The Philippines (2025)

The Philippines had been high on my travel bucket list for years and was at the top since travelling South America last year. Therefore, I decided that my big trip of 2025 (and also my 99th country!) would be to these gorgeous islands. Trying to decide exactly which islands to visit was harder than expected, as all of the places that I’d been recommended, including Palawan, Boracay and Cebu, weren’t very close to each other and I was keen to avoid flying between islands in order to minimise our travel days and also to be more environmentally conscious. After much research, we decided that given the limited time we had, it would make the most sense to visit Moalboal, Bohol, and Cebu City, travelling by car or boat between the different locations.

Day 1 - London / Doha / Cebu 

Getting to the Philippines was a task in itself, with an outbound flight of almost seven hours, followed by a layover in Doha and a nine and a half hour flight. Luckily, our first flight had WiFi available throughout its entirety and was fairly empty, meaning both Becca and I had a whole row to ourselves. That said, we took off at 5pm BST so didn’t actually manage to sleep on that flight, try as we might. The second flight only allowed for one hour of patchy WiFi and was full so we both struggled to sleep, and as it was an overnight flight, I wasn’t awake enough to enjoy the entertainment either. Nonetheless, we eventually arrived in Cebu City and took a three hour drive straight to Moalboal on the south of the island. Our taxi driver very kindly made a pit stop at a 7-Eleven for snacks too, which was appreciated. We arrived to our Airbnb just gone 9pm and after a quick shower, passed out, which meant we got used to the time zone immediately.

Day 2 - Moalboal

We awoke to nearby cattle sounds at 5:30am and were very hungry. Restaurants only opened between 7am and 8am, so we took our time getting ready, then headed towards the beach a mere 15-minute walk away, noting any open cafés en route where we could be fed. We passed one and immediately tried the local breakfast, ‘silog’, which comprises garlic rice with a fried egg and meat on the side, alongside a banana, which really hit the spot. I love trying the local food at least a few times whilst abroad, and always aim to do it early on so that I feel less guilty if I want more home comforts by the end of the trip. 

We then headed to Panagsama beach, where we decided to rent some snorkels and just swim out. Incredibly, as we swam out, we saw hordes of sardines, which was much more impressive than I’d anticipated. There had been the option to go on a ‘sardine run’ tour, however I wasn’t too fussed about this, and as it turned out the tour groups were here doing the exact same thing that we were, but with less freedom and more costs! It was very cool to see, especially as I hadn’t expected it, and as I swam to the edge of the reef I spotted two huge sea turtles, which was absolutely incredible. I got Becca’s attention and showed her too, and we both managed to have a proper look before the tour groups spotted them and crowded around. There were also many little corals and other colourful fish, included clownfish and blue tang fish (also known as Nemo and Dory). 

We chilled on the beach reading our books, and once we became hungry, we set off down the strip in search of lunch. We’d both seen good reviews for a restaurant called ‘Hungry Monkeys’ so chose this location and despite them not having what we initially wanted, the food we ended up with was absolutely delicious and the drinks were very refreshing. 

With our bellies filled, we took a tuktuk to ‘White Beach’, which was gorgeous but absolutely packed. Granted, it was Easter Sunday, so many people were likely out celebrating with their families on this gorgeous day. It was interesting to see everyone in t-shirts whilst in the sea, which we initially thought was due to it being jellyfish season, but it seems that it was also to protect against the sun, which was much stronger than we’d realised. Luckily, we’re both pale girlies so we were lathered in SPF regardless (and still burned). 

Once we were satisfied with our beach day, we got a tuktuk home and refreshed, then decompressed, until dinner. We went to 'Smooth Café' for dinner, where there was live music and cocktails, and it was here that I tried the pork belly ‘adobo’, another local dish. Although the flavours were divine, the pork belly was very fatty (which I don’t love) and the weather was very hot and humid, so I was excited to get back to the Airbnb for the night. One thing I loved about our place in Moalboal was that it was within walking distance of the main beach and restaurants, and the stars were extremely visible, making the walks home easy but beautiful. 

Day 3 - Moalboal

The following morning, we woke up at 6am for something that had been on my bucket list for years: canyoneering. Both Becca and I love water activities, and we’ve gone cave tubing in Belize, swam in cenotes in Mexico, and explored waterfalls in Montenegro, so we’re very familiar and comfortable in water. What we were more nervous about was the cliff jumping and sliding into the water (and also potentially the hike up to the canyoneering start point). 

