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Travelling in the Philippines

Information on travelling in Manila and Mindoro Occidental

This section of our website will give you all the answers you need to know for traveling in the Philippines with a short history of the Philippines, an orientation about Manila, some information about the climate in the Philippines, how to get to Pandan Island, what you should bring along to enjoy your stay at Pandan Island Resort to the fullest and where to change money

If you are traveling on your own, you may find that schedules for ferries and buses often change – or don’t exist -, jeepneys for example only leave when there are full, so make sure you allow some time for the unexpected and use it to meet some of the friendliest people in the world.

Helpful tips for visitors

Health:

No vaccinations are needed to travel to the Philippines, the risk of Malaria is very small unless you are planning to travel to Palawan. If you intend to do a dive course it is advisable to get a medical certificate from your doctor. Tampons are almost impossible to buy in the Philippines. (See also our page what to bring.)

Climate:
Typically tropical. There is a cool dry season from December to March, a hot dry season from April to July. The rainy season usually lasts from July until October. From June to December there may be typhoons. Average temperature is 27 C ( 80 F ). Don’t forget to bring Sweater against the aircon on Airplanes, Buses and the ferry.

Money:
The US$ is the most common foreign currency. Money can be changed either with banks or with official moneychangers, who give a slightly better rate. Some moneychangers are open 24 hours in Manila. Avoid changing in the streets, if you do not like to be shortchanged!!! Away from the big tourist centers like Manila, Cebu, Boracay and Puerto Galera it is often difficult or impossible to cash credit cards, change traveler checks or even cash dollars. In Sablayan, on Pandan or in other remote locations only cash pesos or sometimes cash dollars (often at a very bad rate) are accepted

Immigration:
A 30-day visa is given automatically upon arrival which can easily be extended up to 59 days. For longer stays, extensions have to be applied for at the Immigration Office in Intramuros, Manila or at one of its branches in the bigger cities. if you do not want to spend a day of your life in immigration there are numerous immigration services that extend the visa on your behalf for a small fee. Normally a stay up to one year is possible for tourists.

International airport:
The easiest way to get a taxi to your hotel is to buy a ticket at the Taxi center inside the arrival hall , after immigration and customs but before you leave the building. The trip to Ermita costs anywhere between 300.- and 900.- Pesos including luggage. Do not enter an unofficial taxi as they are much more expensive. The most convenient and hasslefree way of getting around in Manila is using Grab (www.grab.com). For this you will need to have a Grab account, the Grab App installed on your smartphone and an access to the internet. There is a Grab pickup point on Terminal 3 , right next to the taxistand.

Metered taxi stand at NAIA Terminal3 (Manila Airport)

Consider offsetting the CO2-emissions of your flight with myclimate.org

Business Hours:
Normal business hours are from 9 to 12 am and 1 to 5 pm, Monday to Saturday. Banks are open from 9am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Embassies are open from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday. Department stores in big cities are open from 10am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Domestic airport:
The domestic airport is usually very crowded, make sure you get there early enough, at least 90 mins before departure. In case you are arriving late and there is a large queue in front of the entrance due to the baggage screening before entering the building, there is a shortcut called ‘Express’ . For a small fee (around 500 PHP per person) you may be able to jump the queue. Ask one of the porters in the entrance area for assistance.

San Jose:
The airport of San Jose is about 3 kms outside of town, to get to the bus station take a tricycle from the airport (cost 20.- pesos). The buses for Sablayan leave about every hour and cost 185.- pesos, the trip to Sablayan takes about 3 hours.

Sablayan:
At the bus terminal in Sablayan just take a tricycle to bring you to fish landing. A bangka (outrigger boat) is stationed there. The name of the boat is BABYSHARK. You may also contact the boatmen, JHUNJHUN or NONOY. Mobile phone numbers are +63 909 030 46 47 or +63 946 141 10 46

The price is 200 pesos for 1 person + 50 p for each additional person and an additional of 50 pesos in night time. The maximum capacity of the bangka is 10 passengers. The normal operation hours are from 6 am to 9 pm.

The price is 200 pesos for 1 person + 50 pesos for each additional person and an additional of 50 pesos in night time. The maximum capacity of the bangka is 10-15 passengers. The normal operation hours are from 6am to 9pm.

Information:
For more information we recommend to read one of the following books:

‘Philippines Handbook’, Jens Peters, lonely planet, English

‘Le petit fute, Philippines’, Nouvelle Editions de l’Universite, francais

Manila

Metro Manila with close to 12 million inhabitants is the capital of the Philippines. It has the only international airport apart from Cebu City and is the center of all domestic flights. As in many other Asian megacities, traffic is chaotic at best and it is advisable to plan enough time to get to the airport from the hotel.

Getting a cab at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is quite a hassle. Best is to get a ticket with one of the taxi operators before you leave departure hall, cost to Ermita is 600.-pesos ( about 18.- US$). If you are on a budget try to get to the departure floor and grab a taxi from there. The ride to Ermita then should be between 300 to 400 Pesos. If you arrive in Terminal 3 we recommend to look for the metered taxis (Yellow color) at the far end of the arrival building, they are much cheaper than the fixed price taxis right at the exit.

