Baloy Beach , Olongapo

[Backspin]

Has anyone been here ? Whats it like.

Looks alright to me Google Earth

[BLD]

Been.many times, great place. The beach sand is not all that white but the water is clean, friendly locals some good pubs all along the beach , a floating bar, chilled out expats. Mostly ex US retired navy , try not to be a kunt and you will get on fine. Your wife is unlikely to like it though

[BLD]

Been a few years since I've been so I'm guessing plenty of new hotels there now. If you want right on the beach the Bluerock is good. Rooms a little small though. Wild orchid beach resort. Opposite blue rock more upscale, great pool.the scando run Harley's pub and hotel is cheap and cheerful good bar..The long running Mangos pub and hotel on national hwy is on the beach to but in barrio barrette, plenty of bars in barrette. Try the Midnight Rambler

[Norton]

Has anyone been here ? Whats it like.

Many times but years back. 1960s.
It's well worth a visit. Some very nice resorts.

[katie23]

I haven't been there but I've seen vlogs. It seems like a place for more "mature" expats. If you plan to go north of Manila for the beach, try San Juan town in La Union province. It has a younger vibe. Lots of millenials from Manila go there during weekends. BLD is right that your wife wouldn't like Baloy beach in Olongapo.

If you don't want to be in Luzon, try Puerto Galera, El Nido in Palawan, Cebu, Panglao island near Bohol. Boracay if you want touristy white beach. Siargao island if you want to be in Mindanao (the south). Siargao is also popular among younger ppl/ millenials & Gen Z.

[BLD]

He's not going to get any white sand beaches in Luzon unless he heads up to Laog and pagudpud. And if he's short of time or his wife is from the region then olongapo, pundaquit, San Marcello, iba, and over to Alaminos to check out 100 islands for a couple of nights then head for La union and finally back to Manila is a good little roadie , I think that's the Marcos highway ? A night in Baggio is good to.

[BLD]

Yeah your right Katie the majority of the expats there are probably younger than Norton but are fascinating characters to meet and shoot the shit with over a few cold San migs. Sure learned a lot from those old badgers. I guess a lot of those guys done there 20 years in and after liberty trips in subic said fuck yeah. Let's retire there. Great guys

[katie23]

^^backspin is a millennial - maybe late 30s to early 40s? I don't know if he wants to "shoot the shit" and exchange BS with Norton's contemporaries. (no offense to Mr Norton! )

San Juan, La Union is where the millenial Filipinos go to - lots of restos & bars, good for people watching too. Pagudpud is very far north, so it's up to them if they want to go there. Hundred islands + Baguio are OK too. Depends on how much time they have. I assume that they have to return to their jobs, so maybe 1 to 2 weeks vacation? Add to that some travel time & recovery from jetlag.

Backspin hasn't said from where his wife hails from. I think Neo's wife is from the Bataan/ Zambales area.

[malmomike77]

Backspin hasn't said from where his wife hails from. I think Neo's wife is from the Bataan/ Zambales area.

well she's going to be made up she isn't going to be sat in a bar in soi buakhao for 2 weeks

[Norton]

more "mature" expats

It is indeed. I often speak with former shipmates my age give or take.

[Norton]

(no offense to Mr Norton! )

Non taken...

All the folks I communicate with have been living and married for years. 2 of them Sosyál, married to Gordon family members.

[katie23]

^ooh, the Gordon family. They're up there in the socio-political hierarchy of Zambales (province). Sosyal indeed!

*****

Baloy Beach/ Subic area struck me as a place for retired people. Backspin & his wife are in their 30s. My millennial friends (esp the single ones) usually mingle with people of their age group. La Union, Boracay, Siargao - these are the places that they flock to (for the beach). Baguio, Tagaytay (and occasionally Sagada) for the mountains. Tagaytay is more of hills + weekend getaway from Manila.

[Backspin]

^^backspin is a millennial - maybe late 30s to early 40s? I don't know if he wants to "shoot the shit" and exchange BS with Norton's contemporaries. (no offense to Mr Norton! )

San Juan, La Union is where the millenial Filipinos go to - lots of restos & bars, good for people watching too. Pagudpud is very far north, so it's up to them if they want to go there. Hundred islands + Baguio are OK too. Depends on how much time they have. I assume that they have to return to their jobs, so maybe 1 to 2 weeks vacation? Add to that some travel time & recovery from jetlag.

