Palawan. What are the vibes ?

[hallelujah]

Because its 2023. Not 1998 or 2006. Pattaya has it all. Shopping, day activities, people watching, nightlife, beaches. And it is the best value for your money in the world in my experience.

There's a reason it's cheap.

Fair enough if you're on a shagging holiday with the lads, but with the missus on holiday from the other side of the world?!?!?!?

It's just about the worst place you could pick.

If you want all the things you mentioned - without as much filth and human detritus -, why not go to Phuket or Samui (the beaches in both of these places are far better too)?

[Backspin]

There's a reason it's cheap.

Fair enough if you're on a shagging holiday with the lads, but with the missus on holiday from the other side of the world?!?!?!?

It's just about the worst place you could pick.

If you want all the things you mentioned - without as much filth and human detritus -, why not go to Phuket or Samui (the beaches in both of these places are far better too)?

Y'all living in the past. Pattaya isn't what it was 15 years ago.

All the development in the last 10 years is not for catering to mongers. If it's not catered to mongers, then who is it catered to ?

it is cheap because it's on the mainland , it is a drive from Bangkok , and the sheer volume of business that it does.

I plan on avoiding walking street all together. I see no reason to go there

[panama hat]

I don't care for the nightlife or whores or LB's. But Palawan probably has all of that. Boracay sure did.

Well, as long as you don't care about it all . . . yet mention it in every post. Just pop out for two hours in the 'pub', eh . . .

Samui

Yup - excellent suggestion. But:

Y'all living in the past. Pattaya isn't what it was 15 years ago.

You obsession with Pattaya is obvious - and thankfully you know more than those who have been there or live there.


Why the charade, Backspit?

Palawan is great for a leisurely holiday. If that is what you want then go.

[DrWilly]

Just anp Her thread for backspin to go on about how Pattaya is a family destination…¯\_(ツ)_/¯


He’s either the world’s worst troll or trully fucking stupid. Not sure which or both:

[Backspin]

Well, as long as you don't care about it all . . . yet mention it in every post. Just pop out for two hours in the 'pub', eh . . .

Yup - excellent suggestion. But:You obsession with Pattaya is obvious - and thankfully you know more than those who have been there or live there.


Why the charade, Backspit?

Palawan is great for a leisurely holiday. If that is what you want then go.

Why the charade? See the video i posted. Boracay was crawling with ladies of the night. Palawan probably has even more. That is a constant between Palawan, Borocay and Pattaya.

[katie23]

@backspin - I agree with the others that you're obsessed with Pattaya. You went there in your 20s and you have these rose-colored glasses of the place & your time there. If you want to go to Pattaya, then do so. However, if you & your wife are true partners, then consult with her because she may want other things/ places on her holiday.

Yes, Boracay has ladies of the night - those bars/ clubs are in Station 1. I've seen some of them and Ive seen/ heard some pimps offering ladies to older foreigner guys during my walks on the beach. I've been to Boracay twice (in 2015 & 2019) - have a thread about it.

El Nido in Palawan may have those bars too, but will be smaller & fewer. Boracay is more known for its party scene & attracting more foreign tourists. It's also more accessible, since from Boracay, one can travel by short boat ride then by land or ferry to other islands in the Visayas region. Palawan is more isolated & you'll need a flight to take you there. The ppl who go to Palawan have different goals from those who go to Boracay.

If you want some type of nightlife, people watching, a younger crowd (mostly Filipino yuppies), then I recommend San Juan, La Union. It's on Luzon island, so it's on the "mainland" - same island as Manila. It's NE of Manila and probably 5 hours away. It's the new "happening" place for younger local people (usually from Manila area & surrounds) during weekends and holidays. I have many millennial hike-friends who have gone there & post pics of their "Elyu" (La Union, L.U.) adventures. It doesn't have an active whore scene, though - the yuppies don't go there for that. If you want whores on the beach in Luzon, go to Subic.

Lots of vids on YT about La Union and Subic. (Btw, we pronounce La Union the Spanish way, La "oo-nion" not English way "yu-nion". PH was a Spanish colony before it became a US then Japanese colony.)

I've been to La Union but it was many years ago, before it was trendy. I've been to Subic but only on day trips.

