Places : Palawan is World's Best Island of 2013

Palawan is the best!
www.travelandleisure.com has named Palawan of the Philippines the world's best island of 2013, dislodging 2012 world's best island : Boracay at the top spot. But Boracay supporters shouldn't feel bad about it. Boracay still managed to get the runner-up honor. Anyway, the top two best islands  in the world are both located in the Philippines. It's an upset win by Palawan, beating best island "hall of famers"and perennial winners : Bali, Maui and Santorini.

Below is the list of the top ten world's best islands of 2013.

    TOP 10  WORLD'S BEST ISLANDS

     RANK NAME-COUNTRY                         

• 1 Palawan, Philippines
• 2 Boracay, Philippines
• 3 Maui, Hawaii  
• 4 Santorini, Greece  
• 5 Prince Edward Island, Canada
• 6 Bali, Indonesia 
• 7 Kauai, Hawaii  
• 8 Sicily, Italy
• 9 Koh Samui, Thailand
• 10 Galápagos, Ecuador 

Coron Island,  Palawan

El Nido Miniloc Resorts

News Source :
http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2013/islands
Map Source :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
Picture Source :
http://www.elnidoresorts.com/elnido/images/photo-gallery/

Places and Travel : Boracay Has Really Arrived!

For the past two years Boracay has surpassed Bali and Phuket in international travelers' surveys as the number one beach destination in Asia. Despite very limited media exposure, Boracay has finally caught up with the more popular Asian beach destinations which had been getting the bulk of the international travelers' market in the past years. Now, Boracay did not only caught up with them, it has surpassed them in popularity.

Boracay became famous among locals by word of mouth in the Philippines. It was in the 70's, when Boracay was a secret destination among a few locals and foreigners. Since there were so many other beautiful and better known beach destinations in the country, Boracay didn't really caught on in local tourism not until many years later. Many Germans and Australian tourists who discovered the place earlier have stayed there for good and made it their home.

This sudden international popularity of Boracay could be attributed to "word of mouth" promotion of foreign tourists who have been there before, the limited media promotion of the Philippine Tourism Authority and of course, to the ubiquitous internet.

Recently, Boracay has been named the favorite destination for relaxation and nightlife, according to a customer survey conducted by Asia’s leading hotel booking site: Agoda.com.

Indeed, Boracay has arrived.

Here' the result of the survey by Agoda.com  :
Top Destinations for Relaxation
1. Boracay, The Philippines
2. Bali, Indonesia
3. Koh Samui, Thailand
4. Chiang Mai, Thailand
5. Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
6. Krabi, Thailand
7. Langkawi, Malaysia
8. Hua Hin, Thailand
9. Phuket, Thailand
10. Dubai, UAE

Top Destinations for Nightlife
1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Dubai, UAE
3. Boracay, The Philippines
4. Pattaya, Thailand
5. Tokyo, Japan
6. Phuket, Thailand
7. Hong Kong SAR, China
8. Macau SAR, China
9. Taipei, Taiwan
10. Bali, Indonesia

Picture Source :
http://www.boracaybeachclub.com/boracay-pictures

Related Link :
http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/19085-boracay-named-no-1-destination-for-relaxation,-no-3-for-nightlife
http://theprojectreview.blogspot.com/2012/07/travel-boracay-is-worlds-best-island.html

Places : Boracay Takes No.1 Spot on Asia's Top 10 Beach Destination

Need we say more? The best beach in the world is right here in our country. Consistently on the top of surveys as one of the "Best Beach" in the world, travelers and beach enthusiasts this time have put Boracay on the top spot as the No.1 beach destination in Asia for 2012 beating the other contending beach destinations in Asia. Boracay doesn't need to prove anything anymore.

But Boracay is in danger of over-development. For those people who have gone and seen Boracay twenty five or thirty years ago, Boracay then is different from the Boracay now. Then, most of Boracay's accommodations and hotels were made of native materials and designs which blended well to the island's atmosphere of island living. Electric power was limited and provided only by private generators for limited hours. Most of the houses in the island were lit with "lamparas" and candles. The island residents were very much kinder. All the beaches, specially the popular White Beach were really pristine. It was very beautiful then. It is still beautiful now but indeed development and commercialization has its price. Anyway, it is still "Asia's No1 beach destination". Go visit now!

Please click below to see Asia's top 10 beach destination :
http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches-cDestinations-g2

Source :  http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Related Link :
http://theprojectreview.blogspot.com/2012/07/travel-boracay-is-worlds-best-island.html

Places and Events : Ati-Atihan Asia's Best Festival and Mardi Gras

The Ati-atihan Festival is on-going now in Kalibo, Aklan, Panay Island. I have been invited so many times by a good friend to go attend the Ati-atihan festival, but until now have not been able to go. I have been to Kalibo thrice already but never on the time of the festival,  these were when I went to Boracay Island, Kalibo being the gateway to Boracay. Definitely Asia's best, wildest festival and Mardi Gras. Ati-atihan Festival is proof that Filipinos know how to party and have a good time. The religious celebration that started this festival has been going on for hundreds of years in the Island of Panay.

Click pictures to enlarge

Related Links : http://www.lonelyplanet.com/philippines/travel-tips-and-articles/76270

Picture Source :  Photographer : Ms. CJ Flores of Quasar Realty