[AvidArtisan]

Leonard, the basic assumptions you should be running by on Manila at this point is 1 traffic is killer there. Everywhere can take a lot of time to get to depending on what the traffic is like for the day. There are cars, jeepneys, 3 seater trikes and motorcycles all sharing small roads at the same time. The fort is a nice suburb/planned community but only rich people live there and so most girls won't be there and it will take them a lot of time to get there. Makati is a mix of business high rises and entertainment. There are a bunch of malls(green belt) and a bunch of bars(pburgos) that are all a 15 minute WALK from each other so you can not have to worry about the taxi scenario most of the time. There are ALOT of hotels and airbnbs next to the pburgos area and greenbelt so staying at either location is easy and if a girl flakes on you at these places you can easily use game to find another.

[Leonard Bernstein]

^Thanks for the info. Great post. Looks like taxis are a no-go then. I know there are some clubs like Time and others in the Gramercy area, but they are 20+ min walk from Greenbelt.

If you want to party in the Fort, it seems like the only option is to book a cheap hostel there just for the weekends, on top of your apartment in Greenbelt, for pulling on Friday and Saturday nights. Anyone know if it's possible to get cheap hostels around the Fort, or is this another impossibility of the third world?

[AvidArtisan]

The gramercy is the area I was referring to. A lot of people stay at the gramercy or Knightsbridge buildings which are next to each other and there is a bunch of airbnbs there. It is literally across the street from pburgos ( where the bars are). From gramercy you can walk a straight line from makati avenue to the greenbelt malls, yes it is about a 15 min/20min walk depending how fast you move but taking a taxi could take LONGER when it's literally a straight line to get there. The area is probably the best in manila(aside from the fort) so you would just be walking next to Corp buildings on a well lit and well traveled Main Street so it's not going through shady favelas.

[Leonard Bernstein]

^You had to register guests with ID at Gramercy? Heard bad things about the place.

Also, you know if it's possible to get a hostel on the weekends in the Fort for club bangs?

[Leonard Bernstein]

(05-15-2016 08:59 PM)PacFan Wrote:  

If you are intent on staying in the Fort just remember that if you are inviting girls over to meet you it is much more difficult for them to get to the Fort than Makati (Greenbelt)

No jeepneys, No Fx, No buses, No trikes, the nearest MRT is Buendia...so its either taxi or they drive themselves!

Just something to bear in mind depending on your plan of action

The thing is, I'm seeing in the Fort on Google Maps a bunch of bus stops. This is why I was asking for confirmation. What are all these bus stops in the Fort on GM if there is no transport there?

[AvidArtisan]

Dude ultimately you'll have to just go there yourself and figure it out. If everyone is telling you one thing and your are ignoring it we can't do anything else for you. The fort is a wealthy planned Suburb. They want as little thru traffic from the downtrodden as possible there. It's a place for the upper middle class/rich. To get there you need a taxi as the buses are useless. I stayed in hotels so I have no Idea about hostels. The going rate when I went was about 40-70 bucks a night depending on how good of a place you wanted. The true baller places were closer to 100-130. No reason to spend that much as if you get a nice place in gramercy or Knightsbridge for half of that money and you would still have the same amenities(pool, gym, club on rooftop, it's connected to the century city mall, etc)

[Antipodean]

LB, I see in other threads that you seem to "walk the walk', but perhaps you are trying to overthink things a bit for Manila.

Taxis and traffic is no problem between midnight and 4am.

The Fort is not third world and I doubt that there are hostels there, and if there were then you better have some slick moves to pull a woman out of the premier club and back to one. Maybe better to stay at the W

You will get a good idea of the "flavour" of these areas by cruising around on Google maps street views.


D23, apart from any subtle nuances with Cebuanas, Cebu is ~ 3 million whereas Greater Manila is ~ 30 million - but no handy beaches

[PacFan]

Leonard, the bus stops you are seeing on Google Maps are for a jump on jump off bus service that loops around the Fort area only! They also have electric jeepneys that again will only service a dedicated loop route located within the Fort area. Like AA has said above, they are determined to keep the Fort area as "green" as possible. Most of the major companies in the Fort (JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Coke Cola, numerous online betting companies and BPOs) all have to provide transport for their staff as there is simply no public transport to the Fort other than taxis!

From Makati you will need to go along C5 to get to the Fort, on a good day you can do this in 15/20 mins....on a bad day anything up to 90 mins!

Like I have said, it all depends on your plan of action. If you are going to game these girls online then in all honesty you are narrowing down your field as most of the girls will not bother travelling to the Fort to meet you, it's as simple as that. Good luck with whatever you decide and have a great time.

