Manila

[Albert9989]

Why wouldn't leisure tourism be allowed? I chatted with a couple of Filipinas and at least they said "Watch the news they will open for everyone".

Of course it doesn't mean that the pandemic is over and life will be normal and free but it is not supposed to be medical tourism only etc. I think.

Give a look at the thread Phil General Infos, I guess you will find more accurate news.

Give a look here also https://parispe.dfa.gov.ph/.

And here for the full official text https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/d...SO-159-RRD.pdf.

Hope these website and text are valid, please correct me if they are not.

[Dg8787]

Looks like you are correct about the reduced hours thankfully my flight lands during operating hours thanks for looking into that they may increase these hours as the tourists come back but that's a notable concern when booking a flight to phils. I have never actually used this shuttle I was looking forward to it this time around. I usually stay a few days in manila before heading to AC and take a taxi from the taxi mafia on P burgos street. I would keep my eye on Genesis's (https://www.facebook.com/GenesisTransportInc) FB feed for updates they are fairly active on FB.

Taxis from Makati to T3 Arrivals bay 14 are quick and easy using the expressway. Hardest part is explaining to the driver you are going to ARRIVALS with your bags and not departures! Make sure the driver uses the left median and not the far right median for arrivals. This will bypass all the other bottleneck arrival bays.

[Pekkakoo]

Evidently, the link I posted, though published by the government, is not entirely clear, and is meant to apply only to those coming for medical visits and urgent / humanitarian missions, though that's not stated in the announcement. Regular "leisure" tourism is still not permitted and there's been no decision yet made on when the country will open again for tourists. I misinterpreted the announcement, and probably should not have posted it until I had sought clarification from those involved in the ongoing discussions. Evidently no one has a firm idea on even an approximate date for opening to tourists.

GE.

Why wouldn't leisure tourism be allowed? I chatted with a couple of Filipinas and at least they said "Watch the news they will open for everyone".

Of course it doesn't mean that the pandemic is over and life will be normal and free but it is not supposed to be medical tourism only etc. I think.

[Member #4794]

Upon an online search Genesis bus is back in action but limited schedules. The latest bus is at 5:00 pm. I can double back from Makati for the bus or take a car / taxi to Angeles. I am guessing traffic is not as bad as before covid.

Looks like you are correct about the reduced hours thankfully my flight lands during operating hours thanks for looking into that they may increase these hours as the tourists come back but that's a notable concern when booking a flight to phils. I have never actually used this shuttle I was looking forward to it this time around. I usually stay a few days in manila before heading to AC and take a taxi from the taxi mafia on P burgos street. I would keep my eye on Genesis's (https://www.facebook.com/GenesisTransportInc) FB feed for updates they are fairly active on FB.

[Dg8787]

Thank you gents for the info.

It has been 2 years now since I was in PH. I remember now that I took the Genesis bus from Terminal 3 to SM Clark mall. The bus was parked at Arrivals Bay 14. My flight would arrive at 10 pm, buy me a Jollibee meal #3 and I would get on the bus. I am wondering if Genesis still have that service?

Upon an online search Genesis bus is back in action but limited schedules. The latest bus is at 5:00 pm. I can double back from Makati for the bus or take a car / taxi to Angeles. I am guessing traffic is not as bad as before covid.

[Shining Wit]

Thank you gents for the info.

It has been 2 years now since I was in PH. I remember now that I took the Genesis bus from Terminal 3 to SM Clark mall. The bus was parked at Arrivals Bay 14. My flight would arrive at 10 pm, buy me a Jollibee meal #3 and I would get on the bus. I am wondering if Genesis still have that service?

I found this on the internet.

https://www.phbus.com/genesis-p2p-bus-service/

Have fun comparing the timetables! Don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger.

[Dg8787]

Thank you gents for the info.

It has been 2 years now since I was in PH. I remember now that I took the Genesis bus from Terminal 3 to SM Clark mall. The bus was parked at Arrivals Bay 14. My flight would arrive at 10 pm, buy me a Jollibee meal #3 and I would get on the bus. I am wondering if Genesis still have that service?

[Shining Wit]

In planning my future travel, does anyone know about bus service from Manila to Angeles City? Bus company, hours and costs?

As you asked in the Angeles thread regarding bus service from T3 at NAIA, I will include it here. According to Google maps, there is a bus stop on T3 departure road serving Clark. The linked departure list does not indicate any service between 2000 and 2130, although it suggests that it is 24 hours. A dim memory confirms Victory Liner as the operator, but a similar memory suggests the Angeles terminal was in Clark itself, leaving the usual hassle with the 'last mile'. The service did not appear on Victory's website.

Regarding Manila generally, the difficulty is that not only is there no central bus station, but multiple companies operate northwards through Angeles (or Dau, which is the timetable stop) but a number do from multiple terminals. These seem to be clustered along EDSA, particularly in Pasay (junction with Taft Ave) and Cubao (near Cubao MRT station) or in Caloocan. My suggestion would be to check these areas on Google maps or similar,(you may need to scroll in and out to bring them up) and then check websites. On the hotels thread, you seemed to have decided in the Peninsula, so I would recommend Cubao, as it is closer to the NLEX, although I don't know if the North-South connector has made a difference. In that area, I found Genesis, Baliwag, 5 Star, Partas, ALPS and Victory Liner, all of which I have seen heading North.

From the airport, Pasay is the better bet.

One word of caution regarding online timetables. I have only used Victory Liner, so this might not be common across all companies. All routes are shown as Cubao-Olongapo, Pasay-Baguio, etc. So Dau / Clark / Angeles hardly feature, you need to know where the final destination is. Somewhere like Tarlac or Baguio are easy, but Olongapo via SCTEX goes via Dau but non-SCTEX do not, and you don, t want to be waiting for an extra hour or so.

