Angeles City

[Argo1990]

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Perimeter Bars.

These are lower-end bars up Fields Ave from Walking St. I walked up one afternoon; it wasn't really too far but with the heat I decided to trike it from then on. Prices at these bars are much less than Walking St. San Miguels were regularly I believe p95 or so and p55 during some happy hours. LDs were p200 to p250. The women working these bars are for the most part a lot older than their Walking St counterparts though there were a few younger a good-looking one.

Most of the bars I visited were pretty similar. The customers seemed to be mostly western expats or long-term vacationers. Most served pretty decent food and one bar, Night Moves was packed around 2 pm and most folks were eating lunch.

One bar, Emotions, was only about a couple blocks away from the ABC Hotel. I stopped in one early evening and was pleasantly surprised at their lineup. Drinks were a little higher here, I think a SML was p120 and LDs were p250. Barfine was p2500 if you wanted to use a room onsite or p3000 to take them back to the hotel. I took one girl out from here and took up to the Aqua Club. She had never been there and was a little intimidated by the luxury and the hot young women running around.

And not a bar but I have to call out Al Bacio Italian Restaurant. It's very close to the ABC Hotel. It was a little on the expensive side but the pasta was outstanding. It was an elegant setting and would be a great place to take a date.

Manila Bars.

I didn't spend much time in Manila, just one night in Makati and two nights in the Malate area. In Malate I went to the LA Cafe both nights. This is a 24-hour freelancer bar. A lot of people say this place has gone downhill but I was there mid-week and it was packed both nights in the around 10 pm. There are women of all shapes / sizes and ages but I was impressed with the overall quality. The women there are pretty aggressive in that they want to negotiate a deal right off the bat. It kind of reminded me of the Blue Marlin Bar at the Hotel Del Rey in San Jose Costa Rica in its heyday. Drink prices were reasonable, I think a SML was p140. No LD prices. I was sitting at the bar with a group of women and bought a bucket of beers for p700. Take out prices varied from woman to woman. I had one stunner quote me p5000. After I walked away, she wanted to negotiate but I never go with one that I've talked down in price. Most were asking p2500 / p3000.

In Makati I stayed near the bars around P Burgos. Most of the bars are gogos and drinks are pricey and the women for the most part were pretty attractive. One bar called Fyre stood out. The lineup was outstanding, rivaling a high-end strip club in the states. And a couple of the dancers actually danced. There was one dancer that was working the stripper pole like a gymnast and I called her down to buy a drink. She was absolutely phenomenal looking. When she got to my table, she smiled and to her credit said "you do realize that lady drinks are p850". I damn near dropped my beer. I smiled at her and told her that was way out of my price range and tipped her a p200 for being honest with me. She could have milked me for a lot of cash.

Outside of the bars, the streets are lined with freelancers. All of them vying for your attention as there weren't many tourists out and about. Some of these women were quite good looking. Probably a 50/50 mix of women and ladyboys. Prices quoted from p1000 to p5000. There are short time hotels in the area with p500 rooms.

All in all, I enjoyed my stay. I will definitely return but will probably spend more time in Malate as I like freelancer bars more than gogos. I am scheduled to go to Thailand for the month of October and I had carved out 10 days to visit Cambodia and Vietnam. I just might replace that with the Philippines.

When you say Barfine 2500 for Perimeter bars for example. That is literally JUST the barfine? So the girl is paid on top? Isn't that. Very expensive? So what. 2500-3000 barfine for the night + paying for the girl which is I assume between 4000-5000 at least for a young and hot one? So all in all for a hot below 25 year old that would mean 7 - 10 k on the lower end is that correct? I am just trying to get an understanding of the current pricing.

[PIpimp]

I just returned from a 2 week plus trip to the Philippines. I almost cancelled my trip as I read many reports on numerous forums from travelers complaining about the Philippines, particularly the high cost of everything, specifically company and the lack of quality. One thing I did notice about all of these posts was they were mostly from Philippines veterans with many trips, mostly pre-Covid under their belt and they were making comparisons about now versus then. Since I already had the airfare purchased and didn't want to have to try to use a future $3 K plus flight credit, I decided to go ahead and make the trip.

Since I am a relative Philippines noob only having spent 4 nights before in Angeles City in transit to Thailand, this report will focus on what I found on this trip with no comparisons to how things were (or might have been) five, ten or more years ago. I will occasionally compare things to other venues I visit frequently like Costa Rica, Thailand or the Dominican Republic. This report is mostly intended for folks that are considering heading to the Philippines for the first time or returning after a long absence.

