A Few Questions From A Newbie

[ozbuckley]

Hi Guys,Im totally new to the Philippines (never been), but Ive traveled and lived in various parts of Asia.I just lived in Bali (Kuta) for a few months. I lived on around $1000-1200 a month there.My rent for a bedroom ( bathroom, hot water, a/c, tv, share kitchen) in a local homestay was $180/month which included electricity and all other bills... and scooter rental was $50/month.I don't drink or smoke.Now I'm wondering what places you would recommend for me to check out in the Philippines while taking in mind these following preferences (I understand all of these won't be able to be sufficed):*somewhere 2-3 hours max from Manila.*somewhere very close to, or on, the water*renting my own room/bathroom/kitrchen/air con... max $200-250*a really good nightlife/party scene*chance to do some surfing.Thats it for now.Hope to hear from you soon, and discuss more. =o)Oz

[MikeB]

Is this 2 or 3 hours from Manila by plane or ground?

[OldUgly&Cranky]

Hi oz i think i have an idea for you !!! since you want to be close to manila but far enough away i would personally recomend Puerto galera , its around 2-3 hours bus ride to batangus then 1-1/2 hour ferry ride to puerto galera , there are 3 main area's around there sabang , puerto galera town , white beach , each offer slightly different things ex sabang has more nightlife ie bar girls dive shops not much of a beach really there , puerto galera is more of a little town with a pier and shops and some small little bars there , white beach has a great beach and allot of resorts and night life there , food is a little more expencive in sabang i find and not much bbq while white beach has allot of bbq , to get monthly rates i would recomend taking a local you trust with you and let them look and get a price for you , you can always say no if you dont like the place , my wife got a fan room for us for 2 nights for 850 peso per night ( about $ 20 cdn ) only 200 feet away from the beach there are allot of things to do in that whole area treking you can rent a moterbike for a day or there is a shooting range there where you can fire full auto m16 or ak47 , some waterfalls to swim in diving , in white beach every weekend the lady boys put on a fire show friday and saturday nite , i personally love the area i'll give you a couple websites and a few youtube videos for you too look at and you can take it from there !! good luck and welcome !!O-U-C :89:http://www.sabanginn.com/sabang_inn_apartments.htmlhttp://www.puertogalera.org/there are videos i took while i was there !!!http://youtu.be/PHYHiHTro04Enjoy :89:

[ozbuckley]

Is this 2 or 3 hours from Manila by plane or ground?

Sorry mate, I should've been clearer. I mean 2 or 3 hours by ground.

[ozbuckley]

O-U-C, Thanks for the advice and links of information. Its just what I wanted. =o)Ill look further into Puerto Gerela!Thanks for taking the time to reply mate!Oz

[ozbuckley]

O-U-C, I actually read this morning that from Batangus to Manila can only take 1.5 hours by taking the toll highway.

[Jake]

Hey O-U-C,You definitely know how to tease me with your colorful videos of one of my favorite places, Puerto Galera.For Ozbuckley, it's worth a trip to check out. The only thing it doesn't have on your list is surfing. The hot spots for surfing is Cloud Nine in Surigao http://www.nomadsurf...urfcamp/93.html; central west coastof Luzon (San Juan, La Union) and the upper NW corner of Luzon called Kingfisher:

[Old55]

[ozbuckley]

Jake, Thanks for the surfing tips!In fact, Im a total beginner with surfing. Cant even stand up consistently yet... so you never know, Puerto Galera might be the waves Im after ;o)But I like the fact there is some reknowned diving spots around there too. Would love to start diving!

[ozbuckley]

Old55, thanks the photo. Im guessing this is your wife? ;o)