7 Ultimate Moments You Need to Experience in the Philippines

An emerging hotspot, the Philippines in Southeast Asia is a country of fascinating contrasts. Divide your time between vibrant Manila – the country’s capital – and laid-back Bohol Island to the southeast for upscale drinking and dining, shimmering beaches and mysterious landscapes. Here’s our guide on the best things to do during your next visit.

Day one: 12pm – Settle in for a uniquely Filipino lunch

Immerse yourself in Pinoy (Filipino) culture and cuisine with lunch at Ayà in the ritzy Makati district of southern Manila. Recently opened in 2024, this intimate lounge bar is a leader of the city’s thriving cocktail scene thanks to an inventive drinks menu inspired by local ingredients and flavours. Start with an aromatic banana pandan Old Fashioned or coconut-infused Negroni and while grazing on small plates delivering clever reinventions of Filipino street-food favourites. Order the signature okoy and pearls, a play on classic shrimp fritters served with pinakurat (spiced coconut vinegar) cream topped with salmon caviar. The work of local artisans decorates the seventh-floor space, including ceramics and the traditional solihiya weaving pattern displayed in brass on the bar.

3pm – Indulge in a shopping spree

Treat yourself to a wardrobe update at the Mall of Asia. The city-sized shopping mall in the buzzing Bay City area of Manila is home to high-fashion designers including Dior and Prada, along with thousands of other global and local brand names like Michel André and Bayo. It’s a great place to bring the kids too, with family-friendly attractions including an Olympic-sized ice-skating rink and an amusement park with gentle carousels and thrilling roller-coasters catering to all ages also housed within the complex.

TIP: Be sure to wear comfortable shoes for exploring the mall on foot. Save your dollars for the shopping spree and book your flights with the help of the annual $450 Qantas Travel Credit¹ that comes with your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card. Each year, you’ll receive a $450 Qantas Travel Credit to use on eligible domestic or international Qantas flights when booked through American Express Travel.

7pm – Check into a luxury hotel and enjoy an exquisite dinner

The sleek Okura Hotel Manila, located next to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport within the Newport World Resorts complex, riffs on Japanese design principles, including a Zen-like rooftop garden and pool. Check into a Hinoki-yu Room and enjoy a soak in your own onsen-like wooden hot tub before indulging in a traditional kaiseki set menu in the hotel’s signature Yamazato restaurant. Seated in a private teppanyaki room beneath an origami-inspired paper ceiling, you’ll feast on the highest-grade sashimi and decadent wagyu.

TIP: If wine is your drink of choice with a great dinner, take advantage of a fantastic offer when you return home. With your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card, you’ll get a complimentary Qantas Wine Premium Membership. Not only will you get access to exceptional wines and exclusive events, you'll also earn 3 Qantas Points per dollar spent on all Qantas Wine purchases².

Day two: 10am – Escape to a tropical paradise

Bohol Island is only a 90-minute flight south of Manila, where the energy of the city is replaced by swaying palm trees, sugar-soft sand and vivid turquoise water. Switch onto island time with a relaxing massage in a breezy, open-air beachside cabana at Oceanica Resort Panglao. Blending shiatsu and Swedish techniques, the resort’s signature massage uses virgin coconut oil to melt your muscles, while the sound of lapping waves creates a soothing ambience. 

Afterwards, sink your toes into the sand with a walk along the island’s longest and most beautiful stretch of sand, Bohol beach. Explore the ocean on a paddleboard or kayak, settle into a woven hammock strung between tree trunks or sink into a sunlounge by the vast lagoon pool.

TIP: Moments of relaxation can start at the airport. With the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card, you’ll receive two complimentary Qantas Club Lounge Invitations each year after your first Card spend on selected Qantas products and services³ and two passes to The Centurion® Lounge to use at Sydney or Melbourne International Airports⁴. Lounge access entitles you to complimentary food and beverages, plus enjoy free and fast wi-fi and more.

