Makati

[Turgid]

Definitely on this!

I have been mongering worldwide pretty heavily for 30 years.

To this day the Philippines is the only place on earth I have ever seen live lice crawl out of a hookers hair. And it happened more than once, or twice!

GROSS.

Tip them with shampoo.

[Expat American]

On the topic of dancing girls, I would say that only Nautica is where you "currently" find ladies who regularly get up and dance in Bikini's, in Coco Rock this can happen, but you need to buy the ladies drinks first (or promise them a drink), there it's not part of the standard routine. Lips doesn't have dancing girls as such.

For freelancers that get up and dance as if in a nightclub, then Lips and Saharat (see my previous reports for more info) would be the place to go.

I don't see that much of a difference in prices between AC and Makati (I was there two weeks ago), only comparing Walking street with P. Burgos street, both places the bar fines I experienced were between 3. 5-4 K and the ladies tended to quote roughly the same when dealing with freelancers in both places, the only big difference is the choice in options, with Walking street in AC having more than four times the number of venues open than currently available in P Burgos street..

In AC the barfines are all inclusive. In Burgos I think you negotiate separately for the service so total cost maybe over 6 K.

[Ghost D]

So is LIPS operating just like the old days? Dancing girls and barfines? How much is the morning tip for girls on Burgos? I remember it was more than AC but I can't remember how much more.
This guy gives a pretty good look at the current state of the party scene in Makati:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ap3t3fvYBM

On the topic of dancing girls, I would say that only Nautica is where you "currently" find ladies who regularly get up and dance in Bikini's, in Coco Rock this can happen, but you need to buy the ladies drinks first (or promise them a drink), there it's not part of the standard routine. Lips doesn't have dancing girls as such.

For freelancers that get up and dance as if in a nightclub, then Lips and Saharat (see my previous reports for more info) would be the place to go.

I don't see that much of a difference in prices between AC and Makati (I was there two weeks ago), only comparing Walking street with P. Burgos street, both places the bar fines I experienced were between 3. 5-4 K and the ladies tended to quote roughly the same when dealing with freelancers in both places, the only big difference is the choice in options, with Walking street in AC having more than four times the number of venues open than currently available in P Burgos street.

Having said that, I am seeing an increase in the amount of available ladies in the venues that are open in P Burgos, and also I have heard that several new venues are planning to open over the coming weeks, things are very slowly starting to feel a "little" bit like the old days.

[WestCoast1]

Airbnb have atrocious cancellation policies in these post-covid era. Prior to Covid I was regularly booking Airbnb in Angeles but during COVID I notice Airbnb would still take their booking fee if I cancelled due to covid. There are better ways to book than risking part of your holiday dollars on Airbnb. But that being said, when I do get to AC I will be wanting an apartment and maybe Airbnb is the only way for us to access apartments.

At the start of Covid, airbnb quickly put up a notice that said such as this: "All money will be refunded with proof due to Covid restrictions". I was able to get (delayed) refunds without argument at that time. That notice ran for about 3 months. A new notice popped up, such as: "As of August 1 (or similar date), airbnb will no longer refund due to Covid restrictions". The hint was that you should cancel your upcoming reservation prior to Aug 1 and get a full refund. After that date, they stopped refunding money due to local Covid restrictioins.

Airbnb also got hit with a shortage of staff (as they explained to me when I complained that they were taking weeks between responses to my requests for refunds). They were nearly worthless because of the delays. Egregious owner-tenent disagreements went unanswered for weeks. Even later, into 2021, sometimes I contacted airbnb when I thought an owner was violating the TOS. Typical reply times could be 5-10 days; too long to consider renting from that owner. In one of my complaints with airbnb, they said they were shorthanded and backed up from the pandemic.

[FuriousGeorge]

Yeah I always stay at City Garden Grand, and will be there in a few weeks.

So is LIPS operating just like the old days? Dancing girls and barfines? How much is the morning tip for girls on Burgos? I remember it was more than AC but I can't remember how much more.

