I strongly disagree that people in the provinces are nicer and less opportunistic. MAYBE if you've fully integrated into the community. But if you're just a visitor, no way.

IMO the only difference is that people in the province are poorer and less likely to come across foreigners. So when a potential “walking ATM” like us shows up, of course they're extra nice, hoping to get some cash out of us, maybe even wanting us to marry a local girl so we become a permanent source of money. Other than that, I've noticed little difference between city and province people in the Philippines. The internet is available pretty much everywhere, so people in the province aren't some “hillbillies” who don't know what's going on in the world… and thanks to social media, the women are (mostly) just as Westernized as the ones back in our home countries. If you still want to explore, just take day trips around the city you live in now. Drive for an hour or more and you're in “the province.”

What do you mean by a Western mindset?

If you're already in Cebu, try Dumaguete and Siquijor.

Buy a big motorbike or an ADV scooter and go on a tour, and you'll see it all. Most islands are connected by ferries, so crossing is rarely a problem. Province life isn't all that great, though, and there's not much to do besides karaoke, so sooner or later you'll want to head back to the big cities.

The “real” Philippines isn't the provinces, it's the cities. The provinces represent regional cultures, but the cities are where the cultures all melt together. Where you should go depends on what you liked in the city

Yes, it's different, because the girls are poorer and the place is backward, so your dating “chances” go up, Mr. Playboy :D:D Go somewhere with electricity problems and so on. You'll be the biggest Don Juan there :):)