.........

For starters meantioning amount
Of money with you isn't pretty smart. We are all strangers here and don't really know who is behind the other screen.

Is it just me or is everyone in this forum a paranoid wreck

Dont know about your money tbh I just use my bank account and Moneybookers but Im from UK

Everywhere is dangerous BTW be safe carry a gun

Where are the best places to play NL holdem, or PLO in Phillipines? Can anyone recommend a safe hotel near there? What kind of price should i expect to pay a night. Are safety deposit boxes available there? Thinking of taking a month off in January.

I was told that subic bay is beautiful but by none gamblers, is there poker there?

Goal of the trip is to chill out, go clubbing bang a bunch of chicks and play as little poker as possible to break even or profit. I play regularly at the commerce in 10-20PLO to 50-100 PLO, are the games really easier to beat in PI even with the super high rake?

Sorry if the questions are basic but thread is to long to read through.

Subic is ok but I would not say beautiful, far more beautiful places if you're looking for a beach type place. Its a sex tourist type beach resort, albeit on a far lower level than AC.

Ya..thats a good point.

I was thinking my best option might be to use a US bank that allows me to draw US dollars from an ATM in the phils with out charging a 3% transaction fee plus foriegn ATM fees and what ever other fees they feel like charging.

Or I could WU myself cash. Not sure how much that would cost but i think cheaper then BOA.

The logistics of bumming around the phils with large amounts of cash just seem really diffucult. Last i was there i had no problems but i never carried more then a few thousand PHp with me and i ususally kept my cashfolded up nealty in a tight pocket with my hand covering that pocket when i was in a tight space. Pretty sure some little kid tried to pick pocket me when i was on the train in manila but i didnt make a scene as he had zero chance of sneaking my cash out of my pocket.

Any body else have any good ideas that do not include opening a Philippine bank account i would like to hear them.

most HSBC ATM's will let you take out your banks maximum or atleast 40,000php in one shot. I don't know of any ATM here that dish out USD. why not just draw down on your American bank via ATMs...

Best Live games are going to be in Manila (resorts world/Metro) Subic is a good 2-3 hour drive away.

City Bank lets you withdraw USD allthough not sure what good they are here. Yeah just use the cashpoint and withdraw from your US account.

I have 2 American friends grinding here doing this allthough one of them wants to set up a Phi account

BOA charges 3% foreign transaction fee + money change fee + atm fees. Takeing the equivalant of 500 US$ would be like 60 + dollars. Last time i was there i had my CC and debut card on lockdown lol. I found most hotels give cash discounts anyway.

I think im gonna check on HSBC and Chase to see what they offer. BOA is a conveint bank here in the states and Europe i think but not so much in Asia.

I've said this a few times but get a schwab online checking account. They reimburse all foreign bank fees and have no internal fees, inflated exchange rates, min balance, no nothing. It pays interest on balances too. Not having brick and mortar buildings must allow them to give sweet incentives or something.

schwab account is the clear best answer


citibank is scum

Whats the Best casino to play poker in manilla? What's the best inexpensive hotel to stay at in manilla.

Wheres the nicest beach front town to vist in PI? cost no concern

Tks

resorts world

no clue


boracay/palawan

Lol I honestly dont work 4 citibank K2D.

No grind on Boracay btw internet is a joke there, but you can build sandcastles with the locals to passs the time

Is that what the kids are calling it now?

Nope they do actually make some nice sand castles.

I did have some nice old man offer to rent me his daughter for the night though.

......
Was she cute at least?

citibank only lets you withdraw USD if you set up a PI citibank account which you need an ACR card for


so dont expect to pop in your normal US citibank ATM card and withdraw USD, you will get pesos and get hit with ATM withdrawal fees and hidden fees in the exchange rate

Hey guys,
going to philippines for a few weeks on jan 3rd-4th. I'll go with one friend and we're meeting another one in Manila on 7th and then fly to puerto princesa together.

Any suggestions how to kill those few days around Manila? Ideally, we would like to spend as little time as possible in manila and would rather make a small trip somewhere and return on 6th or 7th. Can you recommend some spot (islands, beaches, etc) which is easy and relatively fast to reach from Manila? Doesn't need to be super close but just close enough that it's worth going there for like 2-3 nights.

thanks

Probably go to Baloy beach at Subic Bay, its not fantastic by Phils standards but it would be ok for for a few days, would take 2-3 hours to get there from Manila. You could also take a trip to Mt Pinatubo from there if you like scenery/hiking.

http://www.seahorsetours.com/touract...activities.php

If your into massive degen partying/whoring then Angeles City is ok for a few days, but there is not much else to see there.

I didnt get that far tbh I found the whole situation a bit strange and got back to eating my ice cream.

I wouldnt go back to Boracay by the way its overcrowded and like I say the internet sucks and there is a severe lack of loose women allthough you will find some you just gotta work the dancefloor a little

Thanks for the reply

Baloy looks like a pretty decent choice. Just wondering if it's too full of tourists? Based on the little googling i did it looks like Subic is quite popular or...? or is it just too much to ask if i'm looking for a not-so-touristic place that close to Manila?

Mt. Pinatubo looks pretty cool. I was originally thinking that it might be cool to trek to Taal volcano if we have a free day in manila at some point. It should be pretty easy and cheap to reach from there. Have you been there and if so, how did you like it? looks pretty cool based on photos and blog posts i've read

And yeah not really looking for massive parties or anything and would prefer to stay close to the sea, so Angeles city is out. Might check it out in the end of the trip if we have time

Baloy/Subic are basically the same place, one just extends from the other. Baloy is probably a little bit nicer and that is where I would probably stay. Its a beach resort so its a little bit touristy, but nothing on the scale you find in Thailand etc.

Not really been to any other areas within striking distance of manila for a couple of days so cannot advise.

ok thanks again. So far it seems like Baloy and Batangas area are the most attractive choices

if anyone else has any opinions, feel free to share

Actually slightly incorrect info there.

Subic Bay in the name for the WHOLE bay of which Baloy Beach is a part of. When people talk about Subic Bay they are basically referring to the beach area in the smaller bay next to Baloy beach called Barrio Barreto. Either way I'd still stay on Baloy.

I'd advise against Subic. Mainly for the fact that its a bit of an industrial **** hole.

If your looking for islands/beach for three days would suggest Sabang (Puerto Galera). Its four hours by bus and boat from Manila through Batangas. It's semi touristy in the fact there is a lot of Scuba Diving . But its pretty easy to hire a small banka and go island hopping/snorkeling/beach bbqing.

But seeing as you are going to Puerto Princessa would suggest doing Pinatubu as its pretty damn impressive. If you do Taal Volcano would make it an overnight trip rather than a day trip.