Philippines Cultural Trips & Experiences

Where do I begin? I can't put into words the magical experience Sarah, Angela, and the rest of the team put together for our 20th wedding anniversary in the Philippines. I'm so happy that Sarah and I were able to lock down the perfect itinerary for me and my family. Her ideas were amazing, but she also took into consideration the things that were important to me in planning our trip. For example, I wanted to visit my dad's grave and also show my family where I grew up. Sarah incorporated my requests seamlessly into our itinerary. This proved to me that Sarah is genuinely looking out for our best interests. After several changes to our itinerary, the fifth one was the charm. We were all set for our trip to Manila, Angeles City, El Nido, Cebu, Bohol, and back to Manila to shop for some pasalubongs before returning home to California. Our point of contact in Manila was Angela, Sarah's right-hand woman in the Philippines. Angela was amazing. Any questions I had regarding the local operators, such as drivers, tour guides, or even the boat crew, Angela would respond without hesitation.

I often referred to them as "The Team" because it was definitely a team effort in making our Vacation/Anniversary magical. From Arrival to Departure everything was on point. I can't even fathom how much planning our trip took. To me, it was a monumental task that the Team made look easy. The most touching moment for us was our unforgettable 20th Anniversary Lunch on our own private beach with a personal note from Sarah and Angela wishing us a happy 20th anniversary. Thank you again, Sarah and Angela. My kids loved the Tarsiers and the whale sharks. Me personally, I just enjoyed the crystal clear beaches with the Limestone cliffs in the background doing absolutely nothing in El Nido.

Everyone we interacted with will always remain in our hearts. The kindness and warmth everyone showed us made it feel like a home away from. I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone involved, Sarah, Angela, our drivers, our boat crew, our tour guides, and all the people involved that help make our dream vacation come true. I will definitely be booking our next trip with Sarah and her A-TEAM!!!

Thank you so much,

Ribac Family of California, USA.

Hotel Reviews

Maayo Hotel Cebu

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

El Nido Coco Resort

El Nido

Our Apartment style suite with our own private pool was mind blowing. Few steps to the beach.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Belmont Hotel Manila

Pasay City

Staff was awesome. Newport City is conveniently located by the airport and we felt safe walking around the surrounding area

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Oslob Whale Shark Watching Experience

Philippines

Quality of Experience

⁶

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bohol Country Side Tour

Philippines

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: El Nido Island Hopping Tour B: Caves & Islands

El Nido

Quality of Experience

⁶

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private: El Nido Island Hopping Tour A: Lagoons and Beaches

El Nido

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Manila and Surrounds with Private Driver

Manila

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cami did a very good job planning my trip! My flight arrived in Puerto Princesa 15 minutes earlier than scheduled, so I arrived before my guide, Rick, who did arrive at the scheduled time :-). Rick gave me a nice city tour as planned, skipping a temple, at my request — I had seen more than enough temples! My day tour of the Subterranean River NP (mangrove and cave tours) was very nice — the highlight of my visit to Puerto Princesa!

My trip in a “public van” was a nightmare — one of the worse travel experiences of my life! I was the 10th of 10 oassengers, squeezed into a temporary seat with no seat belt or headrest squeezed between two oversized men pressing hard against me on my sides! This was a 6 hour ride — I feel lucky to have lived through it !

My 2 days in El Nido went as planned — 2 days island hopping with snorkeling at each island including lunch and some caving. I was not picked up by a tricycle as expected, but by a tour agent on foot, as I was in easy walking distance of the gathering spot.

I was picked up on time for my ride to the El Nido airpprt and again at the Manila airport for my ride to the hotel. I used the Grab app to visit downtown Nanila before deoarting for Guam :-)

I had goid weather throughout ;-)

Doreen in Baguio was so knowledgeable about the culture and area. Andrew was such a helpful guide on the island hopping tours that we asked for him on our second day along with the same speedboat captain and crew. They know the best time to go to each island to limit crowds and had so much patience when we wanted to stay longer in some locations. Ed was the best driver to Baguio and ended up being our driver to the airport on our last day. We were so happy to see him again. Our last hotel in El Nido was the best. We would ask for a different hotel in Puerto Princessa if we return. Aziza was old and needs updating. But the staff were very pleasant. All of the logistics worked flawlessly.

Hotel Reviews

Microtel by Wyndham Baguio

Great staff. Room was comfortable. Restaurant on property was not that great.

Authenticity & Character

Well kept landscaping.

Location

Located in the city and within walking distance to dining.

Staff

Very pleasant and helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms and lobby were very clean.

Aziza paradise hotel

Puerto Princesa

Older hotel. Needs updating. Didn't see any pool tables (shown in picture above) limited seating by the pool.

Authenticity & Character

Lobby was open and clean. Some lighting was not working and not enough fans for the lobby.

Location

Close to airport.

Staff

Everyone was very nice and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room did not have pleasant smell. Roosters right by room crowed during the night and kept us awake.

El Nido Coco Resort

El Nido

By far the best resort of our trip. Lived having our own bungalow right across from the pool and restaurant.

Authenticity & Character

Grounds were full of flowers and plants.

Location

Quiet, away from the town and streets.

Staff

The restaurant staff were so friendly and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The resort was spotless and very well maintained.

City Garden Grand Hotel

Manila

Expansive breakfast buffet and amazing rooftop view of Manila.

Authenticity & Character

Fit into the financial district.

Location

Rooftop view

Staff

Recognized us from our multiple stays and our request for morning mimosas.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were cleaned and lobby was very nice.

Activity Reviews

Private: El Nido Island Hopping Tour B: Caves & Islands

El Nido

Loved spending extra time at one of the beaches.

Quality of Experience

Food

Variety and quality

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrew and the captain and crew of Seanorita

Transport

Private: El Nido Island Hopping Tour A: Lagoons and Beaches

El Nido

Kayaking was awesome.

Quality of Experience

Food

Didn't expect so much food for the four of us!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Andrew was helpful. Especially with our older aunt and uncle getting in and out of the kayak.

Transport

Puerto Princesa Underground River Tour

Puerto Princesa

Amazing view and depth of the river caves.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Puerto Princesa: Firefly Watching Bay Cruise with Dinner

Puerto Princesa

Seeing the fireflies was a great. But, seeing the amount of stars in the sky was really the highlight of the tour.

Quality of Experience

The your guide and boost crew were knowledgeable and very helpful.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Baguio Whole Day Tour with Lunch (Private Tour)

Baguio

Doreen fit a lot into one day. She even took us to a place tourist don't typically go. It was extra special.

Quality of Experience

Food

We were tired and ate at the hotel. Which was just ok. We probably would have had better if we felt up to going out.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Doreen, our tour guide and Ed, our driver.

Transport

Ed was great. Safe and on time.