Information

The most cost-efficient way to travel is to arrive into Manilla Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL). From there either take a domestic flight to Bohol–Panglao International Airport (TAG), or to Mactan–Cebu International Airport (CEB), which both only cost around £15 each way. Flying into Panglao on an international flight (for example for a connection from Singapore, Hong Kong or Seoul) is looking too expensive, yet flights into Manila are surprisingly affordable (somewhere in the range of £500-£800 return, depending on promos/booking times).

A direct flight would be 14 hours, but these only seem to be available via Philippine Airlines who have not yet resumed their London Heathrow to Manila route after COVID. Instead it's currently looking like a couple of 7 hour stints with a few hours stopover in the Middle East or the equivalent split via somewhere like Singapore or Hong Kong. Usually an Emirates flight via Dubai (flies from Birmingham or London at similar prices) is a great option. Based on our last experience, we would avoid Etihad!

Some example fares we've found for next year are as follows, but better options could become available at a later date.

• Birmingham to Manila, 2 stops, £645 (KLM)

• London to Manila, 1 stop, £630 (Singapore Airlines)

Domestic arrivals to Panglao

• A short tricycle or taxi ride to the venue and all local accommodations

• May have limited flights 

Domestic arrivals to Cebu

• On the island of Cebu.

• Requires a taxi ride into Cebu City's port, a 2 hour ferry into Tagbilaran on the island of Bohol, and a 30 minute taxi/transfer to the accommodations nearby the venue in Panglao.

• It can be chaotic, but... exciting?! (We travelled in this way and didn't have any major problems but contact us for further guidance/info on this route)

For both of these domestic flight options, only a couple of flights are currently listed for next years dates but more should be available before then as the domestic flights all tend to be very frequent. Usually it is very easy to grab cheap domestic flights closer to the time, and for that Cebu Pacific are highly recommended.

Tips and tricks!

• Skyscanner is an amazing site to flexibly search and compare different flight options to find the right routes and dates to get cheaper fares., but there are others.

• Whatever search tool you use or even if you go direct to an airline, be sure to use an incognito window or clear cookies!

• Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be the cheapest days of the week to fly.

• If Etihad try to tell you you can travel from Birmingham to Manchester (for the flight via Abu Dhabi) on a bus they'll arrange, don't believe them! It's a lie, there is no bus. There never was a bus and there never will be a bus. Plus the entertainment is shit.

There are a lot of nice places to stay in the vicinity of the venue that are all very affordable. Prices range from around £20-£40 per night for some very nice places. You can go more basic (but not as basic as you'd expect) for £10-20 per night, or more luxurious for around £75+ (we're talking 4/5 stars).

Check places out on Booking.com, or in Google Maps, but some examples of where to look are as follows.

• Anywhere on/near Alona Beach.

  • This is a popular destination and will be where most tourists will stay.

  • A very nice stretch of beach with hotels and bars/restaurants with live music along the beach front

  • Probably the more lively destination, but we didn't find it over crowded.

  • We stayed a night in Alona Vida Beach Resort for £22 so can recommend this but there are a lot of similar places nearby

    • 3 stars, very clean, nice bathroom, huge bed, on the beach, great live band

• Nearby Dumaluan Beach, Alicea Beach/White Beach

  • Range of prices similar to Alona beach, although the average might be a bit higher

  • Probably a quieter area, but not been/verified

• The Bellevue Resort

  • The sort of place you instantly believe will be well out of price range, but surprisingly not.

  • Amazing hotel with a private beach, this was almost the venue for the wedding itself!

For those wanting to make more of the trip out this way, Bohol does offer a lot. Whether you like to have a relaxing beach holiday or take part in activities/excursions this location caters for both. Find out more about Bohol here.

• Visit the Chocolate Hills

• Visit the Bamboo Hanging Bridge (pictured above)

• Loboc River cruise or paddle boarding

• Check out the Philippine Tarsier (SE-asia's smallest and the world's smallest primate that can only be found in Bohol) at the conservatory

• See Hinagdinan Cave (right by the venue itself, which also has its own caves)

• Seriously, google it

  • Stuff here

  • Stuff there

Further afield from Bohol island there's a lot that the central Visayas and even wider Philippines has to offer.

• Cebu - e.g. swimming with whale sharks, canyoneering, surfing (there might even be day or overnight trips from Panglao to Cebu)

• Palawan - e.g. island hopping, underground river, scuba-diving

• Ever heard of Boracay? Probably the finest white-sand beaches in the world!