Travel Tips 

Below are a few travel tips from ASAWA visitors.  If you need the absolute latest scoop, though, join the ASAWA forum and visit the Travel section.  There's a wealth of information there, and you can ask specific travel questions. 

Travel Tip and comments by ASAWA visitors

Paul has some very useful advice regarding balikbayan packages and such: "I just returned from my third trip to the PI...I discovered by accident that the "other" local carriers, at least Cebu Pacific, but I am told the others are doing it also, have a policy that waives over-weight charges on your balikbayan boxes IF you show them your INTERNATIONAL boarding pass for that exact day.  It will not be good on another day.  They waived 1,400 pesos of over-weight charges for me. BUT, you have to ask for the manager and you have to ASK for it.  It is not posted anywhere and the counter girls will not tell you about it, if they know. I prefer to fly Cebu Pacific domestically and they have many good promotions, IF, you ASK.  They are not usually offered, at least to a foreigner, if you DON'T ASK.  There is a 2 for 1 sale on tickets, Manila - Davao, and maybe also Cagayan.  Makes the planes very full, so a reservation is helpful.  I usually just go straight to the Domestic Airport from Ninoy International and catch the next Cebu Pacific to Davao, but last time had to wait standby, "chance passenger".  You only get the two for one from certain ticket offices, not at the airport office.  Also, they have other promotions.  I went Davao to Cebu on a "buy 2 get 1 free" that was cheaper than 2 round trips. Air Philippines is having terrific promotions due to the recent crash near Davao.   I doubt they will crash again soon.  Everybody is discounting flights to Zamboanga, for obvious reasons." 

Just in from the Philippines, Dave writes, "The ROYAL PALM in Ermita is a great place and I highly recommend it. For around P1400 a night you get a nice clean room with hot shower, super aircon and splendid service. They also have a nice restaurant/lounge and gaming room.  

Our friends Don and Narcing contribute this: "We use a local travel agent who gets tickets thru Pacific Air Leisure, a consolidator for Philippine Air Lines- In Los Angeles.  Prices vary from $650 to over $1100, depending on the season.  Philippine Air Lines allows two 70lb Balikbayan boxes per passenger.  Some of the other airlines don't.  If you are going to bring 'pasalubong' you will need two boxes.  We travel light and buy our clothes there (clothes are much cheaper). If you are going elsewhere in the Islands, like Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, you must pay extra for the second box, UNLESS you are on PAL  (Philippine Air Lines). PAL also has the Cebu connection which is included in the price to Manila (Airport Transfers free). If you take a smaller aircraft, Fokker 50, for example you might have to wait a week for your luggage to catch up with you. 

Lyle in Santa Monica offers the following: "My wife, Lyn, and I use a ticketing group for Philippine Airlines called Air Cruise Systems.  They are located on Wilshire Blvd. here in L.A. (don't have exact address, but can get it if you want).  The phone number was 213/381-7877, but the area code might now be 323 as they are switching numbers within the 213 area code.  Air Cruise has always been good to us.  Please note that they only ticket for Philippine Airlines. Also, for any folks headed to Cebu and particularly those who want to spend some time on Mactan Island (where the airport is located), I have a couple of recommendations on hotels.  Certainly, if a guy has plenty of money to burn you can stay at the Waterfront Hotel, the new Marriott in Cebu or the Shangri La on Mactan.  Cebu has plenty of swank hotels and resorts.  However, if you want an excellent place to stay near the airport that will not break the bank, I recommend The Bellavista Hotel.  It is a super place with a beautiful rooftop pool and restaurant.  It is located near the foot of the new Lapu Lapu/Mactan-Mandaue Bridge on the Mactan-side (on M.L. Quezon Street). I love the place and they treat you so well.  Best of all, you avoid most of the other foreigners who are more inclined to stay in Cebu...I highly recommend the Bellavista. Also, there is a relatively new Days Inn Hotel located very near the Mactan-Cebu Airport.  It is a no frills, plain Jane kinda place, but it's new and the rooms are very clean and up-to-date.  Just what you would find in a new Days Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, etc.  I spent one night at the Days and it was perfectly fine. Anyone wanting to know more about Mactan-Cebu can drop me a line.  I try to stay out of Cebu proper as much as possible.  I avoid the tourist scene and tend to mingle with the locals and my wife's family as much as possible, so I will not be able to tell you much about the "touristy" parts of the area.  My wife's family lives within walking distance of the Mactan-Cebu Airport, so I can provide plenty of info. about Lapu Lapu City and the surrounding area." 

Iain suggests: Hotel deals etc. -about the only service I use nowadays for hotels is Asia Travel. The hotel deals they have cannot be beaten (from a 12 year Asian road  warrior).http://www.asiatravel.com/philippines.html.   

Douglas writes: Here is the place I used for a consolidator fare from Cleveland to Davao. It was Cleveland to Cincinnati to Los Angeles on Delta then to Manila to Davao on PAL. It was $1,070 round trip: http://www.saftravel.com/ Call 1-800-800-7510 at SAF Philadelphia, PA and a sk for Merle (Mer-Lee). It would have only been $860 to Manila.  

Several folks have contacted me regarding the new DialPad service at www.dialpad.com.  After signing up (free) you can make free domestic calls to anywhere in the U.S.  I've been told by a few folks that anyone with a PC in the Philippines can use the service to call a U.S. destination, too (though you can't call the Philippines from the States - yet).  

Ranma advises us that the current (as of June 2000) airport exit fee in Manila is 550 pesos, or about $13.  Don't arrive at the terminal without it, or you'll be watching your own flight take off.

Fiancé Sean wrote to say that his fiancee told him that some Americans who frequent the Clarkton Hotel in Angeles buy their tickets from http://www.aircourier.org/.  I checked out their site and didn't see any Philippine destinations, but clearly there's no reason for anyone to make something like that up, so possibly the courier service only posts Philippine destinations when they need something delivered there.  If you're planning a trip to the islands, it wouldn't hurt you to call them up and see if they have any unposted tickets available.