One month in Philippines – Part 2

We continue the Philippines with this time the central and eastern part. For the part of the West, you will have to go to see my other article on the Philippines.

CEBU CITY

After spending a week at the beach, we wanted to get back to the city. So we decided to spend one night in Cebu City. The city is not worth staying longer, or even not staying at all. It's in the same style as Manila, super congested. Count on at least 1h30 to reach the city center from the airport.

* Accommodation : We stayed at Reddoorz @Camilao (13€/4persons/night). The hostel is located in downtown, so it's not the best area. The rooms are simple but clean and the beds are comfortable.

* Restaurants : We tested the Golden Cowrie which is located in the uptown. It's a local food restaurant and it's really good. The concept is sharing, so you have to take several dishes for the whole table. We tested the tuna ceviche, the vegetarian sizzig.

* Activities : It is a historical city from the point of view of the Spanish colonization. You will find there vestiges of the time like the Fort near the river.

MOALBOAL

Moalboal was our first stop on the island of Cebu. It's a very nice little town with a main street full of restaurants and bars. We stayed there for two nights, which seems to me to be the right time. It's very young, very festive and there are some great activities to do there. From Cebu, you can take a direct bus to Moalboal.

* Accommodation : We stayed at the Chief Mau hostel. I highly recommend it. The rooms are clean and modern, the beds comfortable. The staff is super nice and they organize a lot of activities. Also, the food is good and the floor is super chill, perfect for an early evening playing cards. We were also told about the Moho Hostel which seems to be very nice too but more oriented to the party.

* Restaurants : For breakfast, I recommend Shaka, they make very good smoothie bowls. The price is a bit expensive but the quantity justifies it. For local food, I recommend the Venz. Known for its fish and seafood, it is better to reserve a table and order in the morning your fish/seafood, otherwise there will be none left for the evening. I tasted the eggplant sizzig and it was very good. Finally, a very nice restaurant with a nice atmosphere is the Taco Bar. The tacos are very good but they are small. You have to take 2-3 per person, but it's not expensive at all.

* Activities : The town is known for its sardines. No need for a guide (don't be fooled by some locals who offer to take you there), just swim there, where everyone else is. It is 20m from the beach which is at the end of the small street on the right before the Chilli bar. It is better to take water shoes with you because there are a lot of rocks. It is also possible to see turtles there.

You can also do a day of canyoning at Kawasan Falls. We did the activity with our hostel. It was very well organized, a very good atmosphere, I highly recommend! The price is 1500p/pers. The compulsory jumps are not high, others are possible between 6 and 12m. It is possible to start with a zip line for 500p more per person, which I recommend because it is incredible and long. A lunch is proposed after the activity. You can go to see the Kawasan Falls without doing the canyoning but honestly, if it's to see them like that, I don't recommend it. It's full of tourists everywhere, you have to pay to take pictures, it lost its charm. While the whole part before the tourist part is incredible. I would have been disappointed.

To party, you have two main bars, especially the Chilli Bar. It's the bar where everybody goes. Good atmosphere it's nice. There is also a karaoke bar in front of the Chief Mau Hostel.

SIQUIJOR

Siquijor is one of the favorites of the trip. It is still very natural, the landscapes are beautiful, there are not many people. I really recommend to stop there for 3-4 nights. From Moalboal, you have a bus that leaves in the morning to take the ferry to Siquijor. If you take the morning one, you will have a direct ferry to the island, while the afternoon one will make you stop in Dumaguete, which takes a few more hours.

* Accommodation : The first night we stayed at the Monkey Business (26€/room for 2). I recommend this accommodation at 2000%. It is a private room with a terrace and a small private garden. Clean, quiet, with air conditioning and they eat well. You can also rent scooters (350p/day). Then, we tested the Glamping Siquijor (18€/pers). It's a nice concept but much too expensive for the infrastructure of this one. And finally, the Kamp Aninipot (20€/2p). We sleep on the heights of the island in small huts, it is very nice for one night, the view at sunset is magnificent. But it is very far from everything and there is no restaurant in the surroundings. Other lodgings which seem nice but which we did not test: See-Kee-Hor and U-Story.

* Restaurants : First of all, there is the restaurant of our first accommodation, the Monkey Business, it is very good and the burgers look crazy. Then the Dagsa, very good restaurant with live music every night. To taste absolutely: the sizzig shrimp. A killer, one of the best dishes I tasted there. For breakfast there is the See-Kee-Hor. It is absolutely not expensive and the bagels are very good. For a little snack, you can eat at the U-Story, the omelette provençale is incredible and the view is worth the detour. And the best for last: the Italian restaurant Dolce Amaro. Opened by an Italian couple, everything is super good. The only place to drink wine.

* Activities : It is mandatory to rent a scooter to visit the island. For the beaches, you have Paliton Beach, perfect for swimming and Monkey Beach (it is a hidden beach, you have to ask the locals but it is near Kagusua Beach). It is not really possible to swim there but there is no one there except a family of locals.

Then, there are all the waterfalls. The Lugnason Falls are very nice. We were alone there. Going down the stairs on the left, there is the waterfall and on the right a pool created by the locals. It is their appointment between friends. Cambugahay Falls are the most known and therefore the most crowded. It is better to go early or late (before closing time). And be careful with thefts... it happens often.

