When it comes to retreat locations in the Philippines, one is spoiled for choice: big urban cities, big rural towns, spas, mountain retreats. Each one has its own unique and attractive features. The main advantage of retiring at a beach resort is (i) exciting beach activities, (ii) ongoing “vacation” atmosphere, (iii) great entertainment and nightlife, (iv) continuous influx of foreign travelers, ( v) numerous exclusive hotels and related tourist facilities, (vi) great accessibility to the airport and (vi) still small towns. In this category of retirement locations, the most popular are (i) Boracay Island, (ii) Mactan Island, (iii) Panglao Island, (iv) Subic Bay, (v) and Puerto Galera.
BORACAY ISLAND
This is the most famous of all the beach resort areas in the Philippines. There are many 5-star resorts on this island and numerous bars and restaurants owned by foreigners. The arena is some of the best in the world and the nightlife is supreme. However, it is overcrowded and overdeveloped like Waikiki and Miami Beach. It has a small permanent population of around 15,000 but a large daily population of tourists from all over the world. It attracts travelers of all stripes: international sophisticates, Manila hipsters on the getaway, serious water enthusiasts, backpackers, and late-night revelers. The downside to Boracay is that housing costs tend to be high, more like housing costs in Manila. However, for a retiree looking for action at a beach resort, the island of Boracay is the place to be.
MACTAN ISLAND
This island is located right next to Cebu City, across a bridge, and in fact, where Cebu’s domestic and international airports are located. Like Boracay, Mactan also has sandy beaches, but they don’t come close to the quality of Boracay’s. It is also packed with 5-star luxury hotels and resorts. However, while Boracay is more remote, accessibility is excellent and Mactan Island due to its proximity to Cebu. Additionally, there is a Mactan Island casino for those who enjoy incorporating gambling into their retirement lifestyle.
Living on the island of Mactan gives you that resort atmosphere, due to all the resort hotels, but it’s close to excellent medical facilities and upscale shopping malls just across the bridge in Cebu City. Housing costs are lower in Mactan than in Boracay.
PANGLAO ISLAND
This island is located across a short bridge from the much larger island of Bohol, which is about a 1/12 hour speedboat ferry ride from Cebu City, or a short trip from the domestic airport. from Cebu. Panglao Island has a population of around 60,000 and is generally associated with Alona Beach, a strip of resorts and dive centers on the southern side of the island. Diving is what attracts tourists and retirees to the island of Panglao.
There are many resorts and the cost of living is substantially less than on Mactan Island. The downside, of course, is that the island is more remote, requiring a boat or plane ride to reach Cebu City’s medical and commercial facilities.
SUBIC BAY
This area has quickly become a favorite retreat area, especially for retired US military personnel and Koreans. Until 1992, Subic Bay was the base for the massive 7th Fleet of the US Navy. These days it is in the process of being redeveloped into a duty-free foreign trade zone and modern tourist destination. A new modern superhighway was completed in 2008, cutting travel time from Manila by one hour. This provides great access to all that Manila has to offer, but allows for retirement in a smaller, resort-oriented community with all it has to offer. The population now exceeds 200,000. The presence of Koreans is largely due to the construction in 2006 in Subic Bay of a large Korean shipbuilding plant. Housing costs rose sharply in 2008 and 2009, but are significantly below Manila costs. There are a lot of military retirees that live in this place.
PUERTO GALERA
Puerto Galera, located just a few hours’ drive south of Manila, has a small population of around 30,000 and is one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines. Several specially visit there in droves. Diving is king in Puerto Galera, closely followed by drinking. The beaches are numerous, but they lack the true resort flair of white sand. The area is known for its great diving and great nightlife. Bars, music and all kinds of nightlife are everywhere in Puerto Galera. The cost of living and housing is low in Puerto Galera, compared to other beach resort retreat areas.
