Posts Tagged ‘tourist’

Hotel accommodation is very important if one travels and stay for tourism purpose on a foreign land compare to a little cottage or a hostel; hotel is a preferable place to stay and rest instead. However, it depends on what kind of hotel one will check-in; if these hotels have all the service one needs while staying on a foreign land.
In the Philippines, there are many first-class hotels, tourists both locals and foreigners could check-in; now lately a new first-class hotel has been erected to serve the tourist population of Samar Islands – the Ciriaco Hotel & Resort – which have opened last November last year.

The first class hotel and resort was erected to serve the tourist population of Samar Islands since Samar Islands is one of the best tourists places in the Philippines that have all the tourist spots and adventures, tourists would like to see, experience and enjoy. That is, Samar Islands have beautiful islets with white beaches, historical places to learn, have good surfing and diving sites, waterfalls, rivers; caves and other natural wonders of nature Samar Islands is blessed with.

Actually, Ciriaco Hotel & Resort is the only hotel of its kind in Samar Islands compare to others. For it offers first class Hotel accommodation that features many amenities and facilities which modern tourists could enjoy.

Among them are:

1. Spacious fully air-conditioned rooms with 37” LCD TVs with cable connection and phone connection. The rooms have of course own T&B with rainforest showers; rooms have also work desks and luggage racks and with high speed internet access.

2. A two function rooms

3. A Business Center with secretarial, fax, photocopying, computer rentals, presentation equipment rentals, and a courier service.

4. A Café Bar with bands playing nightly from Thursday to Sunday weekly.

5. A laundry and pressing service

6. A Money Exchange Service

7. A personalized wake up calls Service

8. A Free Breakfast
…and More..

If you are interested to check this first class hotel in Samar Islands, the next time you want to visit the islands, Ciriaco Hotel & Resort is located along the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Bagacay, Calbayog City Samar.

By the way, Ciriaco Hotel & Resort is still ongoing improvement to make it more first class hotel in the Samar Islands wherein both local and foreign tourists could enjoy their tourist stay at the Samar islands and their tourist experience on the Samar Islands.

So Beautiful Philippines?

Hmm, let me think about it….There seems to be a little bit irony of Department of Tourism’s newest slogan logo – “Pilipinas Kay Ganda”(Philippines So Beautiful)- though the Department of Tourism explains that the new slogan that has replace the old one –“WOW!Philippines”- depicts Filipinos warmness and hospitality and Philippines beautiful tourist spot sceneries. For the Philippines has been recently included on the list of most corrupt country in the world, not to mention the ever growing problems of poverty and unemployment, annual floods, crimes, and sexual perversions. Moreover, recently a young Filipino man has been arrested for doing serial killings of foreigners in the city of Angeles Pampanga which of course could bring fear and dread to some foreign tourists who visit the city and could abort, postpone or even cancel their plan tourist adventures in the Philippines.

Oh, who can forget the traumatic experiences of the Hong Kong tourists on the bus hostage tragedy last August 23,2010 wherein up to now, the case is not settled and there are many leaks of biases and power control on the reports. Has the Hong Kong already well satisfied about the reports?

We could state more disgusting things happening in the Philippines which bring great irony to the Department of Tourism’s newest slogan, but the question is why the Department of Tourism has made a slogan contrary to what is really happening now in the Philippines? The newest slogan for me, is not quite appropriate to what is currently happening in the Philippines, rather the old slogan is the more appropriate one – “WOW!Philippine”

Yes, “WOW!Philippines”. The recent happenings in the Philippines make us exclaim, “WOW!Philippines” on either good or bad happening now in the Philippines.

However, it is well understood that it is just a marketing strategy to lure foreign tourist to visit the Philippines and enjoy Philippines’ beautiful tourist attractions or even to invest on the Philippines for the Philippine is such a beautiful place, on scenery landscape sense.

Actually, there is no any country in the world that is so beautiful on moral and economic sense but on geographical sense there are many as many as the grain of sand. For there is no perfect governance; every country is tainted by crimes, sexual perversity, economic depression, corruption, etc. though their countries is rich in geographical gems and treasures. The problem actually is spiritual poverty. Perhaps, the country will only be so very “beautiful” if the country is not only rich in astounding beautiful geographical landscape but also rich in spirituality and economically.

Recently, this new Philippine tourism logo has already been scrap or removed due to heavy downpour or negative criticism about its designs even by lawmakers; especially the issue of plagiarism wherein the new Philippine tourism design or logo was allegedly an imitation of the Poland’s tourism logo. Moreover, the heavy downpour of negative criticism as well the plagiarism issue has led the new Philippine tourism secretary to resign on his office with great disappointment and left the design for the Philippine tourism logo on the Filipino public.

