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

[Divenut1959]

[Questions:
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).
Getting cash from an ATM in Manila is no problem,,, reminder to make sure your US bank knows your going to be using your card in the Philippines. Prior to leaving I arranged with Wells Fargo to get 10000 pesos prior to leaving so I had local currency in my hand when I stepped off the plane but you can hit the exchange counter in the airport too. I brought like 1500 USD cash with me and there is a money exchanger on the main street in Sabang hours are 8-8 daily. I was there 2 weeks ago and with a market rate of like 52 pesos/1 USD they were exchanging at 51..so really good deal. Also any bills you bring for exchange need to be nice and new...I had 15 crisp 100 USD bills if they are beat up or tattered forget it they wont accept.


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.)
I have not taken this bus service as I have gone the private van route however I have read reports on different forums the City State hotel is no Hilton. The place is average at best but if your just there for a 8-10 hours it should be ok. and as one of the other posters indicated good idea to just stay put after you check - in...not necessarily unsafe to go out but not much to do either. Traffic in Manila can be a nightmare depending on the time of day. If you go by plane to PG give yourself at least 30-45 mins travel the 4-5 miles from the City Tower to the Bay where the plane departs from. I have not taken the plane but you will have to arrange transportation from where the plane lands to your staying in Sabang. By the way Uber is a great way to get around and very reasonable compared to a cab.

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?
Between travels I had my PP tucked away in a pocket in my backpack which never left my side. I am not sure where your staying in Sabang but I did put my PP in the safe with my cash etc. This was more for peace of mind than anything else and protected me from myself and losing it.


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.)
The safe at Out of the Blue was large enough to accommodate my laptop but I did not bother as I was not worried.



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?)
You read my earlier comment on cash/exchange etc. I would say again that exchanging money in Sabang is very easy and when you do exchange you will be getting larger bills. So if you exchanged like 300 USD your going to get 15 - 1000 peso currency (based on 50/1). I always asked to have at least 1000 pesos in smaller bills 500/100/200/50 for smaller purchases. I would recommend if you plan on paying a large hotel bill in pesos to make a few visits to the exchange so you don't tap them out in one visit. I think you mentioned maybe diving with Action divers? I highly recommend this shop,,,the DM are great, really personal service and not a cattle car operation..in my dives a few weeks ago the most we had was 5 divers including the DM. if you dive with them they will accept US currency and I paid them in USD.

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?
as mentioned earlier tipping is a personal thing. my total dives cost was like 300 USD and I tipped 30USD.

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.
Most of the dive sites are less than 10 mins from the dive shop. some are like 5 mins so your not going on long trips to and from. maybe a bottle of water I would bring...for Action they had warm hand towels to wipe your face and refresh on the way back..but like I said your time on the boat is very short, btw the water temp is like 78Fand I had a 3mm suit which for me was fine. The air temp will be in the 80s so your not going to be cold.


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 s
Personally I avoided the street food...it sure smelled nice but the last thing I wanted to do was have a problem and mess up my trip. There are many good places to eat and depending on what you like you can spend less than 15-20 USD/day or up to $40/day if you eat steak everyday. I recommend El Gallieon or the Veranda @ out of the blue, a good steak place is Papa Freds in the main area of Sabang, a small tucked away restaurant called Relax in the alley off of the main sidewalk going into Sabang..the best chicken curry I have had and total meal cost was 9 USD. if you cant find Relax just ask someone and they will help you.

The solo trip I finished a week ago is my 3rd trip in 5 years. Sabang is an interesting little place but it is the Philippines so don't be surprised by the active nightlife in the town area. Since you are staying in Big Laguna your about a 10 mins walk into town so it is very quiet there. I never had any trouble with theft or bad incidents....it is safe as long as your respectful as a visitor ...pretty common sense stuff. I highly recommend Out of the Blue (I stayed there last year) it is a great place and 30 second walk to Action Divers. Comparing the resort of OOTB to El Gallion is like comparing a Marriot to a Days Inn. Check out trip advisor reviews for OOTB and el Gallion. If you have any specific questions drop me a PM. Have a great trip.

 

[Divenut1959]

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

There are about 25 dive sites in Sabang...about 95% of them are depths of 70 feet or less. I am nitrox certified and I could not see spending the cash for NITROX as the depths and repeat dive intervals did not hinder my bottom time. If you like the margin of safety with Nitrox then do it. I dived in Cocos a few years ago where we were doing 4 dives day with each dive > 90 feet to start and Nitrox was mandatory.
As far as speed boats, dock etc...I am not being critical of Asia divers but all the dive shops have adequate boats to take you out and back in less than 5-10 min. With the boat at the beacj not an issue walking on the boat with your fins and mask was easy. Backward roll and ladder reentry are pretty much standard fare. You have to decide but I preferred to be in a small group of 4-6 (or sometimes 3) divers in a group than a boat of 10 or more going to a dive site.

