Palawan. What are the vibes ?

[BLD]

20 years ago we used to fill up a Jeep and go to alaminos ( 100 islands) stay at maxines and charter a banca for the morning. We would get up early and hit the palenke for seafood etc for a barbecue on the island .my mate had even going there for a long time and left all the cooking stuff with the boat boys. It was always fantastic and you never really saw whiteys then ( 90s) my mate went back recently and said it had all changed,for the better, and they even remembered. Him

[katie23]

@BLD - yeah, La Union is a hip place now, popular with Manila yuppies. One can also surf/ learn how to surf there too. There's a standing surfboard on the beach that ppl pose with, for their IG & FB pics. I visited La Union many years ago, before it was "happening". It's cheaper & easier for Manila ppl to go there for a beach holiday versus going to Boracay or Puerto Galera (just a bus ride, no plane or ferry ride).

I've also visited Alaminos & 100 islands in the early 2000s with Filipino friends. We hired a boat for the day tour. We stayed at a resort - forgot the name. I can't remember the details/ logistics since one of my friends was from Pangasinan and he arranged everything. We just brought ourselves, our stuff and paid for the accoms & food. One of my girl-friends had a jellyfish encounter - the jellyfish wrapped itself around her foot. Had to be treated with vinegar. It was a good holiday with friends - happy memories.

[Backspin]

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.

Again, more wrongheaded generalizations about current day Pattaya. I am not looking for an adventure. Laos or anything like that is more of an adventure than R and R.

When is the last time you've been there? If this was 2006, I'd have to agree. But it isn't

[Backspin]

@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.

Im not the first person who's told her that Thailand is a good place to visit. Her friends have been. She wants to check it out. The whole plan is to fly to Manila, stay for 2 weeks , then fly to Don Muang, stay in BKK for awhile, then Pattaya.

[katie23]

^If you'll fly into Manila and you'll stay in Luzon, you can easily go to La Union or Puerto Galera. If La Union = by bus, if PG = by bus + ferry. I have a thread abt PG, from my visits in 2016 & 2019. LU is more "hip". If your visit coincides with PH public holidays, expect the beach & public transpo to be full (it's a cluster-f××× to get out of Manila those times).

I'm sure your wife will enjoy BKK - the temples, malls, shopping, street markets, etc. Not too sure abt Pattaya, but that's for her to judge.

I suggest to go to Koh Larn while you're in Pattaya - it's only 1 hour (?) away by ferry, good for 2-3 days. (I visited there 3D/2N and that was enough for me. Lots of Russian families/ couples during that time. Now it's probably more single males - the draft dodgers. ) There are 6 or 7 beaches and you can choose to explore all of them. You can rent motorbikes, usually your resort will have them. Then you'll get your motorbike fix. Good luck.

[Backspin]

AO says
turn on your brain if you can. your wife will hate Pattaya.

When is the last time you have been to Pattaya ?

[katie23]

Re: your stay in PH and La Union vs Puerto Galera: if you want to just chill at the beach & people-watch, choose LU. If you want beach + exploration, choose PG.

In PG, you can rent a motorbike & go to 4 waterfalls: Aninuan, Tamaraw, Talipanan and Tukuran Falls. At Talipanan Falls, there's a Mangyan (indigenous) community. I've visited all 4 falls. Stay at a resort in the White Beach area - it's where most Filipinos stay. Some expats prefer the Sabang beach area - there isn't a beach really, but it's the jump-off for scuba diving & it's where the gogo bars are (though I doubt that your wife will like that).

Good luck.

[Backspin]

Re: your stay in PH and La Union vs Puerto Galera: if you want to just chill at the beach & people-watch, choose LU. If you want beach + exploration, choose PG.

In PG, you can rent a motorbike & go to 4 waterfalls: Aninuan, Tamaraw, Talipanan and Tukuran Falls. At Talipanan Falls, there's a Mangyan (indigenous) community. I've visited all 4 falls. Stay at a resort in the White Beach area - it's where most Filipinos stay. Some expats prefer the Sabang beach area - there isn't a beach really, but it's the jump-off for scuba diving & it's where the gogo bars are (though I doubt that your wife will like that).

Good luck.

Lots of jet skiis there. So there's that going for it

[katie23]

^it's best to stay at White Beach area in PG if you want to have a beer or cocktails while watching the sunset (and it has nice sunsets). It has the largest strip of beach. If you want the jet skis, scuba diving or to try the restos there, just go to Sabang area for a day trip.

Btw if you'll rent a motorbike, make sure you have travel/ medical insurance. We don't want you or your wife to start a crowdfund here if you get an accident.

(There was a Brit tourist in his 20s who died in PH, a bit before covid. He was on a rented motorbike.)

I prefer PG over LU because of the nature hikes & exploration, but one of my younger friends (late 20s) prefers LU because of the nightlife. Diff strokes for diff folks. If you want to see the Manila yuppies in LU, go there on a weekend.

[aging one]

When is the last time you have been to Pattaya ?

Down for my birthday in August, stayed at the Royal Cliff.

You will not even be able to find the beach it has changed so much.

[Backspin]

Down for my birthday in August, stayed at the Royal Cliff.

You will not even be able to find the beach it has changed so much.

So Pattaya is a nasty shithole but you went there on your birthday

[aging one]

So Pattaya is a nasty shithole but you went there on your birthday

Jesus Christ you are a little shit aint ya!!.

I had an opportunity for a free room from the hotel. They had really messed up a reservation my wife made for her insurance team when down on a seminar. I think most anybody would have taken this room for 2 nights for free.

I also never said Pattaya was a shit hole. I said there are literally 20 nicer beach areas to go to. Its good for a couple of night get a way. Even on this hotels private beach neither my wife or I would swim. They do have incredible infinity pools.

Diamond Suite - Royal Cliff Hotels Group

[DrWilly]

So Pattaya is a nasty shithole but you went there on your birthday

Its a five star resort on Pratunak Hill you know nothing knuckle head!