What is current travel experience?

[CadeMcNown 38]

We're seeking to travel to the Philippines (Manila/Cavite). I'm an American and my wife is on CR1 (waiting on removal of conditional status). She's been here nearly 3 years without a trip home and misses her family. We have a 1 year old son. Can anyone share their experience traveling there recently?

 

- Do they escort you from the airport to your quarantine hotel?

 

- While in the hotel, do we really need separate rooms, and is that strictly enforced?

 

- Anything else noteworthy?

 

Sorry if there's other topics already on this. I looked and didn't see, and also read all of the official government posts.

[Adventine 3,189]

- Do they escort you from the airport to your quarantine hotel?

Not sure.

 

- While in the hotel, do we really need separate rooms, and is that strictly enforced?

Experiences seem to vary but I just read a post from a Filipina who was obliged to book two separate rooms for herself and her husband (see below).

 

- Anything else noteworthy?

Given the constant chances and varying enforcement of the travel rules, I recommend you look for the Facebook group "Filipinos Stranded Abroad" for recent experiences from other travellers, complete with photos and detailed descriptions.

[flicks1998 1,044]

Arriving travelers into the airport are not escorted to the quarantine hotel.  However, you need to either take one of the airport taxis or one of the fixed price UV-style vans to your hotel.  You cannot take Grab or have a private pick-up.  Expect a fast meter or rip-off fixed prices.  I took a Yellow Airport Taxi and my meter was so fast it was actually funny.  As my quarantine hotel was real close to my condo, I knew the price and just paid that when I arrived.  The taxi driver turned off the meter as I told him too.  

 

As far as I know and what Adventine says, I dont know of any spouses that were allowed to stay in the same room.  They were separated and one had to take the child.  Its ridiculous and does not make any sense, but that is the procedure.

 

The organization at the airport for all of the steps was pretty well done.  I didnt have any complaints on that.  However, the restrictions in the country were just too much and too confusing.  My opinion would be quite bias though as I had just finished 10+ years working in Manila and was completely burned out on the country pre-COVID.  I would have never survived if I continued to work and live in Manila during this COVID period.  The combination of wearing face masks and shields (both indoor and outdoor), filling out ridiculous contract tracing forms that nobody ever checked, having a shower of sanitizer in some of the restaurant's/doctors/etc, plus the incredibly confusing mess of needing travel passes, medical clearance, etc etc was just too much.  If your trip is going to be spent outside of Manila, it may be more enjoyable as I have seen much less people following the "rules."

[CadeMcNown 38]

Great thanks. I joined the facebook group and will monitor the situation and try to pick the best time. It will be rough on my wife and baby to be isolated in a room for so long, but the uncertainty over whether it will be normal next month or next year will make it worth the trouble at some point.

[top_secret 2,305]

My wife just made her 3rd post-COVID arrival in manila a month ago.  As one might expect different results every time.  What we have learned is that it is mostly the hotels that are defining what the policy may or may not be, and things that are not ok at one hotel, may be perfectly ok at another.   Communicate directly with the hotels and make your reservations well in advance (cancelable of course).

 

On the issue of sharing rooms.  We have no first hand experience on this but I HAVE heard of couples getting put together.  It requires signing a waiver and I 'think' again, that is up to the hotels policy on the matter.  I would bring it up with the hotel in advance while making reservations.

 

On food.  Most hotels offer a meal package.  Their policy on food deliveries vary wildly, from no outside food at all, to the other extreme where the hotel my wife stayed this last was so wide open for food delivery and she ordered a full weeks worth of groceries delivered from Robinsons Supermarket using https://www.metromart.com shopping service.

 

My wife has been taking the airport coupon taxies which cost several times what they should, but are still cheap enough and hassle free.  I suppose I can live with that and I concur that those Yellow Airport Meter Taxies are extremely likely to have a battingting meter.  If you are stuck with a choice at least the coupon taxies you know up front the damage.

 

There are two types of quarantine hotels.  there are "Mandatory Quarantine" and there are "Stringent Quarantine" hotels.  I never could find out exactly what the difference but the "Mandatory Quarantine" ones have more lax rule enforcement and are therefore more desirable.  Possibly more amiable towards room sharing and food deliveries as well.

 

My wife's biggest complaint this last trip was that while she had a full weeks groceries from the supermarket, the hotel had a hot water kettle, but no rice cooker.  Judging from her grocery list I can only assume that hot water kettle had some new life experiences that week.  I suspect she is likely to bring a rice cooker next time.

 

There is a really good writeup and list of hotels here.  https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2020/07/doh-accredited-hotels-quarantine-manila/

 

Also if you are flying PAL they have some pretty good deals on some nicer hotels.

[RO_AH 1,656]

19 hours ago, CadeMcNown said:

- While in the hotel, do we really need separate rooms, and is that strictly enforced?

My friend and her husband went about  month ago and they stayed in the same room.

[LU SEE FURR 14]

17 hours ago, flicks1998 said:

As far as I know and what Adventine says, I dont know of any spouses that were allowed to stay in the same room.  They were separated and one had to take the child.  Its ridiculous and does not make any sense, but that is the procedure.

 

Wow, That is insane

[CadeMcNown 38]

12 hours ago, top_secret said:

There is a really good writeup and list of hotels here.  https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2020/07/doh-accredited-hotels-quarantine-manila/

Wow, great resource, thank you! It sounds like inconsistency is the main consistency.