Never had that experience of adding tolls to a Grab. On the other hand meter taxis have been known to take a longer congested route. As for adding tolls normally they ask you and you pay cash at the toll.

I spent summers there as a kid. Shopping and dining have improved so much but the traffic has gotten a lot worse from what I remember. The gigantic Mall of Asia has more than enough of all that for stays in the bay area and near the casinos. Last time I was in BGC, the areas around the Shangri-La and Grand Hyatt were happening places and quite walkable for a CBD.

Peering at the vast Taal caldera from eateries up the ridge is one of my fonder Tagaytay memories. I discovered a few nice resorts like Hillcreek but needed a ride from Manila to get there and around. Hillside roads were quite congested the weekend I had arrived for an event last year.

I was in BGC this weekend and it was jam packed on Saturday night too though a different age group.

Boracay is great for a few easy and enjoyable nights. Its main strip has a beach town vibe while the top-end resorts at the forested end of the island offer fun island diving/dining trips offshore.

We flew in to attend a sunset dress party on the sand some years back but it was not a straight drive from the airport. We had to board the resort's own boat at the nearby transfer lounge and were soon landing on its secluded white cove in sun & sandals drama.

Siquijor, the second smallest province of the Philippines, provides an archetypical provincial experience, especially Lazi, the southernmost of its six municipalities.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazi,_Siquijor

The nearest major airport is in Dumaguete (DGT), capital of Negros Oriental, served by Philippine Airlines (PR) and Cebu Pacific (5J). There are ferries from there to Siquijor, Siquijor.

Speaking from my own experience of booking GrabCars (not GrabTaxis) directly through the app (not through their airport booth), I can attest that drivers do have the option to manually add tolls to your fare.

Motorway operators are absolutely keen on getting drivers to use RFID stickers in place of cash. More and more toll barriers are refusing to accept cash at all (especially along the SLEX); for example, at the exit I frequently pass through, cars without RFIDs are made to pull aside so that they can get fitted.

I'm not the trusting sort of chap so when taking a Grab fitted with an RFID and/or passing through a stretch of road that's gone cashless, I'd typically ask the driver NOT to add tolls to the fare. I'd rather reimburse them for the tolls, in cash, at the end of the trip so that the only charge I'd see on the app is the actual fare that was initially shown on booking. (Note: I use GrabCars, not GrabTaxis, so the fare shown in the initial search is all I'm charged; there's no variable component save for tolls as these cars don't use metres.) I did let the driver add the toll manually on one particular journey and I made sure to agree the actual toll amount against the amount he added, but I normally find it simpler to just tell them not to do it.

Cheers.

The most interest place to visit in Manila is outside off Manila, Corregidor Island. About 90 minutes with speed boat. There are packages online

https://www.timetravelturtle.com/phi...r-island-tour/

From within the foregoing link.

https://corregidorisland.com.ph

That's what I did but the first time I went I only had a week so I had to change a few things a few days before

Planning to go to Siargao for a few days (and would appreciate any suggestions for hotels or attractions).

I'll have ~3 days in the Philippines before flying to Siargao. I'll be flying in from Singapore and it seems like Cebu or Manila are the best options for that stopover. Was leaning towards Cebu, I'll have half a day in Manila on the way home at the end of the trip, but curious if anyone thinks I should do something different here.

Davao is the other option that has a reasonable flight option from Singapore (though on a LCC instead of SQ J) and nonstop flight to Siargao

From DVO you also can look around Mindanao depending on what you want to see of course. Samal island is within a short boat ride from Davao. It has very nice beaches and resorts too. Or Mati and Dahican for surfing. There is no flight but it is a very nice drive from DVO and it would take about 4 to 5 hours by land.

I suggest going to Puerto Galera! Many Dive sites and Untouched places

PH / Cebu resident for 9 months. I'm in Manila now and I miss Cebu already. Cebu is the best place to experience what Filipinos are known for - their warmth. Manila is just a city, lots of people in a rush, malls, and buildings. Nothing else much and does not compare to almost any other capital city in terms of stuff to see.
I've been doing 3-5 day trips to Siargao (surfing and Bali / hipster vibe), Leyte - raw and rugged waterfalls, beautiful hills, no foreigners, Siquijor - huge and beautiful waterfalls, and Bohol which I visit almost monthly - nice mix of party vibe, beach, and cool day trips.
There is no reason to go to Manila unless you have business there, friends to meet, or want to burn some Hyatt points (I'm at the GH and HR now).

How did your trip to Siargao go? Post updates

Good to hear. We're going this spring. Would you generally recommend cash for restaurants, and if so, use your debit card locally to get that cash?