Island adventures

CEBU
Mactan is where most of the gleaming four and five-star resorts are to be found on Cebu.
January is the coolest and one of the driest months of the year, making it an ideal time to
check-in to the Alegre Beach Resort, which has 40 thatched-roof cabanas amid landscaped grounds adjacent to one of the island’s most beautiful beaches. The Shangri-La, on Mactan Island, a diving destination off Cebu’s southeast coast, is a much larger resort. It added a Chi spa last year. Next door are the pink towers of the Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa. The views from the rooms are superb with extensive seaside facilities to match.
Cebu Pacific, one of Asia’s new budget carriers, has eight flights daily from Manila.

BORACAY
The famous white beaches of the island of Boracay, off the northwestern tip of Panay,
regularly appear in the ‘Best Beaches of the World’ lists. Whether you want a Boracay
resort in the midst of the action or a quiet spot, the options are endless. Discovery
Shores Boracay – an expansive affair with 88 rooms and a spa – might blow the budget
but is well worth every cent. The Boracay Regency Hotel with its 195 rooms also has
a convention centre that can accommodate events of up to 650 people. Major domestic
carriers are South East Asian Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Asian Spirit. All three fly daily with about 30 runs between them during the course of the day.

PALAWAN
Palwan is made up of 1,780 islands, with more picture-postcard beaches than you could
shake your flip-flops at. Pamalican Island is the home of Amanpulo, a five-star luxury
resort run by Amanresorts with 40 air-conditioned bungalows set along the beach and into the hill. The Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary lies just over an hour’s boat ride from the north coast of Busanga, and is home to an extraordinary mix of African wildlife. Giraffes, zebras, impala and waterbuck mix freely with some 2,000 local Calamian deer. Asian Spirit and
South East Asian Airlines fly into Busuanga Island daily from Manila, during November
to April.

Fast facts
Did You Know…?
. The Philippines is made up of 7,107 islands covering a land area of 299,764 sq km. Main island groups are Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
. March to May is hot and dry. June to October is rainy. November to February is cool.
. There are two official languages in the country – Filipino and English. Filipino,
which is based on Tagalog, is the national language, but English is also widely used.
. The Filipino currency is the Peso.