Have a rare encounter with a Philippine eagle, the Philippine National Bird; dare a vertical challenge up magnificent Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak; marvel in the dazzling hues of the Waling-waling orchids, the Queen of Philippine Orchids; feast on the exotic durian, the King of Philippine fruits; dance on the streets with the 11 ethnolinguistic tribes at the Kadayawan Festival, the “King of Festivals"; and frolic on white sand and blue waters by a famed parola of a world-class beach resort. Their images are deemed iconic, lending their pageantry to the country’s tourism collaterals and destination glossies. If these are on your bucket list, then your travel compass is pointing you south of the archipelago, to the most progressive and vibrant metropolis in Mindanao—Davao City.

Davao City’s offerings for leisure, high-adrenaline adventures, foodie escapades, M.I.C.E., and even business opportunities are vast. Destinations, food, accommodations, and land arrangements: There is something for everyone from the islands to the highlands, north to south, from budget-friendly to luxurious and everything in between.

Drop off your bags and freshen up in your choice of hotel. Aria Residences and Hotel is the newest hotel to add to the hundreds of room keys in Davao’s growing hospitality landscape. There’s the dusitD2, Seda Abreeza, Park Inn by Radisson Davao, and Waterfront Insular Davao as choices in the same category, but affordable accommodations, like Rogen Inn and Blue Lotus Hotel, and budget hotels come aplenty.

Start ticking off a relaxing art and cultural tour at the People’s Park and the National Museum of the Philippines-Davao, the Museo Dabawenyo, and the Davao Museum of History and Ethnography. A quick stopover at the site of old Davao, anchored by San Pedro Street, the oldest street dating back to the early Spanish settlement, where Davao City Hall, San Pedro Cathedral, and Osmeña Park are; and, D’Bone Collector Museum and the Crocodile Park are amazing stops for both adults and kids, too.

Take a scenic drive through the new Coastal Road to cut travel time significantly to your high-altitude, eco-destinations in the South: the Philippine Eagle Center to see the majestic birds up close and witness the center’s conservation efforts to save the endangered species; Malagos Garden Resort, which also houses the Chocolate Museum, displaying the tree-to-bar process and products that earned global recognition and awards; and Eden Nature Park for thrilling “elevated” outdoor fun like sky cycling.

August is a good time to visit. It’s the season when Mt. Apo is seen the clearest, showing off a spectacle of blooms; tropical fruits in season—durian, pomelo, mangosteen, marang, and more—overflow to the streetside; and the 11 tribes of Davao (five Lumad and six Muslim tribes) gather with the locals for the Kadayawan Festival. More than a cultural event, the festival celebrates Davao’s triumph in unity, friendship, and peaceful coexistence between Christians, Muslims and Lumads.

Hungry? Davao City is Mindanao’s gastronomic paradise, and the cuisine is getting more exciting. New flavors are getting the nods of the locals and adding them to their lists along with old-time favorites. Sate the craving at Leon’s Lounge for the award-winning cheeses of Malagos Farmhouse; Harana for grilled fare; the Roxas Night Market for street food; Dencia’s for comfort food; Tiny Kitchen for Spanish; Yellow Fin for seafood; Tadakuma and Akiko for Japanese; Ah Fat for Chinese; Butcher’s Table and Fat Cow for steaks; and Clean Café for plant-based picks; Dulce Vita, Dolce Desserts, and Grateful Bread for pastries and breads.

Old villages like Obrero and Juna Subdivision have turned into coffee culture and dining haunts, and Purge Coffee Roasters, &Matcha, Hid'n, and Stash Coffee Co. are among the favorites.

Been there, done that? But have you gone on a palengke tour? The Bankerohan Market Experience is a roughing-it shop-and-eat experience like no other. There's also the Food Crawl, a flavorful journey of heritage recipes by homegrown restos; Furusato Davao, which explores the historical footprint of the Japanese community in Davao; and Abundant Harvest, a unique agritourism tour of the city’s finest agri-treasures, including durian, cacao, chocolates, and cheeses.

