Things to Do in Subic, or Lack Of

I have spent close to two months in Subic on a few separate visits.  It is an ok place to visit but I definitely could never see myself living there long term.

There are definitely some pluses about the city but the negatives definitely out weigh them in my opinion.

I have always stayed in Barretto because I know a guy that rents out his apartment to me on a weekly or monthly basis and he is very flexible.  He lives at a place that doubles as a hotel and apartment and it is located near the beach and most of the bar scene.  It is also the main touristy area so there is lots of good western food around.

Subic Attractions

The best thing about Subic is that it is easy living.  Very little traffic or hassle.  When you need to get something done like go to the bank or immigration you aren’t waiting in long lines to accomplish what you came for.  The internet tends to work well there even the 3g sticks because it’s not as congested as somewhere like Manila, Cebu, or even Angeles.

If you told me I could only ever eat at one restaurant in the Philippines again then without a doubt I would pick Sit-N-Bull.  The menu is huge and I like almost everything I have got on it.  From baked spaghetti to chicken cordon bleu to pulled pork sandwiches to burritos….. I could list about ten meals that I  have enjoyed from there but I will stop now.

Oh and the side dishes are great.  It is a bit expensive at around 300 pesos for most meals, but in reality it is very cheap if you live there because the portions are HUGE and you can easily get 2 meals off most dishes.  I can get 3 off the baked spaghetti.

There are some other good restaurants too, but I get the majority of my meals from Sit-N-Bull when I am living there.  Overall the cost of living is quite cheap in Subic and probably even a little cheaper then Angeles City.  Certainly cheaper than either Manila or Cebu.

If the 2^nd pro that you are listing is a restaurant then that’s probably not a good thing, even if it is a great restaurant by Asian standards.  The problem with Subic is that it has just about everything, but the quality is quite lacking.

Subic Beach

Take the beach for instance.  The views and the water are great, probably the best beach view I have ever seen (but I haven’t been to Boracay or Palawan, or pretty much any beaches here.)

But the beach itself has nothing to offer and is really dirty.  There are some hotels that have restaurants backing up to it, and a few floating bars, but overall I feel like it should be so much better than it is. Overall not a lot of things to do in Subic bay area.

Maybe I’m missing something as I don’t go out much. Subic.com paints a prettier picture.

Subic Bay Nightlife

The bars are the same way.  Every once in awhile you may find a sexy Filipina in one of the bars there, but overall the quality is the worst I have seen in Asia.  I never barfine girls, and I never even sit around inside and drink.  I do like to take some walks through just to survey the talent and without a doubt Subic has the least.  That said one of the hotter Filipina bar staff I have ever seen used to work there.  Then she quickly moved on to Angeles.

Another con is that Barreto is quite far away from the malls so if you need to go stock up on stuff it is not easy to get to.  The jeeps can’t even go into the area where the malls are so you have to get dropped off 2/3’s of the way and then take a ten to fifteen minute walk to them.  I like to walk so this is ok for me, but I doubt most people would enjoy it to much.

Overall I usually tell people that if you want to check out Subic then you should, but don’t expect a lot of things to do, or plan to stay a long time.  I would not want to live there long term, and if you are only here for a visit there are better places to stay.

However if you are taking a vacation in Angeles City it is only about 90 minutes away and spending a couple nights there wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Compare 19 hotels in Subic on Booking.com.

What are your favorite things to do in Subic?