As BLD has said, the accoms are more pricey in PH than in Thailand. It is what it is - take it or leave it. I looked through my Coron thread again & my accoms there was 26 usd for a simple guesthouse. We were 3 girls who shared the room. We had our own bathroom. Breakfast was included in the price, and it was simple "silog" meals - rice, egg and a protein source like hotdog, corned beef, ham, etc. Not comparable to the 25/26 dollar-place that you showed in the earlier pics. It is what it is. Prices will be higher now since ppl want to recover the loss during the pandemic and Palawan/ El Nido isn't as popular as Boracay (even among locals).

[Switch]

I agree with your comment on prices Katie. This must be the default position throughout ASEAN. The variety of offers comes from different countries having a different economy, and varied start points.

Thailand pricing and predictions are disappointing some people because they are relying heavily on Chinese income. The PI attitude will differ from this!

I have some sympathy for those in tourist businesses because they will not have had any income for 2 years plus.
The problem is they all seem to want to make up for all the losses by overpricing everything. They want losses corrected now. I’m sure you have delayed your tentative travel plans until things calm down a bit?

[reinvented]

Y'all living in the past. Pattaya isn't what it was 15 years ago.

All the development in the last 10 years is not for catering to mongers. If it's not catered to mongers, then who is it catered to ?

it is cheap because it's on the mainland , it is a drive from Bangkok , and the sheer volume of business that it does.

I plan on avoiding walking street all together. I see no reason to go there

From what i see Indians and Chinese hordes

youll do well to find a katoey bar, its all pot shops and inidan ressies now

[katie23]

@switch - yeah, different economies (TH & PH). TH is more tourist-oriented, so they have to keep hotel prices competitive. I don't know the exact numbers/ percentage of tourism in Thailand's GDP, but I think I read somewhere that it's 20+ percent?

For PH, tourism is only ~13% of GDP (2019 figures). There's more income from BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing, like call centers etc), income from Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), etc.

Re: travel, I've just returned recently from a long weekend in Taipei (Taiwan). I had a "travel fund" from the airline which needed to be used up soon. I added a lil bit for the fare diffference. I think airfares are up by 50% now.

As for hotel prices in Taiwan, they're also up by ~50% when I was searching on Agoda. My former hotel had closed (the one that I stayed at in 2017) and it has become a co-working space - victim of the pandemic, I think. I travelled with a friend - we were able to get leaves (vacation leave) at the same time. Temps in Taipei were nicely cool at 18 to 24 degrees C. It's now 30 C where I'm at.

When I left PH, there were lots of ppl lined up to leave in PH immigration. Mostly young professionals or families. My friend called it "revenge travel" - since we didn't travel for ~3 yrs bcos of the pandemic.

Can't be arsed to put up a thread yet. Didn't see mainlander Chinese grps in Taipei. If I saw them, they were DIY-ers, not the huge grps in buses. Saw/ heard a number of Korean tourists, some whites, some Indonesians & Filipinos in the main touristy sites.

How did I know that they were Indonesians? They looked Filipino (brown) like me, but I didn't understand their language. I asked if they were Indonesians and they were. We exchanged a few pleasantries. I sang a song in Indonesian (a kid's song) and they were delighted. One of them said "salamat po" (thank you in my language) and I replied with "Sama sama. Terima kasih".

I have no international travel plans at the moment but some hikes have been scheduled. I can also choose to join beach tour groups (to La Union or Pangasinan, etc) as a "joiner", so no definite plans yet.

[Switch]

@Katie I think the GDP figure for tourism in Thailand was around 20% but that was pre Covid. My point was that PI might be less welcoming than Thailand as far as Chinese were concerned? Thai tourism sees them as a very big target market, but they do get a lot of zero baht tourists anyway, booking Chinese owned hotels, coaches and tour guides.

[katie23]

^@Switch - I see. Pre covid, Chinese citizens were the #2 tourists in terms of number. Number 1 was Koreans, 3rd was USA (but for USA, that includes Filipino returnees & their families who are now US passport holders). I heard this from the former Tourism Secretary (the admin of ex Pres Du30).

Koreans are travelling again and they're fond of Boracay. Accdg to a friend who went to Boracay during xmas break, it was full of Koreans. Not much Chinese - the tour groups haven't arrived yet. Maybe during the PH summer (April-May) or during their summer (June to Aug). We did get our share of the Chinese - saw them in Palawan & Bohol in 2018 and have heard of them in Cebu & La Union.