Money

The currency is the Philippine Peso. I almost exclusively paid for things in cash and got my cash from ATMs since I have a Schwab card that refunds all ATM fees. It looked like most ATMs charged a p250 fee and most limited you to a p10 K withdrawal but you could do multiple withdrawals. One ATM I found in a 7/11 allowed p20 K. My hotels were all paid by credit card through Agoda.com in USD. Exchange booths abound in the tourist areas I visited but I didn't pay attention to the rates or fees.

On average p10000 cost me about $175. So, when I was out on the town, I was quick calculating that p100 was about $2.

Transportation.

I got a good fare on United for Polaris class. Originally my itinerary had me going direct to San Francisco from my hometown and connecting to Manila. That was one of the reasons I decided to take this trip as I had never had a one stop itinerary to SE Asia before. Well schedules changed (as always) and I ended up connecting in Denver on the outbound and Washington Dulles on the inbound. All of my connections were so tight that I didn't have the opportunity to visit any of the Polaris lounges. I hear they are great but I'll just have to assume that is the case.

The service on the flight was good and the lay flat seat was comparable to Delta One and Singapore Air. The food was decent but not as good as other trans-Pacific flights I have taken. But for the fare paid I was happy. Total 24 hours outbound and 22 return.

My first stop was Angeles City so I had to get transportation from MNL terminal 3. Everyone recommended the Genisys bus as it is super cheap but that would have required getting a taxi from around Clark Airport to my hotel in Angeles City. I knew I was going to be tired and I was landing at 6 am so I scheduled a car from Beesway. It was p3500 and he got me there in 1 HR. 20 min. Since there was very little traffic. I also used Beesway for my return back to Manila. Same price Angeles to Makati.

In town I always took a trike for short runs. P100 and Grab (like Uber) for longer trips or if I had luggage. Grab gives you a very reasonable fixed fare unlike the metered taxis.

Hotels.

My itinerary had me 12 nights in Angeles City, 1 night in Makati and 3 nights in Malate / Ermita. Note all of the hotels were guest friendly. The only one that checked ID was the Regency Grand Suites in Malate.

Angeles City. Wild Orchid Lagoon Resort.

There are two Wild Orchid hotels. The Lagoon resort is a bit more upscale with two large and well-maintained pools. There is also a swim-up bar at the pool. It is also a bit more expensive.

I liked the Wild Orchid. While the hotel is definitely showing some wear and tear, the staff was always around fixing, painting, cleaning, etc. The entire staff was incredibly friendly. I had a Lagoon Balcony room and it was pretty large. Comfortable King size bed and the AC cooled the room well even though temperatures were approaching 100 degrees F.

The location is a short walk to Walking St (Fields Ave.).

Breakfast was not included in my rate though I could get breakfast in the hotel restaurant. All of the food in the restaurant was pretty good and very reasonably priced for a hotel. I was also open 24 hours for food and drinks. I would definitely stay here again.

Angeles City. ABC Hotel.

I spent the last 4 nights in Angeles here. I had heard so much about it I wanted to see it. First thing, the rooms are pricey. I got what they call the Aqua Suite and it was huge, really more than I needed. Also, I lot of the square footage was taken up by a fancy round tub that was the size of a backyard jacuzzi but it didn't have any jets. For me this was wasted space, I never used it as there was a nice walk-in shower and I'm too old to attempt carnal activity in a bathtub. Also be advised there was no balcony. On a super positive note, the room is stocked with six, incredibly large bath towels.

There was an extensive mini-bar in the room that even include bottles of liquor and wine. If you bring company up to the room watch their consumption as the prices are pretty steep.

The main swimming pool is large and located in an open-air atrium right by the main hotel restaurant. There are also two small pools located on the roof at the Aqua Club. The Aqua Club is a nice bar area where they have different themes every night. It can get pretty lively. The first night I went up it was Ladies Night and there was a ton of incredibly young, bikini clad model types hanging around taking photos / videos of themselves, probably for their Instagram feed. They were hanging around the tables where the guys were buying bottles and shots. I'm sure they were available but probably well out of my price range.

The location is on Fields Avenue about half way between Walking Street and the Perimeter Bars. Not a very long walk either way but I usually opted for a trike as it was very hot in the daytime and a little sketchy after dark.

