Money allowance for vacation

[skysisi]

Hi fellow followers of this furom in behalf of my friend who wants some advices about his concern. My friend is planning for first vacation and first meet to his fiancee in philippines then he wants to know how much the amount money to spend there? Is it enough around 800 pound only for 3 weeks?

[stevewool]

how ever much you take it will last, but take a credit card just in case, in fact a member from here i think went with a few hundred quid and he went for over a month,

[grahamw48]

Can't have been me. That would be far too much. :icon_lol:

For a first timer I'd take at least £300 per week, so you're not having to scrimp too much. Say a £1000 for 20 days....plus airtickets of course. :smile:

[grahamw48]

Example for a first trip:

Cheapish hotel p1500 x 20 = p30,000 ( Remember to ask for discount...at least 10% if staying for more than a few days in the same hotel or apartment.)

Food and drink for two p1000 x 20 = p20,000

Total BASIC costs = p50,000 @ p61/£ = £820.

Myself...probably only p1000 per day for room, plus p500 a day for food, so BASIC costs = p30,000 = £492. :smile:

One of the biggest savers is being careful where you eat, and what. Try some local eateries.

[stevewool]

Example for a first trip:

Cheapish hotel p1500 x 20 = p30,000 ( Remember to ask for discount...at least 10% if staying for more than a few days in the same hotel or apartment.)

Food and drink for two p1000 x 20 = p20,000

Total BASIC costs = p50,000 @ p61/£ = £820.

Myself...probably only p1000 per day for room, plus p500 a day for food, so BASIC costs = p30,000 = £492. :smile:

and everyone calls me a tight git:NoNo::NoNo:

[grahamw48]

I have NO shame...and even LESS money to waste. :icon_lol:

[imagine]

Example for a first trip:

Cheapish hotel p1500 x 20 = p30,000 ( Remember to ask for discount...at least 10% if staying for more than a few days in the same hotel or apartment.)

Food and drink for two p1000 x 20 = p20,000

Total BASIC costs = p50,000 @ p61/£ = £820.

Myself...probably only p1000 per day for room, plus p500 a day for food, so BASIC costs = p30,000 = £492. :smile:

One of the biggest savers is being careful where you eat, and what. Try some local eateries.

now thats more like my kind of holiday expenses:biggrin::xxgrinning--00xx3:

guess im still yorkshire in at heart, or is that wallet :icon_lol::icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

Just don't run out of cash in the middle of nowhere...cellphone coverage may not be good. :biggrin:


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http://imageshack.us/a/img705/2086/chinchorromummy615.jpg

[London_Manila]

Hi fellow followers of this furom in behalf of my friend who wants some advices about his concern. My friend is planning for first vacation and first meet to his fiancee in philippines then he wants to know how much the amount money to spend there? Is it enough around 800 pound only for 3 weeks?

I always take £2000 in cash and normally only spend around £1000 (21 nights)
For hotels i use a credit card = Most hotels there can be booked cheaper online here
Most of my expense there is goes on hotels and anything decent is expensive (western standard)
A 1000 peso a night room will be dirty old and ridden with cockroaches also minimal security not to mention the lack of water pressure :wink:
For Makati i would say 3000 pesos a night is a starting price for anything reasonable

[fred]

Graham.. You must be made of money!!
I used to check in to a "room" in a house in Malate.. It was furnished with one folding bed and one electric fan.
It was 1 meter wide and 3 meters long.. I called it the capsule..
Rent was 50 PHP per month and all my laundry was delivered to this capsule all ironed for 50 Peso a month..
I used to get home about 3-4 O clock in the morning, completely smashed,wake up about 12 Mid day,shave,shower and out for a late breakfast and coffee..
By 2/3.00 I was playing pool and drinking beer and bar hopping by 7.00pm..
If anyone asked where I was staying I`d say "The Hilton".
1000 Quid would last me 6 months easy..If it looked like I was spending too much cash I`d disappear to Bicol for a month.

I`d tell people all this back home and they thought I was full of it!! :icon_lol:

[Steve.r]

A 1000 peso a night room will be dirty old and ridden with cockroaches also minimal security not to mention the lack of water pressure :wink:

I am sorry, but this has not been my experience at all. Even for a 1000p you have a clean room/bathroom and shower with a tv and aircon.
Half the reason for going to another country it to experience it's differences or you might as well stay at home and watch tv. :doh

[fred]

I am sorry, but this has not been my experience at all. Even for a 1000p you have a clean room/bathroom and shower with a tv and aircon.
Half the reason for going to another country it to experience it's differences or you might as well stay at home and watch tv. :doh

Couldn`t agree more Steve..
Last time we stayed in Malati we stayed in that new TUNE hotel.. Just over a 1000 and spotless..
Perhaps we should list the best hotels for lets say 1,200 a night or less and make it a sticky for future reference.

