‘Lonely Planet’ cites Palawan, adobo

MANILA, Philippines - Palawan has once again been recognized as one of the world’s best travel destinations, this time by the largest global travel guidebook Lonely Planet, which also cited adobo as one of the best hidden foodie highlights.

In its top picks for Best Value Destinations for 2014, Lonely Planet has
recommended Palawan as the affordable tropical paradise, which is ideal for tourists who are looking for a value-for-money vacation.

Lonely Planet cited Palawan’s jungle rivers, limestone cliffs and awesome beaches.

“This mix, combined with standout attractions such as Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the Bacuit Archipelago (all available at a competitive price), makes it a great-value pick for old Asia hands and novices alike,” Lonely Planet said.

“A journey to Palawan leads to the Calamian Islands where apparently Alex Garland saw the strip of sand that inspired ‘The Beach.’ Watch out for the May to October monsoon: it brings heavy rain, usually in the afternoon,” it added.

Aside from Palawan, the other top picks in Lonely Planet’s value destinations are Nicaragua and Kartanaka in India.

Palawan has also been chosen as the Best Island for International Travelers on a recent survey “2013 World’s Best” conducted by Travel+Leisure magazine.

This was the first time that Palawan became part of the international travel magazine’s list, and it even topped Boracay which landed second best, coming from first last year.

Based on the survey of the magazine’s readers from December 2012 to April 2013, Palawan scored 95.04 points against Boracay’s 93.58 points.

The respondents for the survey rated the islands based on natural attractions and beaches as wells as activities, food and people.

Last year, Palawan hugged the limelight after its Puerto Princesa Underground River was named as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

Palawan’s El Nido beach was also recognized recently by CNN as one of the best beaches in the world.

Meanwhile, Lonely Planet had also chosen the Filipino staple dish adobo as one of the top 10 best hidden foodie highlights.