House Hunting Trip To Subic Bay

[OnMyWay]

As briefly mentioned in another post, we found a very nice house in Subic Bay and we will be moving there in the next month or so.   Here are some more details on our trip, Subic and the house.

We took the Victory liner up from Pasay to Subic.  We have learned a few new tips about Victory liner in Subic, so if you need some information on that, let me know.

We stayed at the Mango Valley Hotel, which at p2500 a night is good deal in Subic for a nice big room and big “all you can eat” menu breakfast.  We had some very minor issues but I would still recommend it.  They have 3 locations, 1, 2 and 3, and we stayed in 2, which is the closest to the new Ayala mall.  You can’t book online, only by phone, but they have a web site.  If you have any questions, let me know.

We were only looking for houses in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, which is the former U.S. Subic Bay naval base.  Inside the Freeport, for the most part, they have maintained the U.S. standards left behind by the military, so it is a relatively quiet, safe and organized place. 

We contacted some agents and owners, and a most were nice enough to pick us up at our hotel  and drive us to the houses.  I know of some houses that are nice and if anyone is interested, PM me.  I think that all houses we looked at had been refurbished.  You might be able to find something cheaper if it is not refurbished, but they can be pretty bad.  We also met a nice agent who showed us some nice places for reasonable (by Subic standards) costs.  She was recommended by a friend of Subic Steve, and she found him a really nice place that I am in envy of!   If you want her contact information, PM me.   If you want to venture into Olongapo City / Barrio Baretto,  you can find lower prices.  There are a lot of expats that live in Olongapo, in the more typical Filipino neighborhoods.

I rented a car for the last 2 days and I did my first driving in the Philippines.  I did not go out of the Freeport, so I don’t think I can really say I have driven in the Philippines yet!  I rented from a small place that has a few cars, and later I noticed an Avis office, but I did not check there.

 

Met up with Subic Steve and his friend a few times, and they gave us many pointers about the area!  Thanks again for your time and hope to have you over for a house warming sometime soon!

We focused our house search on the two main neighborhoods that were formerly U.S. military housing: Binictican and Kalayaan.  There is another neighborhood Cubi, but after driving through we were not really interested in it.  It is farther from the main town and a small area.  They do have some really nice places with a view of the bay.  Generally speaking, apparently Binictican was for the enlisted men, Kalayaan was for officers, and Cubi was for Navy pilots.

Binictican has some nicer areas and some areas that are still undergoing improvements.   It seems like there are more Korean expats in Binictican.  We were interested in a few places there but the main reason we decided against it was that the places we found did not have much of a garden and didn’t seem to have much to do (for the 8 year old and us) nearby.

Generally speaking, Kalayaan seems nicer than Binictican.  The lots are larger, the houses are larger and the streets are more tree lined.  Kalayaan has a majority of duplex housing, whereas Binictican has more 4 plexes.  In Kalayaan, several duplexes have been converted to giant single family houses that are beautiful.  Many duplexes have also been renovated and are very nice.

 

The unfurnished house we rented is on one of the nicest streets in the Kalayaan neighborhood, IMHO.  There are a lot of big trees that provide a nice cooling shade cover, and the nearby tennis courts and pool were a deciding factor.   Our side of the duplex is 3 br 2 ba with a very nicely landscaped front and back yard, fenced, so we can have a dog.  There is also a nice patio for the warm evenings when the mosquitoes are hungry for my white meat.   :hystery:

Some of the neighbors are monkeys!  There are a lot in Binictican and not so many in Kalayaan.  Binictican is in the middle
of a dense tropical rain forest that is quite beautiful.  Kalayaan vegetation is a bit different and seems to have more giant hardwood trees, also very beautiful, but not so many monkeys who like to go through your trash and do other monkey business!  The forest in both places is protected so you can’t cut anything without permission.

 

We are looking forward to our new house and enjoying the Subic Bay area!

Edited February 24, 2013 by OnMyWay

[JJReyes]

I just wanted to add that Subic Bay Freeport Zone has an excellent hospital, according to reports in a healthcare publication. The Subic Bay Chamber of Commerce has invited me to visit the hospital and to look at the available housing within the Zone. Haven't had a chance to accept their invitation.

 

The large presence of Koreans could be from the multi-billion shipbuilding facility being constructed. The Koreans could be from the parent company or project suppliers. In terms of visitor arrivals, the Korean surpassed the Japanese abot 5 years ago. American visitors, which includes Balikbayans, is a poor third.

[twostrokes]

Can you provide a rental price range for the house you speak of inside the freeport area??? Is the rent all inclusive of utilities (water & electric) or is this seperate billing? Are the homes still airconditioned as they were back under US control? Have started reconsidering the posibility of returning again with all the crap going on here in United Socialist States of America.

