Philippines Tour Guide

• Accommodation

  Accommodation in the Philippines is not a problem in highly urbanized cities such as Metro Manila, Cebu City, Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City. Tourism spots such as Boracay, Panglao, Baguio, Palawan and many others also offers great prices for overnight stays at Inns, Hotels and AirBnBs. In most cities, the price ranges from P900-P1500 for economy, P1500-P3000 for midrange and over P3000 for high end. Luxury stays can reach P300K/night or higher. Prices usually go up during Peak season such as Christmas, summer. Prices will double or even triple in “Super Peak” seasons such as New Year and Holy Week. In most cities in the Philippines, prices stay the same throughout the year except during fiestas and festivals. Be sure to book ahead of time to avoid any hassles. Hotels usually get fully booked even before the month of the festival.

• Internet Access

  In most part of the Philippines, even in small towns, have one internet café. But in more populated towns and cities, internet cafés can be seen in every corner. Prices are normally at P20 per hour in more decent places. Internet connection is relatively fast at 1mbps and most computers in urbanized cities are on the higher end. Some internet cafes are open 24 hours and offer a promo rate of P10 per hour from late evening until dawn but will tend to be very noisy as this will be the time most adults play their favorite online games. Browsing, chatting, playing games and encoding are just some of the things you can do in most cafés. Free WI-FI connection is available in most coffee shops and some fast foods and malls. Plenty of hotels and resorts in the Philippines offer free computer use and WI-FI to the guests.

• Climate

  The Philippines has a tropical marine climate dominated by a rainy season and a dry season. It is relatively predictable and similar in most parts of the region. Fair weather in most areas is usually at 28° C to 33° C . For a colder feel, the Cordillera Region, where temperature is at 10° C to 20° C, is the best option. The hottest climate here is experienced during the summer in the months of March to May at a maximum of 38° C (100° F). During this time, El Niño is usually felt in most part of the Philippines making large amount of damages to agriculture. Temperature starts to drop in June and rainfalls are gradually experienced until October. La Niña the counterpart of El Niño is sensed during this season. The best time of the year in the Philippines is around November to February where humidity is pleasant, and rainfall is not too much.

• Business Hours

  Different businesses in the Philippines open in different time of the day. Shopping malls usually open at 10am to 9pm. Supermarkets are open at 9am to 8pm and wet markets are open early morning until 6pm. Most banks operate from 9am to 4pm but banks inside shopping malls, such as Banco de Oro, opens until 7pm. ATM machines are found in most populated area and are accessible 24 hours. Bars are open from 6am until dawn and restaurants open from 8am to 11pm. Government offices such as SSS, Pag-ibig, PhilHealth, Post office and BIR among many others opens at 8am to 5pm with most of them having lunch breaks at 12nn to 1am. Embassies and consulates open at 9am to 1pm during weekdays. Most private companies operate at 8am to 5pm but with the growth of the outsourcing industry in the Philippines, some companies are open 24 hours and are on employee shifting scheme.

• Transportation

  The Philippines offers a wide range of transportation. Urbanized cities usually have an airport and seaport for both international and domestic travels. In most cities, jeepneys are the main land transportation. Jeepney fare starts at P8.00 and goes up depending on the distance of your destination. Modern air-conditioned Jeepneys are more convenient at only P15 minimum fare. Buses are found in most part of the country traveling from the City to the different provinces of the island. Railway transits are found in Manila that offers fast travel experience. Tricycles and “pedicabs” (or cycle rickshaw) are found in most parts of the country with fares ranging from P20 up to P50 or even higher. Taxis are all over major cities. Just be sure to tell them to turn on their meter or you’re going to pay P350 for a 10 km ride.

• Telecommunications

  The Philippines has good telecommunications from ham radios to cellphones. Ham radios are still being used by police, military, reporters & some NGOs in communicating. As of 1997, there are 7.3 million telephone mainlines in use which makes it easier to communicate locally and internationally. There are also radio broadcasting stations (both AM and FM) in every part of the country as well as television broadcasting stations. The Philippines has 3 giant mobile companies namely: Globe Telecom, Smart/PLDT and DITO with over a thousand cellular sites all over the archipelago. Since the advancement of SMS, it’s been an important part to the Filipino lifestyle, making the Philippines the SMS capital of the world. Without a doubt, SMS & mobile calls are not a problem in the country. The country is also equipped with broadband internet which makes it easy to communicate anywhere in the world.