Agree With SH About BYOB to Boracay
Cocomangas bungalows are NOISY! I stayed there for a couple nights on my first trip to Boracay ('95) but quickly bailed to quieter digs. I am probably more sensitive to noise when trying to sleep than most, but be aware before booking that it is not quiet.
I liked Lorenzo's Villas at the South end of the island (past Whiite Beach) better (but I had a lovely with me and was not hunting).
Palawan - Puerto Princesa
I took a non-pro I met on FH to Palawan for a few days of fun in the sun, and took the opportunity to do some snooping. It should be noted that I was with a non-pro, and while she knows I monger and actually is ok with it, I did not dabble while I was with her as I wanted to reap the benefits of a nice GFE with a 25 y/o tightbody student looking to get away for a free vacay.
We booked the Legend hotel in PP, which at under $50 per night is actually a decent deal, as it includes free breakfast, free in room internet, and wireless in the lobby. The amenities were sufficient, and they did not question my having my girlfriend share the room, no one asked questions.
The first night there we had dined at Christala on Rizal Ave. This place sucked, the wait staff never smiled not even attempted to provide good service. No running water in the bathroom, it only offered a view of the street traffic. I strongly recommend Kalui further down Rizal towards the airport. Great food, great ambience, great service, great prices. You need a reservation before 7:30 PM.
Regarding mongering: there is definitely pussy to be had in the right places. While nowhere near AC or Burgos in Makati, I recommend Copacabana which is off the beaten path near the airport but very nice (no running water in the bathroom though, but seems clean). We got there early, but saw a few girls wearing numbers in a sofa area with a TV. I asked the male bartender about the upstairs, which he told me is a VIP room where you can take a lady for a price of 2000P or so.
Also, we went to a place called Chikababes on Rizal near Kalui that has a really great band that plays after 10:30PM. Prices on beers are not bad, and it has three VIP rooms with a nice sofa and KTV machine. The place is a dive though with no running water in the bathroom, which was more dilapidated than most you'll find even in Korea. The VIP rooms are 1000, 1500, and 2000P and I only saw the latter, but it is reminscent of the upstairs VIP rooms you see in Burgos. I also asked if girls can be barfined, but was told that this is not possible. All in all I did not partake, but I am sure that fun can be had.
Also, on the other end of Rizal (far end from airport) there is a side road to the left that has some small out of the way bars. I peaked inside, and saw the tell-tale signs of a KTV/juicy joint.
I never tried anything there, but dropping the names of these places to the locals got me sufficient reply to confirm these are RLD houses. Hopefully this info will be of use to someone.
As far as tours go, the hotel offers three that I tried:
- The Underground River: From 7AM - 5PM, this is mostly transportation time to and from the park, and it is better done if you are already on the north side of the island. Aside from the awesome underground river you can fend off wild macaque monkeys and play with giant monitor lizards (one licked my ankles, freaking out my gf, lol).
- The City Tour: [i]Absolutely worthless[/i]. It's basically a tour of souvenir shops, with little historical or touristic value. You will go to the crocodile farm which is cool, and you will go to a nice villa, but I would skip this one unless you have absolutely nothing else to do.
- Honda Bay Tour: My favorite, this goes from 1PM to 6PM, and is lovely. You'll boat out to Snake Island for some sun and snorkeling (the fish are gorgeous) and then to another island for some coral reef snorkeling. Being on the water all afternoon was very romantic and got my gf wet in every way.
Sorry to be so light on the mongering info. Hopefully this info will be enough to give someone a springboard to get his wick wet.
Cheers,
2J