Category: Destinations

The AdvenTurista Backpackers Club is organizing a trip to the Siargao Islands from May 13-23, 2006. Everyone is dared to join the adventure!

A US magazine has listed Negros Oriental as one of the planet's 20 best islands to live on. In its July-August issue, Islands Magazine, one of the widest circulated and most trusted travel publications in the United States , included Negros Oriental with its capital Dumaguete as among the best islands in the whole world where expatriates may settle based on the following criteria: flip-flop wearability, strong expat communities, and affordable real estate.

Rizal Park

Manila Tourist District

Manila, which was named after a white-flowered mangrove plant called nilad, was a tiny Malay settlement along the Pasig River ruled by Rajah Sulayman in the 16th century. The Spanish colonizers moved the capital of the Philippines from Cebu to Manila in 1571. They built the walled city of Intramuros, which for the next 300 years, was to become the nerve center of the Spanish rule.

About 804 new hotel and resort rooms opened in Cebu in 2009.  These rooms included those of the PhP3.18 billion Imperial Palace Water Park, Resort and Spa (567 rooms), Citi Park Hotel (105 rooms), Alpa City Suites (84 rooms), Oftana Suites (24 rooms), and Grand Terra Suite (24 rooms).

Surigao del Norte province plans to offer more attractions beyond surfing to entice more visitors.  In August, the local government held its first Siargao Surfing Festival, making the sport an official part of the province’s tourism programme. Aside from the usual surfing contest, the festival also involved an Agri and Aqua Trade Fair in the town of General Luna.
More tourist spots are now being developed on Siargao Island, including a mangrove fishing project to be patterned after Darwin, Australia’s mangrove sports fishing festival. The project will cover the town of Del Carmen, extending to the towns San Benito, Santa Monica and Pilar. The mangrove area on the island covers around 8,000 hectares.
Two international events are also held in Siargao – the International Surfing Cup in Gen. Luna and the International Game Fishing Competition in the town of Pilar.

Originally designed to only produce clean electricity, the Northwind Bangui Wind Farm, otherwise known as the Ilocos wind mills, has also become a famous tourist attraction on its own in Ilocos Norte province. Some people call them giant electric fans, which are visible from the highway leading to the beach resort of Pagudpud.

With the addition of the Bangui wind mills in Bangui to its growing list of tourist attractions, Ilocos Norte has become a major tourist destination in Luzon, thanks to its white-sand beaches in Pagudpud, the beautiful Baroque churches including the Paoay Church, the hotel complex at Fort Ilocandia, the houses and other facilities owned by the late President Ferdinand Marcos in Batac, the Sand Dunes in Laoag, the Kapurpurawan white rock formation and Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos.

Makati and Ortigas Districts

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.