a) From Thailand:
Ehotelthailand.com allows you to pay for your flight before you arrive in BKK. This is a good idea if you are afraid that the flights might be booked. I chose Philippine Airlines and a RT ticket costs $258. Thai Airways flights costs about $300 and Egypt Air has a flight that leaves at 3am and costs about $215. The PI Air flight leaves at 1:40 pm and arrives about 5:45 or so...my flight arrived early at 5:30. You lose an hour going to PI. Another suggestion to purchase tickets is to wait until you get to BKK and use the many travel agents on Kho Sahn Road.

b)From Singapore:
Right now nothing really beats Tiger Air as it flies directly into Clark Airport and the rates are cheap. Good idea to get on their email list as they will send you emails when they have their 9.98 Singapore dollar fare prices. If you know your travel dates, soak these tickets up quick as the overseas Filipino workers snatch these up quick. You can also fly JetStarAsia from Singapore to Manila but the prices vary considerably depending on the season.

b) From U.S.:
If you are traveling from Cali., Travelocity.com is your best bet during low season. During the summer, I got the best rates through consolidators. Go to Filipino neighborhoods and you will see several travel agents that will give you flights cheaper than face value. I purchased a flight that was $300 cheaper than the face value of the ticket and it includes a shuttle service from San Diego to LAX. $900 total during summer time is a great price as all the Pinoy are traveling back to their homeland. I think the best airline to use is Eva Air for service and price and Philippines Air for direct flights. The only airline I would avoid is China Airlines but that’s a personal preference. As far as frequent flier programs go, Philippine Airlines is tops. You need less miles to get free flights and upgrades than their competitors. Sure, Philippine Airlines isn’t Singapore Airlines and it sure isn’t Eva but the flight is direct and the FF program allows you to accumulate valuable miles quick. You might want to also check out the Hot E-fares on Eva Air’s web site and reserve your flight directly through them as they usually have unbeatable prices to Manila and they have the Economy Deluxe option which is the equivilent of some of the other airlines business class.

c) From Airport to AC-

1. Bus: This is a form of transportation that would have been unheard of in the past but is now a viable option for getting to AC as the prices for taxi service have become ridiculous. It may seem intimidating for many of you but I believe it’s completely safe and fast. My total cost for taking the bus was 427 pisos vs. the taxi mafia average rate of 2,500 pisos. Round trip you will save yourself about 4,000 pisos. That’s 4 barfines on Perimeter Road.

Here is how you do it. Whether taking Terminal I or II, go upstairs to the departure point and flag down a taxi that just dropped off a passenger. You might get lucky and he will turn on the meter, if not ask him to do so. If he will only take a flat fee then do not pay more than 200 pisos and ask him to take you to Victory Liner in Pasay. It will take you about 10-15 minutes to get there. Go to the window that says Dagupan or just ask the information desk where you purchase the tickets to Dau. The other option is to get on the bus to Dau and purchase the ticket while on board. Make sure you relay to the driver that you are going to Dau. The ticket is 127 pisos. On my last trip, the driver was flying and it took 1 hour and 9 minutes. That’s a full 30-60 minutes faster than a taxi. Ask them to place your luggage in a locked container below but carry your valuable or carry on with you. Due note that the air con on these buses can be freezing so you might want to bring a jacket. The bus is as safe as a taxi as there have been more hijacks of taxis over the years than buses. Once you arrive at Dau, get a trike to take you to your hotel and the going rate is 100 pisos but you can bargain. On the way back to the airport, get on the Victory Liner bus that says “Pasay” and don’t get off until the driver yells Pasay. Then take a taxi to the airport.

2. Taxi: I would avoid waiting till you arrive at the airport to get your taxi. They are going to quote you outrageous prices up to 3,000 pisos. If you do decide to do this, don’t pay more than 2,500 pisos and make sure it includes the tolls. This is 1,000 pisos more than last year as the drivers have to pay higher gas prices and a new increased toll fare. They expect the passenger to absorb the toll fare both ways even though they could conceivably pick up a passenger in Angeles. The other option is to arrange a driver with your hotel. This insures your safety and the prices are usually anywhere from 2,100 pisos on up. Make sure you qualify with the hotel about your pickup as the drivers only remember what to do in hourly increments. This is especially a good idea if you are traveling with more than one person and can split the costs.

3. Swagman Fly The Bus: I can no longer recommend this service. The price is now 550 pisos, you have to pick up the bus in Ermita(250 piso taxi) and the buses are run down pieces of shit.

4. Fly: Another convenient route is to fly with SEAir. They have a web site at flyseair.com and it will give you reservation options. This option is really only convenient if your flight arrives in the afternoon. Check the flight times on their web site as it changes periodically. The flight coming back to Manila is around 8am so bear that in mind as well if you want to go round trip. They still havent gotten their reservation system up to speed yet but email them or call them to set up a reservation. The prices change but are normally around 1,300 pisos each way. Once you arrive at terminal one or two, you need to take a taxi to domestic airport. Don’t pay more than 150 pisos as its only about 2km away. The flight takes about 20 minutes and the plane is small. If you are not accustomed to small commuter planes, this might not be for you. Make sure you arrange for the shuttle service with SeAir to take you to your hotel or have your hotel arrange a taxi service. If you grab a taxi when you arrive, the taxi mafia will try to charge you 300 pisos to go 3 km and you have little options.