The restaurant food was OK but quite a bit pricier than at the Wild Orchid.

If I had a travel companion (female) I would probably stay here again. But for a single traveler it was a bit too much.

Makati. City Garden Grand.

I only stayed here one night. It was quite impressive and a very short walk to P. Burgos St. The room was huge, it was a deluxe king and quite reasonable for the quality and location. I swear this room had the largest bed I have ever seen in a hotel. It was at least as wide as two queen beds side-by-side and longer than a normal king. The room was quite large but no balcony. Nice roof top pool and a roof top restaurant that was a little pricey but not outrageous.

You need to swipe your card to access the room floors.

I definitely would stay here again if I am in Makati. Breakfast was not included in my rate.

Malate. Regency Grand Suites.

This is not really a hotel but a bunch of Condos managed in Birch Tower. A few companies seem to manage a select set of condos and book them out as hotel rooms. The do provide daily housekeeping. The building is definitely showing signs of wear and tear. There were the usual amenities provided and a couple of smaller, somewhat thin bath towels. They were responsive to a request for more towels.

The room was just OK. Comfortable King bed and air conditioning in the living room and the bedroom but it really didn't cool the room of very well. Breakfast was not included but was available in the little restaurant on the ground floor right by reception. Security is good and you need to swipe a card to access the elevators to the room. The pool was well shaded but the water was a bit murky. Luckily there weren't many people when I was there since they only had a few not-so-comfortable lounge chairs.

The location is great. A very short walk to Robinsons Mall and a short trike ride to The LA Cafe and the KTVs.

Of all of the hotels I stayed in this trip, this is the only one I probably wouldn't book again.

Entertainment.

As a rule, I found the Filipinas to be incredibly friendly and most spoke passable to excellent English. Quite a few of them don't even think about mentioning a condom and a couple were a bit surprised when I put one on. Even though they are obviously working to separate you from your cash, their demeanor was a lot less transactional than their counterparts in other Asian or Latin American venues. They would nurse their "lady drink" so that they finished about the same time you finished your drink, not gulp it down quickly and ask for another like many places in Thailand.

I visited many bars and I am not going to try and remember each one and comment on it. I will call out some of the more exceptional (good and bad) places I did visit.

Angeles City.

There are two main bar areas, Walking Street and Perimeter Road which is maybe 1 K up Fields Avenue.

Walking Street.

Most of the bars are gogos with a few KTVs thrown in to keep the Asian customers happy. Previous posters have pointed out that there are two types of bars, the Korean owned bars and the western owned bars. Many people diss the Korean owned places but I found really very little difference except that almost all of the Korean owned bars allow smoking inside while the western bars do not. I felt welcomed in every bar I stopped in to. A lot of the western owned bars seem to be owned by a consortium called the Wolfpack Group. They have a discount card that I believe gives you a 20% discount on your drinks and the drinks of a female companion that doesn't work in the bar. Lady Drinks not discounted.

It is also said that the Korean customers hit the bars early and barfine all of the good-looking talent. That may be partially true but I would still see stunners in the bars at night and I saw a lot of Koreans were walking around with their date of the day and those dates were for the most part nothing spectacular. It is also said that the women in a lot of the bars prefer going with Koreans over westerners. Watching the Koreans move I kind of understand why.

1) They seem to barfine them for a least the day. They are taking them to nice (er) restaurants and seem to treat them like a date or a GF.

2) I didn't see one Korean get overly drunk and obnoxious. I can't say the same for some of the westerners I saw.

3) In the bar they seem to treat the women with a little respect. I saw some western guys pretty much mauling bar girls after buying them a drink. The Koreans are a bit more laid back.

Note all of the above statements are generalizations from only 12 days of observation. I could be totally wrong.

Drink prices seemed pretty consistent with a San Miguel running p95 to p140 and lady drinks p250 to p300.

Some bars of note:

Midnight Rodeo. Not a gogo but rather a live music venue. Located just off Walking Street, down from Phillies restaurant near the Queens hotel. A very good Filipino band plays western music pretty much from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Though not a gogo you can buy drinks for and barfine most of the waitresses. The waitresses are incredibly friendly, attractive but most are probably in their 30's. Some are probably a bit older. This was probably my favorite bar to just visit and kick back. A San Miguel was p120 and I think the LDs were p250. Bar fine was p4000 but somewhat negotiable if the woman is willing to take a smaller cut.