This guy gives a pretty good look at the current state of the party scene in Makati:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ap3t3fvYBM

[WestCoast1]

Ya, book at City Garden GRAND, not the old one. Good luck.

Agree, CGG is a newer and nicer place. Lovely open-air resto / bar and pool on the top floor. However, do call and double-check which amenities are open (and guest policies), regardless of what you read or see online. As AsianPursuits points out, airbnb has become junky. All of the booking sites, including Agoda, Booking dot com, airbnb, and so on, have been gutted during Covid; they don't check the actual content of the advertised units. Just look at the large number of airbnb condo units that show as available on your dates, but are off the market (and have been since the pandemic start); the owners have simply not de-activated the listing. Same goes for hotels on Agoda and such, the hotel might have been closed since the start of covid, but on the booking sites it has always shown as open. Again alternately, the hotel has now re-opened, complete with nice pics (pool! Gym!) and description that has not changed since pre-covid times, yet the hotel's facilities have been closed or are extremely limited. That nice pool on top of CGG is probably closed, as will be their gym (as per DOH). MAYBE. You don't get those details on Agoda, you get updates by calling the hotel yourself. BUT, BUT, AGODA SAYS THE ROOM IS GOOD FOR THREE PERSONS / THE POOL IS OPEN / THE GYM IS OPEN. "Sorry po, this is pandemic". Get used to hearing "Sorry po". Call your hotel before you reserve, and then 24-48 hours prior to arrival, and ask 2 things: 1) What is your 'guest' policy? And 2) What ammenities are open?

More coming on Airbnb soon.

[Breadman]

Definitely on this!

I have been mongering worldwide pretty heavily for 30 years.

To this day the Philippines is the only place on earth I have ever seen live lice crawl out of a hookers hair. And it happened more than once, or twice!.

I decided to make the move overseas, quit my job and live off savings until my pension and social security kick in. You can't take all of your possessions with you when you want to see many different countries. So I went along the backpackers route, buy what you need and leave it behind when you move. But even with limited space in my bag I did allow for a electric hair trimmer. I give myself a buzz cut every few weeks without having to hunt down a barbershop. I guess the bonus for me is no lice can latch onto my head since I have little hair for them to hide in.

[AsianPursuits]

I'm coming over soon and thinking of Airbnb. Over the years for a week or more stay I like these better as usually bigger and same price as hotel or cheaper..

Airbnb have atrocious cancellation policies in these post-covid era. Prior to Covid I was regularly booking Airbnb in Angeles but during COVID I notice Airbnb would still take their booking fee if I cancelled due to covid. There are better ways to book than risking part of your holiday dollars on Airbnb. But that being said, when I do get to AC I will be wanting an apartment and maybe Airbnb is the only way for us to access apartments.

[D Cups]

I'm coming over soon and thinking of Airbnb. Over the years for a week or more stay I like these better as usually bigger and same price as hotel or cheaper. I'm coming in March and the host on all the ones I've inquired claim they don't know much about guest policy on COVID restrictions. I get they will probably need vaccine card but all my regulars do and I'm guessing most bar girls as well. I like Gramercy in Makati and before they were always easy. Sometimes they checked girls ID and most of time it was just "evening sir" as we walked in. If you have any building recommendations in Makati on Airbnb for getting girls in now that would be great. It will be a bummer if they say no guest or she needs 2 days worth of paperwork to fill out. These Airbnb host are not being very forthcoming and it may be better this early just do a hotel like City Garden as other here have said that's fine.

Ya, book at City Garden GRAND, not the old one. Good luck.

[WestCoast1]

Definitely on this!

I have been mongering worldwide pretty heavily for 30 years.

To this day the Philippines is the only place on earth I have ever seen live lice crawl out of a hookers hair. And it happened more than once, or twice!

GROSS.

A group of my regulars in one province are all friends. They live in wildly poor conditions (dirt floors, no electricity, no running water, and so on). I noticed quickly when I first started going into their compounds that almost everyone gets the hair-pickin' treatment: someone else (always a girl) stands over a seated person and pours thru the hair on his / her head, slowly, looking for lice and any other hair critters. Men get the treatment. Women get the treatment. Seniors get the treatment. Kids get the treatment. "Westy she have some creature in her head".