“The “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” slogan has been bitterly criticized by not only tourism industry leaders but also lawmakers.

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago described it as “ignorant.” Other critics called it bland and unimaginative, and said that its being in the national language, not English, made it incomprehensible to the targeted international market.

Its logo also bore a strong resemblance to Poland’s tourism logo, prompting some critics to cry plagiarism.”

—Asian Journal

PNoy himself have ordered the scrapped of this new Philippine tourism logo and have planned to revert back the former Philippine tourism logo “WOW Philippines” coined by former Philippine Tourism secretary Richard Gordon.

A tourist wherever he or she may visit a country like the Philippines. A hotel is the first sought after tourist spot in the country he or she visit, is not it? However, with a lot of hotels to choose from or with a lot of hotels in the  Philippines have which one is better and which one is not? Confused which hotels in the Philippines will you stay and check-in? Let me help you find one. Here I made a list of hotels in the Philippines.

In Metro Manila Philippines there are beautiful hotels to check-in, however, they are confusing to which suites your budget and tiring to go from one hotel into another hotel just to inquire. But actually they have created a websites for this matter, is not it? Here is their recommended list of hotels beginning at Manila Philippines.

* The Heritage Hotel – it offers $110 both on superior and deluxe rooms. It offers free buffet breakfast and a shuttle ride to SM Mall of Asia. If you can afford this budget, then why not try it? Prices may change without prior notice, thus if you are interested to this hotel, you can search their website for updates on their hotel package.

* The Manila Pavilion Hotel – it offers Php. 3,800 for standard rooms with buffet breakfast.

* The Century Park Hotel – it offers Php. 4,350 for superior rooms without a buffet breakfast. You must cater yourself your own breakfast.

* The Bayview Park Hotel – it offers $ 53 for Superior rooms with buffet breakfast. If you do not have much budget, you can choose this hotel, for imagine it is only $53 for a superior room with buffet breakfast?

* The Bellevue Hotel – it offers Php. 5,000 for deluxe room with broadband internet on the room with computer having access to internet, however, it has no free buffet breakfast but with free shuttle service to Alabang city, if you are going to Alabang.

* The Copacobana Apartment Hotel – it offers Php. 2,300 for studio room with free breakfast. However, if you do not like this kind of hotels Philippines has to offer you, you can reject it anyway.

* The Casa Bagobo Hotel – however, you can try this simple but beautiful and economical Philippine hotel, it only offers Php. 1,800 for a beautiful solo room with free buffet breakfast and free wi-fi connection. Yeah, it is simply beautiful Philippine hotel.

* The Hotel Indah Manila Hotel – it offers also economical for a standard room with free breakfast. It offers Php. 1,850 only.

* The Nicols Hotel Manila Hotel –this Philippine hotel offers superior room with Php. 1,950 only but with no free breakfast to offer you.

* The Mabuhay Manor Hotel – this hotel offers free buffet breakfast for superior room with Php. 2,399 only.

The list above are the recommended Hotels you can choose from after arriving at Manila Philippines if you wanted to check-in into a Philippines hotels in Manila Philippines. The lists are hotels in Manila Philippines which are recommended for hotel-seekers like you in Manila.

Calamba Laguna Philippines

Perhaps most Filipinos already knew what’s in this place, yeah, it is the home place or birth place of Doctor Jose P. Rizal –the Philippines’ National Hero, A renaissance genius man. He is an artist, a doctor (ophthalmologist), a poet, a publicist, an engineer, a sculptor, a novelist, a teacher, a linguist who could speak 21 languages, and of course a martyr hero. Actually, his ancestral house at Calamba has now become a tourist attraction for those who visit Calamba Laguna Philippines where a memorabilia about him was on display. They call it Rizal Shrine.

Actually, his ancestral home was destroyed during World War II but was restored during the presidency of Elpidio Quirino, which is during 1950s.

However, it was not only Dr.Jose P.Rizal is the known hero that Calamba Laguna have produced, actually, there are still other four National heroes, namely General Paciano Rizal, Teodora Alonzo, General Vicente Lim, and Lt. Geronimo Aclan. Thus,an association have arise,that is the Calamba Association Of Northeastern USA,Inc. base on New York.This Calamba organization have established by the former residents of Calamba Laguna Philippines to promote Calamba Philippines itself and for the welfare and improvement of the lives of Filipinos in line with the heroic deeds of the national heroes which have sprouted from Calamba Laguna in the Philippines.

