If you're looking to leave your footprints in pristine, sugar-white sand as you peruse endless blue vistas, The Philippines is an excellent place to start. Take a look at the menu: over 7,000 picture-postcard islands to choose from, gin-blue seas, fabulous coral, teeming marine life, glistening rice terraces in eye-popping shades of green, and a laid-back lifestyle where work will be the last thing on your mind.

Of course if you insist on work, if there's time left over after the diving, snorkelling, kayaking, cruising out to picnic on forgotten little beaches and tearing your kids away from their sandcastles, you'll find all the gadgetry you need to stay plugged in and busy.

Here's a tip, though. Dump that laptop, don your beach duds, and just say "Wow". Things go wow all the time in The Philippines these days, not least of all due to a lively campaign that sums things up in two words: Wow Philippines.

Here's a tip though.
Dump your laptop,
don some fancy beach duds, and just say "Wow". Everything goes wow
in The Philippines these days not least on account
of a lively campaign
that sums up the
experience in two
simple words: Wow Philippines

The islands offer a sprinkle of sand and volcanic hills running north south through some of the bluest waters of the Pacific. Whether it's a dive site in Cebu, a remote getaway at El Nido, Palawan, a banca cruise through the islands, or a white-powder experience for the family in Boracay, there's something for everyone.

History has left a profound mark too and fine Spanish cathedrals dot the verdant countryside from Intramuros in Manila, the capital, to Cebu in the far south. Each one is special, with prayerful devotees, local Catholic festivals and patron saints - all blessed with divine powers - offering colour and snapshot opportunities galore.

Cebu's Mactan Island, now a tourist playground with fine top-drawer resorts, is where Ferdinand Magellan made his ill-fated landfall to be felled by local chieftan Lapu Lapu's men. Magellan's Cross is now a much-photographed Cebu landmark.

The capital, Manila, is a bustling city with three broad areas that visitors will come to know - the relaxed Roxas Boulevard bayfront with its government offices, residential buildings and hotels, the evocative old-world ruins and stone facades of Intramuros, and the brisk offices and modern hotels of Makati, where pin-striped businessmen flock.

Makati has recently taken off with new mall developments bristling with gourmet restaurants, bars, pubs and dining establishments.

Intramuros came into being in 1571 as an exclusive Spanish preserve for the well heeled and blue-blooded. Its gardens, walks and buildings reflect that gracious, if upper-crust, ancestry with the centrepiece provided by the imposing San Augustin Church.

Some of the attractions in the area for a weekend jaunt or more, include the charming Las Pinas village with its church famous for its bamboo organ, and Tagaytay on the lip of Taal Lake, an expanse of mirror-smooth blue water within a large volcanic crater. Peeking out of the middle of the lake is Taal Volcano.

Also within a day's reach (about 100km from the capital) is Pagsanjan with its rapids and waterfall. Visitors enjoy shooting the gentle rapids in wooden canoes. Pagsanjan River is fun for the family. North of Manila are the redeveloped Subic Bay and the Clarke Special Economic Zone, both former military bases.

Intramuros came into
being in 1571 as an exclusive Spanish
preserve for the well-
heeled and blue-blooded. Its gardens, walks and evocative old buildings reflect that gracious, if upper-crust, ancestry
with the centrepiece provided by the imposing San Augustin Church

From Manila the road snakes up Northern Luzon, twisting through the Central Cordillera past the scenic hill town of Baguio (a popular, and cooler, summer retreat) and then jagging higher to coil through the stunning 2,000-year-old terraced rice fields of Banaue. The Central Cordillera also host Mt Pulag which at 2,922m is second in height only to Mindanao's Mt Apo far in the south. Southern Luzon is home to the dramatic, symmetrical and much-photographed Mayon Volcano. From here the southern island coastlines unfold in seas of breathtaking blue. Puerto Galera in Mindoro is a popular getaway that won't break the bank.

Accessible by banca from Caticlan, Boracay has captured the imagination as an island idyll. There is truth in this. Despite recent development, the island retains its rustic charms. At the signature White Sand Beach, as the name suggests, you'll find the purest powder to sink your feet in.

Accessible by banca from Caticlan, Boracay has captured the popular imagination as an exotic picture-postcard island idyll. At its signature White sand Beach, as the name suggests, you'll find the purest unsullied powder to sink your feet in

Farther south is Cebu, with international flights, Negros, and the island of Bohol (famous for its upturned teacup "chocolate hills"). The largest island beyond, and almost at the end of The Philippines archipelago, is the predominantly Muslim Mindanao and its capital Davao. A stone's throw from here is the small pearl farming island of Samal which offers some diving and snorkelling opportunities and good resorts.

The Calamian group of islands in the east are dominated by Busuanga and its main city of Coron. The island offers wreck diving and numerous snorkelling coves while Sangat Island provides reasonable style and good prices for serious underwater adventure. Lake Cagayan offers a pretty, fresh-water experience, while Calauit Island transports visitors to the African Serengeti. A large number of African wild animals were imported wholesale and turned loose here to provide an exotic safari experience.

The long vertical finger of Palawan at the eastern extremity of the archipelago, is a delightful area for nature, flora, fauna, dives and even a subterranean river that winds through limestone caves and magroves providing an interesting tourist draw.

The El Nido area (with an air strip) is a popular jump-off point with upscale resorts on Lagen and Miniloc.The capital Puerto Princesa, in the south, is admirably laid-back, with numerous beach-and-dive islands dotting adjacent Honda Bay.

Above all, The Philippines is renowned for its diving. El Nido is famous for its coral while Coron boasts a small fleet of sunken Japanese ships now home to assorted and colourful marine life. Anilao can be easily reached from Manila while Puerto Galera is a fun family option.

The Cebu area has numerous dive options from Mactan to the unspoiled Malapascua Island to its north. Malapascua is a nice beach destination too and so is Badian off the east coast of Cebu. Bohol and Negros offer year-round diving with much of the activity centred around Apo Island. The Tubbutaha Reef in the Sulu Sea, a protected marine area and a Unesco World Heritage site, offers spectacular sightings while other more easily-accessed options include hideaway Boracay and Leyte.

At the end of the day, with so much choice, it's no wonder people say, Wow Philippines.

The long, green vertical finger of Palwan at the eastern extremity of the archipelago is a delightful area for nature lovers - there's flora, fauna, and even a rather unique subterranean river that winds through limestone caves and mangroves providing an interesting tourist draw