AIRPORT TIPS: After getting your luggage and going through customs, you will be overwhelmed at the amount of touts and scammers flying at you. Take a deep breath and go directly to one of he bank exchange booths and exchange $100 if it is during the day(better rates in Angeles kiosks) or more if you arrive in the middle of the night. After you get your money, people will be coming out of the woodwork to get you to use their taxi service. They are all the same. They will open a book and point to a guide the says, "Angeles City 3,500 pisos". Tell them 2,500 pisos and that the driver pays for tolls. They will not do it. Walk away and they will change their minds but qualify the price and who is paying for tolls. If they refuse, there are infinite other taxi drivers who will take this price. Stick to this price or lower if you can. The driver may cry and beg for a tip when you arrive or say "Merry Christmas" with his hand out. Only tip him if he tried to get you their safe and quick and if he wasn't an asshole. It's up to you. Wait to discuss the tip until you have your luggage out of the car.

Understand that your luggage retrieval time could be extensive if there are a lot of Filipinos on your flight from the USA as they like to bring several giant boxes of shit to give to their relatibs and the boxes just keep on coming until one hour later when you get your luggage. This is where FF membership comes in handy so that you can get priority luggage. Another thing to note is that terminal II only has one ATM and it generally does not work.

Blazers

Just finished reading your guide - good stuff!! There are those that would disagree with some of your observations, but by and large a wonderful way for newbies to get in shape for their first trip.

"I chose Philippine Airlines and a RT ticket costs $258 ... Another suggestion to purchase tickets is to wait until you get to BKK and use the many travel agents on Kho Sahn Road."

I've also used PALs website to purchase BKK-MNL-BKK tix. Their system did not have e-tickets (at least the last time I used their service), but the paper tickets can be picked up at BIA the morning of your flight.

E

BTW, doesn't the word "definitive" normally grace the titles of your guides...?

E

Excellent job amigo! One of these days we will have to go back and tip a few more together!

Impressive work, Blazers. Congratulations and thanks!
Bwana

Thanks Blazers,

I was looking for an updated report for PI. Hopefully, we would meets so I could buy you a drink. Many thanks again.....

R.

Very helpful guide. You could probably package this as an e-book and make a few bucks with it.

Would LOVE to see a chapter outlining your take on Manila. Even if your knowledge is more limited, it would still no doubt be helpful.

Great report Blazers and some good advice. Hopefully an updated version of your Manila guide will be in the works soon.

I'd reiterate what you said about how convenient and cheap the buses are, especially now that the fees have skyrocketed. I also agree it's important, that when you get on the bus, you monitor where it's going as the bus driver sometimes forgets or doesn't announce the stops (I actually fell asleep once and found myself in some rathole of a city). I also now take a cab from the arrival area(top) and usually manage to get a flat fee into Manila for 200 pisos or less.

Thanks for this info. I would have been broke by the time I got to AC. All this kind of info helps newbies like me. This website should give guys like you free lifetime memberships for your contributions.

Blazers info is right on. I may differ in opinions, but both his Philippines and Thailand Guides were RIGHT ON! Also, many of the tid bits postes by Epithemus and MongerX are worthy of Hailz and Screams of Vengence! \m/

>go upstairs to the departure point and flag down a taxi that just dropped off a passenger

Will definitely second this advice. Just for kicks I checked the pricing with the "taxi mafia" downstairs and their official rate was 600 pesos (about $12) for the ride from NAIA to the Victory Liner terminal in Pasay. I just laughed in their faces and went and took the elevator upstairs.

Maybe I've just gone FAR too native, but I also can't imagine puking ~40 USD each way for a private car from MNL to Angeles when the bus leaves every 20 minutes and cost 1/20 as much. Time-wise, you lose about 45 minutes, but you save 2000 pesos each way.

I'll gladly pay the $40 each way. Frindge benefits include - stopping at the Manila 7-11 for Soda and Pastry. Stopping for a Piss. Leg room after being cramped on an 20 hr. flight. And on the way back - you can have your Honey-Ko ride along with you to wish you "happy trip."

And yes, I tipp my driver too!

I can't fit in a Trike. I won't be shoved in a Jeepney. After 20+ hrs and customs, baggage claim. My ass wants to Haul Ass! and not wait wait wait for a cheaper bus.

I am not saying the bus is a bad idea; I have never done it. But the private driver awaiting my arrival with my name on the card : that's how I will continue to do it in style. \m/

(Message edited by Metal on October 20, 2006)

Well I wouldnt consider the cars they use actually driving in style but it is slightly more convenient. I have done both and have always arrived quicker withe the bus as those guys drive fast and get there quicker. If you have over two pieces of luggage, it's probably better to take a taxi but if you do take one, organize it through the hotel or the guy just might not show up.