After an early rise, we awaited our transport on the side of the road and whilst there, a local chatted to us. One thing that differentiated the Philippines from almost anywhere else I’d been to was its people - they were so incredibly friendly and kind, which always takes some getting used to as a Londoner. Eventually our van came to pick us up and we headed towards Kawasan Falls to get kitted up in a helmet, life jacket and water shoes. 

We then had the choice of either walking 30-40 minutes to the start point, or taking a 5-minute zip line straight there. I’m not too fussed about zip lining but Becca wanted to give it a go, so I followed suit. What they hadn’t mentioned is that we’d be getting a motorbike ride to the zip line. They simply said “you two get on this motorbike”, which is a squeeze at the best of times, but especially when we both have life jackets on. I was at the back with Becca squished in the middle, but I was barely hanging on and the path was very narrow and windy, with a cliff edge on the side. There were steep ascents, which I was already shitting it on, however when the driver shouted “hold on, scary” at the very end prior to a steep descent, I thought I was going to die. Thankfully, we made it off alright but all that was going through my head was what on earth have we signed up for. 

I wasn’t feeling too confident about the zip line, especially after seeing another girl in the group panicking right before doing it, but it ended up being quite fun. That said, the guy setting me up hadn’t told me how to land at the other side, so if I hadn’t overheard Becca’s guy, I’d have had no idea, which didn’t fill me with confidence either. Finally, we were ready to start the canyoneering itself. The jumps were much less scary than I’d anticipated and the whole experience was a lot of fun. We swam through caves, jumped off cliffs, and swam under a waterfall - it was a highlight of the entire trip and I’d definitely recommend it if you’re in Moalboal! It also helped that each person had their own tour guide, so it felt very safe and the group split up so could each person could go at their own pace. The guides were very fun and kept joking around, but also were encouraging. The falls were also absolutely stunning, with very vibrant water. Becca had done some research on the activity beforehand and suggested wearing cycling shorts instead of just a swimsuit, which was a huge help and I cannot recommend enough; not only did it provide some coverage when jumping into the water, but it also prevented any chafing whilst walking between the jumps. 

Once the fun was had, we had lunch with the group, which comprised a stir fry, spring rolls with sweet chilli, pork bites, rice, fried chicken, watermelon, and iced tea. We were then dropped off back at our Airbnb and despite planning to head back to Panagsama beach, we ended up having a three hour nap, so were clearly more knackered than we’d realised. I then read for a bit and messaged loved ones whilst Becca snoozed for a bit longer, and eventually we headed to ‘El Mercado’, a busy market with an abundance of food options, for dinner. It was very close to us and offered a lot of variety whilst not being too pricey, so was exactly what we needed. 

Day 4 - Moalboal / Bohol

We spent our last morning in Moalboal enjoying breakfast at 'Okeanos Bistro', where I got the Filipino version of an English breakfast and Becca ordered a Filipino breakfast. The food was delicious, although I’d ordered an iced cappuccino which I'd never tried before. We’d pre-booked a taxi with the help of the Airbnb owner to take us from Oslob on Cebu Island to Panglao Island. The driver was waiting when we got back from breakfast, so we quickly checked out and made our way to the port. 

The drive from Moalboal to Oslob allowed us to see much more of the island, especially the less touristic parts, and it was absolutely beautiful and very reminiscent of Maui in Hawaii. That said, the driver kept revving and braking (which we found to be very common in the Philippines) so by the time we arrived at the port we were both feeling very queasy indeed. To say it was a port is a stretch, as there was no building, it was simply a few benches located on the coast, but we checked in and waited. 

The ferry was located off-shore, so a smaller boat made several trips between the ferry and the shore, transporting passengers and luggage each time it did so. It took a while, but eventually it filled up and off we went. We sat next to a chatty British girl, who kept us entertained throughout the journey, which took two and a half hours, rather than the one and a half hours advertised, but eventually we arrived at Panglao Island. Here, various ‘jeepneys’ were waiting, which are Panglao’s version of a bus, and we were distributed across our hotels and airbnbs. 

