General Info

I always take P20, 000 per transaction at HSBC, but I'm not sure that's the maximum. I rarely need more cash than that.

[QUOTE=Skip Kost;1117898]At NAIA Manila Terminal One (all the foreign airlines come in there) you will find a currency exchange just after you go through customs and before you break to the outside for a taxi. The rate is just a little worse than you'll pay at money changers in the city. But they're usually closed by the time Delta, Korean Air and other flights come in after 10 pm.[/QUOTE]The last bank / money changer closes at midnight. If there is a pressing need to exchange currency at that hour, you can still do it on site. Head straight out the door, cross the street and down the tunnel like ramps either left or right to where the locals wait for arriving passengers. There is a money changer as well as a kiosk operated by Smart.

[QUOTE=Mattrick;1119699]The last bank / money changer closes at midnight. If there is a pressing need to exchange currency at that hour, you can still do it on site. Head straight out the door, cross the street and down the tunnel like ramps either left or right to where the locals wait for arriving passengers. There is a money changer as well as a kiosk operated by Smart.[/QUOTE]To Mattick

I arrive late on my last trip only way to exchange USD is from the your hotel or go to a 24 hr ATM machine, I should of got some peso from a money changer in Hong kong before my flight.

Fast Eddie 48

[QUOTE=Mattrick;1119699]The last bank / money changer closes at midnight. If there is a pressing need to exchange currency at that hour, you can still do it on site. Head straight out the door, cross the street and down the tunnel like ramps either left or right to where the locals wait for arriving passengers. There is a money changer as well as a kiosk operated by Smart.[/QUOTE]Thanks M, I hadn't noticed these guys before, since at that point I'm just looking for a taxi. Are they on the side where passengers wait for taxis, or over where the locals wait, like in with the refreshment stands behind the ugly waiting room with monitors?

[QUOTE=Skip Kost;1119950]Thanks M, I hadn't noticed these guys before, since at that point I'm just looking for a taxi. Are they on the side where passengers wait for taxis, or over where the locals wait, like in with the refreshment stands behind the ugly waiting room with monitors?[/QUOTE]And if you over in that area don't buy your smart / globe card from the vendor there. The bastard charges p350 for a p300 card. Yeah its small money I know. Just hate that whitey gets ripped. Theres a machine inside the terminal just after Immigration that sells p300 cards for. P300!

On the subject of late night arrivals, if I'm coming in on Delta and flying out on Philippine Air at 5:45 and I just want to grab a couple hours sleep and a shower only what good options are there? I was thinking of just heading to one of the two Pasay Sogos.

(First night arrival in MNL for me ever, always flew PR or JAL in the past but the price was too good to pass up this time)

[QUOTE=Mongrinastrlnd; 1120059]On the subject of late night arrivals, if I'm coming in on Delta and flying out on Philippine Air at 5:45 and I just want to grab a couple hours sleep and a shower only what good options are there? I was thinking of just heading to one of the two Pasay Sogos.

(First night arrival in MNL for me ever, always flew PR or JAL in the past but the price was too good to pass up this time) [/QUOTE]Check out posts on Manila Airport Hotel in the Manila hotels thread. Do a search for their website and do your reservation through their website. Last time I used them price was about 2600 pesos for the night. Decent rooms, nearby convenience store, KFC attached to the lobby. They are within walking distance. Less than 200 meters. From Terminal One. Go across the covered drive-through, when you get to the ramps, take the right ramp (even if your name isn't between M and Z) , and when you get to the taxi area just keep walking off to the right. Eventually you will have to cross another crosswalk, but by then you'll see the hotel and KFC in front of you.

PAL leaves from Terminal Two. It is about 500 meters to the North. You can ask for walking directions at the hotel, at which point they will propose their overpriced shuttle which probably takes longer than walking, because it has to follow one-way airport access roads all the way around Robin Hood's barn.

I have a question. How safe are 4 or 5 star hotels in Manila, Cebu and major cities? Is it safe to bring a laptop? How do you secure a laptop and other valuable in a hotel while out mongering? Do you recommend I bring my laptop or leave it at home in the states?

Thanks much!

BL2010

I can't speak to Cebu, but the 5* hotels in Manila are extremely professional and safe. There are multiple layers of security, both to ensure the safety of guest and well-heeled locals, but also to project the image of safety and keep a good reputation for the hotels. I have never had any problems with my laptop, but if you are unsure, you can buy a laptop lock at any major electronics store in the and use it to secure the unit to the desk. As an alternative, you can check with the hotel you plan to stay at to see if the in-room safes are laptop sized or not. Just be sure to measure laptop, as my 15" Macbook doesn't fit all the safes.

[QUOTE=Blacklisted2010; 1122066]I have a question. How safe are 4 or 5 star hotels in Manila, Cebu and major cities? Is it safe to bring a laptop? How do you secure a laptop and other valuable in a hotel while out mongering? Do you recommend I bring my laptop or leave it at home in the states?

Thanks much!

BL2010[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Mongrinastrlnd;1120059]On the subject of late night arrivals, if I'm coming in on Delta and flying out on Philippine Air at 5:45 and I just want to grab a couple hours sleep and a shower only what good options are there? I was thinking of just heading to one of the two Pasay Sogos.)[/QUOTE]Alternatively, why not go to Air Force One and have a girl give you a shower and massage then crash out for a few hours. You don't have much time so the Airport Hotel is a good option but not sure if they have a short stay rate. If you want a step up from Sogo, there is a Grand Prix within a couple of kilometers of NAIA.