Hotels in Manila:

Since there are not many sights of interest for the traveler, people tend to spend as little time as possible in Manila, it might however be necessary to spend a day or two in the city to have a visa extended etc. Following are a choice of hotels we can recommend, they are all in Ermita, where most of the tourists stay, about 30 min from the international airport (during rush hour it can take as long as 4 hours to get there!).

Chill-out Guesthouse Manila, 612 Remedios street (remedios circle), Malate, Manila, Philippines, +63 906 582 9080, chilloutmanila63@gmail.com. www.chillout-manila.com

Malate Pensionne*771 M.Adriatico St, Malate, Manila. Tel.:0063-2-523 83 04 Fax: 0063-2-522 23 89,. Double with shower and fan about 16.- US$. Double with shower and A/C about 22 US$,www.mpensionne.com.ph, they offer also airport pickup.

Cherry Blossoms Hotel, #550 Jorge Bocobo Extension next to Robinsons Ermita Mall, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, Telephone Numbers: (+632) 5247631 to 36, Fax Number: (+632) 5224172, Double with shower and A/C about 35 US$, Email Address: cbh@cherryblossomshotel.com.ph,www.cherryblossomshotel.com.ph

La Corona Hotel*** , 1166 Mh Del Pilar Cor., Arquiza Street, Ermita, Manila, Philippines, Phone: (632)524-2631 Fax: (632) 525-8268, Double with AC 40 US$

Another very good option (specially if you plan to stay in Manila for a few days) is to find accomodation on www.airbnb.com, they offer rooms and apartments for every budget and taste.

Restaurants:

Shawarma: 484 R. Salas Street, Ermita, Manila City, Metro Manila, another bargain is this middle eastern restaurant owned by a Lebanese. They offer a wide variety of Arab specialties at a very low price, in fact it is hard to spend more than 5 US$ a person, delicious

Korean Palace: Adriatico Street, Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila just around the corner from Malate Pension is the Korean Palace, famous for its Bulgogi (Korean barbecue), it comes with all kind of appetizers and is fun to go if you are in group.

Tanabe, 553 Remedios Street, Malate, Manila, Japanese restaurant, Remedios circle, Ermita, Manila, the authors long time favorite when in Manila. We recommend the set menues for around 650.- PHP (18.- USD), www.facebook.com/tanaberestaurant

Bistro Remedios: 1911 M. Adriatico Street, Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila, authentic philipino food at a high level and affordable prices, definitely worth a visit if you like to taste som local spcialities like pork adobo, bamboo rice or bulalo, ljcrestaurants.com.ph/bistro-remedios

Tim Ho Wan, Ground Floor, Robinson’s Place Manila, Ermita, Manila, delicous dim sum’s that easily compete with dimsums you would get in Hong Kong, absolutely recommended, www.zomato.com/manila/tim-ho-wan-ermita-manila

Robinsons Mall, Pedro Gil cor. Adriatico Streets, Ermita, Manila, huge mall with countless restaurants for every taste, quality of food varies greatly

Sofitel Hotel: Offers a huge lunch buffet at a very high level, Price is around 50$ but it is well worth the money, http://spiralmanila.com

Nightlife:

Nakpil Street: this little road not far from Remedios has become one of the party alleys of the young generation, the place is packed on weekends, beers are cheap, the music mostly techno or reggae.

LA Cafe: 1429 M. H. Del Pilar St, Manila City, Manila, Metro Manila, one of the last survivors of old red-light district Ermita, after 10 pm the place becomes alive with live bands, working girls, story tellers, pick pocketers, tourists, fossils, gamblers and drunkards. Loud music, cheap beer, not everybody’s taste but worth a visit if you are new in town.

G-Point: 510 Padre Faura St, Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila, Favourite hangout for Expats and longtime visitors of the Philippine. The beer is cheaper than in LA Cafe and the pace of action is somewhat slower. We do recommend the buffet between 11am an 2pm or Kinilaw (raw spanish makerel marinated in lemonjuice and coconutmilk, delicious), www.gpointbar.com

Erra’s: Adriatico cor J Nakpil Sts, Malate, Manila, apart from excellent Ramen this is an open air beerplace with interesting characters that hang out until the wee hours of the morning.

Wellness:

The Ritz Spa (no 15)1614 M. Adriatico Street, Malate, Ermita, excellent massages (shiatsu, nothing kinky here). Ideal if you arrive from overseas and have a few hours in Manila before going to Pandan Island.

A few words about safety: The Philipinos are a very friendly and helpful people, however, as in all tourist places, Manila got its share of crooks and con-artists. Avoid changing money in the streets and be cautious with strangers inviting you for a drink, to a party or to their house. If you have more money than you need with you, don’t show it. With a little bit of common sense, unpleasant experiences can easily be avoided.

In the twenty five years we have been in the Philippines, we never had any problems!

