Short Cuts

BLACK MAGIC MARY Siquijor Island is one spooky place. It's riddled with abandoned churches and unexplored caves and known throughout the Philippines for its black magic and mangkukulam, or traditional healers. The real hair-raiser is a statue of the Virgin Mary in the village of Maria, a winding 15-km drive through the mountains from the main port of Larena. In her right hand she clutches a skull and in her left an inverted crucifix. Leave before dark: word is she's a nightwalker.

LOOKING SWEET According to local legend, the 1,268 Chocolate Hills of Bohol were formed when a giant shed tears upon learning his lover had died. Scientists insist they are vestiges of a millennia-old tidal pattern. Whatever their origins, the hills look like a sea of 30-m-tall, slightly melted Hershey's Kisses, especially in the dry season (December to May) when they turn a rich chocolaty brown. To see the hills up close, arrange a motorbike tour from the nearby town of Carmen, in the center of the island.

FANTASY ISLET For those who like their vacations quiet and their luxury discreet, part of an island in the South China Sea can be rented by the week. Boayan Islet, just off Palawan Island, comes with a staff of six and a speedboat. Home is a palatial wooden bungalow on stilts, the playground a private lagoon, and there are any number of pristine snorkeling holes waiting to be discovered. And the cost? Less than the price of a five-star hotel, say the owners. Check out your very own fantasy isle at chinaseaisland.com.