Where to Stay—Philippines Accommodations
Want to know where to stay on your trip to the Philippines? In this post we’ll take you through every single place we rested our heads. The good, the bad and the downright beautiful!
While most of these are affordable options—we typically choose accommodations that are low to mid-range in terms of price—there are a few places where we were more than happy to shell out a few extra Filipino piso!
Manila
If you have read our 15-Day Philippines Travel Itinerary you will know that we didn't spend much time in Manila. Due to the fact that we arrived in Manila late at night and were leaving for Bohol early the next morning we elected to book an AirBnB that was close to the airport.
If you haven’t heard of AirBnB then maybe you just finished an extended stay in prison or you finally crawled out from under that rock where you’ve been living. Well, if that’s you—AirBnB is an online service that allows you to rent a room in a shared apartment/house—or book the entire place from a host (aka the owner). It’s an alternative choice to traditional hotels and resorts that are often more affordable and is always one of the first places we look when choosing accommodations. If you haven’t already stopped reading to go sign up, we strongly encourage you to do so. Use this link to save $45 CAD on your first booking! (full disclosure—we also get a little money in our account when you book your first AirBnB stay)
A quick search of the area surrounding the airport in Manila will show there are an abundance of AirBnbs. Since we just needed a place to sleep for a few hours, we were happy to find a place with great reviews and an accurate description. Click here if you want to see the exact place we stayed!
Check-in: Due to our late arrival the host was unable to meet us but our name was left with security and we were given our keys after presenting some identification.
Cleanliness: The overall condo building was not the most polished place we have ever stayed but the room itself was more than suitable for our one night stay.
Amenities: All the basic amenities you would expect in a condo—including bed, washroom with shower, fully functional kitchen with stove-top and microwave, TV and WiFi. The condo also has an air conditioner which was definitely needed while our bodies adjusted to the heat!
Location: Conveniently located across the street from Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. However, if you are flying in or out of any of the other terminals you will need to hire a taxi, tricycle or jeepney.
Price: One-night stay came to $41.39 CAD
Bohol
If Bohol is on your list of places to visit then we highly recommend checking availability at the Fox & The Firefly Cottages in Loboc. This was by far one of our favourite accommodations of our entire trip to the Philippines!
With beautifully designed cottages—each equipped with an outdoor bathroom—this is truly a place you’ll love returning to after a day of exploring the island. Prices range from 1,600 PHP per night for the one-bedroom cottage pictured below to 2,800 PHP per night for the larger Family Suite Cottages. The in-house restaurant Food & Fables serves delicious meals (with some vegetarian and vegan options) that are very reasonably priced and a fluctuating list of specials that will keep you coming back every day!
The Fox & The Firefly is also home to the Bohol branch of SUP Tours Philippines. Easily book up to six different Stand-Up Paddleboard tours with the front desk including one starting at 6:00 p.m. that takes you down the Loboc River to see the fireflies light up the night. Whether it’s relaxing in the hammock outside your room or enjoying the jungle-like views while swinging over the river we guarantee you’ll have an incredible stay here!
Check-in: We arrived early and were able to leave our bags in a back room while we had breakfast and explored the island. When our room was ready, check-in was fast and easy. They even provided a welcome drink!
Cleanliness: The whole place is impeccably clean for it being surrounded by so much nature. You may find an insect or two during your shower but that’s to be expected with an outdoor bathroom!
Amenities: Comfy bed with bug nets. No air conditioning in the rooms but an oscillating floor fan was enough to keep us cool! The outdoor bathroom includes a beautiful shower with warm and cold water but the water cuts off between certain hours of the day. WiFi is available in all rooms but works best at the front desk and in the restaurant. See our pictures of our cottage, the riverside hangout and the in-house restaurant below!
Location: It doesn’t get any more central than Loboc. The perfect location for exploring some of Bohol’s more popular tourist destinations and Instagram-worthy spots!
Price: Two-night stay came to 3,600 PHP or approximately $90 CAD. Visit their site to view the prices of their other cottages!
Bohol - Cont’d
If we had the option we would have spent all three nights at the Fox & The Firefly Cottages. Unfortunately, on our first night in Bohol they had no availability! While we could have selected to stay one night in the Alona Beach area on Panglao Island and enjoyed the beautiful tropical beaches—we decided instead to book an AirBnB on the opposite side of the Loboc River.
We found another beautiful place called the Riverview Canal House. The host Jessa was friendly and very easy to communicate with through the app. Due to an accidental double booking of the property with AirBnB and another home rental website we were unfortunately not able to spend the night in the Riverview House but Jessa was able to give us the much larger—and usually more expensive—Riverside Native House. While we had been looking forward to waking up to the incredible view of the Loboc River—having our own private bathroom and shower in the Native House was a nice trade-off!
