Destination Philippines: Dumaguete – ‘The City Of Gentle People’
December 2, 2009 by LostinManila
Filed under Hotels
Located at the southern tip of Negros Island in the province of Negros Oriental, Dumaguete is fast becoming the destination of choice for a wide variety of people. Foreign and local tourists alike, favor Dumaguete for certain advantages that this place has over the other tourist spots in the Philippines. It isn’t as busy as Cebu or Davao, certainly more affordable than Boracay or El Nido, Palawan, not as crowded as Baguio, and has as plenty to offer its visitors as any place else in the country. As a tourist destination, Dumaguete is as good as it gets.
Dumaguete can lay claim to four contributing factors to its popularity. It is a venue for excellence in education, unparalleled natural wonders, nightlife that is at par with any major metropolis, and as a virtual Mecca for shopping.
Tagged as the “Learning Center of the Southâ€, Dumaguete is the home of the world-famous Siliman University. Founded in 1901, Siliman had served as the learning institution of choice for both Filipino and foreign students. St. Paul’s University – Dumaguete, Foundation University, and the Negros Oriental State University are also popular choices for persons seeking higher learning. The city also takes pride in serving as host to three other colleges, nine secondary schools, and 12 elementary schools.
Dumaguete also fails to disappoint when it comes to presenting its vast Array of natural wonders. Snorkeling, deep sea diving, spelunking, cave exploration, windsurfing, and engaging in dolphin and whale watching are just some of the activities that the place can offer. Describing the backdrop of Dumaguete as picture-perfect may be an understatement. Some of the more popular venues are the Apo and Sumilon Islands. These two places are “must see†places for first-time Dumaguete visitors with its majestic natural coral reef formation and fabulous marine wildlife. Taking a vacation here would not necessarily burn a hole in your pocket as the going tour rates are one of the most affordable in the country.
For some of the people who think that a decent nightlife can only be found in metropolitan areas such as Manila, Makati, Cebu, Davao, Baguio, and Iloilo are sadly mistaken. Rizal Boulevard offers a vast Array of discotheques, watering holes, live band performances, and theme-inspired venues. You want to try Mexican, then go to Coco Amigos. In the mood for some casual drinking and dining, they’ve got the Barefoot Bistro. Want to hear music, then you might want to consider El Camino Blanco, Why Not Music Box, and Hayahay in Escano Beach. Practically everything that an urban “night owl†wants can be found within the three-quarter kilometer stretch of Rizal Boulevard. Even the Dumaguete City Public Market is turning out to be a popular tourist hangout at night as fresh produce and other items can be found here even during unholy hours.
Shopping for locally manufactured items such as bags, wallets, purses, and other personal accessories made from indigenous materials such as coconut husks, dried raffia, capiz, native wood, and freshwater pearls may prove to be addictive. The craftsmanship of the people of Dumaguete offers originality, charm, superior quality, and a distinctive quality that they may call their own. Home decors like custom-made chandeliers, candelabras, and wood carvings can also be purchased here.
There are also plenty of ways to get there. The country’s major airlines offer daily flights to Dumaguete City from Manila. Traveling by sea is also an attractive alternative as the major seaports all over the Philippines offer service routes to this destination. Once there, you also need not worry about finding a place to stay. Hotels and resorts can be found virtually everywhere at very reasonable rates.
Cheap Flights to Manila, Philippines – Why Finding One is Well Worth your Time and Effort
May 30, 2009 by LostinManila
Filed under Hotels
Philippines is a nice distinctive place to visit. With its tropical weather and excellent varieties of beaches and resorts, anyone would easily fall in love with this wonderful country located in the south eastern part of Asia.
My experience of stay in the Philippines makes me want to plan an immediate return for another vacation. If you are thinking of traveling to the Philippines, you should definitely be a little familiar with its main city capital called Manila. This is where you will most likely plan your flight arrival destination to end up at.
Finding cheap flights to Manila is not that easy, you need to do researching as well as planning ahead of time. Flights to other local airport destinations may not be cheaper since manila is the main capital of the country. So, almost all international flights are routed thru the city’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, thus, more scheduled flights and much lesser expenses for airline companies.
However, Cebu Mactan International Airport has been gaining international flights already. At the time of this writing, they have 6 regular direct international flights. Taipei is the most recently added trip to their list of scheduled flights, and is scheduled for at least twice a week. It maybe a little expensive compared to a Manila flight, but if you intend to go anywhere near Cebu area like Bohol or somewhere around the Visayas region, then it would be a fairly good option to take advantage at. Another international Airport would be in Davao which has 3 international daily scheduled flights, to Singapore, to Koror Palau, and to Manado Indonesia.
Airfares are usually the most expensive part of a vacation trip, next to it would be hotel accommodations, this is why most of those who plan to visit the Philippines would surely want to go after those cheap flights to Manila. Nevertheless, once you arrive in the country, most of the things you will find there have adequately cheap prices, like food, transportation, souvenir items, clothing stuffs, and other accessories you may want to buy, way much cheaper compared to buying the same things from other countries.
Further more tips in finding cheap flights to Manila would be:
• Asking for quotations from travel agencies
• Surfing the internet to compare and get the best rates out there
• If you are from USA, then there are lots of Filipino agents selling cheap airfares to Manila, do try asking for them around your neighborhood
• Planning ahead on specific dates will give you bigger savings
• Most airlines offer huge discounts if booked earlier, but you must be sure about the schedule of your flight, otherwise you may end up getting charged for more should you request to cancel or change your flight schedule later on
• Some companies give discounts if you pay them via credit card, you should take advantage of such offer
• Other companies even accept travel mileage points to cover for your airfare