Anyway, what are other places of interest at Calamba Laguna Philippines aside from its hero’s zone area? At Laguna Philippines there are many resorts and hot springs you could visit, however, we will discuss them at my article Laguna Philippines. Calamba Laguna is only at the footstool of Laguna Philippines’s famous Enchanted Mountain –Mt. Maria Makiling,thus you could tread upon the Mt. Maria Makiling through Calamba Laguna. Moreover, Calamba has rich source of fresh clean water due to Laguna Philippines have many hot springs within its vicinity. Calamba Laguna has also hot springs at Laguna de Bay- the Wonder Island Resort.

Another place of interest at Calamba, is the St. John the Baptist Church. It has a beautiful ambience and most tourists attend mass on it. I remember, when I was a child we attend mass in it after we visit the Rizal Shrine. For it is said that on this church, Dr. Jose P. Rizal was baptized. Furthermore, at the front of Calamba Laguna Municipal Hall, there are a beautiful potted plants and flowers for sale that could awe your site.

Aside from Rizal’s memorial statue at Luneta Park, he has also another memorial statue at Rizal Memorial School at Calamba Laguna.

However, if you want to visit Calamba Laguna Philippines, it is only 53 kilometers away from Manila Philippines and lies at the southern terminal of South Luzon Expressway. And they say it is a gateway to many part of Laguna in the Philippines and to other adjacent cities and regions.

Calamba Laguna is the largest city of Laguna Philippines which largely are migrants from Manila Philippines and Tagalog regions of the Philippines, as well some religious groups and foreign tourists. Thus, it has many real estate businesses within its region.

Palawan Philippines, the Last Frontier?

Why Palawan Philippines is called the last frontier of the Philippine archipelago? Probably, because of its most protected and preserved areas. Such as the Calauit Game Preserve and Wild life Sanctuary where you could find exotic African animals and some endangered endemic native animals of Palawan. However, you could still visit this place only of course with a tourist guide and consent of local government. Aside from this wild life sanctuary, you could see the seven lakes at Coron Bay, Busuanga Islands at Coron Reefs where it is surrounded with craggy limestone cliffs.

Perhaps, the most famous beach resort at Palawan Philippines is the El Nido Beach Resort, however, just like the protected ecological sites we have mentioned above, this resort is also protected. It protects the giant clam garden and the endangered Philippine cockatoo. The giant clam garden are large marine life on the shallow coral reefs of the shore, this marine life are called clam.

El Nido Palawan Philippines is the largest marine sanctuary in the entire Philippines for it comprises limestone cliffs, five types of forest (namely, the lowland evergreen rainforests, the semi-deciduous forests, the forests over limestone, the beach forests, and the mangrove forests), fifty white sand beaches you could choose, three major marine habitats, sixteen endemic and ten endangered species of birds, six species of marine mammals including dolphins and the native “dugong”, four species of endangered marine turtles ( namely, hawksbill turtle, olive ridley turtle, leatherback turtles, and the green sea turtles), one hundred species of corals, eight hundred thirteen species of fish, the Palawan Spiny Rat, the Palawan Tree Shrew, the Palawan Anteater, the Northern Palawan Tree Squirrel, and the Palawan Stink Badger.

The beach resorts you could found at El Nido Palawan are: (1) the Miniloc Island Resort, where you could see a peaceful turquoise-green waters with a backdrop of limestone cliffs. (2) the Lagen Island resort, (3) the Pangalusian Island, (4) the Vigan Island resort, which is also called the as the “Snake Island,” because of its fine natural sand spit (the s-shaped sandbar), (5) the Secret Beach at Matinloc Island and,(6) as well as the Kulasa Beach at Matinloc Island also.

Aside from what we mentioned above there is also another protected area in Palawan Philippines, the Malampaya Sound Land and Seascape, where you could see the bottle nosed irrawaddy dolphins.

By the way, Palawan Philippines is an island province at the Visayas region of the Philippines. How to get to Palawan? You could fly from Manila Philippines into its capital – the Puerto Prinsesa city and from the main capital city do a land travel to the destination you wanted to go at Palawan, however, you should ride a boat going to the Beach islands, for example, of El Nido’ s beach islands.

Palawan Philippines is indeed the last frontier of the Philippines because of its protected areas which, of course, the Philippine government should do because of Palawan’s rare natural treasuries which the Philippines can be proud of. It is indeed an ecological tourist destination a tourist should visit.