[QUOTE=Skip Kost;1119950]Thanks M, I hadn't noticed these guys before, since at that point I'm just looking for a taxi. Are they on the side where passengers wait for taxis, or over where the locals wait, like in with the refreshment stands behind the ugly waiting room with monitors?[/QUOTE]Yes they are on the airport side away from the crowds at ground level on the way out to the parking lot.

[QUOTE=Blacklisted2010;1122066]I have a question. How safe are 4 or 5 star hotels in Manila, Cebu and major cities? Is it safe to bring a laptop? How do you secure a laptop and other valuable in a hotel while out mongering? Do you recommend I bring my laptop or leave it at home in the states?[/QUOTE]Should not have any problems in Cebu either. The real problem is having your laptop and all of it's contents possibly scrutinized by Homeland Security upon reentry to the USA!

[QUOTE=Blacklisted2010; 1122066]I have a question. How safe are 4 or 5 star hotels in Manila, Cebu and major cities? Is it safe to bring a laptop? How do you secure a laptop and other valuable in a hotel while out mongering? Do you recommend I bring my laptop or leave it at home in the states?

BL2010[/QUOTE]Most hotels in Manila and Cebu will charge you for internet access at pretty high rates compared to an internet cafe. You can always bring your laptop to the internet cafes to hook up through a wire if you'd like. It depends on what you need to do. I would never access financial accounts on one of their computers. Is it safe? How safe are you willing to make it? I hear a lot of people leave their laptops out on the desks in their rooms when they go out for the day. Personally for me, that's gambling. If not taken with me, I lock it in my luggage or I may put it in my room safe if provided one and it fits. But mostly locked luggage for me is the way I go. It's not worth it for me to be lazy and leave it out and then bemoan the fact I could have saved myself some heartache if I had just done so later. Don't even give people the temptation to steal it.

[QUOTE=Blacklisted2010; 1122066]I have a question. How safe are 4 or 5 star hotels in Manila, Cebu and major cities? Is it safe to bring a laptop? How do you secure a laptop and other valuable in a hotel while out mongering? Do you recommend I bring my laptop or leave it at home in the states?

Thanks much!

BL2010[/QUOTE]I have travelled everywhere with my lap top staying in a variety of hotels from 5 star luxury hotels right down to pension houses. I have always left my laptop unsecured in my room and I have never ever had a problem. Maybe I have been lucky, my laptop is more of a notebook and it could fit underneath someones shirt or jacket and be easily concealed. If it was cash lying around I doubt whether I would have been so lucky, but a potential thief will think twice about taking a laptop since it cannot be as easily disposed of as cash and it is a more high risk crime for them

[QUOTE=Blade1; 1118525]You are correct but what I meant before was the max limit for each withdrawal. The issue we have is because we have international cards the banks charge us 200php fee for each withdrawal so I prefer to withdraw a larger ammount each time.

Thanks Iron duke for the update. If anyone else used HSBC or Citibank recentley feel free to post here if it was still without a fee or not. [/QUOTE]I use the citibank ATM's in Makati (near Mandarin Oriental) and Cebu (next to Ayala Mall near the Terraces) and they let me take 15000 with no 200 php fee. Maybe they will also let you take more but as there is no 200 php I don't need to take anymore. The worst seems to be BDO they charge 200php on a maximum withdrawal of 5000 pesos.

[QUOTE=Blacklisted2010; 1122066]I have a question. How safe are 4 or 5 star hotels in Manila, Cebu and major cities? Is it safe to bring a laptop? How do you secure a laptop and other valuable in a hotel while out mongering? Do you recommend I bring my laptop or leave it at home in the states?

Thanks much! BL2010[/QUOTE]Like Mortman, I've left my laptop in the room and never had a problem. Other options: leave it at the front desk and ask for a claim ticket, or get a travel safe. I have a small pacsafe that I take to the Phils. It rolls up in my luggage to a small tube about 9 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. Lock and cable roll up inside it. It has slashproof wire mesh built into the two layers of canvas, and the lock and cable cinches it up too tight for a person to get into it. I use it if I have cash in the room, jewelry, and so on. The one I have (about $40) is not quite big enough for a netbook, but they make them big enough to accommodate a full-sized laptop. There are several competing manufacturers. Do a google search for portable travel safes. I usually lock mine to plumbing in the bathroom. A person with a strong bolt cutter could probably cut through the cable or the lock, or, equipped with a pipe wrench, could dismantle the plumbing to take it. But I suspect it's generally enough of a deterrent that there's little to worry about.

I intentionally look into internet service before booking a hotel. Numerous hotels in the Philippines have WiFi either in the rooms or in the lobby. Larger shopping malls and even places like Burger King have free WiFi. I have business reasons for needing my computer on a daily basis when I'm in the Phils, so I take my laptop and use it regularly in the room. But it is also true that internet cafes are everywhere and very cheap. A common problem at internet cafes is that, since average Filipinos do not own computers, the internet cafes sometimes have a waiting list to get onto a computer. They are handy for getting printing done, but print quality is often poor.