roko1982 Posted July 29, 2014 Posted July 29, 2014 Hello fellow expats, I am currently residing in Manila and have been for almost a year. I live in a condo and am on a fixed income of less than 2 grand a month American I try to stay under 1500 when possible. I am tried of the large city of manila however love the fact that I am close to the nightlife and the SM malls and of course I am still looking for someone nice. Everyone tells me Cebu is a great area and has cleaner air and beaches close by so I have been doing my research a little. I know my lease is up here in October and I am taking a trip in august to Cebu to view some apartments and houses. I am focusing on MActan island and lapu lapu city based on what I read. it seems to be close enough to the city yet in a good area to where I can take a bike to a beach or a ferry to go swimming. I have seen online where there are homes for 16k or 17k which fits in my budget for rent just fine. I am not sure if lapu lapu city is a safe area or not. Are there any areas or divisions in this city I should truly avoid? personally I just want a place to relax be close to some night life and meet some new people while I am here for the next 18 months finishing my higher education. no I am not a traditional student but after my career ended in the ARmy this is a great place to focus on school and find relaxation. Manila is getting tired and Cebu sounds good any tips would be appreciated thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hounddriver Posted July 29, 2014 Posted July 29, 2014 I hear what you are saying. I moved away from Cebu 4 years ago for similar reasons. Shows ya that one man's meat is another man's poison so best of luck finding what you are looking for. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinilaw Posted July 30, 2014 Posted July 30, 2014 I don't live in Cebu but I have a business there and have been going there 3 times a year for over 10 years. Also I own a condo there but I doubt you would be interested in that. Its in a pricy building. My advice, find an aprtment, townhouse or condo on the north side of town. The wind blows south and given the number of trash fires I think its a nicer envoronment. Mactan might look close on a map but it can be quite the chore to get to Cebu City. Traffic is not as bad as Manila but a Mactan to Cebu City trek would get old quick for me. Ayala and SM are the prime go to places if you are new in town. I would find something where that I could get to either of these easily. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBM Posted July 30, 2014 Posted July 30, 2014 Hello fellow expats, I am currently residing in Manila and have been for almost a year. I live in a condo and am on a fixed income of less than 2 grand a month American I try to stay under 1500 when possible. I am tried of the large city of manila however love the fact that I am close to the nightlife and the SM malls and of course I am still looking for someone nice. Everyone tells me Cebu is a great area and has cleaner air and beaches close by so I have been doing my research a little. I know my lease is up here in October and I am taking a trip in august to Cebu to view some apartments and houses. I am focusing on MActan island and lapu lapu city based on what I read. it seems to be close enough to the city yet in a good area to where I can take a bike to a beach or a ferry to go swimming. I have seen online where there are homes for 16k or 17k which fits in my budget for rent just fine. I am not sure if lapu lapu city is a safe area or not. Are there any areas or divisions in this city I should truly avoid? personally I just want a place to relax be close to some night life and meet some new people while I am here for the next 18 months finishing my higher education. no I am not a traditional student but after my career ended in the ARmy this is a great place to focus on school and find relaxation. Manila is getting tired and Cebu sounds good any tips would be appreciated thanks. I would strongly advise against entering into any sort of lengthly lease agreement until you spend a month or so in Cebu first. Like Dave I moved away from Cebu also and feel my quality of life has increased immensely. Cebu and Mactan are booming, without question. However my view is the infrastructure has failed to keep up. The area is incredibly over crowded, pollution is a problem. Jeepneys are clogging the roads belching out black smoke and traffic can and is a nightmare. At peak times both Mactan bridges can be chockablock. Most good beaches in Mactan are controlled by resorts and I believe some charges apply, there are public beaches how ever weekends I understand they get crowded and often have karaoke. Sorry if I sound negative, just that you may have, perhaps unrealistic feelings of Cebu. From your post nightlife is important, here you will not be disappointed. Also world class malls and restaurants . Each to his own I guess, I wish you all the best with your move. