Philippine Trails Ltd - Isle of Bute

Patty C.

Do NOT use Philippine Trails! They bait and switched hotels at every stop. We made our reservations 2 months in advance, and were promised Banaue Grandview Deluxe Room, then were switched to another, and last minute to Cool Breeze (simple, but far from the original room). In Sagada, we were booked at Le Soleil (double room with terrace), moved again, then ended up at a room with no toilet seat, no soap, no towels, makeshift showerhead into the bathroom. We finally complained and were moved to a nicer hotel for 1 night. They were full of excuses. The lady that booked us (in UK?) had no idea how chaotic the whole trip was. It was supposedly arranged with the Tourist Board for me to give away gifts to schoolchildren in the various Ifugao villages, but after 1 stop, no one seemed to be in charge or know of the plan. The local guides were hired the day before and were knowledgeable about their own specific area. One driver said he was only paid for 1/2 day, so we had to pay more for the rest of the day although the tours were supposed to have been full day tours. Driver #2 dropped us off at a museum, all entrance fees should have been paid for but we had to pay again (not expensive, but not what we had agreed upon, so another example of how no one knew what was going on). Back in Manila, we were dropped off at the wrong hotel; we were able to call the driver back and it took an extra hour to get to the correct hotel. We are experienced third-world backpack/travelers and understand life doesn't go as planned, so we made the best of the trip, but want to warn others not to sign up with a company who is so disorganized and lacks integrity.

Elliot H.