# Subic Area



## louiedepalma (9 mo ago)

Hello;

I stayed in Angeles City for a while back many years ago. I really enjoyed it because it was close to so many things I needed mainly hospitals and medical stuff. But the shopping, malls, banks, and all that was great too. It had many downsides as well for me the pollution was the biggest one. Being so close to the airport in case I had to come back home fast was something that was and still is on my list.

My significant other is from a province much further south. We have been together for many years, and stay in the US together now but we want to go back to the Philippines and stay a while. Over the years I have figured out that I do not want to live near her family at all just no way. I love them all and we get along, but I just don't want the added stress, the emergencies, and am looking for a much more relaxed life. Her island just does not have a large enough city to make me happy either but it is a very beautiful place.

I have since been looking at the Subic Area, and seem really drawn to it. Sadly I never got to visit it when I stayed in Angeles. I did like clark too, and many hospitals/doctors there were better than some I have stayed at here in the US. But I want to be close to the water that is my main goal with access to diving, boats, the ocean all easy to get to while still not being real far from a large city which would be Angeles.

I was wondering if anyone on this forum stays there and could tell me what it's like.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Are you talking about Subic city or the old US base, SBMA. The old base has good shopping and restaurants, plenty of hotels, I believe a big hospital. Sailing is probably good, a big yacht club but very limited beaches. None of the hustle and bustle that you associate with the Philippines. Although the airport hasn't operated for many years there is motorway connections to Angeles and Manila. There is talk of a rail connection to Angeles.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Hi Louie, can we know the area your better half is from? I only ask this because When I decided to retire here I also considered my partner and not being too far from his family but far enough away so we didn't see them every day, rare to get a visit from them, only 40/45 minutes for us in the car but a major undertaking for them with tricycles and Jeepny's or a bus etc.
And the advice to them,,,,, don't invite yourself and just lob here, ask first. We might be busy and that request has always been respected.

Communicating with your partner is paramount in such a move as you and many of us have considered and accomplished but a lot of thought and research especially if you have hospital needs. For me no need for hospital but a very good private hospital half an hour away.

As for pollution? That's a trade off, live in a big city with all the conveniences and the black grime or go more rural and scenic, less traffic, less people, cheaper prices, larger lots, less Tsismis, close enough to services and family etc. etc.

As for the airport for escape? I am at least 6 hours from Manila by car and care little for the place, lived there for a year and never again. I have confidence in my local private hospital and if it is that serious that they can't deal with a brain aneurysm here then most likely I won't even make a flight back home. I always had the philosophy that when my number was up that was it, my time had come. I am more concerned with enjoying my life and not maybes.

Hey OMO and we are all different thank God.

Cheers, Steve.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

yes....me....Son was born in Olongapo and we lived in subic.....barrio baretto,castillejos,sawmill,San Antonio more really Pandaquit...and other islands.


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## louiedepalma (9 mo ago)

Yes I was talking about the Subic Bay Area near Angeles City. I am not real clear about the location of the old base or perhaps there are more than one.

I have relatives who mention staying in subic, but I thought the base was in Clark. I know clark was the nicest place I seen in the Philippines. I remember seeing really nice high end luxury cars rolling next to me when I was on my motorcycle just riding around. Leaving that gated fenced part of Angeles and getting into clark was a completely different area.

But Subic to me looks like it has the water I am looking for.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

louiedepalma said:


> Yes I was talking about the Subic Bay Area near Angeles City. I am not real clear about the location of the old base or perhaps there are more than one.
> 
> I have relatives who mention staying in subic, but I thought the base was in Clark. I know clark was the nicest place I seen in the Philippines. I remember seeing really nice high end luxury cars rolling next to me when I was on my motorcycle just riding around. Leaving that gated fenced part of Angeles and getting into clark was a completely different area.
> 
> But Subic to me looks like it has the water I am looking for.


Subic Bay was the Navy port, it's where our ships and carriers docked and I was stationed there from 1994 - 1997. Clark also known before as Clark Air Force Base was just that an Air Force Base (across the bay from Subic) so yes two bases, I think the Clark area continued the girly bars up until now and has a large expat community, I haven't been in either area since 1987.

Even though I haven't been in either region for decades I would still consider those two spots as tourist traps, it's the place you start out with your training wheels,  the cost would be much higher and yet they do speak English and yes I was robbed back then twice, once at knifepoint in a crowded bar (long story) and then another time in a 4-way intersection by a gang of teens. The big negative is that the criminal elements hang out where the foreigners are also "tourist traps" and "training wheels area", the definition of training wheels - people have to hold your hand and also wipe your behind because you can't figure out how to do that yourself.