Bacarra. A gogo on Walking Street that I visited late afternoon a couple of times. They had a pretty good daytime line-up including one absolutely gorgeous spinner. They don't really dance but just sit on stage only to get up when a new customer enters or someone calls them down for a drink. SML was p120 and LD was p250. Barfine p5000.

Champaign. Another Walking St gogo. Had a great time in this bar a couple of nights. The dancers / waitresses were for the most part pretty attractive and very friendly. Lots of customer interaction. On my second night returning to this bar the manager bought me a drink. Never had that happen before in the Philippines. Don't remember the exact drink prices but they were probably in the p120 / p250 range.

Mega Dance. This is a night club located on WS pretty much next to Phillies. I walked in about 11 pm one night and left quickly as the music was incredibly loud and annoying (to me). It was packed with women though and quite a few looked very good in the dark bar. I did talk to one woman that was outside grabbing a smoke and she was complaining that there were no guys inside, just women.

Aqua Club. On the rooftop of the ABC Hotel. I described it a bit above. Very good looking and young freelancers the two times I went up. Bring lots of cash though as these ladies looked very high-end and the drinks weren't cheap.

Perimeter Bars.

These are lower-end bars up Fields Ave from Walking St. I walked up one afternoon; it wasn't really too far but with the heat I decided to trike it from then on. Prices at these bars are much less than Walking St. San Miguels were regularly I believe p95 or so and p55 during some happy hours. LDs were p200 to p250. The women working these bars are for the most part a lot older than their Walking St counterparts though there were a few younger a good-looking one.

Most of the bars I visited were pretty similar. The customers seemed to be mostly western expats or long-term vacationers. Most served pretty decent food and one bar, Night Moves was packed around 2 pm and most folks were eating lunch.

One bar, Emotions, was only about a couple blocks away from the ABC Hotel. I stopped in one early evening and was pleasantly surprised at their lineup. Drinks were a little higher here, I think a SML was p120 and LDs were p250. Barfine was p2500 if you wanted to use a room onsite or p3000 to take them back to the hotel. I took one girl out from here and took up to the Aqua Club. She had never been there and was a little intimidated by the luxury and the hot young women running around.

And not a bar but I have to call out Al Bacio Italian Restaurant. It's very close to the ABC Hotel. It was a little on the expensive side but the pasta was outstanding. It was an elegant setting and would be a great place to take a date.

Manila Bars.

I didn't spend much time in Manila, just one night in Makati and two nights in the Malate area. In Malate I went to the LA Cafe both nights. This is a 24-hour freelancer bar. A lot of people say this place has gone downhill but I was there mid-week and it was packed both nights in the around 10 pm. There are women of all shapes / sizes and ages but I was impressed with the overall quality. The women there are pretty aggressive in that they want to negotiate a deal right off the bat. It kind of reminded me of the Blue Marlin Bar at the Hotel Del Rey in San Jose Costa Rica in its heyday. Drink prices were reasonable, I think a SML was p140. No LD prices. I was sitting at the bar with a group of women and bought a bucket of beers for p700. Take out prices varied from woman to woman. I had one stunner quote me p5000. After I walked away, she wanted to negotiate but I never go with one that I've talked down in price. Most were asking p2500 / p3000.

In Makati I stayed near the bars around P Burgos. Most of the bars are gogos and drinks are pricey and the women for the most part were pretty attractive. One bar called Fyre stood out. The lineup was outstanding, rivaling a high-end strip club in the states. And a couple of the dancers actually danced. There was one dancer that was working the stripper pole like a gymnast and I called her down to buy a drink. She was absolutely phenomenal looking. When she got to my table, she smiled and to her credit said "you do realize that lady drinks are p850". I damn near dropped my beer. I smiled at her and told her that was way out of my price range and tipped her a p200 for being honest with me. She could have milked me for a lot of cash.

Outside of the bars, the streets are lined with freelancers. All of them vying for your attention as there weren't many tourists out and about. Some of these women were quite good looking. Probably a 50/50 mix of women and ladyboys. Prices quoted from p1000 to p5000. There are short time hotels in the area with p500 rooms.

All in all, I enjoyed my stay. I will definitely return but will probably spend more time in Malate as I like freelancer bars more than gogos. I am scheduled to go to Thailand for the month of October and I had carved out 10 days to visit Cambodia and Vietnam. I just might replace that with the Philippines.

