3 Philippine islands among Asia's top 10, says travel mag readers

Luzon, Cebu, and Mindanao are among Asia’s top ten islands, based on international travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Luzon followed Bali in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand as the third best island in Asia, with a readers’ choice rating of 78.9, ranking high in the criteria of friendliness, scenery, and ambience. Cebu came in seventh place with a score of 75.9, and Mindanao ranked at tenth, with a score of 62.8. Other islands that made it to the top 10 include Langkawi in Malaysia, Koh Samui in Thailand, Hokkaido in Japan, Malaysian Borneo, and Lombok in Indonesia. At the same time, three Philippine hotels ranked in Southeast Asia’s top 20 hotels. Makati Shangri-la held the fifth spot, EDSA Shangri-la came in seventh place, while the Manila Hotel came in 20th. Meanwhile, Shangri-la’s Boracay Resort and Spa was voted as eighth best resort in the Top 15 resorts in Asia category. Conde Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Awards has been running since 1988. This year, a record 46,476 readers participated in the vote. –Amanda Lago/KG