Fred Olsen Passengers Raised £42,282 for Manila

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and its passengers have raised a total of £42,282 for victims of the flooding that affected the Philippine capital city, Manila, last autumn.

All the money was sent to the company’s office in Manila for distribution amongst families of Fred. Olsen crew members, many of whom lost everything in the devastating floods.

Read about it HERE...

Philippine sites impress British birdwatchers

LED by two British Members of Parliament, a birdwatching delegation from the United Kingdom visited the Philippines recently and vowed to return with more of their colleagues, the Tourism Department said Wednesday.

Renowned birders Kenneth Clarke QC, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, and Mark Pritchard, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group, visited the Nabasan Trail and Naval Magazine Trail in Subic and the Candaba Swamp and Wildlife Reserve in Pampanga, where they saw 80 birds of which 19 are endemic to the Philippines, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said.

“We have such a strong birdwatching market in the UK that even esteemed birders from its Parliament are raring to see our endemic species,” he said.

Full story from Manila Standard Today - HERE

The Philippines - a Holiday Destination on the UP!

The Philippines had twice as many tourists in the first half of 2009 than in whole of 2001.

The country can thank President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for taking an almost inordinate pride in the growth of the tourism industry. She has always believed that tourism is a major creator of jobs and livelihood opportunities.

Read more from the Philippine Information Agency HERE...

Fabulous Costa Cruises of Far East

The wonderful Costa Cruises which we feature on our website, have some great offers on, with many discounts.

Many cruises include Manila, the Philippines as a port of call.

However, some of the early cruises in 2010 are already full, and once this happens they no longer appear in search results.

To take advantage of a Far East cruise, leaving from either Singapore or Hong Kong, our advice is to book early!

You can search for cruises, check itineraries, and make bookings directly from our relevant webpage HERE...

The Farm Spa, Batangas

We're delighted to have added The Farm Spa, Batangas to the holidays we offer.

The Farm Wellness and Health Resort, in Batangas, is a centre for holistic healing and wellness where people balance their mind, body and spirit with nourishing live foods in an eco - friendly place. CNN Traveller Magazine lists it as one of the Six Best Environmentally Friendly Hotels in the world!

In 2009 The Farm also won the prestigious Baccarat Award for "Spa Cuisine of the Year", for the second time, by Asia Spa Magazine.

The resort’s traditional Philippine designs of “rice barns and leaf-roofed houses” are considered environmentally friendly, as is the use of locally reared produce in its application of a holistic wellness philosophy, and the fact it has its own organic plantation that produces much of its vegan food and spa ingredients.

The Farm employs and trains a significant proportion of local staff from surrounding towns.

Visitors to The Farm can also enjoy golf at two of the best courses in the Philippines - Mt. Malarayat and Summit Point, both nearby. Why not combine pampering spa treatments with a round or two of golf in these beautiful surroundings!

Read more about the holidays we offer at The Farm Spa, HERE...

Philippine resorts among world’s best green places

In a flurry of international recognition for the Philippines, two prestigious publications, CNN Traveller and Asia Spa, add three more accolades to the country.

Read More...

Christmas in the Philippines!

Being one of the two Catholic countries in Asia, the Philippines celebrates Christmas like no other country in the region.

Christmas actually starts here in September and lasts until the Feast of Epiphany which is in January.

With this extraordinarily long Christmas season there are numerous events around the country which the Christmas loving traveller can witness.

Our friend, Scott Allford, from Tourism Philipines, has written a great article on Christmas in the Philippines, which you can read HERE...

(Photo by Scott Allford)