Destinations
Siquijor Island is the PH’s top emerging destination – Agoda
Siquijor Island is a hidden gem located in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines with growing appeal for international travelers, particularly from China, South Korea, the United States, Australia, and Germany.

Siquijor Island has emerged as the fastest growing destination for attracting international travelers visiting the Philippines, according to digital travel platform Agoda. The travel platform’s New Horizons list further reveals Bohol to be the top trending destination for Filipino domestic travelers and Hanoi, Vietnam to be emerging among Filipinos traveling abroad.
Agoda’s New Horizons ranking, which is released annually, compares the accommodation booking ranks of the two previous years to identify the highest climbers in both domestic and international travel.
Siquijor Island is a hidden gem located in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines with growing appeal for international travelers, particularly from China, South Korea, the United States, Australia, and Germany. Known for its mystical reputation, pristine beaches and lush natural beauty, the island sets itself apart from its more widely known counterparts like Boracay, Siargao and Palawan. Travelers can experience the island’s unique healing therapies and local shamanic practices, including during the annual Healing Festival held during Holy Week, or enjoy its many white sand beaches, dramatic sunset views, enchanting caves and waterfalls, and breathtaking coral reefs and marine life.
Meanwhile Bohol, also located in the Central Visayas region, is gaining popularity among domestic travelers. Known for its stunning natural attractions, rich cultural heritage, and unique wildlife, Bohol offers a blend of adventure and relaxation. Travelers can marvel at the iconic landscape of the Chocolate Hills, enjoy the beaches in Panglao, cruise along the Loboc River, and encounter the island’s tarsiers, one of the world’s smallest primates.
For Filipino travelers traveling abroad, Hanoi is rising in popularity. With the first direct air route between Vietnam and Philippines launched earlier this year as well as increased flight routes between Manila and Hanoi, Filipinos can enjoy increased connectivity when traveling to Vietnam. Hanoi’s historic landmarks, colonial architecture and thriving food scene offers a unique blend of the traditional and modern. Rising interest from Filipino travelers offers a positive uptick for tourism in Hanoi following the floods and typhoons in Northern Vietnam this year.
Michael Hwang, Country Director Philippines at Agoda said, “The rising popularity of Siquijor and Bohol opens up new horizons for travelers to experience the charm of the Philippines’ lesser-known destinations. Agoda is proud to support efforts to promote these secondary destinations. It’s exciting to also see Filipino travelers showing more interest in Hanoi, especially with the increased flight connectivity in Vietnam. Wherever their journey takes them in 2025, Agoda is committed to helping travelers see the world for less.”
Looking at the top emerging destinations for Asian travelers combined, it is Shanghai that tops the New Horizons list. The Chinese metropolis is followed by Jeju (South Korea), Paris (France), Nha Trang (Vietnam), and Fukuoka (Japan). Travelers preparing for their travel plans for 2025 are encouraged to check out Agoda’s great value deals on over 4.5 million holiday properties, more than 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities and experiences that are available on the platform.
Dining Out
Heading to Cavite to try Som Thai Silang Bypass
We go to Silang to check Som Thai Silang Bypass.
There’s this venue in Silang in Cavite that started referring to itself as “Little Bangkok”. And why not, when – in a compound – there are various Thai-related offerings, helmed by a Thai resto called Som Thai Silang Bypass.
We checked it, and… how was it for us?
@outragemag Looking for #LGBTQ #thai #cheapeats in #Cavite? We checked Som Thai Silang Bypass to see if it's worth visiting
Una, this place is closer to Tagaytay than it is to Manila. So magbaon ng pasensiya at pera sa biyahe… considering that, yes, you have to allocate more time and monetary allocation for the gas and tolls just to check this place.
Ikalawa, the actual resto isn’t grand; it almost looks like a karinderya in the province. But then again, it reminds me of the micro and small entrepreneurs in rural parts of Thailand, where locals convert their houses into mini-restos for lunch and for dinner. Just don’t expect much when here.
Ikatlo, the service people were nice (e.g. they’d ask you if things are okay), but they were… slow (e.g. I had to approach the teller to pay the bill).








