Sipping cocktails in the Philippines

Tired of overcrowded Thailand? Been to Bali? Then do what Sybrand Mostert did and try the Philippines – a beautiful tropical destination travellers are slowly discovering.

My wife Linda and I do a lot of home exchanges, where people from overseas stay in your home and you stay in theirs. We’ve found it to be a fun, inexpensive travel option. But when the offer of a house swap landed in our inbox from Manila in the Philippines, we were sceptical. We didn’t know much about the country and it seemed very far away… But after a bit of research and discussion we thought, why not? Let’s try something different!

Much of the Philippines is what Bali and Thailand were like 20 or 30 years ago – a largely unspoilt place that is only now being discovered by tourists.

Our home exchange was in the capital Manila – remember the Thrilla? – so that would obviously be our first stop. From Manila, we wanted to explore some islands but boy, how to choose? There are more than 7 000 islands in the greater Philippine archipelago, and they range widely in terms of development, facilities and attractions. You could say that