This is conveniently located next to the saint augustin church. Renting a bike was easy and my…read morebike was easy to use. You fill out their waiver online and then leave them an ID. They took my Alaska drivers license and held on to it the duration of my rental. It's 100 Pecos an hour. What a deal! They take 100 Pecos as a deposit and even charge by half hour increments. It was very hot the day I rented the bike and was so glad there is a breeze while riding vs walking in the heat. Service is great and best value.

Nice to have a refresh on Philippine history, specifically what happened inside the walls of…read moreIntramuros. JD was a very good tour guide, maybe just a suggestion that it would be nice if they have a better way of showing us the photos they're carrying. I was honestly surprised by the very good condition of the bikes they were using. Will definitely take this tour again in the future (with our guests).

As much as we Filipinos have been so westernized, there is but one small part of our history left…read morein the city - it's found in the old capital of Manila which is Intramuros. If you have a friend visiting Manila, I suggest you take him to the Intramuros Tour of Carlos Celdran. The tour lasts about three hours and trust me, you won't get some typical tour where Carlos has a boring script and is tight with time. Carlos maps out Intramuros by sections and while the participants walk along with him he theatrically explains the history of the Philippines. He talks about the country in such a comic way. For sure your foreigner friends will laugh at some his jokes. Carlos' way of discussing is very interactive. He sometimes may need participation from the audience when it comes to things. Other than that, his company is surely enjoyable. At the end of the tour, you get a sweet surprise of halo halo to quench your thirst.

There's no better way to understand history a bit more than doing a literal walk-through with the…read morepioneer in walking tours of Intramuros, Manila - Carlos Celdran. Armed with a clearbook, a lapel, and mobile speaker, this man clad in his barong and hat will take you through time. The tour has several stops consisting of San Agustin Church, Manila Cathedral and Fr. Blanco's Garden, and lastly, Fort Santiago. I've taken this tour twice - once as a college student and again when I brought foreign friends to see Intramuros. On my second tour, Fr. Blanco's Garden was being renovated so it was replaced by a quick tour of the courtyard of San Agustin Church. This tour is best for adults (as opposed to teens or kids) as he talks fast and gives jokes that have underlying meaning, or need a bit of quick analysis. We were also advised that the tour works best for big groups as participants try to focus more and gives better interaction dynamics between the tour guide and the group. I personally saw truth in that. All in all, it's a great crash course or a nice refresher on old Manila's history. If (Intramuros) walls could talk, it would probably agree, criticize and laugh with Carlos Celdran.

I joined Dustin's God, Gold and Glory (3G) tour together with the rest of the international…read moredelegates from a research convention and peace dialogue that was put together by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. I was blown away by how informative the tour was, and it wasn't even that strenuous because it only focused on three main attractions in Intramuros. We first went to San Agustin Church for some really interesting trivia on the religious artwork, the construction of the church and the history of the Spanish conquest in the country. Then we went to other different parts of the nearby streets to learn more about the identity and the psyche of the Filipinos. Considering that most of the people on the tour were foreigners who are new to the country, I think the 3G tour is an excellent way to introduce the uninitiated to the values, the quirks and the psychology of the Filipinos. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to stay in the country for a while, but wants to speed up the adjustment process. Dustin's intelligent insight on the way of life of the Filipinos will bring a certain level of understanding as to how we act, think and behave the way we do, and even as a Filipino, I learned a lot about our culture and history that I didn't learn from textbooks. It is such a refreshing take on our crazy Filipino complex of dealing with things. The rest of the delegates enjoyed the tour tremendously, and had a lot of wonderful things to say about the clever guide, the depth of the tour program and the way everything was set up. The logistics were smooth despite the rain, and the tour ended on time as Dustin was very timely in his delivery. Well done!

My colleagues and I had the pleasure of experiencing Dustin's 3G (God, Gold and Glory) tour of old…read moreManila two weeks ago. Our group was a mix of backgrounds (Chinese who grew up in Canada and Indonesia, Australian) so they came with a genuine interest in learning more about Philippine history and culture. Dustin did not disappoint. He is not only extremely knowledgable about Philippine history, he uses it to contextualize the country's present culture and values. Even if I grew up in the Philippines, I learned so much from Dustin on this tour. He is an engaging and dynamic storyteller with a special talent for connecting the past and the present seamlessly, and has fun while doing so. All in all I would say this was an unforgettable experience and I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to understand and appreciate Manila more.

