Going in March 2025, struggling to pick a resort?

[sarahjoy_l]

Hello, me and my partner are planning a 2/3 week trip in March 2025 to celebrate his bday. We would prefer to stay in 1, max 2 different diving resorts and focus entirely on diving and relaxing. We are thinking about flying into Cebu but it's so difficult to choose where to go when you have never been there before. We are both AOW and have been to the likes of Raja Ampat and Red Sea - we know the Philippines will be different from both and from my research it looks like each island has very specific types of dives sites and different things to see which makes it even harder to pick one.

So far we've been considering:

DAUIN - Mike's beach resort (we have never done muck diving before and we think it could be fun, plus there are Apo island and Siquijor nearby)
MALAPASCUA - Ocean Vida (for the threshers and white beaches?)
BOHOL - Amun Ini Resort in Anda (bit pricey but the beach looks so nice??!)
PUERTO GALERA - not sure about this one, everyone says the diving is good but I'm scared it's overcrowded and not so nice above the water?

Since we are planning to stay at least 2 weeks, is that too long to be in one resort only? Also thinking about combining any two of the above and sacrifice one day to travel in between.

We love nature, peace, a nicer beach opposed to a so-so one and a mix of dive sites.

Would love to hear about your personal experiences both above and under the water! Thanks a ton

 

[Centrals]

March is the best time to visit the country, typhon is not a threat.
Anilao would be a better choice than Dauin in term of macro. The only issue is diving/eating/sleeping in the same resort.
Puerto Galera is just across the channel.
Anilao + PG would be great for first time visitor.
The only draw back is the cost of the transfer which is ridiculously high. Public transport is readily available but requires effort. Probably too hard for some especially first time visitor.
Dauin is in Negros province and Malapascua is in Cebu province. Linking them up will take more than 6hrs by private and a lot more by public.
There is frequent ferry between Dumaguette and Tagbilaran(Bohol).
Southern Leyte is great but getting there takes time. The place is slightly off the beaten track. March is the time for whaleshark watchng(snorkelling only). I will be there in Feb.

Koh Lanta(Thailand) is also good in Mar. I will be there after the trip to Southern Leyte. The cost of diving is a lot higher because of the distance of the sites. However, the island is not that developed and plenty of quiet places available and the beach is really spread out therefore not crowded.
Khao Lak and join LOB to Similan. Khao Sok rain forest is another attraction. Just avoid anything in Phuket except the airport or bus terminals.

 

[tridacna]

The only draw back is the cost of the transfer which is ridiculously high.

Define "high". How much?

 

[JonnieB]

For a first trip to Philippines, I'd say keep the travel simple...two weeks is enough time for two area (especially if they're in the same general area). Flying into CEB is a good start...avoid the scrum and chaos that is NAIA. It puts you in the heart of the Visayas, one of the nicest areas of the country. I'd recommend Malapasqua at the northern tip of Cebu and then either Alona Beach or Anda in Bohol. Bohol is just a short ferry ride Cebu and then a short drive to Alona Beach area. Anda is a 3-4 hour drive. Malapasqua is basically a large sandy island so you'll get plenty of beach time there. Anda or Alona the choice is yours...bitch are nice. Some people will recommend Puerta Galera/Anilao but Anilao has no beach and as you say, PG/Sabang is a bit of a honky tonk.

 

[bmag78]

I would give serious thought to dividing your trip into three easy to get to stops by flying directly into Bohol and diving for a week.
Then taking the ferry to Siquijor for several days then ferrying to Dumaguete/dauin to finish up and fly back from Duma. You can skip Siquijor but it's a cool place to chill+ dive and it's right on the way. The ferry to Duma might stop there anyway.
All connected by ferry and all places have lots of topside beautiful beaches and other things to do
PG is also much more than just Sabang beach which admittedly has a seedy side but is much improved. PG is great and the seedy part is very easily avoided.
The neighboring Lalaguna beaches are nice
El Galeon/Asia Divers is fabulous and there's many many places not in Sabang that are great. And the Mindoro coast surrounding PG is absolutely stunning.

 

[Centrals]

On

Define "high". How much?

One way tranfer by public is a mere US$30.00. Done it many times.
Private for one person is about US$300.00.

 

[Centrals]

Is there any direct flight from UK to Philippines other than Manila?
Domestic flight just add extra and time on the travelling. So simple but people kept forgetting about it.
Phuket is far far more seedy than PG and there is basically no attraction on that island except the airport and the bus terminals.

 

[Searcaigh]

Is there any direct flight from UK to Philippines other than Manila?

I'm not aware of one, best for price is Singapore Airlines transiting through Singapore.

Of course you could look at Emirates or Qatar if you wish to break the flights into two more smaller chunks, but SIA are offering great deals compared to EK at the moment for me to travel to SE Asia from DXB that EK cannot beat.

 

[sarahjoy_l]

Is there any direct flight from UK to Philippines other than Manila?
Domestic flight just add extra and time on the travelling. So simple but people kept forgetting about it.
Phuket is far far more seedy than PG and there is basically no attraction on that island except the airport and the bus terminals.

We actually want to see Singapore on our way to the Philippines so probably going to stop there for 3 nights! The direct flight is really long (13 hrs) but probably worth it in the end. Prices at the moment are pretty good!

 

[sarahjoy_l]

For a first trip to Philippines, I'd say keep the travel simple...two weeks is enough time for two area (especially if they're in the same general area). Flying into CEB is a good start...avoid the scrum and chaos that is NAIA. It puts you in the heart of the Visayas, one of the nicest areas of the country. I'd recommend Malapasqua at the northern tip of Cebu and then either Alona Beach or Anda in Bohol. Bohol is just a short ferry ride Cebu and then a short drive to Alona Beach area. Anda is a 3-4 hour drive. Malapasqua is basically a large sandy island so you'll get plenty of beach time there. Anda or Alona the choice is yours...bitch are nice. Some people will recommend Puerta Galera/Anilao but Anilao has no beach and as you say, PG/Sabang is a bit of a honky tonk.

Thank you I like this! Sounds like Anda is quieter than Alona? I like the fact that Bohol has lots of possible land trips to do as well. One thing we always miss out on our diving trips is a bit of that food / cultural / wildlife exploration. Wouldn't mind a couple of non-diving day trips. I do like beautiful white sand beaches and lush vegetation. Any recs for scuba diving resorts in Alona beach area? As for Malapascua, how exactly do we get there from Cebu airport?