I have a love / hate relationship with Aqua. I love hanging out there, but their rooms are overpriced and the jacuzzi is too damn small. The way they water down their drinks at Aqua should be illegal. I just think if I pay 400 p for a mixed drink that I should at least taste some alcohol in it.

[NRandom940]

I am with WestCoast on the Christmas metaphor. I just made my first trip back to AC in 16 months a couple weeks ago. I only spent 5 days there, mongering 3 of those and brief drinks out the other 2. I'm not sure if my experience represents the long-term trend, but I noticed a few changes compared to my last visit in January 2023. Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of entertaining details or photos for individual reports this time. I might still write up separate reports for each night, but I'm more inclined to just give a general update of impressions since I did not get much satisfaction.

Supply and Demand Better.

The biggest surprise was the noticeable improvement in supply and demand. There are far more / younger / hotter girls available than in Jan 2023. XS was already hot before and still is. But now there are greater numbers of 18-22 year olds in Avalon / Dollhouse / Carousel, and even smaller places like Geckos and Q Bar. Yes, I was sorry to see Viking Bar, Brown Sugar, and Ace closed during my visit. Most other spots had at least several decent lookers..

How much would it cost to BF them for short-term?

[Volterra]

4-5 days since the last AC post. Possibly a testament to the long-gone good-old-daze, the weird-and-crappy new days (ala NS), the increased K presence, and the lowly 50% gringo return rate since covid.

I am with WestCoast on the Christmas metaphor. I just made my first trip back to AC in 16 months a couple weeks ago. I only spent 5 days there, mongering 3 of those and brief drinks out the other 2. I'm not sure if my experience represents the long-term trend, but I noticed a few changes compared to my last visit in January 2023. Unfortunately, I didn't get a lot of entertaining details or photos for individual reports this time. I might still write up separate reports for each night, but I'm more inclined to just give a general update of impressions since I did not get much satisfaction.

Supply and Demand Better.

The biggest surprise was the noticeable improvement in supply and demand. There are far more / younger / hotter girls available than in Jan 2023. XS was already hot before and still is. But now there are greater numbers of 18-22 year olds in Avalon / Dollhouse / Carousel, and even smaller places like Geckos and Q Bar. Yes, I was sorry to see Viking Bar, Brown Sugar, and Ace closed during my visit. Most other spots had at least several decent lookers. Big disappointments were Atlantis (major decline), Genesis, Dragon, and shooters.

Also shocking were how few visitors there were on Walking Street, especially during the weekdays. Girl supply was a big improvement, but the huge drop in demand with fewer mongers was a short term plus and maybe long term minus. I couldn't believe how dead the street was on the 3 nights T-W-Th. Most places only had a few customers (including Koreans). The weekend was busier, but even that more resembled what weekdays were in Jan 2023. I heard managers, waitresses, mamasans, and WGs all mention the big drop in customers, some seeming worried. They also mentioned how so many girls wanted to BF with so little business coming in.

Prices and Accessibility Same or a Little Better Depending on Your Point of Origin.

There are more direct flights to Clark from around Asia compared to early 2023. I'm based in Asia, so my flight was only 90 minutes and around US $200 round trip. Getting through Clark customs is a breeze compared to Manila, and Grab gets you to your hotel in about 20 minutes for around P330. Hotel prices were down just a bit, so I only forked out US $400 for 5 nights at one of the decent spots a block from WS.

Drink prices seemed almost the same as January 2023. As others have recently reported, Bar Fines are a bit higher and more uniform (4/5/6 k pesos, or US $70/85/105). Every bar I visited quoted only 1 takeaway price, all for the new definition of LT (which seems to mean an hour or 2 if you are lucky). No one quoted me a single ST price. I don't mind paying the extra 20 bucks a night at all if it is a fun 2 pops, but that's not happening as much.

So for me being based in Asia, the associated costs were slightly cheaper than my 2022 and 2023 trips. But I think it will depend on where you're coming from, whether you can get one of the limited direct Clark flights, and how tempted you are to go for the many stunners (more fun to be had if they don't look so good, in my opinion).

Attitude and Service Worse.