[Leonard Bernstein]

^PacFan, can you weigh in on the ID-checking guests issue? If the Fort is out, that leaves Gramercy vs Greenbelt. Nightlife consideration out the window, it's either taxis or renting another place in the area for a couple nights (since really the Fort seems like the place to club). In Greenbelt and Gramercy, all the buildings require you to ID check ALL your visitors. The only benefit of Gramercy is it's connected to a mall, which closes anyway at 9pm so that seems rather useless, naturally at the cost of the better logistics in Greenbelt. Have you personally ever had any issues losing bangs due to a girl not having ID or wobbling due to this ID-checking issue? Can anyone else weigh in on this?

Thanks to Antipodean for valuable info on taxis. I assume you'd get scammed, but even if it costs 10$ or so from the Fort to Greenbelt it's still worth it if you get the notch.

[PacFan]

Leonard, I'm not the best person to ask regarding the ID checking issue! I have lived here for 10 years and I own my own condo in Makati so any women I bring back are never asked for ID's.

I think the ID issue is more related to the lads who are in rental units and as such the building admin will not be familiar with them and also aware that they are a tenant not an owner. It will be the owner who will stipulate that ID should be shown in order to protect his investment etc.

Why don't you come over and just stay in a hotel a number of nights in each area and get a feel for which location works best for you?

My take is that you will get more foot traffic in Greenbelt but with that also a lot of freelancers. One nightclub still open in the New World Hotel but it doesn't get very busy theses days.

The area around Gramercy is up and coming, lots of bars opening up and a good vibe but again you will have a lot of freelancers to weed out. 71 Gramercy is now closed so regarding high end clubs in that vicinity you have missed the boat.

[Antipodean]

(05-16-2016 07:17 PM)Leonard Bernstein Wrote:  

^PacFan, can you weigh in on the ID-checking guests issue? If the Fort is out, that leaves Gramercy vs Greenbelt. Nightlife consideration out the window, it's either taxis or renting another place in the area for a couple nights (since really the Fort seems like the place to club). In Greenbelt and Gramercy, all the buildings require you to ID check ALL your visitors. The only benefit of Gramercy is it's connected to a mall, which closes anyway at 9pm so that seems rather useless, naturally at the cost of the better logistics in Greenbelt. Have you personally ever had any issues losing bangs due to a girl not having ID or wobbling due to this ID-checking issue? Can anyone else weigh in on this?

Thanks to Antipodean for valuable info on taxis. I assume you'd get scammed, but even if it costs 10$ or so from the Fort to Greenbelt it's still worth it if you get the notch.

Fort to Makati in the early hours < 200php ($4)
Just insist he turn the meter on, its the law (DoT)

I cannot imagine that ID checks will be a problem. The whole security setup is for your protection. You are the customer.
Locals will accept it. Just the way it is there.

[Putin Closes]

(05-16-2016 06:54 PM)PacFan Wrote:  

Leonard, the bus stops you are seeing on Google Maps are for a jump on jump off bus service that loops around the Fort area only! They also have electric jeepneys that again will only service a dedicated loop route located within the Fort area. Like AA has said above, they are determined to keep the Fort area as "green" as possible. Most of the major companies in the Fort (JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Coke Cola, numerous online betting companies and BPOs) all have to provide transport for their staff as there is simply no public transport to the Fort other than taxis!

From Makati you will need to go along C5 to get to the Fort, on a good day you can do this in 15/20 mins....on a bad day anything up to 90 mins!

Like I have said, it all depends on your plan of action. If you are going to game these girls online then in all honesty you are narrowing down your field as most of the girls will not bother travelling to the Fort to meet you, it's as simple as that. Good luck with whatever you decide and have a great time.

There is a BGC bus that leaves for the MRT Ayala station. But public transport is a time waster and not the most ideal way to get around.

LB you're asking way too many questions, its all been answered. There's no way you can get a cheap hostel in BGC, otherwise the "riff raff" would flock in.

If you're on a budget, I recommend you skip the PH and go to Thailand instead. Manila is a bad place to be on a budget.

[Leonard Bernstein]

^Thanks for the replies. Keep in mind all this is for also for future reference of anyone who is looking to rent a condo in Manila for a bang trip. A lot of this information was missing, and it's good to have it written somewhere in the thread.

Antipodean: Is it easy to get a taxi at 3AM when pulling or is that a logistical nightmare?

Putin Closes: So even if there is a bus between the Fort and Ayala, you're saying it's useless and will still cause serious logistical problems, as to online, in comparison to Greenbelt?

[DirectDanger]

No one should be taking buses, taxis, jeepney's, etc... in Manila. They suck.

Take an Uber every time. Prices are relatively cheap, much nicer, safer. All around better.

[booshala]

(05-17-2016 01:57 PM)DirectDanger Wrote:  

No one should be taking buses, taxis, jeepney's, etc... in Manila. They suck.

Take an Uber every time. Prices are relatively cheap, much nicer, safer. All around better.