We found this tour online when Google foodtour in Manila... When I asked some of my local friends…read moreabout the tour... Apparently, it is a popular tour for tourists as well as locals... Especially after featured on CNN'S Anthony Bourdaine No Reservation, Manila episode! For about $25 USD per person (depending how big is your group, our group is about 15 plus), the tour is including a walking through Manila chinatown, learning about the history, the culture and food tasting at 5 places. We met at the Binondo church. Our tour guide was Ivan Van Dy who was the guide for Anthony Bourdain. Ivan is very knowledgeable about the history and food and very funny... Everyone in our tour is local! 1. First stop was the new Po-Hung lumpia house. We had the fresh or unfried veggie lumpia. It is very different from the usual lumpia. This lupmia is eaten with dipping in cripy rice, hot chilly sauce, soy sauce and other types of sauce. It is savory, crunchy, salty and spicy! 2. Second stop was Quick snac or Amah's kitchen. Here, we had empanadas with chives, Pilar tofu, punsir satemi dado. Empanadas are fresh. Pilar tofu is fried tofu served with special sauce, cilandro, chives and sriracha hot sauce. It is perfectly fried outside and melted in your mouth. Punsir satemi dado is egg noodles sate with beef and kngkong. It is also very spicy! 3. Third stop was Dong-bei dumpling house. We had chive dumplings and brown pork dumplings. These are very fresh and tasty! At the entrance, we watched a lady making fresh dumplings! 4. Fourth stop was President tea house. Here, we tried their salted duck egg custard dumplings and mango soup! Probably this is my favorite stop of the tour... Not only it is different but also very light and delicious desert! The duck Egg custard dumplings were served hot and the filling melted in your mouth, savory, cheesy but light! The mango soup is very refreshing after having other salty and spicy dishes! 5. Last stop was the Chinese Holand Hopia and Bakery. I never had hopia before... So, I don't have any frame of reference... It is a pastry type desert with different fillings like mung bean paste, jack fruit, duran, etc. We also stopped by market and tried out different dried foods. Ivan also took us to one of the Chinese associated house. We enjoyed our tour very much and met some very cool people on the tour! I definitely would recommend this tour!

The tour itself was okay. Nothing great, but okay. The big issue was the lack of communication that…read morethe Binondo food tour was going to start early. The original confirmation email stated that the tour would start at 9:30am and to arrive several minutes early. We received an email at 9:06 on the morning of the tour telling us they decided to start early at 9:05, so we literally had a -1 minute heads up. This started a game of cat and mouse. It took several text messages, a phone call, wandering aimlessly around Binondo, and finally arriving 45 minutes after the tour started. We missed a decent portion of the tour and no apology was made or any effort to rectify the situation. For 2000 pesos, spend your money elsewhere.

One of the best tours I would have to say, having done this twice. The boat ride there is…read morecomfortable, the first time there was a large group of international travelers. On my second trip, there was a large contingent of college students from an all girls school. So folks are coming because they're all eager to learn. Tip - Charge and bring your Nikon, don't make that mistake. There will be plenty of killer shots to take. I came back to learn more and for the other fun things. I do enjoy the mini bus ride and tour guide explanations for everything. You get to leave the bus at certain points so that you can walk among the ruins. Be careful - if you have uncoordinated relatives or small kids, you need to accompany them because there are no guard rails in certain places. This reminded me a little of Chitchen Itza (Yucatan Peninsula). And of course - there is a buffet lunch at the hotel which is nice. Warning - You may feel a little sluggish after this big meal as you continue to tour the island. And by the time you get back to Manila and drive home - it's an all day affair and you'll feel somewhat tired. In summary, if you're into history and can take in large amounts of information and process it accordingly this trip is for you. If you get into WW2 data points, you will really enjoy this. If you don't get into history but like a nice relaxing boat ride and tour with a huge buffet lunch - you'll have a great time nonetheless. The fresh air alone and the views will have you coming back with other touristy visitors.

The first time I heard about Corregidor Island was when I was about to board a boat to go there. I…read morehave to admit, I'm not exactly a history buff. That was the one class that I just couldn't get excited about. Fourth period History class mean Fourth period nappy nap time for Jamie. As I got older though, I developed an appreciation for history. I'm still not well-versed in World War 2 facts, but all the little stories that have Corregidor Island as a back drop make me feel more intrigued. For instance, the famous "I shall return" quote from General MacArthur was made on this island. Also, there was a Japanese cemetery that was found here decades later only after a picture was seen at a garage sale in the US. Interesting stuff. The tour around the island gave insight on the battles here. From seeing Battery Way and all the dilapidated barracks, all of it is quite amazing being there and realizing what happened but just a few years ago. While I wasn't really looking forward to this part of my first trip to the Philippines in ages, I am certainly glad I went. And, when I do go back to the Philippines, I can't wait to make another stop on Corregidor Island.