Bigger supply of hot girls doesn't mean better sex. Clearly more filipinas are returning to a similar economic reality as before the pandemic, so they're coming back to the go go bars in search of easy money. But no mistake about it, their attitudes have changed. They now estimate themselves higher through their mobile apps and social media, as if they are the same as other girls around the world. Attitudes have been changing for a while, and it was even worse this trip. I agree with other guys who have observed that there are more drink milkers, runners, shorter "overnighters," and outright scammers.

My 3 nights out (T-W-Th) were a big contrast from 2023 in a few ways. I BFd 3 women. One was a hot 21 year old single mom (no marks) named Jenlyn from Geckos on Tues (4 k, no tip). The 2nd ws an 18 year old super stunner named Niezel from Dollhouse on Wed (5 k, no tip). The 3rd was a cute and fit 29 year old dancer named Paula from XS on Thurs (6 k plus 500 tip).

The first 2 of these were among the hottest girls I ever fucked (especially Dollhouse absolute dream for looks), but they both turned out to be bad experiences. Both had promised to stay til morning before BFing, but immediately following session 1 they both ran to bathroom to shower and put clothes back on. J was willing to stay longer and not do session 2, so I just told her to go. And came up with some BS scam about an early breakfast with her sisters (see below) and refused to even look at me after first session before bolting. P agreed to stay til 5, with a bit of push and pull but managed to keep a good spirit. She fell asleep a while before allowing 2nd session and then asked to go, so she was gone before 3 am.

Of the 3, only P was satisfying sex, with 2 good sessions, BBBJ and BBFS multiple positions. J only wanted to make sure I wasn't angry but wasn't willing to do anymore (brief BBBJ, insisted on condom). And was a bad dream. She started off amazing but suddenly became "shy" in my room. She was a great kisser but did no BJ and wouldn't let me see her body with light on (she had no problem gyrating her g-string ass around the Dollhouse stage pole in front of 50 people 45 minutes before that, go figure). And grudgingly allowed BBFS, which was fucking amazing but too short to enjoy it before she ran. She then turned downright hostile when I called her out for scamming me.

I also wasted LDs on drink milkers back to back nights (18 year old super hottie Milecita from Q Bar and petite MILF Rachel from Carousel). I saw a 20 year old stunner at Avalon milking drinks before driving her poor guy away.

Employer Leverage Worse and Almost Gone.

The bars clearly have little remaining leverage over their girls. I heard waitresses tell me every night that "it's up to the girl. " I hadn't heard this much before, and it seems that the bottom line has moved. The young stunners seem aware that they at least have to put out for session 1 and can't cross that line, but condom requests are becoming more common. They know they can get away with running, and they are keeping a close eye on where the line of bare minimum service is. Even waitresses and mamas are openly acknowledging the common attitude problems now. For guys who have very limited time frames or budgets, this would make me have second thoughts about making a long trip. This, along with the hotter temperatures each year (everyday was blazing 35 degrees Celsius), it seems to be keeping visitors away, at least this month.

For me, the frustration with the 2 runners was pretty bad, when you think you're just getting started and have the amazing girl right there and then she starts playing the see*nt games. It forces you to make some tough decisions at the moment and exercise serious self control. I'm not sure how much it is worth it if the bars can't provide some guarantee.

There's been talk on the forum about whether or not to complain back at the bar when someone runs or you get scammed. I decided not to this time, knowing that I'll likely be back on occasion and that I would call them out here. Even though they pissed me off, I know I can just go with someone else any other night, and I only partially wasted a petty amount not getting the 2nd session. No matter how I look at it, US $100 is still relative bargain for the young stunners. But I may complain in the future.

Scams and Excuses. Worse.

I'll share more details about the nightmare with swindler and from Dollhouse. Her runner scam is methodically worked out between her and 2 other unbelievable hotties at Dollhouse. The waitress actually recommended and to me, and when she joined me, I was shocked when she said her 2 older sisters worked with her at Dollhouse, and they were both up on stage. I don't know if they were really sisters or not (and names were probably fake), but I believe they were 18,22, and 23, and they were an exceptionally hot trio (from Samar), like eye popping. Never seen a set of sisters look like that.

Whether or not they are family, they obviously have worked out a system for supporting each other as runners. They start texting each other around an hour after the sucker (me) pays the BF, pretending to arrange an "urgent" breakfast with each other early the following morning as an excuse for the BF'the girl to run. She turns her mobile phone sound on after session 1 so then there is constant pinging among the 3. It is so bad that you have no chance to converse with her anymore and have no choice but to let her go so that it doesn't escalate. After session 1, and just had her clothes on facing the other way and refusing to even talk to me. When I pointed out that she never intended to do an overnight at the moment she had agreed to it before I BF'the her at Dollhouse and the whole thing was a scam, she just said "yeah" to my face before walking out and before I blew a stack (and luckily had a good recovery the next night with P).