Jessa offered to cook us dinner for only 250 PHP per person and she was even able to accommodate our vegetarian request. We enjoyed the home-cooked meal as well as the company of Jessa, her husband and their two girls! She also offers scooter/motorbike rentals for 400 PHP per day (standard pricing), but we have quite the story to tell about our first experience with scooter rental!
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at the Native House and would recommend it for those looking for a unique experience—but only if the Fox & The Firefly is already booked!
Check-in: Aside from the mix-up with the double booking and Jessa not being the one to greet us—the check-in process went smoothly.
Cleanliness: Definitely not as clean as the Fox & The Firefly but they also don’t have the cleaning staff that F&F does either! The bathroom is poorly lit and definitely has some spiders and other insects hiding in there—but again, this is to be expected with an outdoor bathroom!
Amenities: The Native House has two beds—one on the main floor and one upstairs—and both have bug nets. The outdoor bathroom has a shower but only has cold water. The house is cooled by fans and has no AC unit. WiFi is available in the room but there is very poor connection.
Location: A little more difficult to get to than Fox & The Firefly but only slightly!
Price: One-night stay came to $40.11 CAD.
Riverview Canal House on AirBnB
El Nido
If you aren’t travelling on a budget or are willing to spend a bit more money for a truly unique experience then you’ll definitely want to stay at The Birdhouse El Nido. Perched up in the trees above Bacuit Bay—The Birdhouse classifies themselves as a boutique glamping (glamorous + camping = glamping) accommodation. They currently have only five ‘nests’— which consist of large bell tents approximately five metres in diameter sitting on top of a 7x7 platform. Each nest has it’s own standard bathroom and a balcony to admire the beautiful views of El Nido!
Included with your reservation is a complimentary breakfast at their in-house restaurant The Nesting Table. We enjoyed the food here so much that we went back a second night when we weren’t even staying at The Birdhouse! The main house—where the owners live—is known as The Mother Nest and is also the home of El Nido Yoga. The Mother Nest offers the most incredible views of the entire place so you’ll want to get at least one sunset yoga session in while you’re here!
It’s possible the only thing more exciting than The Birdhouse itself is the adventure you’ll take getting there! As you make your way through the palm trees lining the beach, following the signs to the bottom of the bamboo staircase, you’ll know you are about to have an experience that you won’t soon forget.
Check-in: Takes a bit longer than expected because of the paperwork that needs to be filled out and the detailed tour of the nest.
Cleanliness: The no shoes policy in-doors keeps everything nice and clean in both the restaurant and nests!
Amenities: Each nest is equipped with at least one queen bed (some also have two single beds), a bathroom with hot/cold shower, and fans to keep you cool! WiFi is available but only works well in the restaurant (who needs it in a place this beautiful anyways?).
Location: Located just above Maremegmeg Beach—The Birdhouse is about 15 minutes south of the town of El Nido. This commute is more than worth it when you compare it to the quality of accommodations available in town!
Price: Typically requires a two-night minimum stay at 6,500 PHP per night or approximately $165 CAD. Due to them only having one night available during our time in El Nido—we sent them a quick e-mail and they made an exception for us! While this was by far the most expensive of all of our accommodations it was well worth the price and would be comparable to other luxury accommodations in the area.
El Nido - Cont’d
If you’re looking for something a little bit less expensive but don’t like the idea of staying in a traditional hostel—then you’ll want to check out The Cavern!
The Cavern identifies as a pod hotel—which means that each of the rooms has four single beds set up as two bunk-bed style ‘pods’. While this may not be the ideal accommodations for other travelling couples like us—it is definitely a great place for groups of 2-4 or the solo traveller who is looking to meet new people!
With a small but delicious menu and the best coffee in El Nido—the inviting and relaxing atmosphere of The Cavern will provide the perfect shelter from the mid-day heat or in our case—a two-day typhoon!
Check-in: A fairly quick rundown of everything that they offer with a short tour of the room and how everything works. Be prepared to pay a deposit for the room keys that is returned upon check-out!
Cleanliness: The loosely enforced no-shoes in the room policy keeps the room pretty clean—but they also have a cleaning staff that have separate access to the rooms. Remember that these are shared rooms and not everyone has the same perspective about what is considered clean!
Amenities: As mentioned above, each of the two rooms has two bunk-bed style pods. Each pod has a curtain for privacy and a separate storage compartment with a lock for your personal belongings. The rooms each have a fully equipped bathroom with hot/cold shower. WiFi is available for guests but the best reception is in the cafe.
Location: The Cavern is located in Corong-Corong and is about 5-10 minutes south of the town of El Nido. If you book your tours through the front desk they will arrange a ride into town but if not a tricycle hire is only 50 PHP!
Price: A four-night stay came to 7,041.13 PHP or approximately $180 CAD. For two people that’s only $45 a night!
Coron
Our visit to Coron included a five-night (that was actually only four nights) stay at The Ridge Coron. In terms of a budget accommodation—The Ridge offers some above average rooms, friendly and attentive staff, and some great views of Coron Island.