Textbook definition lice diagnosis: When your hair is blowing in the breeze. But there is no breeze.

Yuck!

[Rick Rock]

Lastly, bring lice / scabies killing shampoo and use all over your body the day you depart and seven days later (unhached eggs). Just in case.

Definitely on this!

I have been mongering worldwide pretty heavily for 30 years.

To this day the Philippines is the only place on earth I have ever seen live lice crawl out of a hookers hair. And it happened more than once, or twice!

GROSS.

[Muttley81]

I'm coming over soon and thinking of Airbnb. Over the years for a week or more stay I like these better as usually bigger and same price as hotel or cheaper. I'm coming in March and the host on all the ones I've inquired claim they don't know much about guest policy on COVID restrictions. I get they will probably need vaccine card but all my regulars do and I'm guessing most bar girls as well. I like Gramercy in Makati and before they were always easy. Sometimes they checked girls ID and most of time it was just "evening sir" as we walked in. If you have any building recommendations in Makati on Airbnb for getting girls in now that would be great. It will be a bummer if they say no guest or she needs 2 days worth of paperwork to fill out. These Airbnb host are not being very forthcoming and it may be better this early just do a hotel like City Garden as other here have said that's fine.

A lot of buildings have their own policy outside of Barangay requirements and this is changing frequently. Owners probably don't want hassle of refunds and poor reviews should building managers decide to go draconian again and renter doesn't like it.

[WestCoast1]

On Burgos, across from the previous WowWow bar. Just prior to the pandemic, it was the last place that had spotlight dancers. Five girls that put on a 10-15 minute dance routine, usually to 3-4 different songs. One dance routine each hour from 9 pm to 1 pm (4 shows nightly). Each of the 4 routines was different, with different clothing / uniforms and 4 different songs. The shows were free as long as you had a drink. I think I reported early 2020 that there were few gents in the Burgos gogo bars anymore. You could go into Jools most nights and stay for the 10 and 11 pm shows and be the only customer sometimes. There was some serious choreography going on, as every 4-5 days, all 4 nightly dance routines, songs, and uniforms would completely change. That's a lot of new routines for the girls to learn quickly. I took one of my regulars in from time to time. As I was living just a walk away, I went in either with my girl, or alone, 2-3 nights a week, just to see the dancers. One night I was there having a drink alone, watching the show. I left shortly after they finished and I handed the waitress a brown note to give to the dancers later. Two nights later I was back with my regular (previously she was a Burgos gogo gal) to see the show. After the show as I was chatting with my girl, the 5 dancers came out of the changing room and plopped down with us, thanking for the tip previously. My regular knew one of the dancers (also from the regular's previous gogo bar), and the 7 of us sat and gabbed for 30 minutes. Lovely experience.

Alas, its all gone now. Isko bring it back! A man can dream.

[Locamotive]

I'm coming over soon and thinking of Airbnb. Over the years for a week or more stay I like these better as usually bigger and same price as hotel or cheaper. I'm coming in March and the host on all the ones I've inquired claim they don't know much about guest policy on COVID restrictions. I get they will probably need vaccine card but all my regulars do and I'm guessing most bar girls as well. I like Gramercy in Makati and before they were always easy. Sometimes they checked girls ID and most of time it was just "evening sir" as we walked in. If you have any building recommendations in Makati on Airbnb for getting girls in now that would be great. It will be a bummer if they say no guest or she needs 2 days worth of paperwork to fill out. These Airbnb host are not being very forthcoming and it may be better this early just do a hotel like City Garden as other here have said that's fine.

[WestCoast1]

What type of Raids and by which level of enforcement?

Some pics I think I posted before, on Burgos.

Pics 1 and 2. Movida bar, Burgos corner Luna. Before pandemic, a hopping classy place. The closure notices (red arrows) are for curfew violation and alcohol ban.

Pic 3. Lion's Den, Burgos, formerly WowWow bar (across from Jools). Similar closure notices.