What Becca and I hadn’t realised is that our Airbnb was not very central, so unless you had a motorbike or moped, it’d be hard to get anywhere. It was 4pm and we were starving, having not had lunch, and the nearest restaurant was a 10-minute walk away in the 32°C heat. As it turns out, this ‘restaurant’ was a shack by the side of the road, but beggars can’t be choosers, so we sat down and awaited our meal. By the time it arrived, it was 5pm, and as sunset was at 5:30pm, there wasn’t really much time to do any sightseeing, so Becca swam in the pool at our Airbnb whilst I chilled in the room. As night approached, I’d banked on no dinner and a struggle for breakfast too but Becca was hungry so started having a little dig around. We were outside the catchment area for most food delivery services and since we weren’t in the town centre, it’d be hard to hail a tuktuk. Eventually however, Becca found a random person advertising a food delivery service on Facebook so we placed an order for Jollibee, Philippines’ most popular fast food chain, and low and behold, he truly delivered (literally!). Furthermore, I messaged our Airbnb host requesting the paid breakfast to be included and she offered it for free! Things were suddenly looking up, and I was excited for the rest of our time in Panglao. 

Day 5 - Bohol

Although our Airbnb was in Panglao, we mainly wanted to explore Bohol, the neighbouring island and the site of many tourist attractions. We had pre-booked a day tour which explored most of the sights, including a man-made forest, a tarsiers sanctuary, the chocolate hills, and Lopoc river. 

We were picked up by a large coach, which was spacious and air conditioned, both of which were greatly appreciated, although our tour guide was an American man who now lived in the Philippines, which threw us off slightly, although he seemed very knowledgeable about the area regardless. We started by driving to the man-made forest, which was built in a restorative effort following a period of deforestation, however mahogany trees were planted, which are not native to the region and therefore impacted biodiversity negatively. Nonetheless, the forest was beautiful and it was such a popular spot for photographs that there was even a road sign stating “picture taking area”. 

We then made our way to the Tarsiers Sanctuary, which I was both excited and creeped out by. Tarsiers are the smallest marsupial in the world and are nocturnal, with eyes fixed on their head meaning that to look at different angles they have to turn their whole head, which they can do up to 180°. They were often hidden under leaves or on tree branches, and we managed to see several of them, and whilst they were somewhat cute, I still find there’s something creepy about them.  

Our next stop was the one I’d most been looking forward to: the chocolate hills. These are a series of tall mounds rising from the earth which sort of give Hobbiton vibes. They were absolutely beautiful but very crowded and there were huge groups of tourists taking up entire sections of the viewpoint for photoshoots, which was very annoying and also a theme of the trip. Instead, I did some souvenir shopping, which was dreamy. 

For lunch, we went on a boat cruise through Lopoc river - the food was delicious, the views stunning and the live music atmospheric. There was a stop at an island which celebrated the indigenous population, however we were told that the people we’d seen weren’t actually living by the river but instead were performing for the tourists. I felt more comfortable remaining in the boat as something about tourists going and gaping at how those who are less well-off live feels questionable to me, but it was fun seeing the little kiddos climbing the trees and jumping into the river. 

The tour had finished earlier than expected, so the tour guide offered us one more stop and the popular vote was the Butterfly Sanctuary. I wasn’t too keen as we’d already been to one in Peru and I didn’t think much of it, however there were also other animals, including a king python and crocodiles, which made it slightly more worthwhile, although again I was in two minds about entering. 

Once the tour was over, our coach driver kindly dropped us off by Alona Beach, the touristy part of the island, which was absolutely gorgeous and very relaxing. We spotted a surfing dog, which kept us very entertained, and stayed on the beach until dinner time, whereafter we headed to a nearby sushi restaurant for dinner. The food was the most expensive we’d had until this point by a mile, but it was absolutely delicious and exactly what we needed. We then took a tuktuk back to our Airbnb and showered before heading to bed. One thing that I immediately noticed about Bohol was that the tuktuks varied substantially here compared to in Moalboal; in Moalboal the tuktuks were essentially a motorbike with a metal frame attached to the side so that the passengers sat beside the driver, whereas in Bohol the tuktuks were similar to the rickshaws in India, with the driver front and centre and the passengers sat behind. 

Day 6 - Bohol 

We planned for our final day in Bohol to be very relaxing, especially as we were then going to a large city. Despite this, I awoke at 4am. It worked quite well as it meant that I could message all of my loved ones until breakfast at the Airbnb, which comprised two fried eggs, toast, and fruit. After breakfast, we rode a tuktuk to a white beach nearby, which was gorgeous yet quiet and we found the perfect spot under a palm tree with a combination of shade and sun and also a place to hang our bags and stretch out our towels. It was magnificent. 