Obviously being in a private uber is much better than a jeepney, but in my limited experience, the uber drivers have been very bad. Most don't live anywhere near the areas I stay in (makati, greenbelt, the fort) that they start asking me - an obvious non-local - for directions.

A lot of the moneyed locals have drivers... I wonder if it would be a viable option to have a netjets style time-share model for a vetted and professional private driver split among several expats.

[username]

(05-17-2016 06:24 PM)booshala Wrote:  

Obviously being in a private uber is much better than a jeepney, but in my limited experience, the uber drivers have been very bad. Most don't live anywhere near the areas I stay in (makati, greenbelt, the fort) that they start asking me - an obvious non-local - for directions.

I had a bad driver that missed a turn and then wasted an extra 15 minutes of my time going in giant multi-km circle to get back to the drop off spot. It also padded the fare significantly and when I mentioned it to Uber in a review they didn't give a fuck.

In the Philippines if anything involves a Filipino/a it will be inefficient, screwed up, flawed, lacking logic, or backwards in someway. Despite that Uber is still the best option in transportation and I will never go on a jeepney, taxi, or bus as long as Uber is an option.

(05-17-2016 06:24 PM)booshala Wrote:  

A lot of the moneyed locals have drivers... I wonder if it would be a viable option to have a netjets style time-share mode for a vetted and professional private driver split among several expats.

That would be great. A professional driver could make a living just off of RVF forum members going to Manila.

[the-dream]

@Leonard Bernstein I'll try and address all of your questions in one post...

Between Makati and The Fort is a 10 minute 120 peso taxi ride at night and no big deal but can take an hour during the day. It's very easy to find taxis at night, easy enough during the day and the only time you might have a problem is during rush hour (4.30-7.30 pm) which if you have no work or anything to go to, you'd be stupid to travel at those times anyway.

Hardly of the girls or people you meet in the clubs live in the Fort anyway so they will all be going back to Makati, Pasay, Quezon City etc at the end of the night so it's not such a big deal to take them back to Makati. Obviously it would be easier to take them back to somewhere in the Fort though. It's also worth noting that if you're staying out very late, you'll likely end up in Time (a club in Makati) so you can bounce a party from the Fort to time then extract your girl to your condo.

There is a massive jeepney station at Market Market and from my experience, most girls are quite happy and excited at the prospect of having a date in the Fort as it's the fanciest place in Manila, not the opposite.

The benefits of the Fort is it's a much nicer place and the nightlife is there. The benefits of Makati is it's the main center of Metro Manila, has loads of cool places and is much more accessible to all the other parts of Manila (including the Fort).

With regards to ID, yeah it's annoying and has caused me a couple of problems. Try and go to a smaller condo building where there is only one guard and I've found that at night they are sometimes even asleep and if not, just sitting there not giving a fuck. Whereas in the bigger ones, it's much stricter.

If it's your condo, just befriend the guards.... if you have a cake or a girl cooks you some food, give them some as you pass. Get to know them and ask them where they're from, if they have children etc. Maybe grease them some money when you first meet them and tell them to take care of you even though I've never done that. If you always give them a friendly nod then give them a friendly nod when you come past with a girl, it should be fine.

If you're visiting somebody else's condo, look through the window in the building first and locate where the elevator is and walk as quickly to it as possible without making eye contact with anyone.

PM me if you want any more specific info

[barrel]

(05-18-2016 03:26 AM)the-dream Wrote:  

If it's your condo, just befriend the guards.... if you have a cake or a girl cooks you some food, give them some as you pass. Get to know them and ask them where they're from, if they have children etc. Maybe grease them some money when you first meet them and tell them to take care of you even though I've never done that. If you always give them a friendly nod then give them a friendly nod when you come past with a girl, it should be fine.

This is such solid advice in many situations in the Philippines.
I have always been careful about being flashy with things like money though.... but some food, drinks and respect to the people who work in your condo once in a while goes a long way.

[Leonard Bernstein]

(05-18-2016 03:26 AM)the-dream Wrote:  

There is a massive jeepney station at Market Market and from my experience, most girls are quite happy and excited at the prospect of having a date in the Fort as it's the fanciest place in Manila, not the opposite.

THIS, gentlemen, is why we need double confirmation. If I had known this I would have stayed in the Fort, already put in a deposit for a place in Greenbelt. Oh well, better luck next time, future posters should look carefully through the thread and truly see the need for double confirmation.

Regardless, I will still try to soothe my mistake by telling myself more online girls will come to Greenbelt than to the Fort.

[barrel]

(05-18-2016 04:03 PM)Leonard Bernstein Wrote:  

(05-18-2016 03:26 AM)the-dream Wrote:  

There is a massive jeepney station at Market Market and from my experience, most girls are quite happy and excited at the prospect of having a date in the Fort as it's the fanciest place in Manila, not the opposite.

