3 Reasons It’s More Fun in the Philippines!
Travel enthusiast, Sally Cochrane, shares with us her three reasons why the Philippines should be at the top of every traveler’s bucket list
As the phrase goes, ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ and it’s hard not to see qhy. One of the hotel owners in Boracay said he visited the Philippines thirty years ago and has lived there ever since. A country of diverse cultures, the Philippines is a place that offers something for everyone as I was fortunate enough to discover on the recent Tourism Philippines Mega Famil.
- The Beaches — As someone who has been lucky enough to experience some of the best beaches around the world in Australia, Hawaii, Thailand and the Maldives, I would have to say the beaches of the Philippines come in my list of top tens. White Beach in Boracay for instance, is known for its silica sand, similar to that of Whitehaven Beach in Australia. A four kilometre stretch of pure white sand, the name is fairly self-explanatory. Then there is Puka Beach, which rivals the top spot as a beach with the clearest of clear waters and the whitest of white sands. This particular beach is a short island hopping trip from the heart of Boracay.Whilst I was unable to get there on this trip, the remote and untouched beaches of Palawan would be my next stop in the Philippines. You could spend all day just island hopping in this country of over seven thousand islands.
- The Activities — Sure, you can relax by the pool for a full week whilst you drink cocktails and get massages, but there is so much to do in the Philippines that I couldn’t sit still if I tried. Being part of a famil, especially one run by the tourist board of the Philippines, we were never short of things to do. In Boracay alone, we went island hopping, snorkelling, cliff diving, ATV riding to a private beach and even learnt how to be a mermaid for a day. “A mermaid?” you say. Yes, Boracay is one of the few places in the world where you can learn from the Philippine Mermaid Swimming Academy how to be a mermaid including the different swimming strokes, tail care and how to pose for photos. All in all, it is just a unique and fun experience for any age. I mean, can you imagine a bunch of travel agent mermaids?
- The People — Apart from the incredible things to see and do in the Philippines, the Filipino people themselves were the best part about the trip. They were friendly, happy and inherently funny people. We were always greeted by a smile, whether it was from our local guide, hotel staff or even people on the street. There was one night in Cebu where we were treated to outdoor drinks at the Movenpick and it started bucketing down rain. At the time, the hotel staff brought us all umbrellas and walked us back to the main hotel building. Then, just last week I received an email from one of the hotel staff who had welcomed us that night wholeheartedly apologising for the rain, something she had no control over. If that isn’t great service, I don’t know what is!
Author Bio
Sally Cochrane is a Brisvegas born travel agent at helloworld Albany Creek and founder of Travel Blog Squad, an online community for travel bloggers. Among many other experiences, she has skied down the Austrian Alps on Christmas day, gone for a ride in an army tank through the mud in Slovakia, woken up before dawn to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat and attended university in Mexico. Hola! Her non-travel-related interests include tea (of any and every kind), TED Talks and running at her local Parkrun.
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