Some of us live much further away from these places "no training wheels here" I live among the other 70% of the Philippine population and English is not spoken much if at all.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

All I can say, reiterate yet again is what island/province is your partners family? It takes 2 to tango for a happy relationship.
Sounds like it's all about you as you never had the decency to answer my earlier question/s. You might find some good feedback if you give the family origin in relation to services and gain a lot of knowledge and then some. Also your partners ability to visit her/his family.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Yes Subic is at the seaside and Angeles is about 50 miles inland. One was navy and the other airforce, apart from both being ex-US bases there's no connection between the two. I think a look at google maps is in order.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

louiedepalma said:


> I know clark was the nicest place I seen in the Philippines. I remember seeing really nice high end luxury cars rolling next to me when I was on my motorcycle just riding around


 Then you cant have seen much when counting such as the nicest!!! 🤣
In very expensive cars are (almost) allways very selfish greedy rich people... 
Some years ago I were in contact with a bunch of rich/upper middle class business Filipinos and (almost) all of them find it RIGHT to LIE A LOT, in confrontations big part took side with the LIARS and a bit less of them were rude on top of that... 
In average "common people" Filipinos are much nicer than the rich/upper middle class and Palawan trtibe people are so very much nicer so I count them as totaly other... 

((Thats why I started a business partnering with such tribe people to add some jobs to them. (Its a good business for me too, but when I die I will give all to them anyway, if I dont have wife and kids then, and in future turns they have right to raise their share if they chose to invest from their profits they will get by this. They get pay for "workers work" DIRECT plus a share of future profits.) During this week we even bought material to construct equipment to make test for a SECOND much different from the other business to see if my modified production idea can make top quality or just average. If top quality we will start a manufactory of health products aiming at export. If just average then we will start anyway but smaller to see if we can get much sold without exporting. The Philippine market is much harder I suppouse by there are a lot of such producers in Asia while I believe none in Europe. In USA I know of only one small producer and thats just a bit biger than we aim starting at. But we have planned allready with space enough to make it possible to produce three times more.))


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## louiedepalma (9 mo ago)

Lunkan said:


> Then you cant have seen much when counting such as the nicest!!! 🤣


I only seen clark and angeles city, and a few places like san fernando and about as far as I could ride my motorbike with enough energy to make it back to angeles.

I liked clark because it was so clean and nice looking. 

I stayed in Angeles City very close to the bar district like right down the street from JJ's Market. Most of my neighbors were girls waiting for their husbands or boyfriends to come back. I didn't like the bars, but I really liked my apartment there. While I did meet alot of girls there. I actually met the one I am with now in the US in Jolliebees she is from Baleno. 

She kept making fun of my motorcycle which I had just gotten after growing tired of walking around everywhere and stumbling upon the first place I seen that had them sitting outside. It was a rental as if it was my fault I picked out something so butt ugly. I kept saying it was a rental not mine she kept saying I don't like.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

louiedepalma said:


> I only seen clark and angeles city, and a few places like san fernando and about as far as I could ride my motorbike with enough energy to make it back to angeles.
> 
> I liked clark because it was so clean and nice looking.
> 
> ...


Louie, there's no shortage of beautiful girls and they'll always be interested in you, that nightlife could be in any larger city or even better in a smaller city and it could be so much cheaper. Banks are everywhere same as malls.


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## lefties43332 (Oct 21, 2012)

louiedepalma said:


> I only seen clark and angeles city, and a few places like san fernando and about as far as I could ride my motorbike with enough energy to make it back to angeles.
> 
> I liked clark because it was so clean and nice looking.
> 
> ...


Beware,girls come from the outer islands alot and other areas of Luzon to subic and Angeles for one reason mostly(money and stature)Yes,they can make you feel like a king but be vigilant!!


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

louiedepalma said:


> I didn't like the bars,


 Why did you chose Angeles then??? 
Angeles is the LAST place I would chose in Phils, even after Metro Manila, because tourist money is a magnet for scammers and drunk are easier targets, and even if the woman isnt bar girl, who are TOUGHT to scam money from men, its big risk that scam culture make effect at others too...


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I think we also need to qualify what we mean as the Subic area because the Subic base is in Olongapo not Subic city. Barrio Barretto is in Subic city, the girlie bar district.


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