Overall Worse.

I was originally planning to spend another week in AC in June, but I'm looking to go elsewhere now. The girls are hotter and you can pull them every night, but it's more complicated than fun, and the politicking is too fucked up. If you can just go to WS knowing basically what to expect without all the dicking around, it would still be a paradise. But this last visit, the sex was bad to mediocre, hardly any of the girls I met were fun to be around, and the **** games were all the same shit I spent decades playing back when I was chasing civilians. Hotter girls, worse sex, more stress. I don't plan to visit AC much unless it looks like WG attitudes get better and bars can regain some control over the service.

[PhilJoy]

Dear Friends of AC thread.I am curious as to other than the bar scene what are the other mongering options available, preferably straightforward like a Massage parlour, Soapy massage parlour (similar to Thailand) or Casas.

Hi Arnold, whilst I don't do the massage scene, most guys report on here that they're not exactly worthwhile or indeed like Thailand. There's a bar on Blow Row that is not your typical go-go bar called Roelgeorge (formerly Flaming Bar) that might be worth a try. Last time I was there a few months ago, they were mainly older girls, but extremely good at their job. I usually just swap WhatsApp details with them for hook-ups at your hotel.

I also hit-up the hotel security guys, taxi drivers or any local targets and just ask the question, "Where can I find a nice pretty girl around here?" Sounds like a stupid question in AC but usually within half an hour I'll have some talent in my room.

So to conclude, my experience has been that there's no need to rely on the go-gos or clubs to hook up. Hope this helps. Phil.

[ArnoldNe]

Dear Friends of AC thread.

I have read posts till about 6-7 pages on this thread and so far could only read about bars and bargirls, I am doing some ground work on AC for consideration of visit 4-5 months from now. I am curious as to other than the bar scene what are the other mongering options available, preferably straightforward like a Massage parlour, Soapy massage parlour (similar to Thailand) or Casas. Immense respect to all the Phillipinos / as and if bars are the only way to go I understand, but it would be of great help if anybody could provide any information on this topic.

Many Thanks in advance.

[KbNagar]

...

Money

The currency is the Philippine Peso. I almost exclusively paid for things in cash and got my cash from ATMs since I have a Schwab card that refunds all ATM fees. It looked like most ATMs charged a p250 fee and most limited you to a p10 K withdrawal but you could do multiple withdrawals. One ATM I found in a 7/11 allowed p20 K. My hotels were all paid by credit card through Agoda.com in USD. Exchange booths abound in the tourist areas I visited but I didn't pay attention to the rates or fees.

On average p10000 cost me about $175. So, when I was out on the town, I was quick calculating that p100 was about $2.

...

Amazing report HD. And yes the grand at Makati is amazing.

You also seem to have gotten a good exchange rates at ATMs. I had taken cash, the new $100's. They fetched good rates in exchanges and there were many. I had layered the cash into multiple envelopes and used the vaults in hotels. I also had a forex fee free credit card for use with grab or at restaurants. Just additional data points for fellow mongers.

[WestCoast1]

4-5 days since the last AC post. Possibly a testament to the long-gone good-old-daze, the weird-and-crappy new days (ala NS), the increased K presence, and the lowly 50% gringo return rate since covid.

[WestCoast1]

I just returned from a 2 week plus trip to the Philippines. I almost cancelled my trip as I read many reports on numerous forums from travelers complaining about the Philippines, particularly the high cost of everything, specifically company and the lack of quality. One thing I did notice about all of these posts was they were mostly from Philippines veterans with many trips, mostly pre-Covid under their belt and they were making comparisons about now versus then. Since I already had the airfare purchased and didn't want to have to try to use a future $3 K plus flight credit, I decided to go ahead and make the trip.

High-5 and ditto the other gent's comments and high marks. For those who seem unable to write a descriptive field report, please use HD's report as a guide.

This report worthy of a pic. May ye be blessed with a tiny, narcissistic gal who likes to take pics and vids of herself while being driven down the Hershey Highway (or doing anything).

Phils: Like Forrest's box of chocolates. Or alternately, a sexual Twighlight Zone.

