2 weeks in the Philippines
 

I am spending two weeks in the Philippines in Dec 2009 for my honeymoon. The goal is a combination of urban, cultural tourism (for me) and beachside resort tourism (for the future mrs clanum). Does anybody have recommendations on medium-to-high-end resorts, maybe on Palawan? Any other general recommendations on Philippines tourism would be well-received also. Thanks!

Some of my faves after spending several weeks throughout the country:

Boracay: Very beautiful island with an amazing white sand beach and crystal clear water. I spent an entire week scuba diving without doing the same dive twice and would go again in a second. Mostly Filipino vacationers except around the holidays. Good nightlife if you like relaxing on the beach listening to live music. While I don't have specific information about luxury hotels, they are there and you can spend upwards of $400-$500/night.

Pearl Farm: Off the coast of Davao on Samal Island. Nice resort with very clear water and lots of marine life. Somewhat boring in that the only easily accessible nightlife is the outdoor hotel bar but would still make for a few nice days as part of a longer venture to Davao / Mindinao.

Bohol: If you're going to or through Cebu, add a day tour to Bohol. There's a standard tour which includes a boat trip on a beautiful green river, the chocolate hills, tarsiers and a visit to one of the beach resorts. If you have the time, you may want to spend the night at one of the resorts - some looked decent but I didn't see anything luxurious.

Manila: Not so much a fave but you're likely going to pass through anyway. Stay in a nice hotel in Makati or Ortigas, visit the bay front promenade to see a sunset, shop at any one of the many very large shopping malls, and take in some history - Intramuros being pretty cool.

Baguio: Haven't been but this cool mountainous resort town is next on my list of places to visit.

Amanpulo
 

Yes
Amanpulo, no other hotel can beat it!

The Shangri-la Boracay just opened on March 2nd 2009, you might want to give it a try.

Thanks for all the advice! The Amanpulo looks gorgeous, but quite a bit out of our price range.

Look at the Amanpulo Beach experience and everything that is included, you won't be sorry.

Definitely visit Baguio if you're looking for something to balance out the time at the beach. Push it a bit further north and you can visit fantastic rice terraces, drive on some interesting roads and see some really interesting hanging caskets. One of our favorite memories of the Philippines is ending up in Sagada, Mountain Province, for a night.

I've got 2 weeks in the Philippines planned for later this month.
July 26-31:
One of the reasons is that I got 5 nights at the Intercontinental Manila using Point Breaks, so I'm happy to be there (I actually like Manila, maybe because it's so deprived of admirers!) :) I've been to Manila 4x, am branching out since I have more time (about 2 weeks) this time.
July 31-August 9:
Anyway, the last 9 nights of my trip are a bit unsure. I got tickets Manila-Tagbilaran (Bohol) for July 31st, then I leave from Manila August 9th. So in between July 31st and August 9th, I want to relax on the beach, see some nature, and just hang out with a San Miguel. I am not crazy about over-developed places--and also not crazy about places that essentially exist only for tourism, so you get no local vibe. So I've ruled out Boracay, which may be a mistake, but anyway.... also I've ruled out Baguio only because I'll be in the south, so I should do something either in the Visayas or northern Mindanao.
Here are my choices of nearby places that have boat connections to Bohol:
1) Camiguin (not that near but there seems to be a daily fast boat there, and it sounds intriguing because it's not overdeveloped and seems unique-- volcanoes, etc) Then fly to Manila from Cagayan de Oro.
2) Dumaguete--a small city, on Negros, a college town that might have a fun vibe--different from Bohol and also different from Manila.
3) Siquijor--like Camiguin, a less-visited island but with unique topography, nice nature options, and probably easier to get to than Camiguin.
Anyone have some opinions on how to spend 9 nights between Bohol and ???, getting back to Manila on the 8th or 9th?
Thanks so much!

Well, i just completed my maiden trip to the Philippines and so my info is very limited. But found a nice resort on the northern end of Boracay called the Eco Village Resort. Seemed like a nice place, slightly away from the very-touristy section of the island (which i understand you want to avoid). This might be a good bet.

So, you'd get the good connectivity of Boracay, coupled with the peace and quiet that comes with this particular place courtesy it's location.

Philippines
 

Shangri La Hotel---Makati---great hotel and great location by Green Belt and Gloretta Mall
Discovery Shores Boracay---better location than Shangri La