When it comes to retirement locations in the Philippines, one is spoiled for choice: big urban cities, big country towns, beach resorts, mountain retreats. Each 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 retreat 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 resorts in the Philippines. There are many 5-star resorts on this island and numerous bars and restaurants owned by foreigners. The sand is some of the best in the world and the nightlife is supreme. However, it is crowded 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 kinds: international sophisticates, Manila urbanites on the run, serious water enthusiasts, backpackers, and late-night partiers. The downside of Boracay is that housing costs tend to be high, more like housing costs in Manila. However, for a retiree looking for beach resort action, Boracay Island 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 casino on Mactan Island for those who enjoy adding gambling to their retirement lifestyle.
Living on Mactan Island gives you that resort atmosphere, because of all the resort hotels, yet you are close to excellent medical facilities and luxury shopping malls just across the bridge in Cebu City. Housing costs are lower in Mactan than in Boracay.
PANGLAO ISLAND
This island is just 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 drive 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 south side of the island. Diving is what attracts tourists and retirees to Panglao Island.
There are many resorts and the cost of living is substantially lower than on Mactan Island. The downside, of course, is that the island is more remote and requires a boat or plane ride to reach the medical and commercial facilities in Cebu City.
SUBIC BAY
This area has quickly become a favorite retirement area, especially for retired US military personnel and Koreans. Until 1992, Subic Bay was the base of the US Navy’s massive Seventh Fleet. 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, reducing travel time from Manila by one hour. This provides great access to all that Manila has to offer, yet 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 increased considerably in 2008 and 2009, but are significantly below Manila costs. There are a lot of military retirees who live in this place.
GALLEY PORT
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 en masse. Diving is king in Puerto Galera, closely followed by drinking. Beaches are numerous, but lack the true white-sand resort style. 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 retirement areas.