We booked our stay well in advance—but after all boats from El Nido to Coron were cancelled due to a typhoon—we were unable to make it for the first of our five nights. We were informed that they were unable to alter our reservation and offer a refund but were able to thankfully hold our reservation for the remaining four nights. It’s safe to say we were a little disappointed following this experience.
While the staff were all very friendly it was clear that The Ridge was still undergoing some growing pains as a relatively new hotel. Most of the staff had a hard time communicating in English. While this is to be expected when travelling to a country where English is not the first-language, it did not seem to be a problem at any of our other accommodations. We also found that the in-house restaurant had a limited menu and was fairly expensive for the quality of the food that was served.
Check-in: Simple check-in at the front desk. Staff are able to co-ordinate rides to and from the airport and book your tours.
Cleanliness: We had no complaints with the cleanliness of both the room and the hotel!
Amenities: The rooms were typical of your standard hotel with a queen-sized bed and full bathroom. Every room has a room service button and even though we only had to use it once the staff were very quick to respond! Included in your stay is a basic breakfast and you are required to make your selection the night before.
Location: While it is technically walking distance to town—its location at the top of the hill means walking back to your room is a pretty good workout!
Price: Five-night stay came to 15,928.92 PHP or approximately $410 CAD. While $82 per night won’t necessarily break the bank—we recommend looking elsewhere for a deal on somewhere with a more proven track record!
Donsol
If you are travelling to Donsol between January and April you may have some difficulty finding accommodations. There’s only one big reason for this—whale sharks! During these months, these gigantic fish migrate to the area and bring hordes of tourists with them. However, if you choose to visit in December or May—you might just get an entire resort all to yourself!
When we arrived at the Elysia Beach Resort we immediately noticed the quiet. It was a quiet that could only be described as an eerie peacefulness. We were shown to our room with the sound of the waves washing in on the beach. As we passed by the other fourteen rooms—all with the lights turned off and the curtains drawn—we realized we were the only guests. While our VIP experience only lasted one night—we were equally as pleased with the service we received as more guests started to arrive.
Check-in: Being the only guests, the check-in process went smoothly and after a tour of the resort we were enjoying the pool in no time!
Cleanliness: The resort was kept very clean during our stay. You can request for your room to be cleaned every day or have them wait until you check-out!
Amenities: All of the rooms are equipped with a double bed and a full bathroom with hot/cold shower. Every room walks out to the pool where you will have an amazing view of the sunset. The in-house restaurant has a great menu and serves up some delicious mixed drinks!
Location: Walking distance to the Bicol Dive Center where you can book your whale shark interaction or your Manta Bowl diving experience!
Price: Our two-night stay came to 6,284.25 PHP or approximately $160 CAD.
Legazpi
There are likely only two reasons you would be staying in Legazpi—either you want to spend some time exploring the Mayon Volcano or you don’t want to spend another night in Manila if you don’t have to! Due to some time constraints our reason for choosing Legazpi was unfortunately the latter.
Since our flight home from Manila wasn’t leaving until noon on our last day—we decided to book an early flight from Legazpi to Manila the same morning. This meant that we really just needed a decent place to lay our heads for the night. With the Emerald Boutique Hotel—decent is exactly what we got. Both the lobby and the room were clean and well decorated but the restaurant definitely left something to be desired. Maybe our perspective would have been a little different if we got to experience the hotel during the day with some natural light coming through the windows—or if it wasn’t the last night of what ended up being a very eventful trip.
Overall, the Emerald Boutique Hotel is an adequate accommodation choice for travellers looking for an above-average room and a free ride to the airport in the morning!
Check-in: Typical hotel check-in at the front desk. They were able to arrange an early check-out at this time as well as a free shuttle to the airport.
Cleanliness: Our room had been freshly cleaned just prior to check-in so we had no complaints!
Amenities: The air-conditioned room we had was a bit small but was perfectly fine for two people. Full bathroom with hot/cold shower. Some basic travel-size toiletries were provided. It was fairly obvious that more money had been invested into the lobby and rooms than the restaurant and the rest of the hotel—but as a guest, these places are where you will spend the majority of your time so it isn’t really a problem. If you’re feeling vocal—there’s also a karaoke bar attached to the restaurant!
Location: To be honest—we got dropped off and picked up right at the door so we really didn’t get to experience much of Legazpi. From what we can tell on Google Maps it is located near the downtown core of Legazpi City. The early morning drive to the airport was less than fifteen minutes!
Price: One-night stay came to $48.51 CAD
Final Thoughts
We hope this list of the accommodations we chose has given you an idea of where to start looking as you begin to plan your adventure to the Philippines! We absolutely loved some of the places we stayed—we’re looking at you The Birdhouse El Nido and The Fox & The Firefly Cottages—but we always recommend that you do your research to find the perfect place for you.
If you have any questions about any of these accommodations feel free to leave a comment below, send us a DM on Instagram or Facebook—we love planning trips and are happy to help!
