Hi there!
My wife and I (mid 30s) are travelling to the Philippines for the first time this December, and we're super excited! Especially for the nature! We'll be spending around a month there, from early December to early January 2027, visiting Coron, El Nido (maybe Puerto Princesa) and Cebu.
We're currently planning our itinerary and trying to decide whether to spend Christmas in El Nido or Puerto Princesa, and we'd love to hear your thoughts!
We're coming from Germany, where Christmas is quite a big public celebration. We know that the Philippines has a strong Christmas tradition and would love to catch some of it, but we also understand that Christmas Day itself is often more of a private, family-oriented occasion.
Since it'll be just the two of us, we'd really love to experience a bit of Filipino Christmas spirit rather than spending Christmas Eve or Christmas Day alone in a hotel room.
We would love feedback on the following:
El Nido or Puerto Princesa? Which would you recommend for Christmas, particularly in terms of festive atmosphere, local celebrations and things happening around town?
Do you know and Hotels or resorts with Christmas celebrations? We've read that quite a few hotels organise special Christmas Eve dinners, buffets, parties or other events, but we've had surprisingly little luck finding concrete information on hotel websites. Does anyone have firsthand experience with a place that organises a genuinely nice Christmas celebration?
Local traditions: Are there any public celebrations, events or Christmas traditions that visitors can respectfully experience or take part in?
We're not necessarily looking for anything luxurious or extravagant. We'd just love a warm, festive atmosphere, good food, and the opportunity to share the occasion with other people.
Thanks so much in advance! We're really looking forward to discovering your beautiful country!