The Island Explorer

I have been regularly visiting Cebu for the past 8 years both for work and leisure purposes. I have always struggled with value hotels in the past. Now, this doesn't seem to be a problem anymore for the Queen City of the South, with the opening of new hotels such as the Alpa Suites, Elizabeth Hotel, Harolds and now, Quest Hotel.

After months of planning, it's finally here. But not officially launched and up yet. This is the realization of my dream of a travel business. iTravelerAsia is the first branded Asian travel club featuring properties hand picked by travel curators. It's a new kind of travel website that enables you to customize your own itineraries (iTs) at the best rates possible. In the end, it's all about traveling independently, as I have promoted on this site.   I am so excited with my newest endeavor, and I do hope you guys spread the word. Sign up now at www.itravelerasia.com . Change the way you travel soon.

Located beside the bustling SM City Baguio, Casa Vallejo is one of the oldest hotels in Baguio City. This antique quality is its charm and selling point as well. Opened in 1909, Casa Vallejo is indeed a heritage hotel, that is reminiscent of the American era. In fact, it is already one of the 10 oldest institutions in the Baguio City.

We all know Forest House, that quaint and charming restaurant on the way to Camp John Hay. Forest House has been recognized as one of the best restaurants in Baguio for years now, and recently, I discovered that they offered more than just their great food.

The public market of Baguio City is the best in the country. I have always imagined doing tours here, because the first time I went here, I was enthralled with its maze like layout.

Our newest resort experience was spontaneous. I thought of going to Bohol because I finished my work early in Cebu. Since I need to do some work in Bohol as well, I decided to stay at one of the newest resorts in the island - Bluewater Panglao.

Baguio City is an old tourist destination, which means, most budget hotels are also old. Recently, Baguio has undergone a transformation, with the opening of brand new boutique hotels and designer inns. Though still not at par with those in mountain retreats in Asia (Ubud, Chiang Mai, Cameroon), Baguio is slowly redefining itself as not just a summer capital, but a destination for the jet set.

I fell i love with Zamboanga slowly, though the first hotel I stayed in is still my favorite to date. It may not be the biggest, newest or most recently renovated (goes to Orchid Garden), but Lantaka by the Sea provides me with two things I look for in hotels: location and charm.

Though I may not be too sold to to the new Philippine tourism slogan, I still believe it can work So, in the spirit of More Fun in the Philippines, I present to you my annual Top 10 of the year that was 2011. Now, 2011 was my least travelled year. Looking back, I haven't been to someplace truly new. So you may not see a lot of new places in this list. It was more of a year of rediscovery for me. I went back to my favorite places in the country, like Sumilon Island. I've also been to Misibis Bay, Antulang and Pagbilao in Quezon this year, but those experiences didn't live up to my expectations to merit a entry in this list. I was also more out of the country this year, hence, my domestic experiences were limited. Coincidentally, I have come up with this year's list based on one criteria, FUN. It is FUN in the Philippines! 10. Dumaguete City Let's start off the list with probably one of the funnest cities in the Philippines, Dumaguete. Though laid back, Dumag

Before anything else, HAPPY 2012 everyone! I have just arrived from a wonderful trip in South Africa for the holidays, so I haven't really written anything since Christmas. It was also just today that I knew about the new tourism slogan of the Philippines, after checking my Facebook. I was actually in shock when I saw the campaign for the first time because I didn't expect it. I thought, what was this tagline going around with all the weird images attached to it. I was actually confused at first, so I searched further and discovered the REAL slogan.