Money

Coming to a foreign country for the first time , it is not always easy to know what type of money to bring, specially if one plans to travel off the beaten track. For the Philippines it can be said that the further away you get from big cities like Manila, Cebu, Davao etc. the more difficult it becomes to change foreign currency and the lower the exchange rate offered will be.

Although it is often possible to change a hundred US$ with a local -mostly Chinese- businessmen, other currencies, credit cards, traveler cheques or larger amounts of US dollars are hardly accepted. We therefore strongly advise you to plan ahead and change enough money in one of the urban centers.

In Manila, the moneychangers around Ermita (A.Mabini Street and M.H del Pilar Street) offer better rates than the banks and most are open 24 hrs / seven days a week. If you are arriving at night in Manila from abroad and plan to leave early morning, you also could change with the money changers at the International Airport, their rates are not much lower than the ones in Ermita. If you are changing other currencies than US$ it is worthwhile to check first with different moneychangers as rates can vary considerably, while the rates for US$ are quite uniform.

Warning: Do not try to change with anybody in the streets, even if they offer better rates than all the moneychangers, you will almost certainly be cheated.

Note: On Pandan Island it is possible to pay with Philippine Pesos or US Dollars, Euro or US$ -Traveler cheques. Credit cards are not accepted.

look up the exchange rate for Philippine pesos

Weather

The weather in the Philippines is typically tropical hot ( around 30º Celsius) and humid all year round. The climate can roughly be divided in a dry season from December to June and a wet season from July to November, with the former divided in a cool season from December to March and a hot season from April to June. during the dry season the wind blows from North-East (tagalog: Amihan) which makes itself rarely noticed on Pandan Island as it is protected from the mountain range on Mindoro Island. When it does the wind can be quite strong and provides perfect conditions for Windsurfing. April and May is the transition period between the North-East monsoon (tagalog: Amihan) and the South-Monsoon (tagalog: Habagat), the temperature can rise above 35º Celsius as there is not much wind at this time, this is normally the best time to do extended safaris to outlying reefs as the sea is often flat as a lake, chances to see manta rays is biggest at this period.

End of May the rains start and with it comes a cooler period of – often – sunny days and an hour or two of rain a day, mostly in the afternoons. There is one wet month a year , when it rains almost on end, either July , August or September.

Typhoons are common between May and December in the Philippines, but since most of the form in the Pacific Ocean , Pandan Island is little affected by this fury of nature.

If you like to check the present weather condition in San Jose / Mindoro Occidental, follow up on typhoons in the area or see a updated satellite picture click on one of the links below:

What to bring

While many things that are needed to ‘survive ‘ on a remote tropical island are available in Pandan or in Sablayan, there are some things which can come in handy and should better be brought from your country.

The list below is not meant to be complete but as a guide to a successful holiday on one of the most beautiful islands in the tropics. All items with an asterisk (*) are hard or impossible to find in the region, if you have questions about special item to bring please contact us at info@pandan.com

What you should bring with you

passport that is valid at least for six month
a visa for the Philippines – in case you plan to stay more than 30 days
sweater for airplane and air con
good sun glasses*
torch (flashlight)
>batteries for your camera* (We appreciate you taking back home all your old batteries since there is no correct way to dispose them in the Philippines.
In case you plan to learn diving, please bring a medical certificate* from your doctor (only necessary if you have any health problems)
personal medicines*
medicine against ear problems (for divers), seasickness, stomach troubles and colds (that you might catch in the airplane or in Manila’s air con rooms).
medicine against malaria – in case you want to be absolutely safe. As far as we know, there is only a very small risk to get infected. See also the medicine.com pages.
sprays against mosquitoes, creams against insect bites
tampons*
condoms, contraceptives
contact lenses, storage solution or glasses. Note that you can buy them very quickly and cheap in every shopping center of Manila. We recommend to get there some of the daily lenses (6 lenses cost about US$ 20), so you don’t have to worry if you loose one while swimming or diving.
Bring your favourite music to listen in on the bar, just connect your MP3 player to our PA system

What you don’t have to bring

Officially there are no required vaccinations necessary for the Philippines, we suggest however to consult your physician on that matter. See also the medicine.com pages.
no use to bring high heels, baby carriage or roller skates – since there are only sand floors on Pandan Island.
a small, but nice library of English, German and French books is waiting for you.
fins, masks, snorkels, all kind of dive equipment and surfboards can be rented in the diveshop.
the diveshop also sells dive computers, fins, masks and snorkels, a big range of Balinese sarongs towels, sun cream, T-shirts and sun hats with Pandan logo.
local handy crafts like handbags and local postcards are sold on the bar.
basic medicines and clothes like T-shirts, Shorts and Slippers are sold nearby in Sablayan town.
Mosquito nets and towels are supplied in every bungalow.
The resort can provide you with a children’s beds and babysitterservice (please order in advance). Napkins and all kind of children’s stuff are sold in Sablayan town.
A big variety of parlor games and playing cards can be borrowed on the bar.