Originally Posted by slowsmile (Post 4947732)

...San Fernando, where I live, is on the west coast of Luzon Island - about hafway down. It is a lovely place and you are very near the Cordillera hills and mountains. The people are very friendly and there is no hustling here (like Manila or Cebu). Why I like it is because :

1. It is on the coast, lovely beaches and lots of hotels. Surfing in San Juan - just north of SF.
2. Lots of expats from UK, Germany, Holland, Australia and US.
3. The native people seem friendly and happy.
4. Aircon bus to Manila(Cubao) cost £3.75 - to travel 264 kms.
5. Weather is very sunny here. The clouds come from the east and usually the typhoons dissipate themselves over the mountains before reaching SF. It does rain here though.
6. Large market in San Fernando town and a huge market in Baguio City(..an hour away).
7. Peaceful and safe - low crime.
8. Local domestic airport (you can fly to Manila).

Hope it helps,

Bill :thumbup:

Originally Posted by katongkaren (Post 5207857)

weather - what about typhoons, earthquakes??

Originally Posted by katongkaren (Post 5283839)

Well that's really interesting and informative - thanks for that Bill.

Have already planned retirement to Phuket at end of year but always good to have some "plan Bs" on the back-burner in case of changes in Thailand.

For those that don't know, retirement visa for Thailand has just gone through an immediate change (no notice given by Thai authorities). Luckily we're not affected but many are.

Just to correct, I think I'm right in saying that you don't get typhoons in the tropics near to the Equator. Certainly you don't get them in Singapore - lucky if you get a strong breeze in Singapore :D

Originally Posted by slowsmile (Post 4871130)

Depends what you want. If you want law and order, condos, good schools etc. and reasonably cheap living then Malaysia might suit. Here you can buy a house or condo without marriage to a local. The best and most beautiful place in Malaysia to live(I think) is probably Kota Kinabalu(KK) in Sabah. It is a very up and coming modern town/city in Malaysia and the unspoilt jungle is all around you. Very modern yet very close to nature.Check it out on the internet.

Thailand, well, is Thailand. Same as above, but less modern and less order. Much cheaper than KK or Malaysia, wonderful food, but a wee bit more dangerous. Corrupt govts with a high crime rate against tourists which is the price paid when you sacrifice order. I have email friends there, they tell me all about their news.

I live in the Philippines(...so I admit that I am biased here !!). I retired here in 2006 and I am very happy. It is the cheapest of the three. I am not so concerned with order and modernity - but I live in a lovely, 3 bedroomed bungalow(+aircon+garden+garage) near the beaches and near the mountains. I rent it and it costs me £80 per month. Things are very cheap here. A heavy weekly shop for two people costs about £20 per week(real markets with local produce abound here !!). Beer is 27p per bottle. A meal for two at a good restaurant will cost £4-£8(with wine or beer). To tax AND Insure my Mitsubishi Lancer car costs £30 per annum. Cable TV is £3.50 per month. These prices might be higher if you lived in Manila or Cebu.

I live in San Fernando, La Union, Illocos Sur in Luzon(quiet and very provincial) and have been hear a year now. And I don't regret it. Other places in the Philippines you can search for are Boracay, Cebu, Naga City, Tagaytay and Baguio.

Best Regards and Good luck !!:thumbsup:

Bill

Originally Posted by looksgood (Post 5688322)

Hi Slowsmile (Bill),

Nice info on the San Fernando/Baguio area.

Im particuarly interested in Baguio due to the amazingly consistent mild climate.

Can you tell me something about the costs of long term living there ?

Is Baguio more expensive to live than San F on a long term basis ?

Thanks again for the insight Bill.

PS.....can anyone help me out on the Baguio questions I have ?