From the news article posted by Misskit recently, the Chinese numbers are still low in TH.

[Backspin]

@Katie23
If you want some type of nightlife, people watching, a younger crowd (mostly Filipino yuppies), then I recommend San Juan, La Union. It's on Luzon island,

Interesting. I'll check that out

I agree with the others that you're obsessed with Pattaya. You went there in your 20s and you have these rose-colored glasses of the place & your time there. If you want to go to Pattaya, then do so. However, if you & your wife are true partners, then consult with her because she may want other things/ places on her holiday.

I think my wife would love Pattaya. She wouldn't know the negativity bias that the place has. After doing some mall shopping. Then the bazaar shopping. Cruising around on the motorbike to other beaches in the area.

I think its kinda funny how ppl are challenging me so much for liking Pattaya. As I said, the place isn't actually targeted to the mongers. Those days are long gone. You have to take a wrong turn down the wrong street to notice anything amiss

[DrWilly]

[Switch]

You don’t know if your wife will like Pattaya unless you ask her. Your view is coloured by your previous experiences, and what you read on here.

I notice motorbikes get a mention again, because that was an embarrassing video you posted last time you were there!

Grow up FFS.

[aging one]

I think its kinda funny how ppl are challenging me so much for liking Pattaya. As I said, the place isn't actually targeted to the mongers. Those days are long gone. You have to take a wrong turn down the wrong street to notice anything amiss

You have not been to Pattaya for what 15+ years? Yet you know all about it now. Once again proving what an imbecilic moron you are. Russians, Indians, and Chinese will be your best friends.

[Backspin]

You have not been to Pattaya for what 15+ years? Yet you know all about it now. Once again proving what an imbecilic moron you are. Russians, Indians, and Chinese will be your best friends.

I went there first in 2006. Long before Central Festival and all that development which never really stopped. Last I was there was 2013. 2006 and 2013 was a huge difference.

Russians, Indians, and Chinese

So less white trash Aussies and British piss tanks and more ppl who mind their own business. Not a bad thing

[aging one]

So less white trash Aussies and British piss tanks and more ppl who mind their own business. Not a bad thing

You are going to be in for one hell of a surprise and your wife an even bigger one. I would still bet you never make it to the LOS let alone Pattaya.

[Backspin]

You are going to be in for one hell of a surprise and your wife an even bigger one. I would still bet you never make it to the LOS let alone Pattaya.

I live in the lower mainland and you think I don't know what Indian and Chinese are like ? There was some of them already in 2010-13. Russians too. The rowdy types when I was last there were middle easterners. From Iran and shit. Maybe you dont know the difference

[Seekingasylum]

There are quite a few good hotels providing a range of facilities throughout the Pattaya conurbation and if you wish you can enjoy a holiday featuring pretty much the same attractions you would find elsewhere in the region but, as Backspin says, at more agreeable prices.
Frankly, you have to seek out whores if that is your bag. Soi Buakhao, WS and Soi 6 will serve, but quite why anyone else would go there is not apparent unless voyeurism is on the menu.
Sure if you are a youngish couple and without children then WS is the go-to place for the club scene attracting hundreds from BKK every weekend.
You want 5 star, hit the Hilton, a bit cheaper, the Amari, Holiday Inn, Avani, Cape Dara, Centara, Space -Centrepoint - all have grounds and sund3cks with great pools.
Golf around here is a big attraction with a multiplicity of courses offering green fees at £30+ a round.
And of course you can pretty well eat yourself around the world here but at prices less challenging than, say, Bkk.
The thing is, Chinks stick to their own groups and venues, Wobbleheads to theirs and lower end blue collar western trash to theirs.
It can be all things to all folk these days, the whore centric beer bar predominance of past days is disappearing fast. Whole beer bar streets have simply vanished making way for development into mini malls, hotels and tourist market zones.
As an interlude providing relief from Bangkok awfulness it is proving increasingly popular among Thai themselves.
WS as an attraction is only for ageing mongers, dross, sightseers and assorted ingenue who don’t know any better.
Stay at Birds & Bees in Pratumnak and you’d think you were in another country.
Generalising about Pattaya as it was 15-20 years ago is for the ignorant and stupid, admittedly a demographic that is ably represented on this board.
I’m sure Headfuck wil back me up on this, as indeed will Loytoy.
I swam off Wongamat bay t’other day, clean and clear sans any flotsam. Nice weather now, cool evenings and hot dry days with low humidity.

