By Region
Luzon
The Taal Volcano is located about a 90-minute drive south from Manila. Taal is the second most active volcano in the Philippines and sits inside of a lake. Its picturesque and we would definitely recommend going there. I do believe there are tours you can take to see the volcano up close but we were not lucky enough to experience this.
This is a wonderful coffee shop we stopped at on our way back to Manili after visiting the Taal Volcano. It is located just north of the volcano, and is worth going slightly out of your way to grab a cup of coffee if you are a coffee lover. They had extremely good coffee and a very nice atmosphere. We liked there coffee so much we purchased two large bags of coffee to bring back with us. The bags of coffee only cost about $2 or $3 USD, one of the best value buys we made while in the Philippines.
If you interested in shopping, located in Manila is allegedly the largest mall in South East Asia. Regardless if it is actually the biggest mall, it was much to large to see the whole thing in the few hours we spent there. While we were there we walked around and pick up some souvenirs. We also ate a wonderful seafood meal with fresh coconut milk. One thing that took us by surprise was the level of security the mall had. We were searched before entering the mall and most of the security guards appeared to be heavily armed.
Cebu
The park is about a 2-hour bus ride from carmen, but well worth the drive. The Danasan Eco Adventure Park was absolutely beautiful. It was surrounded by lush green landscape and had great views of the sunsets over a distant ocean. The Danao Adventure Park had activities such as ziplines, cave splunking, repelling, horseback riding, quading, kayaking, wake boarding, and swimming which ranged from $2.20-$16 USD. I would highly recommend going here since it’s filled with fun things to do and I would definitely come here again. Also, if you do decide to visit the adventure park make sure to bring lots of bug spray. Here is a link for more information on Danasan.
Camotes Islands have breathtaking white sand beaches and clear blue water. Camotes is a two-hour ferry ride from Danao City, Cebu and cost about $4USD. When we arrived, we were notified that the island was in a drought and had many brown-outs, which were basically a loss of electricity several times a day. They also had to obtain water by boat from the main island so water was highly conserved. You had to ladle water into the toilets in order to flush them and we had to bath outside using water from 55 gallon drums.The best things to do on the island are snorkel and see the Timubo Cave.
Snorkeling
The snorkeling in this area is some of the best we have every done. The Camotes Islands are basically two small islands that are not far from one another. The water between the islands appear to be pretty shallow and are crystal clear, great for snorkeling. Half way between the two islands, the depth of the water increases dramatically, swallowing rays of light. It is a beautiful sight worth experiencing. To get out to these snorkling spots, head east on the pacijan island (the west island of the Camotes Island) until you approach a bridge that connects the two islands. Ask locals around the area if any would take you out on their boats. The cost for a few hours shouldn’t be much and you can barter on price. For the best snorkeling experience you should probably bring your own gear. You can find some here.
Timubo Cave
The Timuba cave was a cave that was somewhat small, but had a nice little swimming area in it. It is located on the north part of pacijan island. The entrance fee was about 10 php or about 0.25 cents. If you are an avid spelunker, this cave will not impress you, but for 0.25 cents everyone should check it out.