Cebu IT Park Apartments | Avida Towers

Avida Tower 1 & 2 (both share the same pool / garden) form a condominium complex in IT Park, the nicest and safest area to live in Cebu City. Tons of restaurants, cafes, shops all downstairs on your doorstep.

The best condo in Cebu is Calyx Centre, also in IT Park, but that gets booked up well in advance on Airbnb and if that happens Avida Towers is a decent alternative.

Studio room at Avida Tower II

Avida Towers Review

I spent a two nights in Avida Towers II and liked it but long term I’d rather live at Calyx for the better gym and less ID checks when taking a girl home.

No balcony in this room

Price

Avida Towers is a cheaper and older building without a real gym (just outdoor park style equipment, pics below), so if you don’t need that it’s a good option to live in the best area and pay a bit lower rent.

Outdoor step machine, sit up bench

Prices are around 23 – 25k pesos on a one year lease (~$460) for a studio room at Calyx Centre or $35 – 40 daily on Airbnb, versus 20 – 22k at Avida Towers or $25 – 30 daily. Depending on the owner.

Rooms

Like most Philippines condos studios are pretty small, 22 – 24 sqm. There are also 1 and 2 bedroom units.

Comfy bed

Internet was decent, if you live anywhere long term install your own PLDT on a 2 yr contract and just pay the ~$100 fee if you cancel. Hot water, air con, no construction noise on the 24th floor (top floor).

Window view, some construction

One window view is out to sea, on the other end are mountains. This was the room I stayed in. If you’re new to Airbnb get $35 off your first booking here.

Cebu mountains view

The Pyramid in that pic is a bistro restaurant modelled after The Louvre with international food, craft beers, wines, coffee, and morning yoga classes.

Pinay not included

There’s a small kitchenette, fridge, this room had an oven and extractor fan but not all rooms will. See more rooms here on Cebu Craigslist. At the time of writing I see a one bedroom on there for 28k.

Some owners might not put nice furnishings in

For a cheaper less nice apartment that’s still walking distance to IT Park you can try La Guardia Flats 1 for around 16k pesos (~$330).

Bathroom at Avida towers

Girl Friendly?

You can bring guests home but security asked for the girls’ ID when they saw me. One other time late at night the guard wasn’t at reception. At Calyx Centre they don’t ask so I’d rather live there long term.

Empty lobby at night

Daytime reception

Swimming Pool

The pool is on the 2nd floor in between the two towers only accessible for residents and their guests via the lifts. No charge to use it. Some areas of shade out of the sun.

Swimming pool

Not as nice as the top floor pool at Calyx Residences (the one at Ayala not IT Park) and less depth (4 feet) but it stays open later, 8am – 10pm. Changing rooms next to it.

Kid’s pool

Family friendly apartment

Garden

There’s a sorta garden, green spaces next to a footpath all around the two towers in a loop around the pool. Good for jogging around. Links to the outdoor gym.

Garden footpath

Outdoor fitness

Facilities

There’s a car park and it’s easy to get a taxi, 50 pesos ish to Mango Square or book an Uber.

Avida Tower I seen from Tower II

Next to Avida Towers is a ‘Flame It’ burger van open late, til about 2am like many of the restaurants and cafes are. Some stores stay open 24/7.

IT Park Burger Van

Hand made burgers

It’s also next to McDonalds and Shaka restaurant which is a perfect date spot before inviting girls back.

Chicks hanging out by Maccas IT Park

Shaka Hawaiian Restaurant

Romantic spot to take dating site girls

Even the dogs are getting blowjobs

Cebu night skyline

Short Stay Rentals

To find the latest listings Google site:airbnb.com avida towers cebu. Make an account if you’re new for $35 off.