Go farther. Davao City is a gateway to more postcard-perfect destinations. A quick boat ride away is Samal Island in Davao del Norte, an island paradise that holds a tableau of inland, shoreline, and offshore attractions. The Hagimit Falls and the Monfort Bat Sanctuary are popular inland must-visits. Off the coastline, go on an underwater biodiversity exploration at the Taclobo (giant clam) Sanctuary, Coral Garden & Marine Reservation Park, Isla Reta, Mansud Wall, Angel‘s Cove, and Aundanao Fish Sanctuary. While on your island tour, do stop at the Vanishing Island and the Wishing Island and take a dive off the Sabang Cliff.

After a full day under the sun, lounge on the white sand under the star-filled skies in a beach resort on the island. Paradise Island Beach Resort is one of the most popular among the array of highly regarded affordable beach resorts. If you want to go extravagant, head to the Pearl Farm Beach Resort, Mindanao’s first luxury resort, a heritage-rich architectural landmark. Two other resorts join the high-end category—Discovery Samal and Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort on Kopiat Island, Davao de Oro.

The pandemic put the spotlight on the scenic highland of BuDa—and it never dimmed. There’s a regular exodus of “heat escapists” and foodies to the mountain resorts in the sea of clouds and to dining spots like Pilgrim. Cross over to Bukidnon and pick fresh strawberries (and go glamping) at Taglucop Strawberry Hills.

In Davao del Sur, go whitewater rafting and spend the night in any of Kapatagan's mountain resorts. Towards Davao Oriental, check out the Aliwagwag Falls, the scenic Sleeping Dinosaur viewpoint, and the surfer’s paradise of Dahican Beach.

To love Davao is to experience it firsthand. There is genuine warmth and friendliness from locals, and these are the visitors impressions, along with how clean the city is.

Safety and discipline are ingrained in Davao City’s culture; political will made that happen and is still successfully in place for decades today. For its strict local ordinances and low crime indices, Davao City is frequently listed as one of the top three safest cities in the Southeast Asian region by Numbeo (crowdsourced database), Global Residence Index, and Gallup Global Safety Report. Worth mentioning is Davao has the first integrated emergency response system in the Philippines and is the pioneer in the anti-smoking ordinance, among others.

Tourism-wise, for the second year, the 2026 World Travel Index (WTI) ranks Davao City #1 in the Philippines for Travel by Experience (“leading in safety, affordability, and infrastructure”). The report highlights Davao's unique blend of urban, nature, and cultural experiences. The city also took the top spot in 2025.

To whom does Davao City attribute these recognitions?

Resource people says it’s a collective effort of all sectors involved. The relationship of the private sector and the Local Government Unit (LGU) is quite unique in Davao. Working together and meeting on a regular basis, the sectors make sure goals are aligned and on track, with Davao City and its citizens' quality of life on top of mind. Ultimately, just like any business venture, be it from the tourism, corporate, or investment sector, it’s the numbers that matter. And, in all discussions and programs, the safety and security division plays an integral part.

Believe it or not, earning accolades has never been the aim of the stakeholders, nor has it been an objective. They consider these bonuses for everyone's hard work and indications that the programs are on the right track. It motivates the stakeholders to do better and be more creative.

Anyone’s apprehensions about Davao City will dissipate the moment they step on the Durianburg soil. The negative perceptions of the city will change to positive ones. Perhaps another recognition can enlighten? CEOWORLD Magazine ranked Davao City as the #1 in the Philippines for living, working, and investing for the 2025-2026 period. 

Truly, the best way to fall in love with Davao City is to experience it. Find out why the locals and returning visitors say, “Davao life is here.”

In the Marina District of San Francisco sits the Palace of Fine Arts, a part of the city’s 49 Mile Scenic drive that highlights many of the city's major attractions and historic structures. The Romanesque and Grecian inspired architecture was originally built when this California city played host to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition almost a century ago, in February 1915 when San Francisco was the honoring the discovery of the Pacific Ocean, the completion of the Panama Canal and a celebration of the city’s resurrection from the devastating earthquake and fire of 1906. 