THIS, gentlemen, is why we need double confirmation. If I had known this I would have stayed in the Fort, already put in a deposit for a place in Greenbelt. Oh well, better luck next time, future posters should look carefully through the thread and truly see the need for double confirmation.

Regardless, I will still try to soothe my mistake by telling myself more online girls will come to Greenbelt than to the Fort.

Interesting. Does staying in The Fort really make much difference as opposed to Makati?
Both are nice areas that get girls excited to visit and taxis move fast late at night.

[the-dream]

(05-18-2016 04:03 PM)Leonard Bernstein Wrote:  

THIS, gentlemen, is why we need double confirmation. If I had known this I would have stayed in the Fort, already put in a deposit for a place in Greenbelt. Oh well, better luck next time, future posters should look carefully through the thread and truly see the need for double confirmation.

Regardless, I will still try to soothe my mistake by telling myself more online girls will come to Greenbelt than to the Fort.

You probably made the right decision. I wasn't saying that girls are more likely to go to date you at The Fort than at Greenbelt, I was just saying that being in The Fort definitely doesn't put you at the disadvantage that some of the other posts were implying, and probably at no disadvantage at all.

It'll be an inconvenience for more girls to visit you in the Fort but that's an inconvenience that they will be more than happy to take because they will be grateful for an excuse to visit there. Whereas in Makati, many more girls live, work or study there so they won't have to go out of their way so much to see you. It's also more accessible to other hotspots - actual Manila, Pasay (they border Makati) and Quezon City (via the MRT).

Anyway, Makati and The Fort are right next to each other and whichever one you stay in, it's easy enough to visit the other one. You can get a taxi for less than 200 pesos and there is the BGC bus which goes directly between Greenbelt and The Fort every 20 minutes or so and is a pretty nice air conditioned Mercedes bus for 12 pesos.

The Fort is basically a knockoff USA which is still quite novel for me as a European but if you are an American, it might seem quite soulless.

If you're living in Metro Manila, you'd have a higher standard of living in The Fort but if you're visiting, you'll probably see and experience more interesting things in Makati.

[Reboot]

What an epic thread....

Makes me just want to pack up and go....

Nice thing is, I can still earn my living there so long as I have internet.

But first I need to get my divorce out of the way.

Reboot

[steak]

(05-18-2016 06:34 PM)barrel Wrote:  

(05-18-2016 04:03 PM)Leonard Bernstein Wrote:  

(05-18-2016 03:26 AM)the-dream Wrote:  

There is a massive jeepney station at Market Market and from my experience, most girls are quite happy and excited at the prospect of having a date in the Fort as it's the fanciest place in Manila, not the opposite.

THIS, gentlemen, is why we need double confirmation. If I had known this I would have stayed in the Fort, already put in a deposit for a place in Greenbelt. Oh well, better luck next time, future posters should look carefully through the thread and truly see the need for double confirmation.

Regardless, I will still try to soothe my mistake by telling myself more online girls will come to Greenbelt than to the Fort.

Interesting. Does staying in The Fort really make much difference as opposed to Makati?
Both are nice areas that get girls excited to visit and taxis move fast late at night.

I think the Fort makes Manila worth living in personally. I think it's walkable and much nicer. Makati is ok though.

[briujvdsc]

I've been in Cebu for 3 days now and honestly this place fucking blows. After years of hearing about this place being touted as girl heaven I'm super disappointed. Tinder is literally nothing but ladyboys, hookers, and fatties. When I find a decent looking normal girl they're certainly not "throwing themselves" at me. I ask them to meet up and they say that have work, busy, maybe meet next week, whatever. I'm 26, in-shape, and a decently attractive guy and get matches in the states.

I tried night game and went to a bunch of different clubs but in the clubs again its all ladyboys, hookers, girls with missing teeth, etc and girls that look too young to be there. I saw maybe a few girls worth approaching which I did but they weren't interested.

Tried filipinocupid but there's so many girls that are in different cities, low quality, don't speak english well/seem retarded, or just want to chat online and not meet up that it doesn't even seem worth it unless you're prepared to sink hours and hours into that shit to filter through a few girls that are decent looking and willing to meet up in Cebu. At that point, unless you're looking for a wife, might as well just spend the 2-3000 pesos and get a nice looking pro.

Tried day game at Ayala mall. Walked around for hours and only saw a decent looking girl without a bf/group of friends maybe once every half hour. Did a handful of approaches that went nowhere. They all seemed unfazed and apathetic about being approached by foreigners. Like the opposite reaction of what I expected from all this "feel like a rockstar" stuff I read around the internet.

[Bear20]

APRIL 2018

Hi,

I will be visiting Manila this April, 2018. Anyone want to get together?

I'm 36 year old, a nurse, from California.

If so, please reply or PM me.

Thanks!