[Michael Parnham]

I agree with both Steve.r & Graham!:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

Graham.. You must be made of money!!
I used to check in to a "room" in a house in Malate.. It was furnished with one folding bed and one electric fan.
It was 1 meter wide and 3 meters long.. I called it the capsule..
Rent was 50 PHP per month and all my laundry was delivered to this capsule all ironed for 50 Peso a month..
I used to get home about 3-4 O clock in the morning, completely smashed,wake up about 12 Mid day,shave,shower and out for a late breakfast and coffee..
By 2/3.00 I was playing pool and drinking beer and bar hopping by 7.00pm..
If anyone asked where I was staying I`d say "The Hilton".
1000 Quid would last me 6 months easy..If it looked like I was spending too much cash I`d disappear to Bicol for a month.

I`d tell people all this back home and they thought I was full of it!! :icon_lol:

Pah ! You had a shower ? :Erm:

Blinkin luxury mate. What's wrong with a bucket and scoop ? :icon_lol:

Sounds familiar though...except mine was in Pasay. :biggrin:

[grahamw48]

Having a beer with friends (and the ex)...MH Del Pilar, Ermita, probably 1991. :)

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http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/4201/negs006.jpg

[grahamw48]

Cheap lodgings in the Bicol mountains. :smile:

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http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/2788/honkongandphils005.jpg

[grahamw48]

Couldn`t agree more Steve..
Last time we stayed in Malati we stayed in that new TUNE hotel.. Just over a 1000 and spotless..
Perhaps we should list the best hotels for lets say 1,200 a night or less and make it a sticky for future reference.

I can recommend Sogo Drive-In Hotel (the EDSA/FB Harrison one).

My bill averaged about p1100 a night for a nice QUIET and clean aircon room, and great service too. :smile:
Slightly more is charged at weekends, but below 1500.

Very well placed for the airport, Mall of Asia and all transport connections.

[fred]

Pah ! You had a shower ? :Erm:

Blinkin luxury mate. What's wrong with a bucket and scoop ? :icon_lol:

Sounds familiar though...except mine was in Pasay. :biggrin:


Oh!! You mean you had the Tabu system installed!!!
I must say...Very "Chic"!!
I had to buy and drink my rice coffee (20 cents a cup) from the vendor that had a wireless radio to listen for the weather forecast..
If they predicted showers, we used to hang around with half a bar of Tide laundry soap.
You dont know you were born!!

[grahamw48]

hahaha...remind me to share half a beer and a bag of warm rice with you next time I'm over there Fred. :biggrin:

[fred]

hahaha...remind me to share half a beer and a bag of warm rice with you next time I'm over there Fred. :biggrin:

Now now Graham.. No more talk of being so Kuripot with beer!!
Anytime BTW.

[joebloggs]

it depends where your staying, what your doing and who your paying for.

are you staying in a hotel or your g/f's place ?
also its just you and her or are you taking some of her family on your trips ?

[skysisi]

Thank you for all the reply and photos lol. As my friend told me just this morning when i sent this all your message, his gf is living somewhere in leyte, the 800 pound is included already there both plane ticket return, for my opinion that is not enough but he insisted that he don't treat some of her relatives so that it will last 3 weeks. :doh

[skysisi]

I mean ticket from manila to tagbilaran airport, sounds he is kuripot:icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

I mean ticket from manila to tagbilaran airport, sounds he is kuripot:icon_lol:

If he is a newbie visiting the pamily, I wish him the best of luck, as this may be how he spends his final week. :biggrin:

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http://imageshack.us/a/img809/9484/poorman.jpg

[imagine]

If he is a newbie visiting the pamily, I wish him the best of luck, as this may be how he spends his final week. :biggrin:

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http://imageshack.us/a/img809/9484/poorman.jpg

is that balakbayan :icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

That's the empty gift boxes. :biggrin:

[skysisi]

It made me laugh of your photo sir graham :icon_lol: it might be he ended like that of being so kuripot :icon_lol::icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

The perils of having too small a budget in the Phils...:cwm24:

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http://everythinginbudget.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/foreign-beggar-in-underpass-going-to-sm.html

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7855
(http://everythinginbudget.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/foreign-beggar-in-underpass-going-to-sm.html)

[skysisi]