This cruise line takes you to Corregidor island. I would highly recommend that you get the island…read moretour with the buffet package if you're there only for the day. It was a fairly quick ride at about a 1hr 15min. Seats were comfy as well. I would try and refrain from laughing when the crew does their "sunset tours" dance before leaving port. For the life of me, I don't understand why they had to dance but it was a good laugh for me.

When I booked for our first Corregidor tour with my dad, a World War II Veteran, at first I felt…read moregiddy, but then I began to worry about my dad, who is already 96 yrs old. I started to think of worst-case scenarios like : is the weather too hot, or like will it rain, to like are there enough rest rooms, knowing my dad frequents the toilets, and etc.. When the day arrived and we were whisked by our ferry boat to our destination, all my fears subsided the moment we hit the shores of Corregidor. The weather was perfect, and the tram ride was relaxing. Our tour guide was very fluent in English, and shared with us a few anecdotes, stories, and jokes along the way. The tour was very educational of our historical heritage and there were a lot of photo opportunities during every stop. We had a buffet lunch at the lone hotel in the island and the food was great. The meat dishes were very tender to the bite while the rest of entrees were also delicious. I'm so happy that my dad enjoyed the trip and so did I. After our first trip, I'm looking forward to more trips in the near future.

Tagaytay gets all the plaudits, all the tourists and all the weekenders, but it's far from the most…read moreinteresting city in the region. It might be famous for its views, but Tagaytay is a fairly new city with not a lot of history going for it. Before the city on the ridge, it was Taal that earned its fair share of visitors. It's one of the oldest cities in the area, and there are numerous significant churches in town. A visita iglesia in the area is one way to explore Taal, and it's great how the city has been trying to improve its tourism infrastructure recently. The town has several delicacies, but my favorite is turon malagkit; the vendors and small hostels around the St. Martin of Tours Basilica has a bunch of good ones. The city is only about 3 hrs away, and it's a great stop for anyone interested in Philippine history.

If you're looking for a travel agency that can really offer the full experience, good hotels and…read morehassle-free land arrangements, I highly recommend Rakso Travel Agency. Their main office is located in Aguirre St in Makati. They have really have friendly staff and great vacation packages to pretty much anywhere in the world. Check out what they have to offer in Asia - whether you're going to Hong Kong, Japan or Tokyo, they have different price ranges for the types of arrangement you need. You can also book your flights with them - which is often lower if you are getting group packages. They book you in top hotels (3-star and 4-star range). If you prefer higher class hotels, you can work with them on upgrading the package for a few dollars. They're one of the top travel agencies in the Philippines for a reason - they simply deliver the best experience.

We took a bus trip from El Nido to the Underground River. The trip there was a little scary because…read morewe had to switch buses in a small area where there was only a bus stop. We weren't sure that we were in the right place. Once we got on the correct bus, we felt better. The bus ride was bumpy with a lot of turns. My son even got car sick. The town where you get the boats to the Underground River was packed with people. We had to wait in line for quite a while to get tickets. The tour included a lunch which was served in an outdoor tent like area. I even saw a rat! It wasn't very good food. The boat ride to the Underground River we really rough that day. Luckily it wasn't a very long ride. The actual tour of the Underground River was fabulous! My pictures speak for themselves.

When in Palawan, the Underground River is a must! I've toured this river in 2009 (without kids) and…read morein 2018 (with a 1- and 3-year-old) and it was effing amazing both times. It starts at a dock by Sambang Beach where you board a motorized (loud) outrigger boat with about 5 other people. Staff hands out hardhats and life vests. My hubs and I were the only folks who brought kids of any age and while they had childrens' life vests, they were too big for my kids. Yet, we made them work while holding adult hardhats on their heads. We were lucky that child protective services weren't watching. It's about a 20-minute ride to this other spot where you walk a little and switch to a simpler paddle boat you share with about 11 other people. Staff gives you an earpiece to listen to a recorded narration while your tour guide tells you more. It's a short and beautiful ride into a underground/cave part of the river. I don't have good pictures inside the cave because it was too dark, but there are lots of beautiful formations thousands of years old that your tour guide will illuminate with a flashlight within an incredibly peaceful ambiance. This part lasts about 45 minutes. My family really enjoyed it and I super recommend it! TIPS: **Wear rugged clothing (or stuff you don't mind getting f*cked) and waterproof/resistant footwear. **Expect to get your crotch wet. You have to wade at certain parts of the tour. **Try to bring a dry bag (brands like Earth Pak, Marchway, etc. which are also sold at stores along the way there) for your personal belongings. **Your tour guide will offer to take your picture with your own camera/phone. It's a good chance for a full family/group photo. **Life is simple around these parts including the toilet. Bring your own toilet paper for rest stops along the way. Hand sanitizer's also a good idea. **Bring cash to tip your boat crews and tour guide.