Boracay or Subic Bay ?

[Dillinger]

I'm yet to find any bars with live music

I'm surprised at that, them Flippas love to sing

[callippo]

compared to Filipinos western foreigners do not like karaoke ('videoke' in Filipino). In the foreigner-oriented places like Subic and Angeles, it is not like normal Philippines and there are far fewer videoke places. Although 5 peso coin-in-the-slot videoke places are there, even right on Fields, there are fewer of them than you would normally expect.

foreign-owned businesses in the Philippines can resist having videoke for a long time, as not having videoke can be a plus point for foreigner customers who tend to dislike it, but if a business is to have any Filipino clientele at all (and most of them need at least some Filipino customers to survive) they eventually realise that they have to have videoke. I know two bar-owners, in Argao and Biliran, who previously were firmly anti-videoke and refused to have videoke on the premises but eventually gave in to the inevitable and got machines in. One of them even paid the considerable extra to have full soundproofing, not just because the local barangay captain wanted it like that, but also because he didn't want the endless warbling driving him nuts.

[Headworx]

Midnight ramblers always been a good bar. Who runs it these days Gary? Used to be a one legged aussie called tony ( good bloke)

Nothing wrong with your memory BLD. The Rambler was a great bar and Tony (in the pic below) was indeed a good bloke. No idea who runs it these days, but it use to be the home-base for many of us visiting from Angeles for a few nights of total debauchery back in the day.

[beerlaodrinker]

great memories headworx, Not sure who the bloke in the middle is ( Nobby? ) The bloke on the rights my old canadian mate roy. Funny fucker to get on the piss with, Roy still lives there but tony moved back to australia years ago, Bumped into roy in bangkok in december when i was stuck there with the detached retina thing going on, so couldnt get on the piss , that beards twice as long now

[juanuneeko]

boracay orcourse!

[callippo]

how can anybody drink alcohol in the daytime like so many kanos in the Philippines do. Do they not even realise that no matter how smart you are, it's going to turn your head to mush?

[bobo746]

^ Is that a rhetorical question ?

[wackyjacky]

I brought my own ' tour guide' from MNL when I went to Boracay, but there was no need to. There appeared to be plenty available locally. I would rethink CRK altogether. If pussy isn't your #1 priority, there's absolutely no reason to visit AC. I had a wild time there, but I doubt that I'll ever go back. Subic was underwhelming.

[beerlaodrinker]

Anyway, getting back on topic for the OP I'm sure he should be fine in Barretto or subic if it's just a short vacation! Boracays fantastic OP go have a gander at the Fred I done in 2013 when me and my family went to boracay, ( Beaches, Banca Boats, Beer and Babes. Love the Philippines but it's not really on the tourist map. Damn. Shame really because it's got a lot going for it, friendly people who have a sense of humor is what I like about it.

[callippo]

when you're coming from KL you have the option of flying into Cebu and doing places in the Visayas. It is not compulsory to go to Boracay on visits, even first visits, to the Philippines. There are zillions of potential 'tour guides', as well as girl bars, in Cebu city, and plenty of nice islands and destinations to choose from, using Cebu as a hub. I'd been to the Philippines three times before I even bothered to show up for the first time in Manila and Luzon.

[beerlaodrinker]

^absoluteley. If I could fly into Cebu as easy as I could say, Manila or Clark I would take the Cebu option everytime, Cuba city puts you bang smack in the visayas which is as far as I'm concerned the best place in the P.I from there you can go to all points either by plane or ship. High speed ferry , some great islands within an hour or 2 of Cebu , as I said before I'm surprised that it's never really kicked of on the tourist trail. Could be most people fly into Manila and see all the guns and find it a bit intimidating? Personally can't wait to get back to the Philippines just got to find an excuse and the time now.

[callippo]

the Visayas is the best place in the Philippines for sure but Cebu city itself isn't. It's just a hub. The city itself is horrible although it does have its compensations, they are just compensations.

a direct Bangkok-Cebu flight has been tried on more than occasion but has always failed. There isn't enough farang-kano mongers to make it viable, and whilst Cebu people might think going to Bangkok on a vacation might be a bit of a good idea with all the Buddhist glamor and novelty about it and everything, few of them, unlike Manila people, have got enough money to actually go there.

the Bangkok Thais of course, however much money they have, take one look at Cebu city and say no thanks. They realise correctly, that it is a shithole.

[mikem]

Tony from the Rambler had a house on the beach up at San Antonio. The water was cleaner coz it was outside the bay. Some surf on the islands offshore. Not a typical tropical beach but ok.

