On my bi-annual retreat this year, I decided to enlarge my mongering sphere to include PI, rather than my stick to my ole stomping grounds in the LoS. This was mainly based on the favorable reports here by blazers, porker, etc.


Pre-planning

Flight:
I booked a flight on Cathay Pacific JFK-MNL when they were running a 499RT special. As a mileage whore, it was tough to forego the miles, but then again I saved $350 off the next lowest fare. Booking on-line was a breeze and I would recommend them to anyone needing a low cost fare.

Room:
The room was booked via email at the Orchid hotel. Orchid responded and confirmed my superior deluxe room promptly. Josie at Orchid actually kept in touch through-out the pre-planning stages and was very helpful.

Research:
Past hombre's experiences and posts--it's all there and invaluable.


Bon Voyage!

Flight:
Cathay Pacific seat's felt quite a bit narrower than most. In addition, there were 2 infants sitting in the next row. Both of these factors led to a bearable, but less than idyllic ride in terms of rest and comfort. The plane also had a longer than expected stopover in Vancouver, which caused me to miss my connection from Hong Kong > MNL. On the positive side, the staff was very polite and attentive.

Arrival/Hotel:
I checked "nothing to declare" on the customs card and breezed through the airport. Once thru customs, you are engulfed by hoards of taxi companies-- much like arrival in BKK. I would recommend lining up the ride prior to going, just to avoid the headaches of haggling and dealing with the masses. As directed by Josie at Orchid, I went to the pick up area and my driver was waiting under the "W."

Newbie notes: There is an ATM in the airport just prior to exiting. Pick up cash for incidentals, the taxi, and some on-arrival spending cash. I also picked up a phone card for emergencies.

My first impression of PI while driving is "welcome to the 3rd world." I've been to Thailand and Mexico several times, but the Philippines takes the cake by far in terms of poverty (at least on the route my driver took). As reported elsewhere, the traffic is bumber-to-bumber and the ride took closer to 3 hours. I decided to doze off once we hit the highway. Ride total cost (1800 pesos w/tip).

AC:
At first glance, AC looks like a cesspool, so I was happy to check in the hotel, which looked decent (once inside). Then as I was making my way to my room, two cutties yelled "HEY" from down the hall, lifted there shirts, and started massaging each others' breasts. Immediately, I forgot about environmental conditions and hurried to dump my bags and shower up. As a side note, I looked for these two daily without luck. Overall the room was decent (45USD/day). The hot water and AC worked fine and the room was clean. The bathroom was smallish, but hey the Ritz Carlton doesn't have in-room FS massage...

Newbie Notes: the superior delux rooms have in-room internet, which was very convenient. ISP service was working and dependable. Although cheaper rooms can be had and perhaps better, I highly recommend this hotel for newbies given the location, amenities, and service.

Part 1 Scorecard (category, choice e.g., PI, LoS, note):

Pre-planning ease: PI, tons on places on-line to book, more rapid communication/dialogue via email.

Flight: LoS, flights cheaper, wider selection of carriers/dates for reduced fares. The exception was the 499 cathay pacific special.

Transport: Draw, both are a challenge to deal with.

Hotels: LoS, in 1-1 comparisons the same, however LoS has a wider selection in terms of quality. In terms of pricing:quality ratio, the same.

Surroundings: LoS, PI is a smellier, dirtier, and more congested place in general.


Related links:

Cathay Pacific:
http://www.cathay-usa.com/

Orchid Inn:
http://www.orchid-inn.com/


Next installment: Part 2 The Club Scene

I like your scorecard and agree with it 100%. I think the girls are prettier in Los, but you can't say enough about actually being able to convese with a Filipina to add to the overall hobby experience. In Los, I often spend 2 hrs at soapies with barely a word or two.

The 3 hr commute to AC was horrendous, but I've heard you can do it late night or early mornings for better results. I'm also thinking of flying Asiana next time from L.A., which just started direct flights into Clarke with a stopover in Seoul. They are using the newer A319 Airbuses and the seats are going fast.

keep in mind my scorecard (so far) just relates to the pre-planning/travel aspects. The girls, clubs, etc reports will have their own cards.

FYI, I arrived at MNL Friday early evening around 6PM, which is probably the worst time to make the drive

Thanks for the tip about Asiana-- that sounds awesome!

-dm

I also benefitted from the $499 flight but I was unhappy with Cathay Pacific's service. The other downfall was that Filipino families really took advantage of this cheap flight and, as a result, the plane was packed with babies and toddlers. On the way back their were over twenty kids in the middle section to my left and at some points they were all crying in unison. I think it's cruel to put an infant on a 12-16 hours flight...borderline child abuse. If the auties and lolas want to see the baby so bad then buy them flights to the US to see the newborn...sorry I had to vent on that one. I am not a fan of Orchid as Apartelle blows it away but it does have a festive atmosphere and room service is good. I would also recommend using SEAir as they have 2-3 flights a day now at 500 and 990 pisos. If you are coming from an international flight, you get 20kilos of baggage free and only 20 piso per kilo after that. With the 500 piso flight, I only paid an additional 60 pisos. In other words, I paid 560 pisos for a 20 minute flight. The only additional expenses were the taxi to the hotel at 200 pisos and shuttle to domestic at 100 pisos supplied by SeAir. Total paid= 860 pisos plus 50 domestic tax= 910 pisos for 20 minutes. I use it as often as possible and now they have a 1330 and 1730 flight to Angeles. Good idea to check out flyseair.com

DonMarco

Great start to the report. I'll be making my maiden voyage to AC in a few weeks. One quick question - I saw you missed your connecting flight in Hong Kong because of the longer Vancouver layover - but how fast is it to clear customs in Hong Kong? I have exactly 1 hour between my arriving time on one carrier and Philippines Air 6:00pm flight to Manila. I won't have any checked baggage - but is making an international connection in under 60 minutes a pipedream? There's always the 8:00pm flight.

Looking forward to the rest of the report.

Wallstreet
You will be a transit passenger and as such will not go thru customs-- do not go to customs area -- stay within terminal transit area. Will be well marked no worry.. Only another brief security check and you go to new gate. 1 hour layover is more than enough.

I did two connections in just under an hour out of MNL, but I didn't have to clear customs in either case. If your pre-arranging a taxi ride to AC, I would probably opt for the later flight to MNL as it will give you some breathing room.


BTW, do you go on a trip per week? I'm still trying to wiggle a few days free from a gig in NYC to join you in FKK heaven

-dm

I wish! About one a month. December 12-15 is a definate go for Frankfurt - would be great if you could make it. But that's just a long weekend. My AC/Thailand trip is Jan 16-25, coming up fast.

KM -

I guess they're not sticklers like in the US. When I checked in for my 7:20pm Frankfurt flight at 6:15pm (with no luggage) the Continental counter person said - "wow, another 5 minutes and the flight would have been closed" They take the 60-minute check in rule very seriously.