Originally Posted by katongkaren (Post 5698605)

Sad you guys have nothing more interesting to do. Thread is about retirement in Malaysia Thailand and Philippines, Mr/Ms Moderator. Guess they're not too fussy about their moderators on this board :lol:

Originally Posted by sunnydays (Post 2949290)

I love the different cultures in Malasia and Thailand and if we were younger and able to absorb a new language, we'd retire there. At our 60's age, learning is not that easy, maybe we've done too many courses along the way and our brains reached saturation! Its ok to say that English is understood in these countries, but the chatting all round you in public places is the local dialect and after a while it can leave you feeling isolated. We tried Spain and picked up a bit of the lingo but not enough, I was actually replying in German at times from my much earlier days living there before a family came along.
Moving to the Philippines is more like our natural culture if not a bit USA, English is widely spoken and living expenses are low. If you've paid into a UK state pension for all your working lives, it will be index linked, unlike living in Malasia or Thailand. Some pensioners have hard luck stories from countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
The middle and upper classe Philippine families live in secure subdevisions, some with swimming pools and sports clubs. Walking around at night poses no problem and much safer than walking round some of our UK places! ;)

Originally Posted by David_LivingInCebu (Post 3273229)

I would suggest joining some Yahoo Groups or Forums dedicated to providing information to Foreigners in each of these countries.

Having said that I moved to Cebu in the Philippines in May 2001, and have been living here ever since. I had not done any research other than having made several business trips to Manila, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpor. I have also had holidays several times in Malaysia and Holiday in Cebu.

In my opinion Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur is nicer than Manila or Bangkok. I also feel Malaysia is best geared up for Tourism followed by Thailand, then Philippines. Having said that there are nice beaches and accommodation in some parts of the Philippines, it's just not marketed and promoted that well by the Philippines Department of Tourism.

There are many British and other Foreigners who have decided to retire in Cebu, Philippines (and other places, but I do have nearly so much knowledge on them).

Cebu's weather is relatively moderate, having no distinct wet and dry season, the perfect vacation spot for seasons. One can bask under the sunshine the whole year through since Cebu is blessed with a tropical climate with a generally fair temperature range of between 23 –33°C (73-91°F). Coolest temperature can be felt in January and warmest in May. Cebu is also sufficiently far South to avoid most of the Storms/Typhoons experienced up North of the Philippines at certain times of the year.

Another consideration for Cebu is that it is in the Central Visayas - surrounded by other islands/land masses, so unlike to suffer any 'hits' from Tsunami!

The Filipinos, smiling and happy and very many speak English (American). The Filipinas in particular are very warm, loving, sexy brown beauties. I guess that is why I married one and have retired here in Cebu.

The other big factor is the low cost of living. It is a fraction the cost of living in the UK for example. I know because I retired at age 50 by cashing in my Private Pensions. I tool the maximum 25% Tax Free Cash Lump Sum Option from the non-protected elements part of these Private Pensions and converted the balance to Annuity paying only £3,000 a year! How far would that get you in the UK? Here in Cebu that converts to about Php22,000 a month, and a couple can easily live off that if you already have a house to live in.

I noticed someone saying the Philippines has crime and corruption! Tell me anywhere in the World that does not? The truth is there is some crime and corruption here. The corruption is reducing with the Philippine Government Departments introducing Computerised systems. In the nearly 5 years I have been living here in Cebu, not once robbed or attacked or swindled. Our house has never been broken into and things stolen either (we dont leave it empty though!).

Health care is good here, and many treatments can be significantly cheaper than Europe/UK etc.

For example my son visited us here in Cebu and lost his glasses (fell into lake at Kawasan Falls). Being short sited and unable to find them, he needed replacements. Spectacles are lot cheaper than UK but my son decided to try Lasik Laser eye surgery having spoken to some friends of mine who had such treatment here in Cebu. This cost just Php50,000 (managed to get additional discount of Php5,000 for members of my Yahoo Group - Cebu_BritClub, so only Php45,000). He is very well pleased with the results being able to see as soon as he wakes up and go swimming - without needing glasses. Dental Surgery is lot cheaper here also - many Australians come for that reason. The flights, the hotel, food, drinks and the treatment is less than back in Oz, so they get free holiday, teeth fixed up and a bit of spare change!

