Travel Options

I suggest US-based guests depart from the US on February 3rd morning to have enough time to adjust to the time zone and give yourself extra time in case of travel disruptions. Manila is 12 hours ahead of EST time. Before booking your hotels or flights, I suggest you review each "segment" of the schedule below to see how it fits your travel plans.

Suggested Schedule By Segment

Before the wedding: Feb 4-6th @ Acacia Hotel in Muntinlupa: Leaving Tuesday morning from the US, you will arrive Wednesday night in Manila. We will have drivers waiting for you at the airport holding a sign for "Hensal" but you must email your flight details to hensalsarahjeff@gmail.com with the subject line "Wedding Flight Details" to be accounted for by our drivers. It is suggested to stay Feb 4-6th at Acacia Hotel in Muntinlupa as we have the shuttle leaving from there to the venue on Friday. Other nearby hotel alternatives include Somerset or Vivere.

During the wedding: Feb 6-8th @ Balai Isabel or Nuuk Taal in Laurel: We have a private shuttle b us which will leave from Acacia Hotel in Muntinlupa on February 6th at 12pm noon PH time and arrive in Balai Isabel hotel for the first stop and Nuuk Taal next. Most people will stay at Club Balai Isabel, but a few close family and the wedding party will stay at the Nuuk Taal venue itself. Caution -> If you are not staying in Nuuk Taal sure to book your room at Balai Isabel ASAP as it is limited and there are hardly any alternatives nearby the semi-remote venue area. Check out the Hotel section for details.

After the wedding: Feb 8-9th @ Acacia Hotel in Muntinlupa: The private shuttle bus will leave from Balai Isabel on Sunday, February 8th at 12pm noon PH time to return to Acacia Hotel. We will spend 1 day back in Acacia Hotel (or Somerset or Vivere if Acacia is booked up) to rest before traveling to Boracay the next morning. The guests taking Option 2 can leave the Philippines the next morning, February 9th.

Boracay (Option 1 Only) Feb 9-12th @ Mövenpick Boracay: After our 6AM super bowl party in Acacia Hotel, guests will leave from Acacia Hotel on Monday February 9th at 8:00am to take a private van shuttle to the airport. We will all take the same flight to Boracay and travel together to spend 3 nights at Mövenpick Boracay. The return flight will be on Thursday February 12th. Checkout Boracay section for details.

Final Stop (Option 1 Only) Feb 12th: After returning to Manila from Boracay, you are on your own as the the newlyweds will not return to Manila. I would suggest you stay 1 more night in Manila on this day and fly out Friday morning. This will give you time to rest and for any travel delays. Also the flights I have seen are cheaper Friday morning and only 1 stop (to Ohio, at least). If you are able to get a flight back to the US later in the day on Thursday night, that works too and is your decision.

Recommended Flight Dates

Recommended Flight dates for Option 1 → Tuesday, February 3rd to Friday, February 13th, 2026

Recommended Flight dates for Option 2 → Tuesday. February 3rd to Monday, February 9th, 2026

TODO: Book your international flight. You can choose to bundle flight with the first 2 nights in Acacia Hotel or use the flight discount code from United and book Acacia separately. The discount code will not work for the bundling. See details below in this section.

Discount Code

We have a discount code through United Airlines for everyone to use which will apply if you fly in and out of Manila any dates between January 24th to February 18th. The origin of your flight does not matter. Let me know if it does not work.

United Airlines Promo Code: Use this flight link (https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/booking/searchinjection?txtPromoCode=ZR7E899395) to book and apply the group discount.

Sample Flight

Recommended departure airport for US: San Francisco (SFO) - because it is shortest distance to Manila from continental US. Other passthrough airports also work, it's only a preference.

Example: Cleveland → SFO (5 hrs), then SFO → Manila (14.5 hrs). Allow at least 2 hrs for layovers.

Sample flight Option 2 flight: Cleveland to Manila February 3rd to February 9th (with discount)

Note: without the discount, Economy cost $1,255, Premium Economy cost $2,925, and Business Class cost $9,299 (as of 06/16/25). A significant discount to fly business class around the world!

Other Note: if you DO NOT see "Special Offer" under the price listed, then you either are not using the link provided above, you fall out of the aforementioned date range, or you are trying to book a one way only (must book return flight to apply discount).

Flight Package Bundle Including First 2 Nights in Acacia Hotel

US → PH Flight

There are options to bundle the international flight with the first 2 nights at Acacia Hotel in Muntinlupa, which is a great option for those who want to stay there before heading to the wedding venue in Laurel. However, this option will not work with the United flight discount code. It is up to you if you want to use the bundle option or not. You can weigh your options between using the United discount code and booking Acacia separately or using the Expedia or United bundle option. If you are flying premium or business class, it is likely more economical to use the United flight discount code.