Before lunch, I realised that despite putting on factor 30 SPF three times and staying mainly under the shade, my legs were getting burnt. The water was also very shallow and we were reaching the most intense hours of sunlight so we got a tuktuk back to Alona beach, where we could grab some lunch and stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day, before heading back to the beach. I ate ‘pancit canton guisado’, which is similar to a stir fry, and was shocked by how huge the portions were (although the pitcher of iced tea was much appreciated). We stayed in the restaurant until 3pm and then made our way to Alona beach, buying a couple more souvenirs en route. It was much more shaded than the white beach so I avoided exacerbating my burnt legs, which was ideal. 

By the time we were ready to go home, we weren’t very hungry, and since our Airbnb was in the middle of nowhere, we instead decided to pick up some bits from 7-Eleven to eat at home. I bought some mango from a fruit seller on the beach, which unfortunately wasn’t sweet at all, but also some tuna sushi from 7-Eleven which hit the spot. 

As I entered the bathroom in our Airbnb, I saw a thin, black line on the floor which looked like a bug. We’d seen many an animal in our room by this point in the trip, so as usual I asked Becca to remove it. She said it smelt bad, which immediately made me think that it was the faeces of a larger animal, such as a toad, that we must’ve been sharing our room with. I looked around but didn’t see anything so got into bed, when all of a sudden I see what I think is a gecko crawling along the wall of our room. We freaked out and I went to the reception in the hope that someone would remove it from our room. Instead, they offered to make it hide and said that the lizard would be more scared of us than we were of it. 

I struggled to relax but it seemed to have disappeared so I decided to just go to bed since it was our last night in this Airbnb. Unfortunately, Becca woke me up when it reappeared and approached the beam right above our beds. It stayed there for a while and although I was definitely on edge, I eventually managed to fall asleep again.

Day 7 - Bohol / Cebu City

Day 7 was a travel day. We had our final breakfast at the Airbnb in Panglao and read our books until check out at 11am. We then got a tuktuk to the port, which had been pre-arranged with the reception, and this time the port was much more robust - there were various counters, a luggage drop, restaurants and shops. Our ferry was only at 1pm so we grabbed some noodles for lunch and before we knew it, we were off. The ferry only took one hour, during which I happily napped and finished my book. 

As we arrived into Cebu City, it was chaos, with various people speaking over one another and children trying to direct us to where we needed to be. It wasn’t a pleasant environment, but we managed to get into a taxi bound for our final Airbnb; an apartment on the 23rd floor of a city skyscraper with a large pool. Ideally, by the time we reached the Airbnb the pool was in the shade so after settling in, we spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool. 

After getting ready for dinner, we walked to a nearby restaurant called 'The Weekend', where I had braised short rib with mash, which was absolutely delectable. It was pricier than usual and we had to weave through oncoming traffic and pass stray dogs (of which there were many in the Philippines) to get there, but it was one hundred per cent worth it. 

Day 8 - Cebu City

To be completely honest, we actually had no idea what we were planning to do in Cebu City, we’d simply been told to avoid Manila and so assumed that Cebu City would be more worthwhile. That said, the more we looked into it, the less there appeared to be. Nonetheless, Becca had made a rough plan of how to spend the day and we were aiming to see most of the sights in just one day. 

We started the day off strong with a ‘ube pandesal’ and an ‘ensaymada’ for breakfast. These breads had been recommended to me by a Filipina friend of mine and were nice; specifically, the pandesal was purple due to the purple yam used and had the texture of a brioche, which I hadn’t been expecting. 

We called a Grab (similar to an Uber) to take us to Sirao Garden, also known as the little Amsterdam of Cebu, and after getting in the car, the driver told us that it was outside the Grab catchment area so we’d have to change the destination, and he then charged us much more, which was very questionable and our only subpar experience with a local. That said, he then drove us to all of the main sights which were outside of the city so it ended up being very convenient as we essentially had our own private transport. Although the garden was gorgeous, it was definitely more a ground for photoshoots than botany and was very crowded. 