[malmomike77]

Socal. Why fly all that way to sit around in a shitehole, why not travel around a bit, you have ankor wat a short hop away, Laos to the north, bagan in Burma. In Thailand you could pop down to the islands, up to Chiang Mai just for something different. Surely there must be more you can do than penny pinch in Pattaya where your wife will be both bored and embarrassed to get dragged around whoreville bars.

[katie23]

@backspin - I think being a young-ish couple, you'll enjoy San Juan, La Union. You'll see lots of millenials & Gen Z ppl posing for their FB & IG pics.

Re: Pattaya, why not just ask your wife if she'd like to include a trip to BKK & Pattaya when you travel to PH? All this speculation from you (and the other guys) would be stopped if you just asked her. Maybe ask her if she wants to go to Koh Larn too.

[armstrong]

It's perfectly easy to holiday in Pattaya and not be confronted with the sex industry. But, I also don't think there's enough going on to have a proper 2 week holiday without getting bored.

[malmomike77]

^^ Katie I'm not convinced their relationship works that way, socal could disprove this.

[BLD]

Because its 2023. Not 1998 or 2006. Pattaya has it all. Shopping, day activities, people watching, nightlife, beaches. And it is the best value for your money in the world in my experience.

I agree..but I'm fucking sure seeking asylum will beg to differ. There's nothing wrong with pattaya. Pattayas fine.

[BLD]

@backspin - I agree with the others that you're obsessed with Pattaya. You went there in your 20s and you have these rose-colored glasses of the place & your time there. If you want to go to Pattaya, then do so. However, if you & your wife are true partners, then consult with her because she may want other things/ places on her holiday.

Yes, Boracay has ladies of the night - those bars/ clubs are in Station 1. I've seen some of them and Ive seen/ heard some pimps offering ladies to older foreigner guys during my walks on the beach. I've been to Boracay twice (in 2015 & 2019) - have a thread about it.

El Nido in Palawan may have those bars too, but will be smaller & fewer. Boracay is more known for its party scene & attracting more foreign tourists. It's also more accessible, since from Boracay, one can travel by short boat ride then by land or ferry to other islands in the Visayas region. Palawan is more isolated & you'll need a flight to take you there. The ppl who go to Palawan have different goals from those who go to Boracay.

If you want some type of nightlife, people watching, a younger crowd (mostly Filipino yuppies), then I recommend San Juan, La Union. It's on Luzon island, so it's on the "mainland" - same island as Manila. It's NE of Manila and probably 5 hours away. It's the new "happening" place for younger local people (usually from Manila area & surrounds) during weekends and holidays. I have many millennial hike-friends who have gone there & post pics of their "Elyu" (La Union, L.U.) adventures. It doesn't have an active whore scene, though - the yuppies don't go there for that. If you want whores on the beach in Luzon, go to Subic.

Lots of vids on YT about La Union and Subic. (Btw, we pronounce La Union the Spanish way, La "oo-nion" not English way "yu-nion". PH was a Spanish colony before it became a US then Japanese colony.)

I've been to La Union but it was many years ago, before it was trendy. I've been to Subic but only on day trips.

As BLD has said, the accoms are more pricey in PH than in Thailand. It is what it is - take it or leave it. I looked through my Coron thread again & my accoms there was 26 usd for a simple guesthouse. We were 3 girls who shared the room. We had our own bathroom. Breakfast was included in the price, and it was simple "silog" meals - rice, egg and a protein source like hotdog, corned beef, ham, etc. Not comparable to the 25/26 dollar-place that you showed in the earlier pics. It is what it is. Prices will be higher now since ppl want to recover the loss during the pandemic and Palawan/ El Nido isn't as popular as Boracay (even among locals).

Wow I didn't realise la Union was developed now , I'm not sure about San Juan but there was 5 or 6 resorts on the national highway that I would sometimes stay at on the way back from claveria / Laog . Coconut Grove seems to spring to mind . A swim up bar and decent rooms the beach wasn't much to look at but that's Luzon, mostly black sand , that's OK water was clean. For night-life entertainment there was a few bars around the resorts one was knicknamed gods waiting room / the German embassy. Or there was a short jeepney ride to poro point if you wanted a date