Shit last time I flew into Manila I was stiffed by the driver from Central Park Hotel. So I went to change money outside baggage claim. Like a doofus, I set my phone down for a second and it got snatched! So I had to book a taxi at the airport, and negotiated a price of 1500 pesos inclusive of tolls. The whole two and a half hours I had to here this guy whining about his tip!

Thank god for Tiger Airways and direct flights to Clark.

I don't blame anyone for wanting to book a private car service to travel back and forth from AC, but the price is bafflingly high. The bus is easy and CHEAP. Might not want to take the bus on your first couple of trips, but once you generally know where you're going, the bus is pretty damned convenient.

CP drivers are notorious for stiffing people. I've used them 3 times and had headaches twice over price. One time I had some lap meat join me for the round trip, then the driver insisted that the hotel never told him and wanted an extra 2200 pesos AND wait for the next customer to come into MNL.

>the price is bafflingly high

While I agree the price is a bit much - I did note the price of gas when the driver stopped to fill up on the way back to MNL on the last trip. If my math was reasonably close, gas in the Phils is about as much as it is in the US. So a 3 to 4 hour round trip is going to burn some pesos in gas - maybe as much as 1/2 of that cost.

Central Park Hotel is usually 5* in their customer service, but their car service blows. It is BS, getting charged for bringing your airport dropoff friends back. Also, I believe they charge 400 pesos to pick up at Clark and then wanted to add a surcharge for a second person joining a pick up. Shit you can get a taxi for 300 without any bargaining. Hell I got 200 pesos last trip when I asked one of the security guys to get me a taxi. This is one of the rare thumb downs for Central Park.

Try this. If you're tired after a long flight and don't want to put up with the bus ride to AC, just spend the night in Manila, more specifically, Pasay City. It's near the airport, there are some reasonable accomodations, and EDSA plaza is right there. Go to AC on the bus the next day. Just a thought.

Phxguy, AC is at most a 90 minute, 80 KM trip. Shouldn't burn that much gas, and remember that it's the country of p150 per 12 hour day salaries for unskilled workers. The bogus thing about booking a car service to get you from Manila to AC is that you get hosed paying for the round trip costs for gas and tolls even though you're only going one way. This is incredibly inefficient, and no way it should be on YOU to be paying for this. And then, as DM mentions, they add insult to injury by playing bullshit games about whether or not they'll take your LAP MEAT (LOL!!!) back to AC after they drop you off.

I found out about that one from Central Park's car service the hard way after I had already agreed to pay a girl's barfine so she could go to the airport with us, only to be informed that she wasn't welcome to ride back. Assholes!

MongerX, interesting info about getting a p200 taxi ride at Clark. Will try that next time.

Huevon, also good idea about staying in Manila if arriving late that first night, and/or the night before you fly home.

(Message edited by Porker on October 20, 2006)

BTW, my costs for the bus this past trip were p300 each way, all-inclusive. p100 for the taxi to/from the Victory Liner terminal to/from NAIA, p128 for the bus, and p70 for the trike from the bus terminal in Dau to the hotel in Balibago, AC.

For the 'really' cheap Charlie's out there. Not high rolling big spenders like Porker ;)

There are also buses that come around where the jeepneys pick up. 10 pesos paid to a conductor, paper ticket issued. They are not tourist buses by any means but the one I rode was decent enough and air conditioned. You would not want to do this with more than a backpack or carry-on sized suitcase but I travel light and found it about as fast and almost as easy as a taxi. They are signed with paper signs that list route and destination information that was gibberish to me but I gather that most of them go around to the end of EDSA and then head up the street. Just ask the conductor of every single bus that comes along if it goes where you want and have them point you in the right direction when you get there. I got off at "Rotunda" which is where the EDSA LRT Station and Baclaran MRT station is. The bus continued down further and would have passed the Victory Liner terminal as well except you are on the wrong side of EDSA and the nearest foot bridge is probably a block away so going to the Victory Liner terminal would entail walking a block or so.

Probably not for most folks and you wouldn't want to do it on your first trip or with allot of luggage but if like me you relish depriving a rip-off Manila taxi driver of a fare or just like to see a different side of things, it will save you $4-$5 and really seems pretty easy. Just ask allot of questions and people are pretty helpful.

And of course it is pretty easy to hop a jeepney from Dau to the end of Fields as well so ............. 10 Piso to bus station 128 Piso for bus ticket to Dau. and 7.5 Pisos Jeepney to the end of Fields. 145.5 Pisos total MNL to Fields. $3.50 and probably damn near as fast as a taxi.

Actually, now that I try to put together some of what I did, against a map.... it looks like the easy cheap Charlie way to go would be to take the 10 Piso bus from the Airport to the Five Star bus terminal at EDSA and Aurora Blvd since that terminal IS on the right side of EDSA, it should be a strait shot, airport to bus station. Then take the Five Star bus to Dau from there. Other than all you guys with delicate dispositions or who have allot of luggage, I bet this doesn't take 5 minutes more than a taxi and is actually less of a headache since there is no arguing with some asshole taxi driver over meters and fares.