He seen this picture sir graham and he's laughing :icon_lol::icon_lol::laugher: , you made us laugh thank you sir :icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

Walang anuman. :icon_sorry:

[London_Manila]

I am sorry, but this has not been my experience at all. Even for a 1000p you have a clean room/bathroom and shower with a tv and aircon.
Half the reason for going to another country it to experience it's differences or you might as well stay at home and watch tv. :doh

Well we all have our own minimum standards and i have a zero tolerance of cockroaches

2 places that you will be hard pushed to find 1000 peso a night rooms are Makati and Angeles City

Of course on my travels around Bisaya (Leyte and samar) it was easy

[London_Manila]

Couldn`t agree more Steve..
Last time we stayed in Malati we stayed in that new TUNE hotel.. Just over a 1000 and spotless..
Perhaps we should list the best hotels for lets say 1,200 a night or less and make it a sticky for future reference.

With all due respect Tune hotel rooms are like shoe boxes
Tiny and with no area to hang any clothes and nowhere to store any luggage
At best Tune hotels cater for people between flights or for the odd night only

I had the misfortune to stay at a Tune hotel here in London (Paddington) :NoNo:
Not an experience that will ever be repeated
Yes they are very cheap but what do you actually get for that money
A matchbox sized room :wink:

[fred]

With all due respect Tune hotel rooms are like shoe boxes
Tiny and with no area to hang any clothes and nowhere to store any luggage
At best Tune hotels cater for people between flights or for the odd night only

I had the misfortune to stay at a Tune hotel here in London (Paddington) :NoNo:
Not an experience that will ever be repeated
Yes they are very cheap but what do you actually get for that money
A matchbox sized room :wink:


I admit they are a bit small and you have to pay extra for things like TV and A/C !!
Me and the Mrs stayed there overnight and were quite comfortable though and as I say the place was spotless.

Our apartments in Imus are very popular with expats these days..Lots are overnight and short term stays.. (950.00 for one bedroom fully furnished with TV.A/C and internet.)

For monthly stays the cost starts from around Peso 350 per night.
These fully furnished apartment deals are starting to catch on so well worth looking out for them in the area you wish to stay..
Apartments inside the mall of Asia complex are coming up for rent now for around 1500 Peso per night,good for two people..
Pretty good value IMO.
http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+classifieds/id/4369772/CONDO+FOR+RENT+HOTEL+CONDOTEL+NEAR+AIRPORT+MALL+OF+ASIA+IN+MANILA?referralKeywords=condo+unit+for+rent+near+mall+of+asia&featureType=13&event=Sponsored+Ranking,Position,1-1,1
http://cdn.sulitstatic.com/images/2012/0626/0158536_thumbnailpic2.jpg

[blackcat22]

On my first ever visit to phils, the two most important factors making huge dent on my holiday spending money are food and taxis

I'm not a huge drinker, so going to bars drinking myself and money dry was not an issue for me.

After a week, I was down by 20k PHP. It was a wake up call. I sat down and analyzed where the money went

1. FOOD [hotel restaurant eating, restaurants outside hotels, not only have me and my mahal to content with, family members mum and dad, her sisters, brothers also pop round at least 4 times a week and had to be fed]

2. TAXI [hmmm.. this is a touchy subject. It's not a secret that 95% of filipino think that all foreigners are moneybags, and the taxi are the ones exploiting this myth to the fullest. as soon as you get in they fiddle the meter and try every tricks in the world to ensure you pay 4 to 5 times the normal rate. have even seen cases charging 10 times the normal fare]


Anyways my 20k a week spending continued till end of my 3 weeks holiday as I couldn't figure out back then how to cut savings to my out of control spending.


Now fast fward to my 7th visit and gradually I've perfected the art of making savings on my holiday spending money in phils.

I won't discuss hotels etc.. bcoz these are all pre-paid before you leave home in England.

1. FOOD: To cut down on food cost,

a. stay away from most restaurants, except Inasal which are somewhat ok and cost an average £2.50 per person which is similar to mcdonalds or KFC. Stick to Mcdonalds and KFC as much as possible and chow king also fall within the £2.50 per person food bill

b. Try renting condo apartment for your short or long stay, they are much cheaper than hotels and give you options to even cut down on your food bills by going to supermarket and buy your own groceries and cook yourself. During my last visit I bought milk, cornflakes, bread butter and eggs for just about £4 and this fed 3 people , me, my wife and her sister for nearly a week for breakfast. even at mcdo which is relatively cheap it would have cost £7.50 for 3 people just ONE day alone. and here you're having to pay just £4 to feed 3 people for breakfast for a whole WEEK!! just by cooking yourself. 7ELEVEN is also a good source of saving on food bills and you will find they have a range of ready made meals for about £1.10 where they heat it up for you in microwaeve and you sit down there and eat. I had a delicious BBQ spare ribs and rice ready meal with generous portions there at 7eleven this morning for about £1.10 (yea i'm currently in manila rite now, lol)

