Hotel Philippines - About the Philippines

The Land || The People || Currency
Weather || Clothing || Language

THE LAND
The Philippines is an archipelagic nation made up of 7,107 islands spanning 1,840 kilometers north to south. It is part of the East Indies, a vast island group Iying south and east of mainland Asia, with Taiwan at it norther nmost coast and Borneo on the south. The three main Philippine island groups are Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Luzon is the island of contrasts. The most modern districts in the Philippines, including the capital city of Manila, are in Luzon, but so are some of the oldest tribal communities in the nation like the Ifugao of the Cordilleras. Luzon is also where a visitor can see the latest model luxury cars overtaking a carabao sled or modern skyscrapers within driving distance of primordial volcanos.

The Visayas is famous for its charm, a trait shared by many other southern regions in the world, but here seems to run deeper among a people who are intrinsically connected to their sun soaked island home. The Visayas is also famous as a seat of history, being one of the earliest Iandfalls of western voyagers. It has also gained a reputation as being a cradle of the nation's future, if the unprecedented economic growth of Cebu City continues.

Mindanao is our offering to the Guinness Book of Records with the world's largest clam, the world's largest Eagle, the nation's highest peak and the world's largest city. Mindanao is also home to the Philippines' Muslim population.

With a land mass of 300, 780 square kilometers, the Philippines is considered a medium- sized nation, about two- thirds the size of its first colonizer, Spain and a little larger than the British Isles. Manila is only one hour and 40 minutes from Hong Kong by jet; Sydney only 7 1/2 hours away. Flights to Europe take 17 hours and to the American west coast 15 hours.

The Philippines has many things to offer the visitor: a mixture of the old and the new, a diversity of art and culture and a warm, friendly people. Blessed by nature, the Philippines has something to offer every sportsman too . . . extraordinary dive sites, forests to roam, mountains to climb, caves to explore.

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THE PEOPLE
Halo-halo is a Filipino word that means mixture. While it describes a popular dessert, it could also describe the Filipino. They look like Asians, write and speak English like Americans, worship like Spaniards, and have an outlook that is international.

Like the Southern Chinese, the Thais, Malays, Indonesians and some Burmese, the modern-day Filipino traces his remotest genetic lines back to an Australoid and Mongoloid stock. You will also find a touch of Caucasian, Chinese, Indian and Arabic in their gene pool as well. But to truly understand the Filipino, you have to look at the land. The historic isolation between islands and the topographic isolation on each island,become the primary influence governing regional traits and societal behavior.

This diversity makes Filipinos all the more interesting. However, what is apparent isn't how different they are from each other, but rather how alike they are. Brought together by a common history and looking forward to a common future, it is not surprising to find a sharing of certain traits. Their warmth, grociousness and hospitality—all part of the Filipino psyche—will make your stay a delight.

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CURRENCY
The currency in the Philippines is the Centavo and the Peso (P). 100 centavos = P1. Coin denominations are: 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 centavos, P1, P2 and P5. Bill denominations are : 5 ,10 20 ,50, 100, 500 and 1, 000 pesos.

Foreign currency may be exchanged at your hotel, most large department stores, banks and authorized money changing shops. Exchanging money anywhere else is illegal and the laws are strictly enforced.

Most large stores, restaurants , hotels and resorts accept major credit cards including American Express , Visas and MasterCard. Traveller' s checks preferably American Express are accepted at hotels and large department stores. Personal checks drawn on foreign banks are generally not accepted.

WEATHER
The Philippines is tropical with just two seasons hot and dry from November to June and rainy from July to October. Filipinos will tell you that it is cool from December through February and they themselves will wear jackets.

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CLOTHING
People in the Philippines dress for the weather (HOT!) Casual attire during the day for women are light blouses and shorts. For men collared T- shirts worn over slacks. In the evening skirts are substituted for shorts and the T-shirts are tucked in.

For Men Only: If you expect to have to attend any occasions which would usually require a jacket and tie (which is torture in this weather) there is a wonderful substitute. Go immediately to a department store and buy a barong tagalog. It is an embroidered shirt that is considered formal dress It will cost about P1,000,but it is worth every centavo

LANGUAGE
While there are over 100 regional languages in the Philippines, the national language is Filipino, with English as the most widely spoken second language. All business, governmental and legal transactions are conducted in English.

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