First trip to Philippines and I have a few questions (Sabang Beach area)

[Luky]

(You can skip the long background here and just go to my questions below if you want…)

I recently got the bug up my butt to go on another dive vacation and started planning. I have done a few dives in Hawaii and got certified in Jamaica in 01. I have also done and some diving here in San Diego (too cold for me!). I have been to Cozumel five times for week long trips with my Dive Buddy every other year which has been great, but I decided I was bored with Coz and wanted to dive elsewhere. I was looking at various options and I decided on the Philippines as the costs seemed on the lower side like Coz along with some excellent diving opportunities (like Coz). I have had a saltwater fish or reef tank for about 25 years and love seeing my “pets” in their natural environment. As so many aquarium species come from the Philippines, I am really excited about this trip. Unfortunately my Dive buddy does not have enough PTO to go and my brother has other commitments (mainly a 42’ sailboat that sucks up a lot of his spare funds) so I will be going solo.


My wife is a little freaked out as she does not think the PI is very safe, but I have been travelling all over Asia for work (Taiwan, Korea, Japan, China, HK, Malaysia, Singapore…) mostly solo, 3-4 trips a year for the last 15 years. I am not really worried about it as it is just a matter of watching your surroundings and maintaining situational awareness. Generally I have found western/tourist areas are pretty safe and I have seldom felt uncomfortable as long as you use common sense.


I have been reading a lot of travel blogs and trip reports, (undercurrent.org has good info), YouTube videos, etc. learning about where to go, what to expect, etc. I was going to go to Anilao, as it seemed like the closer dive spot to Manila (easier to get to), and then found out there was not much there to do which might be very boring by myself… Then I discovered Puerta Galara/Sabang was just a little further and offered more choices for food, shopping, exploring, etc. So I started researching where to go, stay and dive. I was looking at Badladz but it looked like a dump, Atlantis seemed expensive, Scandi Divers looked pretty good but seems far from Sabang to be walking around at night by myself… I finally narrowed it down to El Galleon/Asia divers as best meeting my needs. I made arrangements with them for an “economy” pool side room for 9 nights with diving in late May, 2018. Then I stumbled on another resort called Out of the Blue, which was is in the middle of small lalaguna beach (5 min from El Galleon) and for a little more money (got a 20% discount for booking in Feb) got breakfast included, a nicer room with a King bed and a jacuzzi which should be nice after 3-5 dives a day for a week… They also are reported to have an excellent restaurant (The Verandah).


I think I am still going to dive with Asia divers, instead of the OotB “in-house” Action divers, but figured I would play it by ear until I get there. I like that Asia divers has regular “speed boats” and a real dock, as well as nice facilities, and only charges $66 to use nitrox for a week which is a good value if I can get in 24+ dives as I plan. I have read some good reviews of Action divers and having fewer divers per DM vs Asia divers which might drop 10-12 people at a spot. But the speedboats from Asia divers to go to Verde Island are much quicker…


Questions:

I am scheduled to arrive in Manila at 10:50pm Saturday night. Is it likely I will be able to buy a SIM card for my phone in the airport that late? I have found I can get a 4G China Unicom SIM from Amazon and have it activated before I go so I just install it when we land and I have service/data plan right away. Can I get a Philippines pre-paid SIM card anywhere in the US with 1-2GB of data? Will a CDMA phone (Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 4) work OK in the Sabang/PG area?

Will there be a currency exchange open at the airport past midnight so I can get taxi money? Or maybe an ATM I can hit for a few thousand peso? I already contacted the hotel and they can exchange cash when I get there (I doubt they will give a very good rate, though likely better than the airport).


Since I am arriving so late I figure I won’t get to the hotel in Malate till about 1 or 2am. I booked one night at the City State Tower hotel where the Sikat bus departs at 8:30am to go to Bantangas pier. Although I am seriously considering sleeping late and taking the Air Juan Sea Plane to PG. They have a 9:20am or a 12:30pm flight which is only 30min to PG, and the sea port looks close by to Malate where the hotel is located (20-30min by taxi?). So for about $160 (planning to pay extra for my dive gear ~$1/Lb; only 10kg baggage included) this will let me get some rest at the start of my vacation vs trying to sleep on the bus and a boat. It’s about the same price as a private car/private boat so seems like a good way for a solo traveler to get there. Has anyone actually used the Air Juan Sea Plane to PG before? Is it OK? Any tips? (I think it would be a cool way to go and I might even be able to get in an afternoon dive that first day.)


