We chose the Blue Palawan Beach Club which was delightful and only cost 250php to use the pool and we were constantly bought ice cold water, so I would recommend it for a place to do nothing but relax and swim. Food is also available but we had stacked up with blueberry pancakes in the morning so didn’t try any of it.
Speaking of Blueberry pancakes, cafe eighty-nine did the best breakfasts and hallelujah proper coffee! And then for dinner I recommend La Terassa, a wonderful posh dining experience without the price tag with a beautiful version of the Philippino traditional dish of adobo. Their cocktails are also very good and reasonably priced. We came here twice in three nights (and if I’m honest it was closed on the night we didn’t attend).
If we had had even a day longer on the Philippines I would have liked to have stopped and explored Port Barton (located between El Nido and Puerto Princesa) so if you have time I suggest stopping here to break up the journey and visit more turtles.
If you have a stopover in Manila then Tambayan Capsule Hostel and Bar is a perfect place to just put your head down. Also, we both had to fly back to Manila to get our connecting flights on to or next destinations. Make sure you allow time for this. The service is efficient but allow 4 hours between planes (and if I were you allow more as internal planes are often late). It’s free to transfer between the two terminals by bus and very easy to find once you’ve collected your luggage. For getting around Manila, use Grab - there are many drivers and it avoids anyone trying to scam you but my advice (and everyone who’s ever visited) is to spend as little time as possible in Manila.
Overall, our stay in the Philippines was phenomenal. It lived up to and beyond all my expectations. My top tips for this country are that if you’re wanting to take money out this will cost you 250php per transaction on top of your bank fees so use the red BPI ATMs as these let you take out 20,000php at a time (just under £300) whereas most will cap you at 10,000php. Secondly, bring a refillable water bottle as absolutely everywhere in the Philippines offers free refillable drinking water sources - not to mention the environmental advantages. Thirdly, do allow a few days of leniency because they do experience typhoons often, even in their dry seasons so you may be forced to miss a whole stop if you don’t account for a few days in case disaster strikes. Next time I visit the Philippines, (hopefully within the year) I want to explore the parts I missed in Siargao, Bohol, Siqiour, Borocay and will probably return to Moalboal.
All the love, A x