And lastly… the food; how was it for us?
- The Som Tam (papaya salad, ₱120 for the solo serving) was – in a word – malansa (fishy). There are different ways to prepare this, with some adding shrimp paste (bagoóng alamáng) or dried shrimps (hibi). But the version of Som Thai Silang Bypass tasted like it used fermented fish (bagoóng isdâ) from Pampanga. Now… if you’re familiar with Pampanga’s bagoong, you’d know what I mean when I say malansa.
- The Tom Yum seafood (₱291 for the solo serving) was, at least, malasa (tasty) and contained lots of seafood.
- The Pad Thai chicken (₱249 for the solo serving) was… tasteless. This is sorta disappointing because when a Thai resto can’t make a proper Pad Thai, you start to have doubts re authenticity.
- The Mango Duo (two pieces of half-cut fresh spring rolls + mango sticky rice + garlic mayo and peanut sauce, ₱265) is a cheaper way to get spring rolls and dessert. Nothing special here, but the mango slices used were really sweet.
- The Chicken Satay ((with peanut sauce and vinegar, ₱210) was bland. We were anticipating red curry (or massaman curry) or at least peanutty taste, but neither was noted. Even the peanut sauce did not taste peanutty.
- Be warned that the servings here are small – i.e. when they say “solo”, they’re serious in limiting you from sharing.
- Be warned, too, that some Thai condiments – e.g. tamarind paste – aren’t available. “Ubos na,” we were told.
If there aren’t other Thai restos in the area, Som Thai Silang Bypass should suffice. But this is Silang, a municipality in the Province of Cavite that has too many restos to count. So yeah… you can try if you want, and considering its limitations. Otherwise, let’s just discover more lafang venues.

Som Thai Silang Bypass is located along Bypass Road, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Cavite.
Dining Out
Still trying to find the promise of Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña
#Pizza, #lasagna, #babybackribs aren’t Pinoy staples, and so – as we look for a venue where they’re properly offered – we ended up in Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña in Quezon City.

Truth: Pizza isn’t a Pinoy staple food. So even if we know that – when properly done – pizza can be really, really good, it can be challenging to find a local venue that knows how to properly make one. Heck, even the supposedly “award-winning” venues in Makati City aren’t that good, truth be told!
@outragemag Looking for #pizza #lasagna, #babybackribs in #QuezonCity? We #LGBTQ ♬ original sound – outragemag
The search for a good slice (or slices, preferably) of pizza led us to Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña, which – seemingly belying its name – is making a name not just because of its lasagna, but also because of its pizzas (with some of them looking mouth-watering in socmed reels, yeah).
So… how did we find Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña?



Una, the place reminded me of small eating venues in non-touristy streets in Paris – e.g. turned picturesque thanks to hundreds of fake flowers that added character to multi-colored decors. So when there, you can’t help but think they have a very specific market in mind – i.e. socmed people.
Ikalawa, the staff were actually nice – e.g. they even provided us (and the guests in another table) with a phone stand for the selfies. And when you make inquiries online, they respond fast, ha.
Now – ikatlo (and lastly) – how was the food?
- The Famous Beef Lasagna (₱289) was hefty… for its price. Di tinipid. It was yummy, said Arthur, though a bit sweet for me. But we both agreed that the accompanying garlic bread was really good.
- Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña has various 12” types of pizzas to choose from, with the prices ranging from ₱520 to ₱590. To be on the safe side, we just ordered the Primo Pizza (₱590), which paired half of the 4 Cheese Artisan Pizza with half of Pizza de Barcelona (pepperoni and cheese with meat sauce and three kinds of cheese). And that proved to be – this has to be stressed – an intelligent decision. Because while the pizzas looked IG-worthy, and appeared to have lots of sahog, the very first bite wasn’t pizza-like. That’s because the dough used can be likened to pan de sal and not what’s usually used for pizza. It was more similar to the garlic bread served with the lasagna, actually. And for me, that it didn’t even seem well done was also an issue.
- The baby back ribs with shrimp aglio olio pasta (₱490) was… okay. Admittedly, the ribs were somewhat dry even if the flesh was soft enough to seemingly peel off the bones. At least the pasta (cooked al dente) was quite good.
Considering the many offerings of Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña, you are bound to find something that will please you if you decide to pay it a visit. That’s good for you… and for this business.
Admittedly, we have misgivings… like those pizza slices that left us with not-too-great memories. But that’s all good, as we continue discovering good lafang places.