c. I have also seen the workers at lunch break come out and eat at side street stalls. The side street stalls provide for the cheapest food bills with some as low as 50p (30php) per person but the hygiene in the food stall are pretty bad and if you didn't take a cholera or polio jab before you leave home and go and eat there, it might end up costing you more in hospital bills so I tend to stay away from the food stall even tho I got my cholera jabs, I still won't risk it.


2. TAXIS
Forget the taxis as much as you can, take MRT or bus as much as possible. The only fear I have with taking MRT and busses is getting lost in the middle of no where as you might have to make many busses connections to your final destination as a lone traveller this might be a challenge. But this also provide you with opportunity to mix in with the locals by commuting with them instead of being isolated in RIP-OFF taxis. To give you an example how much savings you can make taking a bus. A typical Bus ride which a RIP-OFF taxi will charge 2,000PHP(£33) will cost you only £1 by taking a combination of jeepney and bus to same destination. The tricycle drivers have also started to jump on the foreigners are moneybags bandwagon so try and keep away from them too as much as you can. Whenever I've taken the taxis, I've tried to educate them that we are not moneybags and we don't grow money on trees back home but it awlays falling on deaf hears, lol. bcoz as one of them told me they believe what they see in hollywood movies and other western movies more than what i'm telling them hahaha


In summary if you can keep lid on your food, taxi and bar bills while abroad anywhere then you've won half of the battle to keep control of your holiday spending money. :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[London_Manila]

Andok's are nice and cheap and the food is quite tasty :smile:

Taxis in Manila = just tell them "meter on (showing the correct starting price) or i find another"

Avoid drinking in "Girlie bars" such as places like Burgos Street in Makati they will charge you 350 pesos for a Lady drink :yikes:

[Terpe]

Oh!! You mean you had the Tabu system installed!!!
I must say...Very "Chic"!!
I had to buy and drink my rice coffee (20 cents a cup) from the vendor that had a wireless radio to listen for the weather forecast..
If they predicted showers, we used to hang around with half a bar of Tide laundry soap.
You dont know you were born!!

:laugher::laugher::laugher::laugher:

[grahamw48]

It's alright for you blinkin rich people ! :action-smiley-081:

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I eat what the locals eat ! :Blacklistthatsucks:

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http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3875/cheapbreakfast.jpg

[Terpe]

I've stayed many times in Capsule Hotels in Japan.
Very cheap, very good facilities. Very good fun
Been very happy with that.

I like those where everyone gets to wear Hawian shorts and shirt.
oh, and where everyone gets together for Karaoke and drinking

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTCJlzNHSLK8E83jRRJsJ_QDGaMUAXvSlt0GHOVdGvu-5zb_GR9

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS4NsnLKkcweiYFADc2jNFkmv6o4fMB_V4r5l-q2Ukkl57mgYQXcQ

http://kawaiikakkoiisugoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/capsule-hotel-2.jpg

Are there such things in Philippines?

Is there a market opportunity??

To be honest, I've stayed in hotels at P350 per night (double room) up to P15000 per night (suite)
Everyone (I think) wants a clean and tidy place to sleep. But mostly that's all it is, sleeping. When you're asleep you even don't know where you are.
Of course it all depends what you want and what you're willing to pay for that.
Personal choice.

Some very expensive hotels are not as clean and efficient as those very cheap ones.
David Beckham just paid £14000 per night. He didn't pay that amount for the quality of the bed, the food or whatever.
Go figure.
No offence, just my 2 centavos.
You pays you money and take your choice. Period

It's just as easy to find 'Nice clean' overnight stays as cheap as you want as it is to find hyperinflated places to sleep and dream.
IMO

[stevecebu]

all depends on the women he is going to see if she is a good women he will not need much,but if he has got a gold digger taking money from the left and the right he will spend what ever he takes,dont be a fool is what i say dont start being a weekend millionaire,lot of men act like fools,start buying the women a phone and so on,No way would you do that in the uk, So dont do it in the phill, If you got the right women she will be saving you money,and when some rude person shouts out give me money joe just say you suck my toe joe,good luck have a great time,:Wave:

[grahamw48]

Good advice. :xxgrinning--00xx3::biggrin: