METRO MANILA

Metro Manila now has more than 12,000 deluxe and first-class hotel rooms available since three new-five-star-hotels Diamond on Roxas Boulevard, EDSA Plaza in the Shangri La Mall in Mandaluyong and Shangri La Hotel in Makati  opened for business in the past year. Joining the three new business hotels, the Hotel Intercontinental has been completely renovated and is once again receiving guests. Fully world class, our leading hotels share with the world's leading hostelries architecturally designed function rooms, specially gourmet restaurants, all-night coffee shops, fully staffed business centers (see The Business Traveler) swimming pools, fitness centers, shopping arcades and art galleries.  Luxury and De Luxe Hotels in Metro Manila are located in two main areas, Roxas Boulevard along Manila Bay and in Makati, our business and financial center. The brand new Ortigas Commercial Center, just starting out as a third important site, is already the location of the prestigious EDSA Plaza and the Manila Galleria Suites.  The standard bearer of architectural beauty and luxury in Metro Manila for more than 80 years has been the Manila Hotel, overlooking the bay on Roxas Boulevard. Constructed under the American Regime, the Manila Hotel dates back to when the Philippines was still a United Stated colony.

The other hotels on the bay along Roxas Boulevard range from comfortable to way above average and are easily competitive with international hotels anywhere . Some are in fact part of international upscale hotel chains. The more notable hotels in this area are Holiday Inn, Admiral, Hyatt Regency, Grand Boulevard, the just opened Diamond and at the end of the Boulevard, occupying parts of the Cultural Center complex, Westin Philippine Plaza. Hotel renovation is not limited to the Makati area. On Roxas Boulevard, The Bay View (in front of the US Embassy) and the Regent of Manila will also soon be ready for guests.  The Hyatt Regency offers a "homey" intimate atmosphere. Not as large as many de luxe hotels, it specializes in personalized service. The Diamond is a "businessman's hotel" and can arrange to supply a working executive with both the facilities and personnel he may need. The Grand Boulevard Hotel (formerly Silahis Hotel). Heritage Hotel and the Manila Pavilion all have government-run casinos. If gambling is not your sport, but golf is, the Westin Philippine Plaza has a 9-hole putting green. What you could call an off-Roxas Boulevard hotel is the Manila Midtown Hotel Century Park Sheraton, two blocks away and overlooking a shopping complex.

In Makati, the hotels include: the Hotel Nikko Manila Garden that puts up regular cultural exhibits and boasts the Benkay Restaurant, notable for its sushi and sashimi ; the Manila Mandarin the recently reopened Hotel Intercontinental with its popular restaurant, the Prince Albert Rotisserie, famous for its roast beef; The Manila Peninsula, also known as the Pen, with its well patronized restaurants, Old Manila and Chesa and the brand new Shangri-La Hotel.

THE PROVINCES

LUZON
Metro Manila is one to two hours' drive away from a number of beach resorts, all accessible by car and bus via well-paved roads. In Cavite Province there is Puerto Azul, an exclusive beach resort with luxurious accommodations, a famous golf course and good restaurants. Adjacent to Puerto Azul, amid the green hills that surround the picturesque bay, is the former Marbella Club, now called Caylabne Bay Resort. It has its own private marina and helipad for visitors who come either by sea or by air.  Driving to Matabungkay Beach club on the China Sea coast of Batangas Province gives you glimpses of Tagaytay City and Taal Volcano. The province of Laguna, southeast of Manila, has Hidden Valley with limited accommodations for an overnight stay. Its main attractions are waterfalls, clear brooks and natural cold and warm water mineral springs. At the foot of a legend shrouded extinct volcano, Mt. Banahaw, is Villa Escudero, a working coconut plantation and resort. Staying in bamboo and thatch cottages, visitors can explore the farm. Two good resorts in calamba are Crystal Springs and Monte Vista Resort. Further south, the Cala de Oro Beach Resort in Pagbilao, Lucena City also offers visitors accommodations.