Location

  • Avida Towers on Google Maps
  • Address – Avida Towers, Inez Villa St, IT Park, Apas, Cebu City, 6000 Cebu, Philippines

42 Responses

  1. A bit pricey for my needs. I’m still considering Cebu, but it seems like you need to shell out like 20k or no swimming pool. 🙁 I’m kind of cheap and wanna keep it at around 800 a month. Most important thing is to be central. La Guardia looks ok.

    so maybe 300-360 ish rent // 200-250 food and cheap dates // 200 visa/incidentals/occasional massage/fun/savings

    I don’t monger. I drink occasionally.

    • jspill says:

      If you live in avida or one of the calyx apartments girls will come straight to your room for the first date hehe, that’ll cut down costs. Just send them pics of you by the pool

      Other esteemed commenter Southernadventurer never leaves the house (calyx centre)

      • That’s kickass. I’m assuming he just orders takeout then?

        • jspill says:

          Dating site girls come to him

        • SouthernAdventurer says:

          Nah saying I never leave is hyperbole but the girls usually will come straight over. Honestly though I still go out sometimes when I want to, but only when I want to :).

          • Are you still in town?

            • jspill says:

              I’ll message him in case he doesn’t see this.

              When you there? I was considering a trip

              • NormalNomad says:

                You should organize a list of youngish Cebu Expats so we can have a meet and greet. Maybe all commentators under 35 (nothing wrong with the old retirees, but let’s be honest—we’re in completely different fields).

                Even if it’s just 2 or three long term guys with various occasional visitors (like yourself) would still be fun.

                • jspill says:

                  How is Cebu lately? You’ll be more up to date than me. Since J Ave closed and the comedy bar (are they still?) what other good spots are there? Any new clubs opened?

                  You and Mikey (who seems to hate it and is leaving soon) are the only guys I know in Cebu, and southernadventurer but he hasn’t commented in a while and didnt reply on wechat, hope he’s still alive.

                  Everyone I know of lives in Manila or Angeles pretty much. I prefer those cities too. Only upside to Cebu I can see is beaches but they’re an hour from Cebu City, I think I’d sooner live in Boracay or Subic over Cebu, and be right on the beach with more nightlife.

                  Obviously you can still get laid and have fun in Cebu but you can everywhere… and other places have way more nightlife than Cebu. Online dating is good in Cebu I guess.

                  But sure next time I’m in Cebu I’m up for drinks.

                • NormalNomad says:

                  Yeah to be honest I only went to Mango Ave about half a dozen times in the nearly year I’ve been here. I hated it. The music was too loud (lol, and I’m in my 20s, damaged the hell out of my ears between 18-23 with stupid subwoofers in my car so I already have bad hearing) and I always got hit up by prostitutes, ladyboys, and my personal favorite: Ladyboy prostitutes.

                  Maybe I was going to the wrong spots, but for me it seemed like too much effort for too little value. But I’m a strict no p4p guy. Never paid for it in my life. Just a personal integrity thing for me. Maybe when I’m old and that’s the only way to get laid with pretty girls haha.

                  Anyways I tried Manila for 2 weeks and I couldn’t deal with the noise and traffic. Plus girls were always complaining about meeting me near my place because of said traffic. Add to that that the level of entitlement from average looking girls was just significantly higher on average the Cebu girls and I just didn’t care for Manila overall.

                  Like you said, Online is where it’s at. I do love beaches, but you need some population or you’re going to develop a reputation quickly. Not enough bigger cities in the Phils to really be a guy who gets around if you’re going to stay long term, which leaves you down to about 3 places total, (assuming you’re not sleeping with pros).

                  I know some guys couldn’t care less about what the locals think of them, but when you live here full time your mindset changes. I don’t want people I don’t even know hating me (here’s looking at you, Mikey, haha!)

                • Mikey Johnson says:

                  All the good nightlife is in Mandaue, which is turning out to be an up and coming ‘lifestyle’ spot. There’s a lot of new money coming to this city and if any of u are interested, I would jump in front of it.

                  However, locals are starting to think this place will end up like HK or SG bc a few tall buildings have emerged. Heh…

                  My sentiments on Mango are the same as Normal Nomad’s — a waste of time.

