Wednesday 26 May 2010

Philippines tourism up 7.9 percent in first quarter of 2010

The Philippine tourism department reported a 7.89 percent growth in foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2010.


Renowned for beautiful beaches, spectacular scuba diving and small, intimate and affordable beach bungalow resorts, Puerto Galera, Cebu, Bohol and Boracay continue to attract recession-weary travelers looking for the best available bargains.

Visitors from Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Europe, Australia and the United States all increased.
Read the whole story HERE...

Friday 21 May 2010

Five Filipino Icons - the Country’s Most Cherished Dishes.

Philippine food is one of the region’s most underrated cuisines. Robyn Eckhardt gives the lowdown on the country’s most cherished dishes.

Photograph by David Hagerman

SINIGANG

Filipinos prize sourness, and they celebrate it in the form of sinigang, a tom yam–like soup of fish, chicken or meat tarted up with sour leaves or fruit.



LECHON

For the country’s Christian majority, pork reigns supreme—an ardor embodied in lechon, or whole spit-roasted pig. Lechon actually describes the cooking process, but pig is so ubiquitous on the spit that the term has come to mean pork.
  


ADOBO

If pressed to name a national dish, most Filipinos would probably choose pork adobo, a comforting braise made with vinegar, plenty of garlic and black pepper.



PANSIT

As with elsewhere in East Asia, Philippine meals generally revolve around rice, but pansit, or noodle dishes, figure prominently in the country’s snack repertoire. Pansit luglug, round rice noodles smothered with a smooth shrimp-flavored sauce tinted orange from annatto seeds, is often eaten for merienda, the late afternoon mini-meal meant to tide one over between lunch and dinner.

TSOKOLATE

Filipinos love sweets and whip up a localized version of Spanish chocolate—thick enough to stand a spoon in—with homegrown cacao that rivals Barcelona’s best.

Read Robyn's full article HERE...

Tuesday 18 May 2010

Atlantis Resort Newsletter...

Nudibranch Hunters

They might not be the biggest or fastest animals in our Seas and Oceans, but Nudibranchs are pretty high on most divers' lists of things to see. Their amazing patterns, colors and behaviour have fascinated many marine life enthusiasts.

This is just one of the great stories in Atlantic Dive Resort's latest newsletter.

To read more, go HERE...

Tuesday 11 May 2010

TripAdvisor Declares Boracay "Top Asia Beach & Sun Destination"!

TripAdvisor has made Boracay tropical island, Philippines, Asia's top beach and sun destination!
At only 4.5 miles long, Boracay is small enough to navigate by rented bicycle or motorbike. But don't let its small size fool you—you'll have several excellent beaches to choose from.
Yapak Beach is known for beautiful white shells; White Beach has picture-perfect sunsets; and Balinghai Beach is a secluded spot, perfect for honeymooners.
As long as you visit during dry season, you'll agree this is one of the best beach destinations in the world
Read it all HERE

Thursday 6 May 2010

Boracay makes it to the Top Ten Beach Destinations in the World

Boracay makes it to the Top Ten Beach Destinations in the World, according to TripAdvisor.

Of course, we at Philippine Trails already know of this fantastic little island, and have visited it many times, so it's not news to us!

See the list HERE...