[Goferring]

The only time really I use WhatsApp. It's like a contact list of my previous adventures and I seem to add contacts on every visit.

Phil.

I'm a big fan of WhatsApp:

Girls have a unique identifier so there's no need to sort through the 1000 Mary Valdez's in Cebu like FB.

It keeps Contact names, photos, chats and web links all together in one place.

Its search facility is wide ranging. Its very easy to find photos sent by 'Cebu Freelancer" s and then check our chats on Pina Love.

My number / username has followed me across countries and several new phones.

No recommendations of my account nor contacts to friends of friends. No ads or recommendations based upon internet activity. Basically my play WhatsApp is kept 100% separate from my daily life and contacts.

Recognition of duplicate numbers. I've saved a lot of time by catching pretend good girls with a new pinalove profile who offered cum gargling services a week ago.

Actually, I don't delete or block anyone. Even the psychos just get an X beside their name so that I know not to waste my time next time they set up a Pina account or contact me. "XLB" is pretty self explanatory.

Cheers. G.

[PhilJoy]

I just returned from a 2 week plus trip to the Philippines.

Great review HardDrive and very informative for those that haven't been to the places you visited or the PH scene generally.

I usually get my business work out of the way when I arrive in Manila and before my flight home. Therefore, Makati is a good choice for me and I usually stay at the other Garden City across the road. Never had a problem bringing guests back there as long as we're all well behaved.

Once work's out of they way, it's time for a bit of fun and relaxation. So usually I try to find a spot by the water, or on an island somewhere, and check out the potential scene. For this reason, I haven't done inland Angeles much, and although it's aged, I like staying at the Wild Orchid when I'm there and the majority of the staff are great.

I also prefer the freelancer scene, or relying on the contacts I've made on all my previous visits. The only time really I use WhatsApp. It's like a contact list of my previous adventures and I seem to add contacts on every visit.

The thing I like about this forum is that people all have their own tastes and objectives and that's more than generally respected.

Phil.

[SergioAgu93]

I just returned from a 2 week plus trip to the Philippines. I almost cancelled my trip as I read many reports on numerous forums from travelers complaining about the Philippines, particularly the high cost of everything, specifically company and the lack of quality. One thing I did notice about all of these posts was they were mostly from Philippines veterans with many trips, mostly pre-Covid under their belt and they were making comparisons about now versus then. Since I already had the airfare purchased and didn't want to have to try to use a future $3 K plus flight credit, I decided to go ahead and make the trip.

Since I am a relative Philippines noob only having spent 4 nights before in Angeles City in transit to Thailand, this report will focus on what I found on this trip with no comparisons to how things were (or might have been) five, ten or more years ago. I will occasionally compare things to other venues I visit frequently like Costa Rica, Thailand or the Dominican Republic. This report is mostly intended for folks that are considering heading to the Philippines for the first time or returning after a long absence..

Very honest and informative, thanks.

[Expat American]

Midnight Rodeo. Not a gogo but rather a live music venue. Located just off Walking Street, down from Phillies restaurant near the Queens hotel. A very good Filipino band plays western music pretty much from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Though not a gogo you can buy drinks for and barfine most of the waitresses. The waitresses are incredibly friendly, attractive but most are probably in their 30's. Some are probably a bit older. This was probably my favorite bar to just visit and kick back. A San Miguel was p120 and I think the LDs were p250. Bar fine was p4000 but somewhat negotiable if the woman is willing to take a smaller cut..

Nice report. I never saw Midnight Rodeo featured in a TR but I used to love that place. I didn't know the waitresses bar fined. I have had a couple follow me to my hotel but not via bar fine. Usually though its where I would take a LT BF between fucks to hang out, listen to the great band (the really do an amazing rendition of Queen songs) and maybe dance a bit. Agree also on Al Bacio, nice Italian place especially considering where it is. You were surprised that BBFS is common? Dude, that's like the only reason left to go to AC anymore for most punters. LOL.

Sadly I am one of those who have been going to AC since 2005 so I can't help but compare and find it not worth the time or money in its current state. But glad you had a good time.

[Goferring]

I just returned from a 2 week plus trip to the Philippines.

A big 👍 for the very informative report.

Great to hear you had such a good time at all your stops.

G.

[HardDrive]

I had a Brain Fart. The dates for the trip report below is from March 31 to April 17,2024. I don't know where the October dates came from.

Sorry for the confusion.