We were only in the Philippines for ten days so we didn't really see anything except for Manila and Bohol

In a way Bohol reminded me of Bali 25 years ago. Outside of the resort it was basic and obviously the people are very poor. They are without doubt extremely friendly and hospitable and we found all areas of the island incredibly clean ( unlike some parts of Bali) and the inhabitants have a lot of pride in their villages

Manila was something else and not our cup of tea --crowded, manic, and way too much traffic for the size of its city.

No I can't complain too much about the Manila Hotel but it needs a wake up call and some refurbishment--its definitely living in the 80's which some may see as charm--we saw that it was just a bit outdated. The lobby area was impressive and has the look of a bygone era but the rest of the hotel was certainly living in the past. Maybe visitors will be willing to put up with this but as a regular traveller we were looking for something a little bit more special

The underwater life at Bohol was amazing. Balicasag island was a real treat for a diver like me who has been diving for 25 years +. The corals, walls, turtles and eels were a real treat to view. In some ways it was a little disappointing that much of the large fish life was non existent--it seems like it has been way overfished

Bohol on a night out was different. The restaurants were all serving the same , fish and meat with thick sweet sauces. Didn't do it for us. This type of eating wouldn't do it for a lot of Australians who are used to more choice particularly with the likes of the upmarket places now available in places like Bali, Phuket, Koh Samui

Flying with Philippine Airways was also challenging. Manila Airport needs a massive injection of cash to upgrade its services.The food outlets in the airport were a joke and virtually non existent

Cebu Airlines was fun and mobile friendly unlike Philippine Airways where you couldn't web check in with Apple products ( Java issues)

Anyway we enjoyed our time with our friends and particularly the Amorita Resort which was superb and certainly lived up to our expectations. It had International Standards

Thanks to all those who replied to my questions before I travelled