Backspin hasn't said from where his wife hails from. I think Neo's wife is from the Bataan/ Zambales area.

Wife says La Union is too far off our path cuz we are kinda traveling south

[katie23]

@backspin - What's the purpose of the trip? Is it to visit family + beach + relaxing? Or no family visit involved?

How far south do you want to go? There's Puerto Galera (Tizme lives there now - he has a thread), Iloilo, Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Bantayan, Siargao, Camiguin, El Nido, Coron, etc.

Btw La Union is not that far from Olongapo. Maybe 2 hrs away. If you don't want to mingle with "grumpy old farts" then stay away from Olongapo.

If you want to stay in Luzon, there are beach resorts in Batangas: towns of Nasugbu and in San Juan. I've been to Kabayan Resort in San Juan, Batangas - it was OK. Nasugbu & San Juan in Batangas are sleepy little towns & not much nightlife.

There's no Pattaya equivalent in PH, wherein you have the beach + girly bars. For that type, the closest would be Olongapo/ Subic (beach + bars) but not that many. The street with lots of girly bars is in Angeles City. I've been to Angeles city - seen the walking street and it's not something I would recommend for ladies who are there for a sightseeing/ relaxing holiday. (The Korean restos were good, though.) I stayed there for 1D/1N because I was curious abt it - that was enough to last me a lifetime. (I visited there en route to Baguio city.)

There are other places like Baler, Dingalan, Caramoan, Calaguas, Burias, Jomalig, Marinduque, Siquijor, Camotes - all have beach resorts. Some are small islands & you'll need to ride a ferry to get there (and you'll have to research the ferry schedules).

Good luck in your search.

[nidhogg]

try not to be a kunt and you will get on fine.

That is gonna be a big reach...

[BLD]

Backspit if you do find yourself in barrio barretto the demographic is not all retired military , younger farangs go there to. ( 40? 50 ish). As I mentioned before the Midnight rambler is open 24/ and they used to have kick ass Filipino bands,specialising in heavy rock etc, olongapo( city, downtown ) was always always known for talented live music hopefully the midnight rambler is still continuing this. Regardless skiddy. You would do well to meet some of them ex mariners, some of them sub mariners and glean some real life info. Something that can't be googled. Buy em a beer and thank them for there service.

[BLD]

^ and ^^ : guys, please keep the sh*t fights in the doghouse.

@backspin - another thing to consider is the time it will take for you to travel. If you have a "travel day" from your wife's place to wherever, allot 1 day for that, especially if you'll take public transport. Travelling within PH (especially inter-island) can be a bit tricky.

Manila to olongapo by bus I think about 3 hours not including getting to the bus station from the airport. Best to just charter a taxi. More tricky if your gonna arrive holy week or Xmas. Everyone's travelling then

[katie23]

Manila to olongapo by bus I think about 3 hours not including getting to the bus station from the airport. Best to just charter a taxi. More tricky if your gonna arrive holy week or Xmas. Everyone's travelling then

It depends if they'll go directly to Olongapo (or whichever beach) or if they'll visit her family first. He's told me where but I won't disclose it for his privacy. I've been to that place and it's a bit of effort to go there - needs planning.

Manila airport to the Victory Liner bus station in Pasay takes ~30 min. Yeah, Pasay to Olongapo is maybe 3-4 hrs, depends on traffic.

There are other beaches where they can encounter farangs, like PG, El Nido, Coron, Cebu, Bohol, Siargao. I think they've been to Boracay. From his wife's place to the places I've mentioned (or even to Subic) takes a bit of planning & scheduling.

[Topper]

I'm heading to Bantayan Island over Song Kran. I'm pumped!!!!!

[Backspin]

@backspin - What's the purpose of the trip? Is it to visit family + beach + relaxing? Or no family visit involved?

How far south do you want to go? There's Puerto Galera (Tizme lives there now - he has a thread), Iloilo, Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Bantayan, Siargao, Camiguin, El Nido, Coron, etc.