Verde Island is a special trip regardless who you dive with. I am not sure of the actual cost but somewhere between 3000-4000 pesos for the day trip w/2-3 dives. I had wanted to consider Verde a few weeks ago but I had some issues with my ears clearing so I passed. Verde is a great place from what I have read but it can be very demanding regarding currents and challenging conditions . I spoke with a two guys from the US that went to Verde with a group of 5 from Action and the first dive was ok but the second dive the underwater currents and surface conditions got pretty rough the DM terminated dive 2 out of caution. I was told a diver from China died on a Verde trip about a month ago or so...you never really get the actual issues that caused it but sounded like he was not very experienced and had some issues at the surface and went under.

 

[outofofficebrb]

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.

The 5% savings by paying in cash is not enough of a discount for me to want to carry that much cash on a plane en route and on me while in the Philippines. (I just did the math of what I am spending with El Galleon/Asia Divers as a week-long package and 5% is a savings of $62). Yes, every little dollar counts, but the risk vs. the benefit isn't enough. It makes me uncomfortable because if it's lost or stolen, there is no recourse as there are with credit cards. I will carry cash as necessary for tip, other places that won't take credit card, etc...and that is already a bit as it is.

With that said, I also dislike the 5% PayPal fee for using a credit card. My solution? Find a reputable dive travel company that you can book through. I highly recommend Bluewater Dive Travel. Tim has been excellent. I paid with a credit card and since they are a travel merchant, I was able to get 3X points on my Chase Sapphire Reserve and avoid the 5% fee. They can also do packages for you - whatever you want. Just ask.

We head out to PG in early May but before that we have a couple of weeks diving elsewhere in PI.

 

[Wingy]

Not much else to add other than - "planning on sleeping late at City State Hotel" is like planning to ride a polar bear in Africa

It's a tad noisy. Also probably not the best place to walk around late at night.

Tipping - I'm an Aussie, I don't tip...still get the mandatory Facebook friends request even without a tip.

South Sea Divers are also a great long standing op although I believe their name has changed recently....and I wouldn't carry that much cash.

 

[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?

Airlines at Manila Airport - NAIA (MNL)
T1(ancient) for both of them.
I have not used this dump for very long time because every plane arrives at Manila NAIA from HK terminates at T3. So my knowledge on T1 is rather dated:
Get the Yellow airport taxi to Malate(Ermita) just outside the terminal building and the fare should never cost more than P300.00. Lotus Garden Hotel which is just across the road from City State Tower is a lot nicer and not that much more expensive. Both 7/11 and McDonald are stone throw away but go there in the morning and not 02:00.

If I have the choice I would dive either Frontier or South Sea Divers. Both of them can find room based on your requirement. Another small operator, Blue Ribbons, which is next to El Galleon has their own rooms.

 

[Divenut1959]

Another thought regarding cash...dont disagree the small fee for CC use is a pretty small penalty considering the low risk from carrying a lot of cash. The one thing Sabang does not have is a reliable ATM. The disbursement is limited to like 5000 pesos so if you want to pull out like 10000 or something you will have to take a ride into Puerto Galera and visit PNB bank on the main road into town

 

[SeaFlea]

Lucky, I can't answer all of your questions but I can add my personal experience. I visited PG last year, October, and I had a very hard time getting cash from the two ATM's in Sabang. The one in El Galleon couldn't read the chip in my card. The other one was Out of Service for the week I was there. I would recommend you bring plenty of cash and exchange in Manila before you depart for PG. I travel with a PacSafe brand security bag. Check their website. I used the SiKat service based in the City State Tower Hotel. The transfer was easy and the price was very nice. I'll continue using them. Note!!!! I almost got stuck on PG by an advancing typhoon. My advice, don't plan to leave PG the a day or two before your departure from MNL. Bad Idea!!!! If you can, depart PG several days before you fly out. I ended up getting on a over-crowded privet boat for the crossing. The price to get back to Batangus was 2000 pesos per head. I had no choice, so I had to take it. I don't recommend it.

I will visit PG again this year in August / September. The diving is good and the local population very friendly and welcoming. Enjoy your time there.

Good Dives, Seaflea.

 

[cpace]

I have a trip to PG planned for this spring. I have very little experience traveling abroad. I have been to Roatan Honduras twice and US dollars are widely accepted. Are US dollars accepted by merchants in the Phillippines including Sabang/PG?

 

[SeaFlea]

cpace, I have never tried to use USD and from my experience with the Philippines I think you would end up spending ALOT more for your purchased items. Plus if the USD currency is not in pristine condition they won't accept it. Make SURE you get plenty of 50 and 100 Peso notes. Get some 20's if you can. It seems very few have change for larger notes, 500's and 1000's.

Good Dives, SeaFlea

 

[Divenut1959]

I have a trip to PG planned for this spring. I have very little experience traveling abroad. I have been to Roatan Honduras twice and US dollars are widely accepted. Are US dollars accepted by merchants in the Phillippines including Sabang/PG?

I have not tried in my 6 or so trips to the Philippines to use USD....the only time I tried was in the airport making a purchase but out in the country among the locals I use pesos....my feeling is when I travel to another country I act like a local and at least use the same currency. In Sabang currency exchange is readily available.