Hope all are well. Thinking about 6 months on 6 months off. I was born in Manilla, so have citizenship. Where to start? Large safe coastal towns? Rent or buy? Any tips, links? thanks.
I'd rent so you can move quickly if necessary. Humidity affects me, so go up high.Bagio? Sound like the best of all worlds. Nice people, the Philippineos. They go out of their way to have a good time.
I'd be looking to rent in a large city like Cebu or Davao. Use one of these places as a base while you explore the different islands/areas until to find a place you would want to live semi-permanently.
OI !!! whats the older bodies bit ? ur lucky theres not a fkoff smiley : Yeah humidity definately takes its toll .The 6 months on 6 off might be ok if you come here in the cooler months say aug-feb its a little cooler . You need plenty of patience to live in a 3rd world country things dont work like in oz you might be ok because you live in tas & things are a bit slower there I live on a small island because i dont like the traffic & pollution of the bigger cities ...its disgusting .But with that comes the lack of amenities/food selection etc But in saying that theres always something happening in the cities .The mass of people on the streets the hussle & bussle is kind of invigorating until the pollution & heat takes its toll. I lived in one of the cities for 6 months but had to get out of the filth/beggars/pollution/scammers. I have to say its been a good experience though .I mentioned to shiney the other day in a pm that im glad i done it now when im young (im 51 retired here when i was 48) so now i know its not for me & will be exploring other options for when im older.It would be a lot harder to reassess & move again when your older.. a bit over 3 years is enough for me . So i'l come home for a while & suck in the fresh air & fill myself with good fresh food ( something that i took for granted )until i find a better place.. A lot of the expats here just booze their life away & i rarely drink . Others are always chasing fluff .Honestly theres very few retired expats here that are normal only the ones who own resorts & businesses but they are mostly busy & not available to hang out or go island hopping or cruising around with. The average age of most of the expats would be around 60-65 at a guess. Another thing is it is many islands so if you want to travel around by car or bike you can only go so far before you run out of land & have to get on an ancient ro-ro (roll on roll off)boat that travel at the speed of a drunken jellyfish .. I know ive travelled to many places here & a lot of the time is spent at ports waiting for boats.. Each to their own i suppose .
Swift and awesome & great replies. thanks. How about buying into a resort? I get the joint for a few months, then rent to management? There was a nasty storm somewhere in the area a year or so ago, so would like to know the pats that are less prone to Mother Nature. Also some people get killed in the name of religion or hostage, so needs to be safe also. thanks in advance.
The kidnappings and killings are restricted to the very south of the country around Zamboanga and the islands south to it. I would be weary about putting in management of a resort if you're not going to be there unless you have family or trusted friends to watch over them. You also have to be careful about permits and having the correct permits when buying or building resorts. There's many cases where foreigners have bought resorts or built them only to have them shut down buy the government over the lack or incorrect permits.
I have an old school mate who's semi retired there Had a house on the beach , his rebuilding it now Wife & kids all there , his in Melbourne earning $ to rebuild the house I would if I could ( afford it )
Ive had many opportunities to buy beachfront land here but declined it .Personally i dont like it ..everything you own rusts the salt spray fks things up in a hurry. the noise of the ocean can get a bit much for me i like peace & tranquility something you dont get on the beach especially on days when the waves are a coming in & huge tides & tsunamis are a worry .I'l take high ground away from the water anyday . Another thing to think about is coconut palms they are DANGEROUS !!! not just for dropping coconuts but the fronds fall as well & are heavy .So dont park your car under them or sit under them .they look nice but i had one trash my carport roof & damage the roof on my house . Not to mention the huge "CRASH" thats scares the crap out of you when your asleep or just relaxing. :lol:
@ Renovator. I remember when you were building and how nice, and solid your place looked - as a comparator can I ask (without being too invasive) what a similar type of building/land would cost in the Philippines?
The Apartment building with 4 units cost around 120K to build The land was about 30K . The land is only a few hundred metres from the beach in a resort area. you can buy land much cheaper if u get away from the beach. the only problem buying in the provinces is the locals & their roosters .Cockfighting is very popular in the phils some people have 10 to 20 roosters . They can be a PIA before dawn . An average 3 bed house to build is around 30K- 40K hollow blocks with concrete post & beam construction . Ive built a couple for under 30k each but i was driving the show . If you leave it up to the locals they will work like snails & the labour cost will add a little extra.Not to mention the missing materials lol they will take anything & i mean anything from bags of cement to tie wire some even bagged sand & took it !!!be prepared to make a donation or two :lol:.If you keep an eye on things & you mention that theres shit missing they back off... theyre poor so i let them have a bit & said nothing until it got too much. when i was building the apartments i got a security guard in the end when all the tiles/ appliances/windows/light fittings were being delivered just in case. About $200 a month for the guard....well worth it . Depending on area i would say you could do it for around 50K to 100K if you want a nice place with a pool.
Look up the Canadian Surfer Girl at Cloud 9... [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThB413IBn8c[/youtube]
I know alot of people retired over there. I actually just bought a car off my ex-boss today because hes moving there forever in a weeks time. Im half filo and my mum is building a holiday house in cebu right now. I have have no advice but i know i will be asking the same question as the OP in a few years time. Its an amazing addictive place
You would have to aim at those islands and coastal towns that get a decent swell during the dry. On Samar you have Borongan and Guluan. On Siargao the infamous Cloud 9...
Here's a link to an interesting forum for expats and those considering moving to the Philippines. Stacks of useful info and discussions... http://www.expatexchange.com/philippines/liveinphilippines.html
Just to side track a bit. Have anyone of you silver stacker expats bought any colonial spanish/philippine silver or gold coins while over there? LD
Im looking at Indonesia. Not ridden with guns. Lovely people, helpful, friendly in general. Little crime or violence Muslim. I've also been to the Phillipines and like the people Some areas are high, in the mountains. Low humidity. Malang in Java, bukittingi in sumatra. Having a look at the cooler regions of Vietnam (dalat) in March.