Btw La Union is not that far from Olongapo. Maybe 2 hrs away. If you don't want to mingle with "grumpy old farts" then stay away from Olongapo.

If you want to stay in Luzon, there are beach resorts in Batangas: towns of Nasugbu and in San Juan. I've been to Kabayan Resort in San Juan, Batangas - it was OK. Nasugbu & San Juan in Batangas are sleepy little towns & not much nightlife.

There's no Pattaya equivalent in PH, wherein you have the beach + girly bars. For that type, the closest would be Olongapo/ Subic (beach + bars) but not that many. The street with lots of girly bars is in Angeles City. I've been to Angeles city - seen the walking street and it's not something I would recommend for ladies who are there for a sightseeing/ relaxing holiday. (The Korean restos were good, though.) I stayed there for 1D/1N because I was curious abt it - that was enough to last me a lifetime. (I visited there en route to Baguio city.)

There are other places like Baler, Dingalan, Caramoan, Calaguas, Burias, Jomalig, Marinduque, Siquijor, Camotes - all have beach resorts. Some are small islands & you'll need to ride a ferry to get there (and you'll have to research the ferry schedules).

Good luck in your search.

We are visiting family and then beach+relaxing.

Kabayan resort looks decent.

Its not about the girly bars at all. I just like the big shopping malls, markets and big city vibes of a place like Pattaya. Maybe we will do a bit of both. A sleepy place and Subic

[DrWilly]

I just like …vibes of a place like Pattaya.

You don’t have to explain buddy, perfectly understandable.

[Backspin]

You don’t have to explain buddy, perfectly understandable.

You're a complete idiot. Pattaya has multiple shopping malls and night markets, multiple go kart tracks, multiple water parks, multiple beaches, jet skii , car or big bike rentals, tons of dining and entertainment options, all on one place. That is what I prefer.

[katie23]

^OK.

If you do choose Kabayan Resort in Batangas, I suggest that you arrange with them re: transport if you won't have your own vehicle. It's a bit isolated, as it's several km from the town center & highway. They have their own resto & the resort is beside other private resorts. The sand is cream (not white) & looks nice on pics. You can arrange boat tours/ snorkeling with them if you wish. In that area, you're pretty much dependent on your resort, esp for food. It's not like Boracay, Puerto Galera (White Beach) or La Union wherein there are several restos/ canteens along the beach.

At least that's how it was some years ago. It's more of a couples/ family/ corporate clients destination. I went there on a company outing, so it was only a day trip. I did get to see their private rooms & they were OK. They have a pool. Price is reasonable too.

As for Olongapo, there's an SM Olongapo (mall). It's in the city center and quite some distance from Baloy beach or Barrio Baretto - you'll have to ride a tricycle (trike) or car.

Home visit + Batangas + Olongapo is doable, esp if you only have 10 days or so. Allot 1 day of travel for that distance, esp if you'll use buses. From Kabayan Resort, you can go to the bus terminal in Batangas city, then take a bus to Manila. Go to Victory Liner bus station in Pasay. From there, take another bus to Olongapo. Then trike to Baloy Beach or Barrio Baretto (or arrange transport with resort). That's how I would do it if via public transport. (see my Baguio thread) Of course if you have your own vehicle, then it's easier.

I don't know if the vlogger "Overstay Road" still lives in Subic/ Olongapo. He's an American (in his 50s?) and had good walking vids of the area (in 2020, during covid.) Good luck.

[Joe 90]

All sounds good Katie.

If I venture over there, can you be my guide?

[BLD]

It depends if they'll go directly to Olongapo (or whichever beach) or if they'll visit her family first. He's told me where but I won't disclose it for his privacy. I've been to that place and it's a bit of effort to go there - needs planning.

Manila airport to the Victory Liner bus station in Pasay takes ~30 min. Yeah, Pasay to Olongapo is maybe 3-4 hrs, depends on traffic.

There are other beaches where they can encounter farangs, like PG, El Nido, Coron, Cebu, Bohol, Siargao. I think they've been to Boracay. From his wife's place to the places I've mentioned (or even to Subic) takes a bit of planning & scheduling.

It used to be possible to take a ferry from.manila to bataan is that still possible?