Having said that though my asawa's (wife) Mother was taken ill and rushed to Hospital. She was diagnosed as having Pneumonia and 50/50 chance of living. The Hospital, the doctors together with treatment and drugs saved her life. She was not covered by Phil Health (my wife is now applying as we learnt dependant parents can be covered on her membership - this could have covered 25-35% of the bill) and the total cost of her treatment was Php120,000! If you are not generally a healthy person, this needs to be taken into consideration and health insurance considered to help cover the costs - drugs mainly!

Education here in the Philippines seems no where near as good as say the UK. Then again one could say the standards of education in the UK has slipped over last 40 years? Private Schooling is available and 'resonable standard' but relatively expensive. Putting my step daughter through San Carlos University for example, was about Php30,00-Php40,000 a year!

Cebu, being second largest City in the Philippines (and once the capitol), has many of the modern day 'trappings' of Manilla/Makati, but perhaps on smaller scale. There are large air conditioned malls with all major shops, restaurants and bars/night clubs. There are Cinemas, Bowling, and other forms of recreation. Cost of eating and drinking out is very reasonable, as is the cost of Taxi transport - Php30min. Lots of things to see and do here in Cebu, as well as being able to buy just about everything you likely to need and want.

I hope this has given you some ideas and info releated to Cebu, Philippines.

As I said you can probably get more in-depth answers to specific questions related to living here (Cebu, Philippines) from the following websites:-

www.livinginthephilippines.com (Rose tinted persective - no crime or corruption here!).
www.cebuliving.com/forums (Very informative Furum with information grouped into different topics)

www.wayblima.com (informative portal for locals and foreighners alike).

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/liveincebu/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/livingincebu/ (Both these restarted after the original Yahoo Group 'LinC' got deleted - dont know which will survive and become best sourse of information yet - check membership numbers?).

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Philip...land_Paradise/ With over 3000 members - this group must be doing something right and also not specific to Cebu).

http://www.au.groups.yahoo.com/group...isephilippines (Non PC look at what it's really like to live in the Philippines - no rose tinted perspective here!)http://groups.yahoo.com/group/philippinedreams1 (Run by same guy Perry Gamsby, now back in Oz. Provides monthly e-zines and other books with useful, informative and enjoyable reading due Perry's humouristic writing style).

Finally if you hold a British passport (ths is not to be elitist or snobbish, it's just to keep the message post content on topic we can all relate to, some of the other Yahoo Groups are Phil-Am dominent most of the time!), you can join http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cebu_britclub

Hope this information helps - but nothing beats taking an extended holiday in each of these countiries to find out what it's really like.

Cheers

David

Originally Posted by slowsmile (Post 4871130)

Depends what you want. If you want law and order, condos, good schools etc. and reasonably cheap living then Malaysia might suit. Here you can buy a house or condo without marriage to a local. The best and most beautiful place in Malaysia to live(I think) is probably Kota Kinabalu(KK) in Sabah. It is a very up and coming modern town/city in Malaysia and the unspoilt jungle is all around you. Very modern yet very close to nature.Check it out on the internet.

Thailand, well, is Thailand. Same as above, but less modern and less order. Much cheaper than KK or Malaysia, wonderful food, but a wee bit more dangerous. Corrupt govts with a high crime rate against tourists which is the price paid when you sacrifice order. I have email friends there, they tell me all about their news.

I live in the Philippines(...so I admit that I am biased here !!). I retired here in 2006 and I am very happy. It is the cheapest of the three. I am not so concerned with order and modernity - but I live in a lovely, 3 bedroomed bungalow(+aircon+garden+garage) near the beaches and near the mountains. I rent it and it costs me £80 per month. Things are very cheap here. A heavy weekly shop for two people costs about £20 per week(real markets with local produce abound here !!). Beer is 27p per bottle. A meal for two at a good restaurant will cost £4-£8(with wine or beer). To tax AND Insure my Mitsubishi Lancer car costs £30 per annum. Cable TV is £3.50 per month. These prices might be higher if you lived in Manila or Cebu.

I live in San Fernando, La Union, Illocos Sur in Luzon(quiet and very provincial) and have been hear a year now. And I don't regret it. Other places in the Philippines you can search for are Boracay, Cebu, Naga City, Tagaytay and Baguio.

Best Regards and Good luck !!:thumbsup:

Bill