26 FEATURE
philippines
of Philippine Airlines’ direct fl ights between
London and Manila has sparked demand. “This (fl ights) not only means that customers can
get to their destination quicker,” explains Andreas, “but with fi ve fl ights each week they also have more choice when they fl y.” Scuba divers will discover love at fi rst sight in the Philippines, whether they choose World War II wrecks in Palawan, glorious wall dives off Apo Island or technical diving in Puerto Galera. Then there are those beaches, which justifi ably attract superlatives. The Bacuit Archipelago off the western island of Palawan, for example, has limestone islands to rival those of Ha Long Bay but with far fewer tourists than you’d fi nd in Vietnam. The country isn’t all about sand and sea, though. “We always recommend popular beach resorts
like Boracay,” says Oscar Lopera, Product Manager at Travel 2. “But less travelled areas such as the northern Philippines offer a chance to experience real Filipino culture.” The region north of Manila offers plenty of such possibilities including the rice terraces of the Cordillera Mountains, mummies in burial caves in Kabayan and the colonial-era atmosphere of Vigan. With all these options, and many more, now is the time to visit the Philippines - and not just because the country desperately needs tourism. As Lorna Archibald puts it, it’s the perfect time to visit. “Tourist numbers are down, so you’ll have
Previous page: Mindanao; This page top left: a traditional rural scene in the Philippines with, right, the crystal-clear waters of Palawan
the beaches and UNESCO rice terraces and famous Filipino smiles all to yourselves!” she recommends.
What’s new Accommodation: Manila is currently the focus
of attention for several major international hotel brands and recent openings include the Fairmont (
fairmont.com/makati) and the Raffl es (raffl
es.com/makati). Located in the same block, the former has 280 rooms while the latter is a 32-suite boutique hotel.
“Find out where your client’s dive passion lies. There will be something for them whether they’re new to diving or want to enjoy boat diving, shore diving, reef, drift, wreck or wall diving, underwater photography or encountering sharks”
ANDREAS ELIA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, REGALDIVE
Casino hotel developments are also big news at the moment, and several are in development with the new Solaire (
solaireresort.com) already open at Entertainment City close to the airport. One region which is defi nitely up-and-coming
is Palawan, a long and thin island province in the west of the archipelago. It has been described as the country’s ‘fi nal frontier’, but it isn’t quite so unknown these days – and with good reason: it has some magnifi cent island hopping and world-
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EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED BY JOHN OATES “I’d come to expect the unexpected in the Cordillera Mountains of North Luzon, a region known for its stunning rice terraces and inhabited by people whose ancestors never succumbed to colonial rule. I’d already seen the evidence of their lingering animist traditions, such as the ‘hanging coffins’ attached to cliff-side ledges in Sagada. I’d also eaten snails plucked from the rice fields – a delicacy which, as far as I could tell, was unknown in the lowlands. Then there was the unpredictable weather: a planned hike near Banaue had been cancelled after fog rolled in overnight. What I hadn’t expected was to find a green-faced Santa in the Museum of Cordilleran Sculpture (cordilleranmuseum.
weebly.com). “This fantastic little private museum is a labour of love by American expat George Schenk, and contains figures used in funerals, agricultural ceremonies, marriages and the like. Apparently the twentieth century saw the Cordillera as a hotbed of kitsch – like the Santa, and also ‘cigar store Indians’ – produced for export.”
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