Top 5 destinations in the Philippines

Top 5 destinations in the Philippines

Chocolate Hills (BOHOL)

-        The Chocolate Hills is a famous tourist attraction of Bohol. The Chocolate Hills are rather unusual, it's rare to see a whole range of conical hills, all of them almost identical in height, for as long as your eye can reach. The folklore associated with them is rather amusing! It’s a great place to see from a geographical or uniqueness in landscape point of view.

                  

To enjoy a great view of the Chocolate Hills, you need to climb one of them. One of the hills was converted to a viewing deck with an entrance fee of P50.00 per person. It’s a long way up as you need to climb its 213 concrete steps. But once you get up there, you’ll feel that it’s worth every calorie. After getting a good look at the hills, we got awed by their majestic beauty. I really like their smooth curve shape which is very uncommon. There are plenty of hills here in the country but none of them are as nicely shaped and flawless like these. These hills truly deserve to be the symbol of the whole province.

                

LOBOC RIVER (BOHOL)

-        The Loboc River is a river in the Bohol province of the Philippines. It is one of the major tourist destinations of Bohol, local and foreigners alike. The visitors, both locals and foreigners are treated with utmost care and foods being served are mainly Filipino cuisine and local delicacies. The Loboc River Cruise can’t be something optional if you don’t want to miss a superb experience in your Bohol country side tour. Imagine yourself enjoying a buffet lunch in a festival themed floating restaurant while enjoying the cool breeze blowing inside it as it traverses Loboc’s clean river which is surrounded by lush green plants. It was truly an amazing experience that I never expected. Eating lunch has never been this fun and relaxing.

The sight of a jade-green river with native restaurants afloat and with lush trees in the river bank can always make my eyes pop! That is why cruising in Loboc River is included in my 20 before 2020 Bucket List.  Being one of the Philippines top tourist destinations, a countryside tour in Bohol would be incomplete without having a lunch cruise in a floating restaurant. 

   

PANGLAO(BOHOL)

- Panglao Island is one the main tourist destinations on the Philippines. Talking about Panglao most of the people immediately think about "Alona Beach". Similar to Boracay you can find an amazing white beach and crystal clear water. Unfortunately also like Boracay this place has lost lots of its former beauty. Every season more and more restaurants and bars are opened and the beach gets pretty crowded during the high season. Still the diving around the island is one of the best of the Philippines. Especially Balicasag Island is really worth diving at. If you can avoid to go there in the very high season Alona Beach is still a beautiful place.

               

Mines View Park (BAGUIO CITY)

-        Mines View Park remains one of the most visited tourist spots in Baguio City. It offers a spectacular view of Benguet's gold and copper mines and the surrounding mountains. The mines in the areas surrounding Mines View Park were formerly operated by Benguet Corporation. The mines have long been closed and nowadays, the only view you’ll see are extensive residential areas blanketing the valleys. Again a result of the over-population the city has been experiencing for some time now.

-        Mines View Park is one colorful destination in Baguio City. It’s located in a cliff where we’ll see a nice view of Baguio City’s mountainous slope and abandoned mines. Aside from its scenic view, there’s a variety of things that the visitors can enjoy here which are presented in a colorful way. We’ll also find several souvenir shops in this park so expect this place to be very crowded.

PMA (BAGUIO)

-        The Philippine Military Academy in Fort Gregorio Del Pilar, Loakan Road, Baguio City prepares the best Filipino men and women for military services. The location was a little bit far from downtown.

-        There are a number of locations to stop for photo ops inside the PMA compound clustered here based on whether you have to park your car at some parking area to go down.

-        One major stop in this school for officers (pun intended) is near the PMA Headquarters. There’s a parking lot before the portion of the road that is off-limit to vehicles. In this area you’ll see the Sun Dial and the relief map of the Philippines, located in front of the Headquarter building. Old aircrafts from the Philippine Air

-        Force (PAF), like the Bell UH-1H all-purpose helicopter and the basic trainer Marchetti, are displayed here. There’s a PMA Museum, although I wasn’t able to go in because the souvenir stores at the back beacons. Just beside the parade grounds is the Tree House. So, when you go to Baguio City, make sure to drop by PMA. You’ll be surprised that it’s a tourist-friendly place even if it’s a serious military establishment.

                             

The Mansion (BAGUIO)

-        The Mansion House was built in 1908 to serve as the official summer residence of U.S. Governor-Generals at the instance of Governor-General William Cameron Forbes. The name is derived from the summer cottage in New England of Governor Forbes whose administration the original Mansion House was built under. Architect William E. Parsons, based on preliminary plans by architectDaniel H. Burnham,the planner of the city of Baguio, designed the mountain retreat following the tenets of the City Beautiful Movement.In 1910, the meeting of the Second Philippine Legislature was held at the Mansion House for three weeks.

The house was badly damaged during the Second World War and was rebuilt in 1947. Since then, it has served as the holiday home and working office for each President of the Philippines during his or her visits to Baguio.^[3]

FONTANA WATER PARK (PAMPANGA)

 Fontana Water Park, the coolest place in the Central Luzon, Philippines. This facility has all the spills and thrills you want in a water amusement park. This is a tropical/jungle themed park with giant prehistoric creatures throughout. You’ll find rides for all ages from extreme wild rides to a kiddie's play area. With life guards and attendants throughout, Fontana Water Park is the ultimate cool-spot for safe, and fun family entertainment.

There are some places that develop and improve over time, while there are others that just deteriorate. Fortunately, Fontana Water Park in Pampanga proved to be the former. When I first saw this Water Park a decade ago, I was quite impressed with it back then.

Now, years later, it's even bigger and has more attractions. In the past, whenever I went to a theme park I headed to the biggest and most exciting attractions. The higher, the faster, the riskier a ride, the more I wanted it!  Now, I am in my mid-thirties, and already a mother of two tiny beings still in their diapers. Nature must have designed me to develop new instincts. I am now a nervous wreck. When I saw Fontana Water Park again, I saw it as an overwhelmingly big place full of potential dangers.