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roko1982 Posted July 30, 2014 Author Posted July 30, 2014 I understand the area is crowded, I hope the pollution is less than Manila, the resort fees for beaches on a weekend small getaway is ok to me usually when I have seen these in Subic they were around 400 peso for a day pass I have no idea what they are in Cebu. Traffic is a problem everywhere I think and I am not in a hurry, I go to school and live life, I left my rush in America where it belongs it took me several months to get rid of the attitude here in manila for that but it works for me. I really just want an area that is not polluted ocean everywhere you look I hope Cebu is not that. When you walk next to the ocean and go to the resturants in manila all you sea is polluted water here. I like Manila and the traffic sucks but its manageable but if I could hang out at a beach once or twice a week I would be extremely happy. so from what you guys say it I manila only a little cleaner a little cheaper, and same traffic with a few private beaches that are crowded but crowds are everywhere and I have grown used to that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hounddriver Posted July 30, 2014 Posted July 30, 2014 I really just want an area that is not polluted ocean everywhere you look I hope Cebu is not that. Its gettng there. But some areas on the far side of Mactan are still ok. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i am bob Posted July 30, 2014 Posted July 30, 2014 I read all your posts on this thread back to back and i feel like what you are looking for is not necessarily Cebu but somewhere more like Dumaguette... Depends I guess on what you want to study but it is a university town (city) and just a short ferry ride and bus (vhire) to Cebu if you want to have a faster weekend. :tiphat: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brucewayne Posted July 31, 2014 Posted July 31, 2014 I read all your posts on this thread back to back and i feel like what you are looking for is not necessarily Cebu but somewhere more like Dumaguette... Depends I guess on what you want to study but it is a university town (city) and just a short ferry ride and bus (vhire) to Cebu if you want to have a faster weekend. :tiphat: That sounds good and North of Cebu isn't too bad. I live in the outskirts of Liloan and it isn't far from a number of beaches, of which one or two are fairly nice and admittance is less than P100 unless you want to use the pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russellmania Posted September 29, 2014 Posted September 29, 2014 I understand the area is crowded, I hope the pollution is less than Manila, the resort fees for beaches on a weekend small getaway is ok to me usually when I have seen these in Subic they were around 400 peso for a day pass I have no idea what they are in Cebu. Traffic is a problem everywhere I think and I am not in a hurry, I go to school and live life, I left my rush in America where it belongs it took me several months to get rid of the attitude here in manila for that but it works for me. I really just want an area that is not polluted ocean everywhere you look I hope Cebu is not that. When you walk next to the ocean and go to the resturants in manila all you sea is polluted water here. I like Manila and the traffic sucks but its manageable but if I could hang out at a beach once or twice a week I would be extremely happy. so from what you guys say it I manila only a little cleaner a little cheaper, and same traffic with a few private beaches that are crowded but crowds are everywhere and I have grown used to that. To find exactly what you are seeking its sounds like Thailand to me. Philippines is a 3rd world country and that is over crowded, traffic jams, beggars. pollution, bad roads and sidewalks, high rents in the cities, typhoons monthly, corruption, violence against westerners. Other then that, its great here!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i am bob Posted September 29, 2014 Posted September 29, 2014 I understand the area is crowded, I hope the pollution is less than Manila, the resort fees for beaches on a weekend small getaway is ok to me usually when I have seen these in Subic they were around 400 peso for a day pass I have no idea what they are in Cebu. Traffic is a problem everywhere I think and I am not in a hurry, I go to school and live life, I left my rush in America where it belongs it took me several months to get rid of the attitude here in manila for that but it works for me. I really just want an area that is not polluted ocean everywhere you look I hope Cebu is not that. When you walk next to the ocean and go to the resturants in manila all you sea is polluted water here. I like Manila and the traffic sucks but its manageable but if I could hang out at a beach once or twice a week I would be extremely happy. so from what you guys say it I manila only a little cleaner a little cheaper, and same traffic with a few private beaches that are crowded but crowds are everywhere and I have grown used to that. To find exactly what you are seeking its sounds like Thailand to me. Philippines is a 3rd world country and that is over crowded, traffic jams, beggars. pollution, bad roads and sidewalks, high rents in the cities, typhoons monthly, corruption, violence against westerners. Other then that, its great here!! So many people moving from Thailand to the Philippines lately... I wonder why? :mocking: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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