Exploring South East Asia with Cruises to the Orient
If you are interested in exploring other cultures then you will be hard pushed to come across any that are more different to ours in the West than those of the Orient. The area of South East Asia in particular is home to many interesting countries - Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand to name a few. Holidays in this region have been popular for many years and there is still a lot to explore for visitors. A quick search through the websites of the major operators will turn up many cruises that sail around this area and you can check exactly which ports they call at by looking at the itinerary for each journey.
Beautiful ice sculpture on midnight buffet table
Manila is one of the ports featured on some routes but many do not call at other places in the Philippines which is a shame as there is so much to interest the jaded traveller here. One of the more developed provinces in the Philippines is Cebu which consists of a main island and 167 smaller ones. It is possible to find local companies that tour the area by sea though, so you can always look at cruises that stop at Manila and then transfer to a local operator for a more detailed look around the place. There are plenty of five star hotels to choose from if you want to spend more time in Cebu and all the modern conveniences necessary to make your stay a comfortable and enjoyable one. If you like a flutter then you can visit one of the many casinos here or if shopping is your thing then there are a number of shopping malls where you can indulge in some retail therapy during the day.
Boarding the Island Star
Cruises to the local islands are available from Mactan Island just off the coast and you can organise them to last for as little as a few hours if you just want a taste of what is on offer. If you think there is nothing better than laying back and soaking up the sun on your holidays then you will like the beautiful white sand beaches here and if you are a keen golfer there are several world class golf courses that you can play a round on. After you have seen some of the islands on one of the local cruises you can explore the surrounding cities and countryside of the province - taxis are a good choice for this purpose, being inexpensive and in plentiful supply. You will find the locals are a friendly bunch who are more than willing to help out a tourist who is lost or in need of advice as to where the best places to visit are. The food is delicious in this area too and dried fish is a speciality in this province. Some of the best beaches are found on the islands off of the coast of Cebu Island itself and you can check them out if you go on one of the local cruises mentioned earlier in this article.