12pm – Learn new skills at an organic farm

Feed friendly goats, fish for dinner in the lake and take a ride in a cart pulled by a carabao (water buffalo). A five-minute drive from Oceanica Resort Panglao, South Farm offers family-friendly activities while promoting Filipino farming methods and local handcrafts. Wander the nine hectares of organic gardens that supply produce to the resort and take a workshop in traditional Boholano crafts such as clay pot making, extracting coconut oil and weaving abacá fibre baskets. 

The on-site Uma Café honours the farm-to-table ethos with its proudly Pinoy menu, which features dishes such as pancit canton (stir-fried noodles) with a crunchy twist of pork crackling and fried tilapia, a native freshwater fish. If you’ve caught your own fish in the lake, the chefs will happily cook it for you, too.

TIP: Whether you’re eating, drinking, shopping or soaking up the Philippines’ unique culture, tap your way closer to your next trip with your Qantas American Express Ultimate Card. You’ll earn up to 1.25 Qantas Points per $1 spent on everyday purchases⁵ so you can continue to grow your points balance. You'll also enjoy uncapped Qantas Points earning potential for every dollar you spend on your Card.

Day three: 6am – Dive into an underwater world

Swim with turtles and shimmering schools of silver jacks as you spy agile barracuda on a Bohol boat tour. Look out for playful dolphins leaping from the water as the boat visits four of the province’s islands, including pristine Balicasag Island in the Balicasag Marine Sanctuary. One of the Philippines’ top diving spots, the area is teeming with clownfish, parrot fish and more brightly coloured marine creatures who flit among the waving anemone and mesmerising hard and soft coral. You’ll also have the chance to snorkel alongside a majestic pawikan – the Filipino word for sea turtle – and marvel at its unhurried grace. 

TIP: When exploring the natural beauty of Bohol, make sure you’re covered for all possibilities. The Qantas American Express Ultimate Card's Complimentary Travel Insurance⁶ offers domestic and international insurance for you, your partner and your dependent children, when you pay for your return trip on your Card. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply (such as maximum age-limits, pre-existing medical conditions and cover limits).

3pm – See a unique natural wonder

Bohol’s famous natural beauty extends into the island’s interior. A 90-minute drive from the coast, the Chocolate Hills is an undulating landscape of more than 1,200 conical hills erupting from the flatlands. Made of limestone that’s eroded over thousands of years, the grass-covered mounds resemble giant chocolate truffles when they turn brown in the dry season. They’re home to exotic native species such as the tarsier, a tiny leaping primate. Climbing the otherworldly hills is forbidden but they can be viewed from observation platforms in the nearby towns of Carmen and Sagbayan.

Have Fun Getting There

Fly Sydney to Manila return using Classic Flight Rewards, Classic Plus or Points Plus Pay via our one world alliance member airlines.^

Make your way around the Philippines with the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card. Receive 100,000 bonus Qantas Points* when you apply online by 18 March 2025, are approved, and spend $5,000 on eligible purchases on your new Qantas American Express Ultimate Card within the first 3 months of your approval date. T&Cs apply. Available for new American Express Card Members only.

You’ll also receive:

• An annual $450 Qantas Travel Credit¹ to use on eligible domestic and international Qantas flights booked through American Express Travel.
• The potential to earn more Qantas Points with up to 4 Additional Cards for family or friends, at no extra fee⁷.
• Two Qantas Club Lounge Invitations each year after purchasing eligible Qantas products and services³, plus two complimentary entries to The Centurion® Lounge⁴ at Sydney and Melbourne International Airports.
• Complimentary Qantas Wine Premium Membership², allowing you to enjoy gourmet food, exceptional wines and exclusive access to food and wine events around Australia.
• Complimentary domestic and international travel insurance⁶ (for you, your partner and dependent children) when you pay for the return trip with your Card. Terms, conditions and exclusions apply (such as maximum age limits, pre-existing medical conditions and cover limits).

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