The magnificent structure was Bernard Maybeck’s brainchild, an architect who was known for his ingenious styles. His jump-off point in designing this project was “in the mood of a Piranesi engraving,” choosing the ruins of Rome as his inspiration. 

But this “ruins” interpretation he described as showing “the mortality of grandeur and the vanity of human wishes .... " Not only did the Palace of Fine arts give pleasure with the magnificence of the exterior, the interior was made as stimulating.

The result- a harmony of poetry and romance, an alluring fusion of Roman architecture and Grecian adornment, enchanting. Ideal description of this amazing edifice and the only structure standing in the original design of a complex.

Beautiful against the California blue sky, beautiful as reflected on water.

The Suthro Bath ruins

Minutes from the garden, driving along the western side of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, we arrive at the Ocean Beach. It was a perfect day- the vast blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean was breathtaking, the shoreline inviting, the herd of seals atop a craggy rock was engaging, the famous ruins of Sutro Bath offering a glimpse of the past, and the other historic landmark, the Cliff House, was beaming in its white glory against the azure backdrop. Yes, this is a nice place to check out when you're in town.

This area would be the site of a couple of American dining experiences for me. In many ways, poles apart.

Breakfast #1. It was all-American style at this family-run diner called "Louis’ at the Sutro Heights Park", has several decades of service on their record. Opened in 1937, they must have whipped thousands of pancakes, cracked, poached, beat and "sunny side up-ed" a million eggs and prepared countless meals for the hungry locals and tourists. Louis' is open all day and serves other fares. 

I found myself in a “only in the movies” moment- small, quaint, greasy food, quick service, devoid of pleasantries, smiles missing from the busy, impersonal, monotoned servers (sans the gum chewing, thank God), and the day had just started, mind you. It was a morning minus the good.  Not unless Ashton Kutcher appears out of nowhere and booms, "you've just got Punk'd!" to disprove my impressions. He didn't. So yes, it was just like in the movies. Or, I was hoping too much.

Faces & phases of the Cliff House

Breakfast #2 would be at the other restaurant a hundred yards away towards the end of the cliff- it's a fancier that the other joint and has a rich history attached to it. It is aptly named the Cliff House. It's a lunch date for me on the second visit to this area with my other host and tour guide, Recho B., this time.

The Cliff House has had its fair share of famous personalities on its guest list since it opened in 1858. But more interesting is the number of reincarnations it went through from the day it was built with salvaged lumber to the current white concrete structure it is now.

It all started when a former Mormon from Maine erected Cliff House with recovered timber, had to rebuild it after a dynamite explosion only to be ravaged by fire after. That's just the beginning of tragic tales and triumphant rebirths.

In 1896, Adolf Sutro built the Gingerbread Palace, a seven-storey Victorian Chateau, and the famous Sutro Baths north of the dining place. These structures may have survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake with little damaged, but was burned to the ground in 1907. Then Sutro's daughter had the restaurant rebuilt in a neo-classical style.

It was remodeled into an American roadhouse in 1937 by the new owners, the Whitneys, to complement their Playland-at-the-Beach attraction. But was restored into its 1909 look in 1977 after the place was acquired by the National Park Service. The Cliff House became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

An extensive renovation in 2003 added a stylish, but casual, two-storey wing overlooking the Sutro Bath ruins and the ocean view. Today, the Cliff House in white is described as “the rich history of the Sutro Baths combined with the modernistic appeal of the 21st century", a fascinating link between the past and the present.

And this is the present- the famed freshly baked puff bread I am about to bite into, a table by the window with a breathtaking view of the shoreline (twenty minutes waiting time for this), a roomful of framed memories of the past and the waiter about to serve my lunch- a hearty breakfast fare.

Burp.

Another day, another site, another entry on the list of must-sees to recommend when in San Francisco.