Looking for a place to stay

Welcome to Expat.com,  John.  Have you ever been to the Philippines before?  Do you know anyone in the Philippines?  What is your marital/dating status?  Will you be traveling alone?  I believe after flying from Virginia to Manila you will need at least 24 hours to get oriented to the 11 hour time difference and the slightly warmer weather.  You might want to spend a few days in Manila to find out exactly why you don't want to live there in the future.  Take $100 bills with you and get changed into pesos at a local money changer, they are legal and give better rates than the banks, and many banks won't do business with you unless you have an account there.
            There are good hotels I know of in and around Manila for $100 or less per night, credit cards accepted.  We stay at MICROTEL near the bay, right next to the Mall of Asia.  This is a great place for the best places to shop and eat, with many international foods available.  It is only about 90 minutes from Manila to Tagaytay, a great place to live as it is about 2,000 feet above sea level, making summers tolerable and a beautiful lake with a dormant volcano. 
             Traveling north from Manila by bus, we always use Parta, there are many more rural spots to see, not as crowded, traffic not as bad.  We live outside of Vigan, an 8 hour bus ride north of Manila.  Bus ride costs $18, 20% less for seniors age 60 or more.  Hotels there slightly cheaper than Manila, Vigan is a quaint old Spanish town, the capital of Ilocos Sur province.  Send me a Private Message if you want more info, glad to answer any questions I can, will meet you in January if it would be helpful for you.  Good luck in your search.

Thank you for asking so many thorough questions. I will do my best to answer them.

*Have you ever been to the Philippines before?*  No, I have not
*Do you know anyone in the Philippines?*  No, I do not
*What is your marital/dating status? *  single
*Will you be traveling alone? *  I will be traveling alone
*Virginia to Manila is a 12-hour time difference.*
*Take $100 bills with you and get changed into pesos at a local money changer* I was wondering how I was going to make this happen.
*I can, will meet you in January if it would be helpful for you. * That would be so awesome, yes, I would very much enjoy meeting.

Thank you for all of the help. I am sure there is so much I am forgetting to ask. It is like, I don't know what to ask because I just don't know.

Again, Thank you so much!
John

I would think that a lot of what you should do really depends upon what yours goals are for coming here in the first place.  I would definitely lock down in advance a place to stay  for at least your first day. Then, depending upon your goals, you can either stay in place or move on.

Tim_L wrote:

I would think that a lot of what you should do really depends upon what yours goals are for coming here in the first place.  I would definitely lock down in advance a place to stay  for at least your first day. Then, depending upon your goals, you can either stay in place or move on.

Good idea to have a name and address of a hotel previously booked, probably for 2 days just to get oriented before exploration starts.  You can get some pesos at the exchange in the airport, and you can take a cab ride right to your hotel.  Tell the cab driver you want to go on the meter, do not negotiate a set price for the trip.  You should be able to get to your first hotel in 20 to 30 minutes, ride should cost no more than 500 pesos ($10).  We like to use a hotel near the bay, and you can use a credit card in most hotels, especially the international brand names.

Johnshep wrote:

Thank you for asking so many thorough questions. I will do my best to answer them.

*Have you ever been to the Philippines before?*  No, I have not
*Do you know anyone in the Philippines?*  No, I do not
*What is your marital/dating status? *  single
*Will you be traveling alone? *  I will be traveling alone
*Virginia to Manila is a 12-hour time difference.*
*Take $100 bills with you and get changed into pesos at a local money changer* I was wondering how I was going to make this happen.
*I can, will meet you in January if it would be helpful for you. * That would be so awesome, yes, I would very much enjoy meeting.

Thank you for all of the help. I am sure there is so much I am forgetting to ask. It is like, I don't know what to ask because I just don't know.

Again, Thank you so much!
John

Don't know if you have traveled internationally before, but you should have at least 6 months on your passport when you arrive before in expires.  Immigration will want to see a plane ticket back out of the country or you will not be allowed out of the airport.  For now you need to read other threads about topics relevant to you on this forum, check out maps and decide where you want to go and when.  You have almost 3 months to read history and social info.  If you are Catholic you will have no problems getting to Sunday Mass, some of the larger churches have an English Mass once a Sunday, others have a weekday Mass, most always in Tagalog or Ilocano up north.  Even if you are not Catholic it would be helpful to understand the basics, since the church and state worked together to rule the islands for 300 years under Spanish rule.  As was mentioned, you need to decide what you want to do and what you want to accomplish on your first visit.  Please feel free to read all you can and keep asking questions, realizing there is no substitute for boots on the ground experience.

I think Vigan, Tagaytay, BGC, Makati, Baguio and Manila.

herberttaylor wrote:

I think Vigan, Tagaytay, BGC, Makati, Baguio, and Manila.

I love this place too...

herberttaylor wrote:

I think Vigan, Tagaytay, BGC, Makati, Baguio and Manila.

And you have been to all these places? Tell us about your experiences.

Cheers Steve.

tracey001 wrote:

herberttaylor wrote:

I think Vigan, Tagaytay, BGC, Makati, Baguio, and Manila.

I love this place too...

Which one or all? Please offer your experience/s.

Cheers, Steve.

Johnshep wrote:

Hello,

I'm flying into Manila on the Jan 3 and looking for an reasonable priced place to rent. I also wonder would it be better to reserve now or when I get there. Also, should I only get a couple days at a time Incase I move around?

Thanks,
John

Welcome to this forum John and hope you glean info. As others have said plan your trip well including at least your first nights accommodation if not two, the last thing you want after a long flight is the worry of where you might or might not sleep. ( the cabbies will take you the long way and extract as much as they can). Google is my best friend for all things intricate and nasty.
Agoda, Tripadvisor, Airbnb or even FB (yes lots here is negotiated on FB in PH.).
As others have said you still have months to sort a pillow.

Can I/we the members ask? Why the Philippines? Simply social/holiday, prospective promise, a new place to visit/holidaying again or a retirement destination? Research and do it well before you land here.

Good luck and hope you find a few answers.

Cheers, Steve.