Victory Liner show fares of php 139 from Pasay and Cubao, and the timetable suggests that departures times are dictated by reasonable arrival times at the final destination.

I hope this helps not only Dg8787,but anybody else considering using bus travel.

[TitanX]

In planning my future travel, does anyone know about bus service from Manila to Angeles City? Bus company, hours and costs?

A few years ago, (January 2020) I took Victory from the Victory Liner Pasay Station. It wasn't far from the MNL airport and it wasn't more than 100 pesos to get there in the yellow taxi. The bus ticket to Dau (Angeles) was about 140 or 150 pesos. I think the buses leave every 45 minutes or 1 hour but I'm not entirely sure.

Hope this helps!

[Dg8787]

In planning my future travel, does anyone know about bus service from Manila to Angeles City? Bus company, hours and costs?

[Breadman]

* Side note. Made an Agoda hotel reservation in the NCR, 15 months after the pandemic started. The hotel was nicer than the usual ST places that I had been using so I decided an over-nighter with my lady would be a good change-of-pace. The room has 2 large beds and can be reserved for 1, 2, 3, or 4 persons, with a tiny price increase for the 3- or 4-person option, so I clicked 4 persons. I was considering a 3-some as a possibility. I had one regular gal inbound for the night and was considering contacting a second gal (who had 3-somed with the first gal before). Once at the hotel, checking in at the counter with girl #1, I mentioned to the clerk that 'Jenny' might be joining us later. "No sir. Maximum 2 persons per room. Hotel policy during Covid". Hey, Agoda says 4 persons. "No sir. Last week we were ECQ and it was 1 person per room. Now its not ECQ, maximum 2 persons. Only". The manager came out of the back room and confirmed that info.

Hey, guy, why does Agoda say 4 person? I paid for up to 4 persons. "That agoda is from before the pandemic. Not now". You haven't updated it in 15 months? "No sir". Then I want a partial refund for the 2-to-4 person upgrade. "Yes its fine. But you will not bring additional person here. This is pandemic!" Everything worked out fine with one girl.

And on a side note, remember all of those hotels that suddenly shut down but didn't update with Agoda. Those places are still closed yet with this new influx of tourists might start to get booked once again. Plenty of stories of tourists showing up to boarded up hotels.

Also read the fine print on any Airbnb you might want to book, they vary allot in the wording. Contact the owner before you can't cancel to make sure of their rules.

[WestCoast1]

MY HOPE is they become more realistic about tourists expectations

It will be difficult to argue at the front door of a hotel, condo, or business, with a security guard armed with his covid-protection marching orders (not to mention his gun and taser), that you don't need that mask, or the mandatory hand sanitizer. Or that its stupid that you can't bring unregistered guests to your room. Or that your guest needs a negative PCR test. Or that you don't want to socially distance while waiting in line outside to get into the grocery store (or inside the Jollibee).

and do away with some or all of these nonsensical policies

You are using logic. There is little of that to be found in Phils. Even government leaders might be superstitious and / or educated differently than you. He (or the security guard) might argue with you about the 'sense' of their policy, but it won't change the policy (or his mind). And the policy might change faster than Westy changes 3-somes.

since this is endemic now we need policies that live with this going forward. SNIP they will need to retire these alert levels as well as the fucking liquor ban.

See the above. Someone else makes the policies and others enforce them, and yet others vote the policy makers into office. You and I are not part of that system. We are guests. Concentrate less on the policy madness, and concentrate on the Mocha-Madness. A nice BJ each day takes your mind off that.

😁 If anyone needs bond or bail money while incarcerated, I have low, low interest rates 😁.

[Dg8787]

I'm looking forward to your April reports. Good luck with flying in and telling everyone that you don't need to abide by their rules but are entitled to unfettered access to girls, bars, hotels etc.

Old foreigners getting their dicks sucked for 1500 is sure to be a priority for setting Public Policy by then.

Enjoy. G. 😁.

Be sure to bring lots of $$$ for resolution fees.

[Goferring]

It might have been possible with pliable locals but entitled Gen Z vloggers and your run of the mill monger are not going to obey any of these rules, I know I won't. I won't be there until April so by then my hope is that they undo all of these horrible ineffective restrictions....

I'm looking forward to your April reports. Good luck with flying in and telling everyone that you don't need to abide by their rules but are entitled to unfettered access to girls, bars, hotels etc.

Old foreigners getting their dicks sucked for 1500 is sure to be a priority for setting Public Policy by then.

Enjoy. G. 😁.

[Muttley81]

MY HOPE is they become more realistic about tourists expectations and do away with some or all of these nonsensical policies since this is endemic now we need policies that live with this going forward. Just as they did away with the stop light scheme, they will need to retire these alert levels as well as the fucking liquor ban. While I appreciate that this is the situation in the phils now and it is not Feb 10 yet and they keep moving the goal post however with the influx of tourists this can't be the norm going forward. It might have been possible with pliable locals but entitled Gen Z vloggers and your run of the mill monger are not going to obey any of these rules, I know I won't. I won't be there until April so by then my hope is that they undo all of these horrible ineffective restrictions, however this is the Philippines we are taking about so it wouldn't surprised me if they added MORE restrictions not less when the influx of tourists arrive. I heard on a news cast that the tourists are exempt from the passenger limits they had set in place which is also a good sign.

Half the bars that reopened when alert level 2 was released in November have closure orders placed on them for breaking rules of alert level 3 in January. Appreciate people being optimistic and getting here now opportunities available to them, hope they aren't in for disappointment. On plus side there's always PinaLove, WeChat and a SOGO.