[beerlaodrinker]

Yeah, that was a nice place he had there, panduckets a good spot to

[Orbit]

For beaches and lots to do Boracay ( especially if you are taking a friend ) You will have to shop around however as the accommodation is a bit higher than Philippines in general ( same same Palawan which is great by the way )

If going alone and wanting a lot of action coupled with some nice relaxation I would bypass Angeles now and go to Subic. While Angeles has a lot of ladies to drink/play with there are a lot of scams/raids to consider and the place is basically a shithole when you take the bars out of the equasion. Subic on the other hand has as much nightlife and bars the average guy could handle and more. It also has a more laid-back beach-side mode and there is plenty to see and do. Just as an added bonus; if you wait until November most of the floating bars will be back out on the water for you to while away a few hours. I will be there soon and am already booked in at what I consider the best resort in Baretto for the price and the food is great.

It really depends what the trip is for and if you going solo or with company. If I had company and was trying to impress i would be going to either Boracay or Palawan.

By the way in my own opinion, if you are taking a friend to PI to just relax I would seriously consider flying to Cebu and then catching the fast craft across to Bohol Island for a week, It is absolutely beautiful there with great beaches and things to see.

[beerlaodrinker]

Have to agree orbit, Bohol is indeed a nice island, Alona beach is certainly not boracay quality but very very laid back , plenty of things to see and do in Bohol to. I would go back for sure,

[crocman]

Have to agree orbit, Bohol is indeed a nice island, Alona beach is certainly not boracay quality but very very laid back , plenty of things to see and do in Bohol to. I would go back for sure,

It won't take long BLD, a lot of new building works going on at Alona. If they get the new airport up and running so you don't have to go to Tagbilaran first then the place will explode.

It will a damn sight easier to get to than Boracay and Panglao is a lot bigger with a lot of nice beaches just begging to be developed.

Let's build a bar BLD, I'll go you halves.

[beerlaodrinker]

I would drink all the profits

[Orbit]

I'm in Subic at the moment staying in Barrio Barreta. As far as beaches go the one here is not great so if it's beach life someone is after I would definatly go to Boracay. The nightlife here is your usual go go bars and I'm yet to find any bars with live music. In saying that there is 2 very good bars called Midnight Rambler and Harley's. Both play good music, serve good food and cold beer and there is no hassle. Subic is ok but I would not call it a great beach resort. I reckon this will be my first and last visit.

Gary. If you want live music you can catch jeepneys ( 2 jeepney trip because of routes ) to Olongapo and go to Pier one. all the live music is there. while you are there have a look inside Nocturnal nightclub also. Someone will be sure to pull you out of your chair there and get you up for a dance.

You could also stay in Baretto and make your way down to Arizona Resort and enjoy the best meal in town and have a few coldies at Scores bar.

[callippo]

By the way in my own opinion, if you are taking a friend to PI to just relax I would seriously consider flying to Cebu and then catching the fast craft across to Bohol Island for a week, It is absolutely beautiful there with great beaches and things to see.

if you're coming from Thailand, that is not the best way to get there. There is no direct Cebu flight from Bangkok at the moment, so the best way is to fly to Manila and then fly to Tagbilaran, which is only 40 minutes from Alona.

Alona is OK I suppose as an alternative to Boracay. But Panglao island as a whole is pretty nondescript. There's much better islands in the Visayas than that.

[Davis Knowlton]

^Do you live in the Visayas?

[callippo]

Seasonal. 5 months a year.

[Scottish Gary]

Midnight ramblers always been a good bar. Who runs it these days Gary? Used to be a one legged aussie called tony ( good bloke) then later another aussie, Kim , another good bloke, if my memory serves me correctly Harley's is on the small street leading to Baloy beach? Good rooms from what I can recall

I believe the bar is now owned by a Scottish guy but I didn't meet him. The manager was a chap called Rikki Valentine who had just been jailed for over staying his visa. The gossip amongst the regulars was that another ex pat had grassed him up

[Scottish Gary]

great memories headworx, Not sure who the bloke in the middle is ( Nobby? ) The bloke on the rights my old canadian mate roy. Funny fucker to get on the piss with, Roy still lives there but tony moved back to australia years ago, Bumped into roy in bangkok in december when i was stuck there with the detached retina thing going on, so couldnt get on the piss , that beards twice as long now

There was an old English guy called Nobby drinking in Harleys every night I was there. That looks like him.

[katie23]

@gary - when are you going to put up a pic thread of your trip? Would like to see.it. I think I've been to Subic only once, on a school field trip.