Hi All

Looking for advice please.

Outside of the cities and big towns is there anywhere with real quality in the Philippines both in terms of accommodation, restaurants and bars etc?

Looking to spend 1 year + outside of Thailand, partly to "reset" my UK pension which was frozen when I left the UK in 2014.

Appreciate any pointers.

🍻

Many smaller towns have nice and expensive houses to rent and some good restaurants and bars too. It mainly depends where you wish to be. If you like beaches, look for Boracay, Palawan of Siargao. If you like bars, go to Angeles or Subic.

On 1/12/2026 at 12:59 PM, MarkT63 said:

Looking to spend 1 year + outside of Thailand, partly to "reset" my UK pension which was frozen when I left the UK in 2014.

It'd only be uprated for the time you're there. If you become resident in Thailand again it would revert back to 2014 levels.

4 hours ago, beigo said:

Many smaller towns have nice and expensive houses to rent and some good restaurants and bars too. It mainly depends where you wish to be. If you like beaches, look for Boracay, Palawan of Siargao. If you like bars, go to Angeles or Subic.

I would not recommend Angeles or Subic. Angeles is a dump.

Look at Puerto Princesa, Baguio, Cebu, Davao City. But if you need Western conveniences, there are these all-in-one communities in Manila where your restaurant and bar needs would be met. If only a year, that would do. Cheap flights everywhere from there so if Manila starts to bog you down, jump a flight somewhere.

Always used to go to Barretto (next to Subic).

Loads of normal bars, hooker bars and nice restaurants (Mexican, German, Aussie, Brit)

Two great beaches Barretto and Baloy Long Beach, two floating bars off the beaches.

Baloy Long Beach

18 hours ago, beigo said:

Many smaller towns have nice and expensive houses to rent and some good restaurants and bars too. It mainly depends where you wish to be. If you like beaches, look for Boracay, Palawan of Siargao. If you like bars, go to Angeles or Subic.

15 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

It'd only be uprated for the time you're there. If you become resident in Thailand again it would revert back to 2014 levels.

Cheers - need to do a bit more research on this one. 🍻

16 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Always used to go to Barretto (next to Subic).

Loads of normal bars, hooker bars and nice restaurants (Mexican, German, Aussie, Brit)

Two great beaches Barretto and Baloy Long Beach, two floating bars off the beaches.

Baloy Long Beach

Been there, did some diving stayed at Blue Rock. Wreck diving is great as long as you get a day with decent visibility.

The beaches are not nice, packed down brown sand, river sediment sand. But again, if only for a year, a good suggestion.

Side note. About a month after I was there, the manager at Blue Rock had fired an employee, and it was either the employee or the husband of the employee showed up with a gun and put a bullet in his head. Tread carefully in PI.

7 hours ago, Priorexpat said:

Side note. About a month after I was there, the manager at Blue Rock had fired an employee, and it was either the employee or the husband of the employee showed up with a gun and put a bullet in his head. Tread carefully in PI.

I used to have a pot of Tea at Blue Rock every morning.

They provided me with my very own armed guard.

12 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I used to have a pot of Tea at Blue Rock every morning.

They provided me with my very own armed guard.

Looks like he was taking care you were paying the bill.... 🤣

On 1/12/2026 at 1:59 PM, MarkT63 said:

Outside of the cities and big towns

🍻

You ruled out bigger cities, so I ruled out Manila, Davao, Cebu etc. I 've been so many places in Philippines. If you are still thinking, google also Dumaguete, Ormoc, Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro. I liked those places. Or come to my city, Dipolog.

On 1/19/2026 at 2:07 PM, MarkT63 said:

Cheers - need to do a bit more research on this one. 🍻

With regard to a discussion on another thread (where AI was invoked!) it sounds like it's possible for the frozen pension to be permanently reset in the UK if habitual residence status is re-established (as opposed to a temporary pension uprating on a home visit).

Not sure what the requirements for this would be in the Philippines or in other reciprocal countries.

On 1/23/2026 at 11:37 AM, lamyai3 said:

With regard to a discussion on another thread (where AI was invoked!) it sounds like it's possible for the frozen pension to be permanently reset in the UK if habitual residence status is re-established (as opposed to a temporary pension uprating on a home visit).

Not sure what the requirements for this would be in the Philippines or in other reciprocal countries.

Cheers Lamyai3, still doing my research for a move somewhere by the end of 2027. 🍻

Maybe look at Malaysia. I sure enjoyed my stays in Penang. Some of the best food outside of Thailand, funky street art, beaches.