[SubicSteve]

Can you provide a rental price range for the house you speak of inside the freeport area??? Is the rent all inclusive of utilities (water & electric) or is this seperate billing? Are the homes still airconditioned as they were back under US control? Have started reconsidering the posibility of returning again with all the crap going on here in United Socialist States of America.

 

 

Housing prices there are minimum 20,000 pesos a month for an "eh" place.  40,000 gets you a nice place and +60,000 is living VERY large.  That is just the rent.  Utilities are extra. Water aint so bad but electric can be expensive, especially if u love the aircon.  It does get cool up there and u can get by with no aircon Dec-March but summer time I think you will need it.  A car is a must have.  No jeepneys or trikes allowed.  Don will be VERY happy living there.  It's like living in the states and being 15 minutes to the Philippines.  Quiet, peaceful, hills, trees, no flooding, police near by, FRESH AIR, golf, tennis, starbucks,  I will end up living there or I will go to jail for shooting barking dogs.

 

Can't wait for a nice Sunday BBQ at Don's place relaxing with the wives.  Call me if you need anything Don.

[BrettGC]

hehe I remember visiting there when I was in the navy; multiple times when the US was still there and twice post-departure.  Many fond memories of the area - and it was interesting to see the changes over time.  I'll have to check it out again in the next few months; it's been about 12 years since I was there.

[OnMyWay]

I just wanted to add that Subic Bay Freeport Zone has an excellent hospital, according to reports in a healthcare publication.

 

I assume JJR is referring to Baypoint Hospital.  I visited a pulmonary doctor there at Xmas and it is a nice hospital.  The doctor's fee was p350.  I plan for it to be my main place for medical care.  On a side note, two of the rental houses we looked at were owned by doctor's who work at Baypoint.

 

Medical cost is one of the primary reasons I could not afford to retire early in the U.S.  There is another hospital up in the mountains called the George Dewey Medical Center, and it seems to be highly promoted as an asset to the Freeport, but I don't know what the actual experience is.  On a sightseeing drive, we drove up to it through the dense tropical rain forest (quiet beautiful!) and it looked simple from a distance, but I could not see much.

[OnMyWay]

Housing prices there are minimum 20,000 pesos a month for an "eh" place.  40,000 gets you a nice place and +60,000 is living VERY large.

 

Yes, that is the ballpark pricing for refurbished housing.  You might be able to find a unit that is not refurbished for less, but they can be bad.

 

Keep in mind that these are not the typical Filipino houses with small rooms.  These are large American style homes with plenty of space, so you will pay a premium for that, in addition to the premium you are paying for living in the peaceful Freeport zone.  I decided to pay the premium and see how things go.  For the longer term, it may eventually be worth it to "buy" one of the long term leases, as that can reduce the average monthly costs by a lot.

 

It does get cool up there and u can get by with no aircon Dec-March but summer time I think you will need it. 

 

Most of the refurbished units have disabled or removed the original central air conditioning and replaced it with individual room units.  Central air would probably be very expensive in the hot months.  I think we viewed one unit that still had central air.

 

No jeepneys or trikes allowed.

 

Actually they do have a "jeep" type system they refer to as the Windstars.  It starts in downtown and passes through the neighborhoods every 30 minutes, at 11p per ride.  We rode it at Xmas and it will do in a pinch.  However, you really do need a car to do shopping, etc.  There are no local markets so you have to drive to the big markets or to the wet markets in Olongapo.

 

It's like living in the states and being 15 minutes to the Philippines.  Quiet, peaceful, hills, trees, no flooding, police near by, FRESH AIR, golf, tennis, starbucks, 

 

All of this and more.  I heard that their 911 response is actually quiet good, but I hope I don't need to test it.  There is a police sub-station in the neighborhood.

 

Can't wait for a nice Sunday BBQ at Don's place relaxing with the wives.  Call me if you need anything Don.

 

I'm looking forward to that day, when I get through the stress of moving!  Keep your eyes open for a vehicle for me, as that will be a top priority!

[OnMyWay]

hehe I remember visiting there when I was in the navy; multiple times when the US was still there and twice post-departure.  Many fond memories of the area - and it was interesting to see the changes over time.  I'll have to check it out again in the next few months; it's been about 12 years since I was there.

 

Yes, many changes!  One of the old maids we met told us that  back in the day, when a ship came in, there would be hundreds of girls line up at the base gates, waiting for their boyfriends.  I'm not sure if she meant their current boyfriends, or boyfriends to be!   :hystery:

[earthdome]

I was in the US Navy from 1975-1983. I never visited the Philippines but heard many sea stories about Subic Bay and knew many sailors who were married to filipinas.

[i am bob]

I was in the Air Force in Canada from 77 to 95 and most of that was spent working Naval Air.  Some of the guys would talk about hitting port in Subic.  That must have been quite the experience!  It seems like all the good places closed...  Subic, Rosey, Bermadoo...