JustGo
Well-known Member
I concur on the no good beaches part. Pagudpud is the beach you most commonly see on the souvenir shirts, and it is a grueling 12 hour slog away up the Manila North Highway. The Luzon coast really does not have any real beaches suitable for tourist development, and the beaches that are scenic tend to be in remote, sleepy fishing villages.manila is expensive
dangerous
you will not maintain your western lifestyle no matter how much you spend
and there are no good beaches close
Manila is often ugly, but safer than Latin American cities when it comes to violent crime, and BGC is particularly secure. Yes, you can live a western-tier urban lifestyle there, and luxury will cost quite a bit less than it does elsewhere...likely a fair bit lower than the cost of living in Bangkok these days. Plus, it's much easier to get residency there for oldfags than it is to establish yourself elsewhere in Southeast Asia. In PH you do not have the resentment of wealth that exists in many other countries with extreme inequality. Filipinos seem satisfied in the role of servants, and holding a job with a snazzy uniform in one of the upscale establishments is the pinnacle of achievement for a slum kid.