Reach Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña HERE.
There are three branches.
Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña P. Noval Manila Branch is right beside UST, and is open from 10:30am to 10pm; parking is available along P. Noval St.
Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña Sta. Mesa Branch is in front of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, and is open from 9:30am to 10pm; parking is available in front of the restaurant.
Las Tres Marias Deliciosa Lasaña QC Branch is located at 27 Roosevelt Ave. corner Gen. Lim St., right beside Fisher Mall, and is open from 11am to 11pm. Parking is available in front of the resto.
Dining Out
A taste of Thai in Pasay
We checked Soi Chicken in Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This is one of a handful of Thai restos in MOA, including Jatujak and Soi.

Okay… let’s be honest: Thai cuisine is among the best in the world. Particularly – this has to be stressed – those that were not sanitized to please foreigners’ palates. But this is also why it’s tricky when you look for Thai food outside of Thailand since you’re bound to get something that claims to be Thai, and yet not taste Thai at all.
@outragemag #thaifood craving in #MetroManila? We checked out #SoiChicken in #Pasay for this #LGBTQ #foodtrip
And so we checked Soi Chicken in Mall of Asia in Pasay City. This is one of a handful of Thai restos in MOA, including Jatujak and Soi.
So… how was it for us?

Una, the place itself was not bad – e.g. it was clean, walang sirang furniture, Thai-inspired decoration, et cetera. Yeah, the music playing wasn’t Thai or even Thai-inspired, but at least the overall vibe was.
Ikalawa, the place was not THAT busy. At least when we went there, past lunch time, it was more empty than full.
Ikatlo, even if there weren’t a lot of customers, service was still slow. Don’t get me wrong: the staff was nice. They were chatty. They provided you what you needed. Et cetera. But… they weren’t always there. As example: I had to stand to ask for the bill.
And lastly, the food was… okay. But – take note – hindi siya memorable.
- We started with Som Tum (papaya salad with salted egg, ₱295), which tasted like it needed more palm sugar and lime. The addition of the salted egg was inspired, though, making this special.
- The Pad Thai Soi (₱495) was not bad, too. But it was not as flavorful, either. It was almost like the chef wanted to be safe… which sadly deprived us of the flavors we were looking for. But at least the noodles weren’t overcooked, and there was acceptable amount of sahog, considering its price.
- The Tom Yum (₱485) was, perhaps, what disappointed Arthur most. Again, this wasn’t bad; you can tell that they didn’t use powder, but prepped this fresh. But it tasted… kulang/lacking – e.g. of lemongrass, and galangal. BTW: We ordered Jasmine Rice (₱69) but ended up not eating it.
- For dessert, we grabbed the Black Gulaman with Gata (which sounds more Filipno than Thai, we know; ₱225) that tasted like macapuno ice cream with gulaman pieces.





But you could all try for yourself, if you want.
But for us: babalikan anytime soon? Not really.
In the end: Yep, it IS hard to look for good Thai resto in Metro Manila… or even in nearby provinces. But we continue looking anyway. So come join us look for more good lafang places.

Soi Chicken is located at the ground level of North Galleon Bldg., MOA Eats, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
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