Staycation Details I will be leaving this staycation tomorrow, and it has been very comfortable. It is only about 30 sq metres in area, but perfectly adequate – the air
conditioning is a “must have”! The Unit has basic cooking facilities, a comfortable large bed, a large TV and fridge and a micro-wave – perfect for a digital nomad
relying on food deliveries. Portions are so large that one meal often becomes two meals! See apartment layout image below

Staying in the Philippines – The VISA requirements are straightforward: if you have a Britiish passport, you automatically have 30 days. To extend your stay beyond
30 days, there is no need to go and queue at an immigration office – this can be done “on line” at https://e-services.immigration.gov.ph/ and a visa 29 day extension
costs about £50.
To extend your stay by up to another six months does requiure a visit and a biometric card (finger prints etc as in Greece) but is also straightforward – I won’t go
into great detail here, but will provide an update when the time comes. Cost for an additional 6 months about £145.

Weather for June – Hot, mostly cloudy, one or two thunderstorms, some rain and muggy conditions generally. Not unpleasant.

Payments and Cash – The bigger stores will accept credit cards, but it is an expensive way to buy things, bearing in mind the normal charges and currency conversion fees
that most european cards impose. I have opened an account with “Wise”, which offers a diigital card for payment via your mobile phone, and is a great way to convert
money (euros or pounds or dollars) into the local currency with very low charges. I have also applied for a physical card for future local cash withdrawal options.
There are not many suitable ATM machines here accepting foreign cards and currency conversion fees are high. Cash is needed for smaller purchases and paying taxis etc.
I did bring some euros with me, but changing this money at local forex desks involved long queues and irritating paperwork!
Other local payment apps (where you can pay from a “wallet” against a QR code) like GCash and Maya are very popular, but take a bit of time to set up – work in progress.

And lastly, First Names – Some first names in the Philippines are a little unusual to a European – for example. Mummy Daisy, Mercy, Aleli and Ana Rose – these are the first names of the ladies I have been dealing with. Much of the rental/property business over here is run very professionally by women 🙂