Category: Destinations

Yahoo, the world's most visited website, has listed Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, as one of the planet's top travel destinations. Manila was listed at No. 10 in the list of "10 passport-worthy locations thousands Yahoo! users chose as very best."

Binondo China Town

Across the Pasig River from Intramuros is the Binondo area, home of Chinatown. The district is filled with all things Chinese from Peking duck and Buddhist temples to gold watches, snake soup, and wonder herbs. The high chords of Chinese songs and the permeating smell of incense complete the uniquely Chinese ambiance. It is said that this quaint district was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spaniards came in 1571.
 

Unknown to many, Pateros sources most of its eggs that eventually become balut from an enterprising poultry farm in this lakeside town, which built a monument in honor of the egg-hatching itik or Philippine mallard.

The town of Victoria, which borders Laguna Lake, is known for the Itik (Anas plathrhynchos Linn) Festival, held every second week of November. Nowhere else is the P5.5-billion duck industry more vibrant than in this municipality of 30,000.

Visitor arrivals in Boracay Island rose 16.2 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2010, as the resort island in Aklan continued to attract attention from foreign visitors.  The Western Visayas office of the Department of Tourism (DoT) said tourist arrivals reached 291,443 as of April 2010, generating about PhP5.3 billion in tourism revenues.

Ortigas is a commercial center at the heart of Metro Manila and rivals Makati City and the Fort Bonifacio Global City in terms of its tall buildings, large shopping malls, five-star hotels, fine dining and tourism and leisure destinations. Located on the boundaries of Mandaluyong City, Pasig City and Quezon City, the Ortigas complex is on an expansion mode, with new developments across Ortigas towards the Corinthian Gardens and across the Shaw Boulevard towards Pioneer Street, where JG summit Holdings and Globe Telecom have erected new condominium buildings, hotels and office buildings.

Pagudpud, the northermost coastal town in Ilocos Norte, lies majestically fronting the South China Sea and protected by beautiful green mountains.  Pagudpud is most known for a two-kilometer white beach in Saud, one of the town's barangays.  A row of coconut trees along Saud Beach adds a tropical theme to the already beautiful resort destination that is Pagudpud.

Several resorts are located at the Saud white beach, which attracts both foreign and local tourists.  The fine, white cream sand in Saud beach can be compared to those of popular resort islands such as Boracay, Panglao, and Puerto Galera.  The water, however, is not as calm as in Boracay and can be suddenly deep during high tide.

Shopping in the Philippines

As a shopping haven, Metro Manila offers almost all kinds of products, from the most fashionable to the rarest items. And they can be found almost anywhere, in the most luxurious department stores as well as in small bargain shops. Depending on the traveler's budget, there is always a place where one can find the best buys. The giant shopping malls, SM, Robinson's, Glorietta, Shangri-la, and Rustan's, carry most of the well-known international labels. They also have stores, which sell the best of Filipino products.
 

Traces of the Spanish influence still loom in Intramuros. A tour of this landmark will provide the visitors a deeper understanding of Manila's rich heritage. Intramuros protects within its walls a number of national treasures like... Read More | Share it now!

Camiguin Island, known for its lanzones festival, offers white-sand beaches, spring resorts and magnificent caves untouched by industrial development. The island lies off the north coast of Mindanao. Aside from its beaches, Camiguin boasts of spring... Read More | Share it now!

Residents of Boracay Island and the province of Aklan have expressed their opposition to a plan of a company to establish a casino on the resort island.  The protesters, led by church groups, called on the government to reject any application to operate “all forms of casinos” on Boracay.  Before this, the local government of Malay town, which has jurisdiction over Boracay, has endorsed two applications for operating a casino and a “junket operation” in Boracay.