A long stretch of sea coast gives rise to the beaches of Pangasinan and Ilocandia in northern Luzon. From Agoo at the mouth of Lingayen Gulf, all along the western coast of Ilocandia, are a string of resorts and hotels: Agoo Playa, Cresta Ola, Bali Hai, California, Albatross and Acapulco. D'Coral Beach Resort is in Currimao town; Fort Ilocandia, near Suba beach, is in the capital of Ilocos Norte, Laoag City.  Up in the northern mountains, Baguio City has recovered from the 1990 earthquake that destroyed some of its better hotels. It's back to business at the Baguio Country Club and Camp John Hay the former rest and recreation center of the US Armed Forces based in the Philippines. At Banaue, to tour the surrounding rice terraces, stay at the Banaue Hotel or the Banaue Youth Hostel, both offering comfortable rooms.

Full moon and reggae nights beckon to Puerto Galera at Kool Lagoon, where a five-man live band holds concerts every full moon. On this lovely Mindoro cove where many resorts line the beach fronts, the Coco Beach, the largest and most luxurious , stands out with bamboo cottages terraced into the surrounding hills and a gracious manager who seems to have invented the art of holstery.  El Nido, the "secret paradise" on Miniloc Island is still largely unspoiled. The resort comes with a number of "resident pets," including an overfed grouper named Bruno. Club Paradise on Dimakya Island, North Palawan is reached from Busuanga, one hour and ten minutes' flight from Manila.

VISAYAS
The country's second international airport is in Cebu City in the central Visayan islands. First class hotels in Cebu City include Cebu Midtown Hotel, and Cebu Plaza .  The seaside resorts are on Mactan Island and beyond. Driving over a well-paved road lined by trees and bordered by green fields, you reach Argao Beach Resort, set on land-scaped rolling grounds along Cebu Strait. Here a dive shop offers diving equipment, instructors for would-be divers and windsurfers, Hobie Cats and paddle boats.  

From Argao, when not covered with mists, the outlines of Bohol island can be made out. Here is yet another island laden with beach resorts like the Bohol Beach Club for serious divers as well as tourists who seek the sun and sea.  A surfeit of white beaches with the finest sand this side of paradise , crystal seas, palm trees and heaven-blue skies describes Boracay on Panay Island. The places to stay include Ban's, Serina's and Club Panoply, all rated as five-star resorts. There are also Boracay Beach and Yacht Club, Comangas Beach, Friday's, Laguna de Boracay, Lorenzo Beach, Mistral Beach, Morimar Boracay, Palm Beach, Palomar, Paradise Lodge Pearl of the Pacific, Red coconut and Sandcastles Beach Resort. There's electricity on Boracay now and the seafood is, as ever, fresh and abundant.

While it doesn't have electricity, Isla Naburot, a small island off Iloilo Province, has all the other amenities that are first class. Old wood has been used to build the guest cottages and the antique furnishings and decorations contribute to the ambience of "genteel" living, in keeping with the province itself which is known for its culture and its old families. It is a perfect place to see perfect coral gardens.

MINDANAO
Among other reasons to visit this predominantly Muslim island is Dakak, a first- class resort ensconced in a cove off Dapitan City in Zamboanga Del Norte. If it looks a bit isolated, it does not want for modern amenities, including closed-circuit television. The white sand beach is 700 meter long. A swimming pool, Jacuzzi, bar and disco are among its tourist lures.  The Pearl Farm Beach Resort is reached from Davao City wharf by a 45-minute motorboat ride. Visitors can choose to stay either in a cottage on stilts or in a hotel type building. Visits to a pearl farm, a banana plantation, an eagle conservation center, an ethnic village and islets nearby are included in the tour package.  Hotels in Davao include Davao Insular (a part of the Hotel Intercontinental chain) and Apo View.