Manila - Quick summary and comparison to BKK

[aomf]

Been living in Manila (Malate) for 3 weeks mpter living in Thailand for 3 solid years (plus additional 4 years of being a regular visitor) and I am not enjoying the bar scene much.

Quick Summary

The service in bars and go-go's seems to be crap unless you are a big big spender, no smiles, takes ages to get a drink, get your change etc. There are not that many bars here and I had done some research before coming here and was advised to tip well but that doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.
What's with only being able to get served by the original waitress in most places? wtf

Bay massageplanete (Formerly LA massageplanete)
By far the worst service, can take 10 mins before you get a beer in your hand, food is ok but again you have to wait a while.
Some good looking FLs in there, a lot better quality to Beer Garden in BKK but also plenty of fugglies you have to shoo away constantly, upstairs has better girls but 100peso cover charge as bands are playing, open 24hrs a day and some girls seem to stay there for a few days at a time

EDSA Complex - About 6 Gogos
Best place I have found so far
Like a mini Nana Plaza but girls need to lose some weight and lose the bikinis wink.gif
Not unusual to be the only customer in the bar
Some very nice looking GRO (guest relation officers) but not all these are available
Only spotted half a dozen girls I would waste some money on but if you like chubby and girls that have obviously had kids then you might like it
No chrome poles so girls just stand there looking bored with the exception of Samba where the papasan gets them doing dance routines sometimes which can be fun

P.Burgos
Same sort of bars as EDSA but a bit more expensive and unless you are a regular/big spender you will get ignored, girls not much better than EDSA

Misc
Robinsons mall is great, good western food, a few FLs hanging around and the place to try and pick up 'good' girls
Havana massageplanete in Greenbelt has some good looking FLs and a lot of good girls but better if there is a group of you
Taxi drivers are a pain in the ****, trying to get them to turn on meters is difficult, best to grab one that is moving rather than waiting outside a venue
Beggars everywhere round Malate and can feel a bit edgy, you need to keep you wits about you and smper to walk on the road rather than pavements
massageplanete 28 is a nice little bar to relax on Mabini St, very cute waitresses but they get fired if they go with customers (this is good IMO)
Air Quality is very very bad, I get a headache walking 5 mins to the office Reviewom the diesel smoke belching out Reviewom the jeepney
Found a couple of beer bars but they were poky little places with fugglies hassling you, and no outside bars to watch the world go by like big dogs at nana (my favorite place in bkk)
Accommodation is very expensive, for the same quality of condo I had in BKK for 18k baht it costs 25k baht here
Beer and fags are cheaper smile.gif
Immigration/visa is much easier to 'sort' out wink.gif

Going to Puerto Galero this weekend for a break, supposed to have some nice beaches and a small bar scene, will review back

If anyone can suggest anywhere else I can hang out it would be much appreciated, a PI version of Big Dogs in Malate would be good wink.gif it might have to be an indoor venue with big glass windows though because of the pollution wink.gif

 

[Desk3Bound]

More than 10 years since I was in Manila.
That time you had the Firehouse in what now is probably Edsa.
P. Bourgos in Makati, had fun in Ivory, Rascals and Jools.
Under traders hotel you had Isis.
Close to Herieforum.xxxe hotel there should be some clubs, mate came back with good reviews last year (not cheap).

 

[RedSnook]

P Burgos is still fun, but expensive. My experience there every year is quite different than the OP. I remember in every bar being a lot of nice girls, but they sure hit you up for drinks and the take away price is 3000 pesos, much more than AC.

 

[Brianna R]

enjoy PG...there are about 6-7 bar/clubs that have girls...1KP to the mamasan 1KP to the girl...you can do a bar crawl of them all in one night...lots of Korean guys there and they BF the girls early....as soon as the bars open around 7pm

White Beach over the hill Reviewom Sabang is a nice beach to swim...some great diving there if you are into that

 

[Diddy]

Have to agree - have tried Manila several times now and have given up on it.

Some locals suggested massageplanete Havana at Greenbelt and the Hard Rock massageplanete as places to meet girls, but I didn't see anything happening in either place. I had no problem with girls coming over on P Burgos but felt very uncomfortable and hated the way that the waitresses made you sign for drinks and the way they kept asking you if you wanted another drink.

Angeles, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro (Mindanao) are the best places for a cheap, relaxed atmosphere.

 

[Cloud 9 with bells on!]

The train station.

No girls but there is a train to AC. I've been told to avoid Manila and by your review, rightly so.

Though I do enjoy Subic more than AC, easier to relax IMHO.