What I recommend is to look on Maps.me the points recorded by other travellers and just ride a scooter everywhere. The road to Mount Bandilan is beautiful, there are many viewpoints, small waterfalls. You will easily have enough for the whole day.

BOHOL

Bohol is known for the Chocolate Hills mainly. There are other activities to do but it was not my favorite. It lacks charm I think and a little too touristy. But it's still worth going there for 2-3 days. From Siquijor, you have to take a boat to Tagbilaran. Alona is the most famous part of the island but I advise to stay outside the center.

* Accommodation : In the middle of the New Year, the accommodations were already quite full. So we opted for the Glamping Alona (22€/2pers). This Glamping there is very nice. It is not located at the edge of the beach but there is a pizzeria and the infrastructures are really top. You can rent scooters for 500p/d.

* Restaurants : In Alona, we tested the Sisa Bistro, nice but without more. The Giuseppe is considered as the best restaurant of Alona. It is an Italian, expensive, but very good. The pasta with truffles is delicious. Near the visit of the tarsians, there is the Mayang Maye which is very good and not expensive at all. We took everything to share.

* Activities : We took a driver who took us all day to do the different activities. You can also do everything by scooter. First, there is the Chocolate Hills (free). There is a free shuttle to the top also. You have to go at the end of the day. Then, the visit of the tarsians (90p/pers). Tarsians are very small animals hidden in the trees. To help you see them, there are staff in the park who will show them to you. The visit lasts about 15min but it's really too cute. Be careful, they are afraid of noise, so you have to do the visit whispering.

From Bohol, you can go to Pamilacan Island (2500p/boat for 4 people, 4000p/boat for 6, but always negotiate). I advise to take the boat at Baclayon harbor because it is much cheaper than Alona. You have to leave at 6am from the port. The day begins with the dolphins that we see in freedom. Very early in the morning, they go out to hunt, from 7:30 you will not see any more. We were about 5 boats and they were all respectful of the animals, turning off the engines and not giving food. It is a magnificent spectacle! The visit continues on the island and there, the activities are to choose (all paying but again negotiate a pack). There is the fish sanctuary (250p/pers). It's beautiful, it's worth it. For the visit of the turtles, we did not do it because we have to go there by boat and the guide will wake up the turtles in their sleep so that they come up to the surface just for the tourists. To avoid therefore. We made then the tour of the island on foot and it was magic. We were all alone, crossing just some locals surprised to see us. The meal is to be counted in more also but we can bring our own food with.

Finally, there is the fireflies but we did not have the opportunity to do it due to lack of time and budget.

SIARGAO

Siargao is THE favorite of the trip to the Philippines. I had already been told about it as being the must-see. And they did not lie. It is a small island with a lot of charm, a lot of activities to do, a lot of nature to see. The locals are very nice. The restaurants are not even mentioned. I stayed there for 10 days and it was still not enough. I recommend to stay at least one week, but you will want to stay longer. All life happens in General Luna and the surrounding area, but don't worry because the island is small. From Bohol to Siargao, it's a bit of a mess, especially during the holiday season. Take you in advance for the tickets and always order on a reliable site. We had to go back to Cebu, then to take the boat of 7 pm which arrives between 4 and 6 am in Surigao (I advise to take that one and to book the tourist class, you will be able to sleep there all the night), to finally take a last ferry until Siargao. It's a long way.

* Accommodation : There is the Lukay Beach Resort which is very nice and well located in General Luna, it is quiet and the rooms are clean. And the Hiraya Surf Hostel which is also very good but a little further from the center.

* Restaurants : The list is long. My favorites: Kaliwasan Ceviche. They offer incredible ceviches. Kook for the best eggs benedict. Homemade taste which offers dishes directly in pots. Not expensive and so good. And my best of best, the small local canteen J&M Restaurant. It looks like nothing from outside, it's just plastic tables and chairs, you choose what you want to put in your plate at the buffet (you can choose half portions). And it is just incredible. You have to be there for 12 o'clock sharp because at 1 o'clock you don't have much choice. And it is possible to eat there for less than 100p so around 1€.

For the other nice restaurants: Sushi Nori for sushi and bowls (between 290 and 390p so expensive but good). Mama's grill, very well known, it's always very crowded. It's a bbq and you choose what you want. Cheap and nice. Kermit, a very good Italian restaurant but a bit expensive. Another Italian, La Carinderia. Expensive but very good. Bake for breakfast. Off Shore Café for smoothie bowls at 230p, and it's right in front of the Cloud9 entrance. Azuetta, good bbq concept and less crowded than Mama's grill. Café Honest for a vegan meal. And finally, Halika Gelato for a good ice cream.

For the bars, the White Banana is a beach club with deckchairs and small poufs, perfect to watch the sunset. On monday night, it's at Loosekeys until midnight and then, you have to go to Rumbar for the after party. On Sunday, it's at Lamari for a pool party from 3pm to 9pm and then at Bravo for the rest of the evening. And finally, the Zicatela which has a very nice rooftop.

* Activities : You can rent a scooter for 350p/day, less if you rent by the week. The island is known for surfing, the spot of excellence is Cloud9 but quite popular with beginners, etc.. To be more quiet, you will have to move away. You can visit the enchanted forest, a cave, Magapungko and Pacifico Beach in one day by scooter. Nice beaches: Secret Beach and Bravo Beach. There are also Tuktuk waterfalls. To do also, the Sugba lagoon and the mangrove.

If you want to get a tattoo, go to La Santa.