Typically I always carry my passport with me, but I was reading some travelers “tips” from a website, and it said it is better to leave it in your room safe. What do you think?


Are in-room safes at a small resort in Sabang or small Lalaguna really safe? (Staying at the Hilton in Shanghai it never bothered me leaving items in my room safe.) Should I worry about leaving my laptop in the room if it won’t fit in the safe? (I always lock it up in China.)


As I know PI is a cash society (like China), and from emailing with the resorts I know I can get better pricing for using cash; I plan to take about $3k-$4k USD with me to cover the hotel, diving, food, travel, bars, incidentals, etc. I tend to split up my cash into different zipper pockets in my bags and on my person. I know not to pull out a large amount of bills, but 150,000-200,000p seems like it will be a lot of bills after I exchange it (even with mostly 500p notes). Should I leave it as USD and just change a few hundred dollars as I need it? Is there a decent place to exchange it in Sabang Beach? Will the resorts/dive shops take USD? (And give a fair exchange rate?)


How about tipping the DM and boat crew? Is this typical in PI? What is a reasonable tip? Do you tip after every dive or end of day? or after diving with a service for a week?


Do you take water/snacks out on the boat or are any provided? I know they come back to the dock after each dive, but something hot/cold right after getting out of the water is nice to have.


I am hoping to meet someone to hang with while I am there, but as I am not very outgoing with strangers I will be loading a bunch of books on my Kindle to keep me busy… I am used to exploring new places by myself, but this will be my first “solo” dive trip. Looking forward to some good Pilipino “street food”, especially “meat on a stick”.

 

[Tippytoes12]

Hi there

Haven’t been to the PG , but have been to several other places in th Philippines. The airport is a big busy international airport and functions24 h. There are ATM and money changers open all hours. U don’t think that there is much between them but it always pays to ask a few. There are always refreshments on the boat , water and a towel and the boat crew are super helpful . There will also be food if it’s a two tank dive , otherwise if you go back to the resort there will be tea , coffee and Cooke’s avaialble. Has your resortvasked you to pay in cash dollars ? I personally wouldn’t take all of that cash unless an extremely good deal was available. It’s so easy to drop a bag or to forget to pick it up. A seaplane transfer sounds Amazing. With your budget for 9 days you should be able to easily afford this.

A laptop will be perfectly safe in a locked room in a dive resort. Lock it in your bag is you are concerned. As for tipping , there is usually a tip box where you can leave a tip that is shared with everybody. That way the person who chops the vegetables or cleans the bedrooms also gets a share. Many countries ahave no tipping culture , the absolute maximum I would tip after a week is 10% of the total. Many people tip less , working in the dive industry is a good job and if extremely large tips ie 20 % of the total was expected many guests would stay at home....no guests = no jobs.

Have a wonderful trip , hope this helps you a bit.

 

[Searcaigh]

In my experience I have paid for dive trips in USD and transferred the funds via the bank, which is must safer than carrying $3-4K around in your pocket.

If you plan to use ATMs to withdraw pesos, inform your bank first that you will be in the PI otherwise you may find you card blocked.

As for traveling to PG / Sabang, why not arrange for a car? Cheaper than a seaplane although more expensive than the bus.