                  I have been all over this city from A Lopez to Banilad and it can be a very polarizing experience depending on where you are. I stand by what I have said before: Locals are just waaay too dickish here. I have actually picked up a little Bisaya and you won’t believe what these fucking idiots say.

                  Girls are ok as long as you avoid the diva contingent, but the best girls I have fucked weren’t even from the city. I’m open to meetups to share some quality spots in this city. You know how to reach me, Jspill.

                • NormalNomad says:

                  Mikey you’re just such a character man. lol you just HATE Cebu and the locals so much….I haven’t bothered to learn much of any bisaya, but even I can tell that people talk about me in places I frequent. Of course if you’re a foreigner and they know/see you with a lot of different girls, they’re going to talk about you. It’s an interesting event. People in the states gossip about less interesting things all the time….really, what’s the difference?

                  Yeah some of them probably talk shit and say all kinds of stupid shit right in front of me in bisaya, and sometimes I KNOW they’re talking about me because language doesn’t hide facial expressions and body language. But like I said: Whoop-de-fucking-doo. If you think Thais or Vietnamise or any other race where you stand out significantly just by your skin tone don’t talk shit when they see you fucking around I’ve got a bridge to sell you buddy.

                  I’m not saying it’s all sunshine and rainbows, and yeah, the girls here sometimes act really fucking stupid (Filipino time is the bane of my existence) but you make this place sound like a hell-hole, lol. Maybe they’re just racist against whatever racial background you come from…..but again, you can find that even in good ol USA, especially if you go to the right cities/states….some places the hicks will straight up attack minorities….not very many places but it does happen, so let’s not pretend like it doesn’t.

                  The world is fucked up. People are racist. Shit happens. Man, I know it sucks but try not to let it overwhelm your perception of the world. At the end of the day life is still pretty fucking good.

                • Mikey Johnson says:

                  You seem to like Cebu and Cebuanos so much lol. That’s good.

                  Even the filipinos from Luzon/Mindanao hate their guts. Ive also heard it from expats of all stripe.

                  City people here are just uber jealous of expats man. Take a bus out to Badian and see the difference.

                  I’m actually thinking of making some investments here and I’m experiencing a disconnect bc there is a local culture of crookery and a thin elite keep everything in balance. These guys don’t share my values.

                • Mikey Johnson says:

                  This discussion is becoming completely pointless.

                  Let jspill make his assessment when he arrives. I’m simply trying to pay it forward for guys who are a bit introverted.

                  I need to leave the city and kick it on the beach and get away from all this noise every month and that’s been glorious but the city if you live in mabolo/lahug outside of IT Park can be random and the locals you will encounter will be a mixed bunch.

                  I definitely dislike a lot of locals here bc I’m very very sensitive to stuff like sneering and keep to myself and I’m more on the serious side. A lot of them cant count back correct change, or you’ll order something and they’ll pull their coworker to the side and say some dumb shit. Or eye u when you buy a condom/lube. lol.

                  I had to call one out the other day and she immediately apologized and fixed her behavior. Dat feel when a fucking outsider has to admonish u for acting like an unprofessional jackass.

                  I’ve been traveling since 07 dude and I’ve lived abroad so you can save the smarmy commentary on “Even in da US ppl act LYKE DAT”

                  IT Park is the only place people have been ultra polite and friendly and cosmopolitan. Or when I visited my pal at Avida, everyone was great. Once you step even one street out of IT Park, you get more provincial type behavior.

                  I don’t tolerate that. You might and that’s good for you.

                • NormalNomad says:

                  Dunno man, I spent several months in Mobolo living at San Marino next to SM, never experienced any of the issues you mentioned, and I walked out of my place everyday, past dozens and dozens of squatter people, everyone always treated me kindly. The only thing that got to me was the annoying street kids. Gave them some change a couple times then noticed they immediately bought candy, so I stopped that real quick. If you’re hungry I’ll buy you food, but if you’re going to waste my money you can fuck yourself, lol.