We then ventured towards the Temple of Leah, a non-religious temple built by a man in honour of his wife, Leah. It was pretty and offered nice views, but again was busy and took a while to get to. Our final stop before heading back to the city was the Taoist Temple; we didn’t spend very long here but it was very cool with lanterns, dragons and shrines everywhere and it was very well maintained.

Our driver then dropped us off by Fort San Pedro, in the city centre of Cebu, which was perfect as we wanted to grab some lunch and avoid the peak hours of sun, before exploring the city centre in the afternoon. We went to a restaurant called KKD and ate on the balcony, and although the food wasn’t my favourite, the fruit shakes were delightful and the ‘halo-halo’ dessert was delicious. We’d been wanting to try this classic Filipino dessert since we arrived and it was worth the wait. 

As the heat subsided slightly, we walked along the main sites of the city, including past Magellan’s Cross, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and Cebu Heritage Monument. All of these were interesting, although on this short walk we saw a lot of homelessness and poverty, which was heartbreaking and had been fairly hidden from us until this point. Once we felt satisfied that we’d seen everything we wanted to see, we caught a ride back to the hotel and spent the rest of the evening swimming in the pool. 

We had dinner at Trattoria de Gianni, an Italian restaurant nearby; the mains were decent and the wine good, but the absolute highlight was the focaccia starter with pesto, olive tapenade, and tomatoes. 

Day 9 - Cebu City 

Despite having seen all of the tourist attractions we’d wanted to see, we still had another full day in the city so after much umming and ahing, we decided to buy some day passes for a resort and spend the day swimming and lounging about in the sun. But first, breakfast. 

We headed to 'Abaca Baking Company Crossroads' for breakfast, which was only a 10-minute walk from our Airbnb but involved crossing many chaotic roads with questionable pavements. It had rained the night before, and as we were making our way to the restaurant, both of us slipped in some mud and got very muddy feet. This was right in front of a construction site, and a random man who happened to be nearby told us to follow him, leading us to a water tap inside the construction site in order to wash our feet. It was incredibly sweet of him and was just one more example of the kindness of the locals as he went out of his way to be kind when many people wouldn’t have. That said, his colleagues then came out and asked us for pictures, which was less endearing. 

Breakfast was absolutely delicious; I had pancakes with a pain au chocolate to go and both were incredible. We then headed to the resort, 'Plantation Bay Resort and Spa', where we bought a day pass which not only including use of the pools and lunch, but also paddle boarding, golf carts, climbing, archery, table tennis, pool and much more! We found an empty gazebo and pulled some sun loungers into it so had an ideal set up for the day and surprisingly, it remained fairly quiet for the whole day! We swam to our hearts content between the salt water and freshwater pools, slid down the water slide, and jumped into the pools. It was a lot of fun and the perfect end to a wonderful trip. We made the most of the amenities on offer too, by paddle boarding in the morning and playing table tennis and pool in the afternoon. All in all, it was a wonderful day and I had no complaints at all. 

For dinner, Becca really fancied some sushi however I was feeling pretty queasy so didn’t go all out. We went to a nice place but the sushi that I ordered had wasabi in it, which I’m not a fan of at all, and the service was pretty slow, so I wouldn’t recommend. 

Day 10 - Cebu / Doha / London

With a very long travel day ahead and an evening flight, we spent our morning at 'Abaca Baking Company Crossroads' once again for breakfast. As expected, the food was everything we wished for, and since we had to check out at 11am, we headed back to shower and pack before leaving for the airport. Our flight was only at 7:25pm, but we’d seen everything we wanted to and it was too hot to walk around so we instead chilled at the airport, reading our books, exchanging money, and enjoying the lounge. It was a lot of waiting around but wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Our first flight was 13 and a half hours, however we managed to get extra leg room and I slept for most of it, and then in Doha Airport we had a 4 hour layover. I had been wanting to sleep in a pod, a bucket list item of mine, as I knew that these existed in the airport, however we were told that there wasn’t any space and the only thing with availability was the showers. We took them up on this and it was surprisingly refreshing, especially after such a long flight. As we walked out, one of the staff members came over to us and offered us a pod each as others hadn’t turned up, so we managed to chill in the pods, which I enjoyed greatly! Our final flight was meant to be seven hours but landed earlier than usual, and before I knew it, I was back home. 

The Philippines had been very high on my bucket list for many years and it did not disappoint; the people were lovely, the food delicious and the landscapes stunning - if you have the opportunity to visit, I would highly recommend it!