Asian Divers are a good outfit

 

[Centrals]

1. Philippine is very SAFE.
2. There are THREE terminals for different airlines! T2 is exclusively for PAL while T1 is mostly for North American arrival. Buy the SIM card on arrival. There should be banks opened for business late at night.
3. Get a room at City State Tower and you should arrive at Sabang around noon, plenty of time to do couple of dives if you are NOT too tired with all the travelling. Get the private transfer for the return.
4. Word of warning, there are plenty seedy characters around Malate late at night. I would advice you to stay in the hotel once checked-in. There is nothing out there early in the morning unless you really fancy a drink or two in some places where your wife would really freak out!!
5. Carrying large sum of money is always risky no matter where you stay. The largest denomination in Peso is 1,000.00(~US$20.00). The exchange rate in Sabang is acceptable and I would suggest you just to change a few hundred on your arrival.
6. Both Action Divers and Asia Divers have been around well over 20yrs.
7. Tipping!!!!! American are well known to be good tippers but rest of the world just won't follow that "tradition". Most dive operators would have a tip box displayed in a prominent position and the "booty" is being shared among the staffs. However, the free lance DM usually do not receive anything from it. So you better ask about it. How much? P100.00 per dive for the DM and P200.00 for the shop and do that after your last dive. Do NOT tip if you don't feel like it! There is NO obligation.
8. Bring a small bottle of water if you feel like it. Most dive sites are about 10 mins away so snack is really not necessary.
9. Keep your eye on weather forecast.
10. Have a nice one.

 

[Luky]

Thank you for the feedback gentlemen. When talking with El Galleon resort/Asia divers they told me 5% discount for cash, vs a 5% adder if using a credit card. Also they offered 10% discount for dives if I prepay for 6 or more in a package... So I plan to negotiate a package up front to save a little as I will be diving all week. I was able to reserve at OotB resort online ansd pay a 30% deposit with my credit card so no bank transfer issues.

Searcaigh - good advise on the bank atm card. I know I can do this online with my bank. The price that was quoted for a private car+private boat to sabang was about the same as the sea plane (7000p). If you have a small group the car/boat would be better but being solo this trip... So my decision is a 30 min flight vs 3-4 hours by road. Seems like an easy choice; I can sleep later then get a SIM and hit a money changer in the late morning before going to the sea port (google maps says 10 min ride from hotel). And still get to sabang by 1pm or so.

Centrals - I will be flying in on EVA air from Taipei, and departing on Asiana to Seoul. (United airline partners since I am using frequent flyer miles for my tickets and UAL does not fly to PI). Do you know which terminal these Airlines use in Manila? Yes, I am aware of what type of neighborhood Malate is and I will be careful (like walking around some parts of Shenzhen at night). I do not tip the same in Asia as in the US, but I know a little is always appreciated when not expected and typically helps get better service the next visit to a bar or restaurant. Thanks for your advise on amounts.

 

[ams511]

Here is my experience at the Manila airport. If you land at the International Terminal (all airlines but Philippines), you will exit the plane and what I remember there are some duty-free shops. I do not remember if they sell phone cards in this area or not. After you pass that you will go to passport control. This can take 5 minutes or close to 90 depending on the incoming flights and the amount of officials they have. Smile and be polite and have a copy of your itinerary available in case they want to see it. Next you will go to baggage claim. Again this can go fast or slow depending on the amount of flights landing and personnel. Unlike US airports the carts are free so grab one for your baggage. Next you go through customs which takes less than a minute usually unless you are stuck behind someone with 10 bags. They usually are more concerned with citizens returning from abroad than tourists. OK now for the important part.

Once you leave customs but before you exit the airport, there is an area where you can purchase a sim card. The problem is the PI uses GSM so your Verizon phone (like my Sprint) will not work. I use my old T-mobile unlocked Galaxy S-2. If you want to call the US get a Google number and call using WI-FI, hotel WI-FI is usually OK and will work. If you want to make local calls then you can buy a cheap burner phone for $20 or so. The Philippines has very poor infrastructure and the cell phone / data services are poor by US standards, My experience in Manila is 2G is pretty solid while 3G and 4G are sketchy. On past trips I tried using wireless data using a USB dongle and it did not work well. WiFi at the McDonalds did not work that well either probably because of so many people using it. For a SIM card I use Globe but if the signal is poor you may need to buy another SIM card in PG. They usually only cost 200 pesos or so.