                  But other than the kids (who are, well, KIDS) I’ve never had any of the issues you brought up. Which is why I think it MAY be related to racism. IDK though.

                • Mikey Johnson says:

                  Again with the racism bit lol. Whatever helps you sleep at night, but I’m etching this out loosely for others so they can see that there are many different outcomes in this city.

                  Kids’ll be kids. But I’ve been to every corner of the city (including a few province/beach trips) and the most civilized city folk reside and congregate in IT Park. I have no issues there. Next is Lahug, then it’s Banilad, then Mabolo.

                  Cebu is a provincial city so you have a lot of migrants from places like Talisay, Colon, who come to the city center and hustle.

                  I have had Milanenos and Mindanao tranplants confide in me in private about Cebuanos dude. Their own countrymen.

                  Again, maybe I’m just a really sensitive person, but I doubt it. I have spoken with numerous NUMEROUS people who have got up and left Cebu bc they simply couldn’t take it anymore lol. One of my current girls even noted a few issues with locals bc they are just not turned on.

                  It’s a demographic thing dude. I think on average the typical guy that comes here will get laid and see some beaches. We are just going to have to agree to disagree.

                  People who read our exchange can decided where they fit in all of this.

                • NormalNomad says:

                  The less foreigner visitors the better man. I’m not trying to tell everyone to come here. I’m just saying I think your perspective is a bit skewed…..

                  If you’re a Korean, I’d hate you if I was a local. Afterall, the Korean dudes come over here, create illegal businesses (as foreigners aren’t allowed to own businesses here) take over the local economy, create little Korean ghettos, fuck local women and leave them pregnant without caring for the child (it’s estimated that single mothers of half Koreans are second only to single mothers of full filipino children).

                  If you’re Arab, well, they don’t like them either….look at Mindanao for the reasoning.

                  If you’re black, I have no clue TBH. But I’ve only seen a handful of black guys in Cebu and only about a dozen in Manila during my nearly year here. That tells me something.

                  You keep wanting to think the locals hate foreigners but I think the locals are just racist lol.

                  Locals being racist doesn’t make the behavior any less backward or annoying, but it does explain it a lot better than “they hate all foreigners”. lol

                  Somehow me pointing that out makes you sensitive, because you don’t want to believe it’s personal.

                • Seth says:

                  Do you do any daygame in Cebu? I´m in my early 20´s and try to daygame for at least 2-3 hours a day in various venues. It´s becoming really frustrating, I can run around 2-3 hours at times without seeing one chick I´m interested in. There are those rare days were you see like 5 stunners though so I haven´t totally given up.

                • NormalNomad says:

                  Seth:

                  “Game” in general in SEA is counter productive. Remove any and all “game” from your head when dealing with women here. Game in the Phils is this: Be nice, be a good guy, smile. Being confident (but not arrogant/cocky funny) is also a plus. That’s it. Really, I promise you, there’s no need for the headgames and bullshit here.

                  Secondly: Daygame is pointless. 90% of the women here are too shy to talk to a foreigner, as as you’ve already become aware, there are so few truly attractive women it’s not worth the time. Also, if you’re here for more than a couple weeks, women will notice and remember you. There aren’t that many white guys here, so you’ll stick out, especially if you consistently approach random girls. (“Game” isn’t normal here….it doesn’t exist….you’re going to be noticed). Then later when you try to hit up a girl online or whatever, you’re going to get this “Were you at SM/Ayala/IT Park 2 weeks ago? I think I saw you….”. Cebu is not that big, TRUST me.

                  If you were in Manila it’s another story, but this place is a tiny tiny little speck, don’t be fooled. I barely go out and I get the “Were you at such and such at whatever time” all the time, and I do not go to the Mall but once a month.

                  If you’re here for a short vacation, do what you want, but honestly the investment is too high for the small payout. Also, most women here are rather conservative, I’ve fucked a number of virgins. If you’re daygaming, expect to find that a lot. That’s a headache….