• Here is what the bundle looks like on United using the United flight + hotel option for 1 person.
• Here is what the similar bundle looks like on Expedia Packages option, only difference is the return flight is on Thursday the 12th (make sure to select 13th instead, see tip below)

Tip: If you want to leave the PH on Thursday the 12th, make sure your departing flight from PH is in the evening, as the Boracay flight returns around 3pm on Feb 12. As of July 1st, evening flights are ~$200 more per person and have 2 stops. It may be best to spend an extra night in Manila and fly out Friday 13th morning on a cheaper, 1-stop flight.

Saving Money on flights with Credit Card Points

I strongly suggest you become a Mileageplus member so that you can take advantage of the Basic Economy flight price and still bring checked luggage (free). Otherwise, you will only get a carry-on bag (small luggage). You will have to pay for the Economy class (about $190 more) to get a checked bag or pay for it separately (usually ~$60 each way).

Use my referral code to sign up and we will both get bonus points to use for travel. Choose any United MileagePlus® credit card and we will both get points. You must use this link for us to both get points.

Pro Tip: Apply for Mileageplus United Explorer credit card and purchase the flight using it. You will receive 60,000 BONUS MILES after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open, which is enough to fly back to Asia for free next time. I did this exact thing the first time I ever flew to Asia (China), then I flew back next year to Japan completely free.

Before The Wedding in Muntinlupa/Alabang

This is a transit stop between the airport and Laurel (the wedding venue). This is only 30 mins maximum from the airport towards the direction of wedding venue. It is easy and safe to stay here.
Guests which want a more "city" experience can stay in a different area of Manila, BGC or Makati, but it is more logistically difficult, likely more expensive, and in the heart of a very busy city.

We suggest everyone stay in Acacia Hotel, but there are 2 neighboring backup options below. Our drivers can take you from airport to here, just email your flight details to hensalsarahjeff@gmail.com with the subject line "Wedding Flight Details" to be accounted for by our drivers. They will be holding signs for "Hensal" in the Manila airport exit if you send us your flight info.

Check on expedia or booking.com for these hotels. Also, consider bundling the first 2 nights in Acacia Hotel with your flight to save money. See Flight section for bundle details.

TODO: Book hotel for Acacia Hotel from February 4th - February 6th, unless you have bundled it with your flight.

TODO: Book hotel for Acacia Hotel from February 8th - February 9th. (see Schedule for details)

During The Wedding in Laurel

The wedding party and select few family members will be able to stay directly in the Nuuk Taal venue as it is a boutique hotel with only a few rooms. Reach out if you aren't sure if you will be staying there. Everyone else should stay in Club Balai Isabel Hotel. We will have a few drivers shuttling back and forth from the venue and Balai Isabel throughout Friday and Saturday. They are only 15 minutes apart.

TODO: Book Club Balai Isabel from February 6th - February 8th if you are not staying in Nuuk Taal. Do this ASAP as it is limited and there are not many alternatives in this more rural area.

Boracay, the after party

Mövenpick Hotel in Boracay. Expedia has packages including flight from Manila to Boracay AND 3 nights hotel. See Boracay section for details.

Budget Breakdown

Note: All prices are estimates and may vary based on booking time and availability.

- Food costs are not included. However, most hotels provide at least breakfast and food in the Philippines is cheaper than the US. Even with eating out 3 times a day at good restaurants, it's unlikely you'll spend more than $40 per day.

- Partnering up for rooms can save hundreds of dollars. Some rooms in Balai Isabel have 2 or 4 beds, so it is best to partner up with other travelers on the trip and split a room to save hundreds per person.
    - Acacia Hotel has many rooms with 2 beds good for splitting.
    - Same with Mövenpick Boracay; they have many rooms with 2 beds.

Boracay is a must-see island with white sand beaches, turquoise waters, and vibrant nightlife. Enjoy snorkeling, island hopping, cave exploring, fire shows and sand castles galore every night on the beach. I'll be dropping a youtube video about Boracay soon. Stay tuned.

Manila → Boracay

We are using the expedia package for this option. Leaving Manila Monday morning at 11:45am and returning Thursday at 1:10pm. There are alternative options such as Monday 11:10AM departure and Thursday at 1:40pm return flight.

We have chosen Mövenpick Boracay as the hotel for the 3 night excursion. It is a 5-star resort with a private beach, infinity pool, and multiple restaurants. The major advantage is that it has its own ferry. To get to Boracay, you'll take a 25 minute ferry from the airport to the island. Normally you would take a public ferry which is tricky to do alone. With Mövenpick, they have a private ferry that takes you directly to the hotel, making it much easier. However, the island is small and if you want, you can stay in another hotel and take the public ferry. There are still nice hotels in Station 1 and 2 which may only cost $450 for the package. You'll just be a 10-15 minute drive from Mövenpick.

Here is what the Expedia package looks like for 1 person:

• Package Price Single Person: $628
• Package Price Couple: $724