In the same area as the SIM card vendors are the banks. There are 2-3 on the left (I don't remember if there are any one the right). Usually at least one or two are open that late. The exchange rate is comparable to what you will get in town. They do not rape you like the money changers in the airport here. I usually exchange $200 dollars here. Also ask for some lower denominations 20 peso and 50 peso for tips. The best exchange rates are at small local money changers, banks are second, and department stores are third. If you are going to convert large sums then shop around first. In the PI pickpockets are everywhere so be on the lookout and do not carry anything in your back pockets and keep your backpack facing forward. Many times my backpack mysteriously opened while there. However, I do not carry much inside. Rather than carry so much money I would use Western Union to send me money as I need it. There are Western Union locations everywhere in the PI.

Before you leave ask the security guard where the taxis are. I have never taken a taxi from MNL so I do not know where they are located. Taxis are very inexpensive by US standards BUT are a bit unreliable. During certain times of day drivers may refuse to take you places because the traffic is bad. I think they get paid by the mile and if they are stuck in traffic they make nothing. Some will ask for money over and above the price on the meter, usually 100-200 pesos.

Once you leave the airport people will start bothering you asking if you want a taxi, need a ride, need help with the bags, etc., just politely decline. I have heard that you should look for metered taxis and ask the diver upfront for the cost. To go to Makati I would think the fair should be under 500 pesos. I hope this helps. Hopefully, @Centrals and others will chime if something has changed since the last time I was there. Also let us know about your trip and any recommendations you have. I will be going again this summer.

 

[Scandi Divers]

You should be able to get a sim card in the terminal at night, they have a couple of booths near the exit. Globe is the best network in the Philippines, you should also be able to change some cash or there are a couple of ATM machines in the airport. Watch out for the taxi drivers in Manila, they will probably try and rip you off. You should only be paying around 200 php for the ride to Malate. I hear the sea plane is very nice and will cut your travel time by around 3 hours. It's worth the extra cost for that and the great views over Puerto Galera Bay. I'm sorry we couldn't be of service to you this time. Please come and visit us for a coffee, we are only around 10 minutes walk away from Out of the Blue.

 

[cpace]

The problem is the PI uses GSM so your Verizon phone (like my Sprint) will not work.

I have a dive trip to PG planed for this spring. After reading some threads concerning SIM card use in the Phillippines I contacted Verizon. Verizon has two international plans (one daily, one monthly) that will work on my Apple 6 phone. So I am a little confused, is it the brand/model phone that does not work?

 

[Divenut1959]

I have a dive trip to PG planed for this spring. After reading some threads concerning SIM card use in the Phillippines I contacted Verizon. Verizon has two international plans (one daily, one monthly) that will work on my Apple 6 phone. So I am a little confused, is it the brand/model phone that does not work?

The issue with a Verizon or Sprint phone is they use CDMA technology. Most countries in Asia use GSM so if you have a CDMA phone dropping a Globe Sim Card in will not work due to the frequency of the CDMA phone. If you can find a cheap unlocked GSM phone bring that with you and drop a local SIM in and your good to go. I have an unlocked Apple 7 phone with a T-mobile plan it is great for traveling. In my trip to Sabang a few weeks ago T-Mobile gives me no data roaming charges, unlimited text free and $0.20/minute call charges and I was never out of touch. I know this doesn't solve your immediate question but wanted to explain an alternative

 

[ams511]

I have a dive trip to PG planed for this spring. After reading some threads concerning SIM card use in the Phillippines I contacted Verizon. Verizon has two international plans (one daily, one monthly) that will work on my Apple 6 phone. So I am a little confused, is it the brand/model phone that does not work?

When I took my Sprint phone to the Philippines I did not get a signal there. At first I bought a cheap phone in the PI (in case it was lost or stolen) and in latter trips I used my unlocked Galaxy S-2 (T-Mobile). My understanding is all 4G LTE phones use a sim card, so they are able to connect somehow to foreign GSM networks. Looking online Sprint charges $10 a day or $40 a month for international access with restrictions. You can purchase a cheap feature phone there for $10 - $20 and a sim card and load would be another $10.

Remember, you are not going to get 4G LTE speeds there so there really is no advantage in having a smart phone. The best you may get is a good 3G signal but you may get stuck with only 2G which is painful for anything other than email.