                • Seth says:

                  Some good points! I don´t game hard, with daygame I pretty much just meant cold approach. Gets me my best results, if I go on tinder there are very few hot girls that are probably being hit on by hundreds of guys. Never got something better than a 7 online. I don´t really know obviously but it seems to me not too many guys do cold approach here, if you are decent looking and know to not totally overwhelm them I think you can do just fine. Just like I said, can get pretty frustrating if you run around for 2 hours without seeing a 8+. A wing would be good but there are very few younger guys that stay here long term.

                  Pretty funny that you say that, I had a few tinder girls tell me they have seen me at a mall or wherever. Doesn´t bother me though, I don´t really think you being seen out will hurt you.

                • NormalNomad says:

                  Seth:

                  Regarding day game: I agree not many men do it. But that’s not because men here are game-retarded, it’s because culturally, it isn’t necessary. Like I said, be nice, be confident, that’s all it takes. So guys aren’t cold approaching because they don’t need to.

                  I agree that there aren’t many hot girls online. There aren’t many hot girls in the Phils in general. Women here are just kind of ugly, it’s simply a sad truth. There are VERY few women in the country who are 7+. Most are 5-6s. It’s just the way the genetic pool here is.

                  In terms of “not hurting you”, I’m prone to disagree. The girls that mentioned seeing me out and about have seemed less interested than those who are surprised to learn I live here. Could be entirely unrelated, but my opinion is that the more of a mystery you are to them, the more of a fantasy they build of you. Hence not being seen all over town is better than walking around major hubs all day. Just my 2 cents though.

              • NormalNomad says:

                Nah I don’t love everything here. Some things are absolute shit. The food, for instance, or Filipino time. Or the games girls play sometimes.

                And sure, some locals are assholes. But there are assholes everywhere. Including the 1st world. My point is: What’s so different here that makes it so bad compared to (insert location)?

                There is no perfect paradise. And what is one mans personal pleasure island is another mans hell. Every guy has to find the place that makes HIM the most happy. Some guys just plain don’t like Asian women at all, for example. Those guys wouldn’t be happy in the Phils, no matter how much the other things may suit them.

                I’m not saying I’m right and you’re wrong. I think that a large portion of your issues probably stem down to racism at the root, just based on what you’ve described. And that fucking sucks dude, it really does. But some people are shitty, and that’s life. There are PLENTY of places in the world for expats, Cebu doesn’t have to be the place you stay forever. I’m just trying to offer some perspective. We’re all on the same side bud!

                • Mikey Johnson says:

                  lol you keep hammering on the racism aspect but apparently missed the part where I note expats of all stripe had issues with Cebu, including a buddy of mine that simply just hightailed it back to Cali. Maybe you have racist tendencies yourself so please don’t try and use that as a shield against some of the acts Cebuanos commit.

                  I call things as they are, but unfortunately some people just are not that objective. On that note, I have noticed many expats in Cebu vehemently defend the locals and play ‘big white brother’ which may be a consequence of white liberal guilt etc etc and Cebuanos actually hate that treatment unless a tip is involved, heh.

                  I was taught that respect is earned and a lot of people here simply don’t deserve that courtesy. It’s obvious u and I will never see eye to eye on this.

                  Like I mentioned earlier, there is an investment windfall underway and Mainland Chinese are on the take, considering they just got visa free access to PH now. Cebu being the center of trade and an up and coming urban center (Manila is saturated), naturally they will gravitate there and of course alienate the locals even further. There is an expat bubble forming, but luckily only a few elite locals can really partake and see the big picture, so it will take a bit before Cebu changes entirely. Not to mention Cebu landscape is different and the city will soon reach capacity like Singapore. There is a lot of deep resentment here dude and it is transparent. A lot of stuff to peel back here culturally if u can understand how the people think here.

