After spending 2018 exploring Central and South America, Europe, and Northern Africa, we were itching for a Southeast Asia trip. I had several countries on my list but the Philippines seemed like the perfect place to start.
If you look at a map of the Philippines, it’s a ton of islands! So how do you decide where to go? We knew we wanted to visit Palawan after seeing pictures of the gorgeous water and we debated going to Cebu but we had already swam with whale sharks in Mexico so it didn’t seem like a must-do. And while Boracay looked beautiful, it was too much of a resort-vibe for us. We almost pulled the trigger on Siquijor but last minute switched to Siargao, and I am so glad we did!
So here was our final itinerary for a little over two weeks:
- Night 1: Redeye flight to Manila
- Nights 2-5: El Nido
- Nights 6-12: Coron
- Nights 13-16: Siargao
- Night 17: Cebu
Funny fact: The entire time we were in the Philippines (in March) there were Christmas decorations everywhere! Left up late? Put out early? Who knows?!
Palawan: The best snorkeling ever!
We visited El Nido and Coron and island hopped for days. The snorkeling and scenery is stunning and we had such an amazing time. You can’t go to the Philippines without going to Palawan!
Read our entire Palawan travel guide here.
Siargao: Meet our new favorite island!
We had such an amazing time in Siargao. From surfing and riding scooters to private boat tours and craft cocktails. Siargao is a total vibe and not to be missed.
Check out our must-do Siargao itinerary here.
We also spent one night in Cebu at this airport hotel before heading to Hong Kong. So we technically went to Cebu, but besides some dinner and a quick massage (duh!) we didn’t have too much time to explore.
Obviously we only scratched the surface of the Philippines with our 2 week itinerary but we made the most out of our action-packed days!
Feelin’ Filipino,
-Ray
Note: We visited the Philippines in March 2019.