Well guys,
here we are both back in the UK. My is it cold, but it seems we brought the sun with is...
Anyway here goes with the full trip report...
Departing Cardiff on 25/10 with KLM Cityhopper on a ickle Fokker100, then changed planes in Amersterdam for a 747Combi to Hong Kong. Arrived Chep Lap Kok on a bright sunny morning next day at 10am, and got the bus to Metropole Hotel on the Waterloo Road in Mong Kok. I love the smooth efficent way the whole transport system works in HK - you can de-plane and be in your hotel within 30 minutes.
We spent 3 days in HK visiting Ocean Park, The Peak, riding the Star Ferry, Big Buddha (and we climbed the steps with ease!street markets in Mong Kok and general sightseeing. If your visiting HK next year, the new Lantau cabel car will be open meaning you can get from Tung Chung to the Big Buddha in a very short time unlike the current slow bus service.
Then it was a Cebu Pacific 757 to Manila where we stayed 1 night at Makati Palace. Now at this point I have a rant about "baggage label inspectors". These species of officials can be found at only Philippines airports, and are a HUGE PAIN IN THE ****. Pete you did mention these pointless beings in a previous post, but for those who dont know, on arrival in Manila or any other airport only in the Phils, you are required to present your baggage label, normally attached to your air ticket before you leave the airport, just in case you pick up the wrong luggage :lol: :lol: (so lets see I'll be stuck with same suitcase for 2 weeks I'm hardly gonna forget what it looks like).
Anyway back to Makati Palace Makati Palace Hotel one night, only P2700 with buffet breakfast for an exec. room. The hotel is massive, so we turned up without booking as we'd figure there would be plenty of rooms available. Oh, another rant this time at the taxi driver who took us from airport to hotel claiming we shouldn't got to Makati Palace as it was full up and we should go elsewhereAs if a taxi driver in Manila has intimate knowledge of the state of bookings at Makati Palace.
Anyway, next day, it was Cebu Pacific again on one of the new A319's to Tacloban. Arrived at the airport mid-afternoon to the usual laughable massive scrum to retrieve the suitcases and our friendly baggage label inspectors. Got taxi to Leyte Park hotel, intending to stay 3 days (P2500 nightly). Now, Leyte Park hotel is billed as the best on Leyte, and is essentially a beach resort. However it had clearly seen better days and I managed to get some shots of the room before we made a quick exit!! I'll try to get them uploaded soon, but the "patio" came complete with fag butts,loose wires, and black garden funiture that was white in a previous life. The bathroom for this "5 star" luxury resort" had multiple chipped tiles and grease running across the bath and best of all, the welcome guide to the hotel was dated 1996....Oh, the bed was softer than cotton wool and hit the floor when sat upon. And the smell of stagnant water....urghhhhh!!
As you can understand we checked out after 20 minutes and went to Alejandros Hotel (P1500 and 10% discount if paying cash!
So after 3 days, its was Cebu Pacific again back to Manila. Then on arrival at Domestic airport after passing the dreaded baggage label inspectors, instead of turning left for a taxi for downtown, we turned right to the airline offices and headed first for SEAIR (no seats available), then Asian Spirit to Cacticlan, and then 3 days in Boracay, story as above. Pete we did visit Crocodile Island, but damnit, there were no crocs!!!
We had to leave the paradise of Boracay to return on the Asian Spirit Dash7 to Manila, where we stayed 3 days, shopping, sightseeing, etc etc.
Then it was back to HK on Cebu Pacific 757 where we stayed at Stanford Hotel in Soy Street. Stanford where I caught gastro-something and was in bed for the whole 3 days we were there - managed to drag myself out of bed to buy some computer gear in nearby Mong Kok and Sham Sui Po, this included a new lappy for just £300. Day before we were due to fly, we called Dr, and he gave go ahead for flight back to UK while telling me to take 7 types of pills!! I still have them now - 7 packets with pink ones, yellow ones, white ones, blimey! The KLM flight back to Amsterdam was uneventful, leaving 30 min late but arriving on time. Just a short time at the Schipol before the connecting flight back to Cardiff on the little Fokker again, and bingo here we are back in Wales. I'll be posting some pictures on our website soon from our trip as well as adding some links for Blue Mango Inn in Boracacay and Alejandros.
I've seen it in every major city I've been to over the years. 