                  For vacation, Cebu (Mactan) is ok. Anything else, I wouldn’t bother. I’m not suffering here like you want to desperately allude; however, I am sick of locals acting like they are victims of some hostile takeover and projecting that onto me.

                  This is a good discussion — it needs to be had so people can make an informed decision about what they want.

                • NormalNomad says:

                  I’m not projecting anything buddy. You seem to think everyone hates you—-and maybe they do. How should I know? All I know is I’ve gotten no hate from any locals—men or women, not subtly nor overtly. Everyone treats me with respect and kindness, and I do the same. But again, I don’t go out of my way to rub shit in their faces. I make it a point not to be seen in public with lots of different girls, I don’t throw around money like a jackass, and I treat people with kindness. Do locals worship the ground I walk on? Nope, and I don’t expect them to.

                  Have I been ripped off before? Yup, sure have! Taxis, restaurants, etc have all tried (and sometimes succeeded) in ripping me off. But you know what? It happened in India and Thailand too. And I learned my lesson after one instance.

                  You seem to really hate Cebu, and I feel bad for you. If I hated it that much, I’d just leave—forget the security deposit, no amount of money is worth the misery you apparently experience here.

                  I brought up race because I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt for your problems here, but honestly, I’ve always kind of thought it was just a personal viewpoint/attitude issue. It’s fine if you don’t like it here, no one here is trying to sell you property. You’re free to go wherever you’d like in the Phils….or anywhere else. Everyone has a place that’s right for them, if you hate it here, just go find a place that’s right for you. No need to constantly talk about how everything sucks here. lol.

                  Or if you DO want to talk about it, at least offer some details. You seem to generically say “Everyone hates me and talks shit about me because I’m a foreigner”. Where? In what ways? What are you doing/who are you being seen with? What do you do throughout the day? What types of people do you interact with?

                  Saying “All Cebuanos hate foreigners and treat them like shit” is just plain stupidity man. I’m a white guy and the locals treat me better than they do each other lol. Maybe they ARE racist, but you won’t reveal your racial background to us (only that you aren’t white) yet you want to say Cebaunos hate all foreigners (when it’s clear they don’t).

                  Then again maybe you’re just going to weird places. Or maybe you rub the locals the wrong way (RESPECT IS EARNED RAWR!) lol. Or perhaps you’re being way to obvious about fucking a lot of girls and rubbing it in locals faces (being seen at a major mall with multiple different girls over time is going to make people see you as an asshole that uses girls and lies to them, especially if they’re friends with said girl(s).)

                  Anyways, I’m not denying your experience has been bad. I’m saying that your assertions that Cebaunos blanket hate foreigners is bullshit. They hate YOU apparently, and apparently also some of your friends. I’m not here trying to make close business contacts or lifelong friends lol. People in GENERAL the world over are shitty and untrustworthy, so if you say Filipinos are like that too I’d believe it, but again, so what? Are most people in the USA friendly and trustworthy? (LOL!)

                  Anyways man, I’m not defending anyone here. I’m just pointing out that your experiences and mine have differed. WHY exactly I don’t know, because you haven’t gone into any detail, but they have.

  2. SouthernAdventurer says:

    Some places of interest nearby:

    Army Navy is a chain of restaurants across from Avida and they have pretty decent food. A little mix of everything. I like the quesadillas 🙂

    Yellow Cab Pizza is the best and really only non-sweet (I didn’t know sweet pizza was a thing until I got here) pizza in IT park. They deliver for 30 pesos.

    Case Verde is about 2 blocks from Avida (but right next to me at Calyx C). The 2nd best burgers in Cebu (next to Zarks in SM City). They are an American style rest with a wide assortment of food for pretty cheap.

    Music One right next to Case Verde is a good karaoke joint but there are far cheaper ones outside IT park. I’ve yet to meet a pina that didn’t like Karaoke (and I like to sing as Jspill found out).

    Metro Sports is the closest gym (about 3-4 blocks away from Avida) not cheap though. I think I paid 1000 php for a month or it was 6000 for yr. Calyx C has a gym so I only got a month.

    Be forewarned there is little nightlife here as far as clubs/girl bars go. Mango square is where its at for that.

    • SouthernAdventurer says:

      Then of course all the chain restaurants. Jolibee, Chowking, KFC, Starbucks, McDs, etc. There are literally dozens of choices of eateries within easy walking distance.

  3. Curious Travel says:

    How’s the live poker in Cebu?

  4. A says:

    i give all my girls a fake name and its important for me that they will not know my real identity , my question is : will this “girls registration / ID checks” thingy at Avida cause my name to be revealed to the girls ?
    Or how is this process done ?

    • jspill says:

      They wont know your name, security will just say hi Sir and ask the girl to sign the guestbook, she’ll write her name, you write your room number, that’s it

      And Asians often use nicknames so even if they find out, say one is your nickname

      Calyx centre is better though the guards don’t say anything at all and it’s a nicer condo

    • A says:

      very helpful …

      its interesting how there are so many foreigners there in Cebu, i hope that this wouldn’t lower the foreign value .. because i was living in Davao for 7 months and the foreigner value was just wow, in Cebu this wouldn’t be the case i think however based on my pipelining experience so far it seems that girls in Cebu are much more liberal than the shy, conservative Davao girls.

  5. flashjacksont says:

    Hey guys, I’m on my 3rd month here in Cebu, getting a real feel for the city, and it would be great to meet new likeminded people. If anyone is around, or visiting in the near future PM me. And if you’re into daygame, even better, as it’s way more fun sharing the experience of the struggle. Hung out with jspill in Manila and Mikey Johnson in Cebu

    • jspill says:

      ^ I remember Normalnomad you were asking about expats currently in Cebu, this is a good buddy of mine

      I’ll also be in Cebu in a couple weeks, down to meetup

    • Marco says:

      Speaking of this guys, I noticed lots of expats tend to hang out and try to befriend locals. Almost as their “posse”. Is this a good idea?
      I would guess meeting women, normal ones, and irl (instead of e-dating) would be massively easier like this?

      When I was living in japan yea lots of attention even just walking down the street, but it’s another matter entirely to approach them in a non jackassy manner.

      I guess I have a guy in Manila but I don’t really wanna visit the place, I was thinking of Cebu too

      • NormalNomad says:

        It’s super easy to make friends here, men are friendly as well as women.

        I’m kind of a loner, really I just eat sleep work fuck, lol. I don’t put in any effort to making or keeping local friends, although if I desired to it would be easy. I don’t know if they do it for the benefits, I think it’s just nice to have a social circle for a lot of people, the benefits are there just from having friends. 🙂

        • Marco says:

          What I gather from reading around is those kinda relationships are often hypocritical and really, symbiotic. You lend a bit of your kano privilege while they are helpful in other ways.
          I don’t like socially interacting with males at all, so I imagine attempting to do that with pinoy ones would be extremely awkward. But then again I don’t like the formulaic, dry, e-dating approach either, so idk.

          • NormalNomad says:

            I’m kind of the same way. If it doesn’t help me get paid, or get laid, I can do without it.

            Entertainment is the only exception. I have some close friends to shoot the shit with and otherwise I really don’t care.

            But I like Filipinos. They’re friendly and respectful, I don’t ask for anything else.

  6. Tim says:

    Hi Jspill, great informative post. Do you have a rough monthly budget for when you’re in Cebu? Would it be realistic to live in a complex like this and still get a good gym membership/eat out regularly/ go on a few dates per week, etc on a budget of around 80k PHP per month? Or would this need to increase a bit?

    • jspill says:

      Yeah 80k php would be fine, I’d go for Calyx Centre condo because that has a decent gym, then no need for a gym membership. I stayed there after Avida but didn’t do a review yet

      Or, Horizon condo on Mango Avenue

      30k on rent / bills / internet / visa, 25k on food / transport, 25k on dates / partying. Some expats get by on half of that

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