Ultimate Guide to Angeles City

Getting here:

MNL Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will be the arrival point for most of you guys as it has the most international flight options. Transit time from MNL to Angeles City averages around two hours depending on traffic. If you want to save a bunch of time, ask your driver to use the SKYWAY toll road through Manila. This will cut almost 30 minutes from the transit.

There is a new high speed rail project currently under construction in the Philippines. When complete it will connect the International terminals at MNL with the airport in Angeles City - Clark International CRK. This will be a major game changer for AC.

Until then you have three options for transit between MNL and AC.

1. Hire a private car. Most of the hotels in Angeles City will arrange a car for around 3500 pesos. Send your hotel an email at least seven days before departure requesting this service, include your reservation and flight details.

2. Jump into a taxi at arrivals. Beware that during peak season there can be a wait to get a taxi. Posted rates are rarely followed, be ready to negotiate.

3. Genesis Transport's Premium Point-to-Point Bus Service provides a non-stop ride from Terminal 3 direct to CRK airport. Coaches depart hourly from Bay 13 - cost is roughly 400 pesos.

The new Clark International terminal in Angeles City is a awesome. Depending on connection times Clark is hands down the better airport for anyone coming into Angeles. Less foot traffic rolling through customs, new facilities and a short ten minute drive into Angeles City. Taxi's are available (600 pesos) or use the Grab App to book a ride to your hotel (380 pesos)

Cebu Pacific now offers a red eye non stop flight between Bangkok and Clark Angeles City. $130.00 each way - book directly on the Cebu Pacific website.

Once in town the main mode of transportation is the Trike - basically a motorcycle with a covered side cart. They are all over town and you’ll never wait to get one. standard fare is 100 pesos for foreigners. Your new Filipino girlfriend will work that rate down to 50 pesos when she’s with you.

The Grab App is primarily a food delivery app but it can also be used to schedule trikes and taxis. This app comes in real handy when your bar fine wakes up at 4:00 am hungry.

Safety in Angeles City

Walking Street (Red Street) and Fields Avenue are relatively safe to walk, even late at night. Petty theft (snatching cell phones) and unwanted advances from the lady boys / vendors are your primary concerns. Theft from any overnight guests ( girls ) is almost unheard of. Still it is best advised to take a trike, especially if you’re crunked up late at night. Using the hotel safe is never a horrible idea.

Scam factor at transit centers

The unemployment rate for young males 18-30 years old in the Philippines is sky high. The result is that you will find a lot of young guys hanging around the bus terminals and other transit centers. They can be extremely annoying if you allow them to “help” you. Most will start by offering to assist you with your baggage or transportation needs. One of the main scams is telling foreigners that their flight, bus or ferry has been canceled. These guys are mostly harmless but they can be extremely annoying and very hard to get rid of. Do not engage with them.

Communication

Most Filipinos speak two languages, English and Filipino (which is based on the native Tagalog). Signs, menus, information boards etc throughout the country -all in English.

The girls will quite often switch in/out of Tagalog and English mid sentence. It’s quite interesting to them speak to each other.

Tourist Sim Cards can be purchased in the arrival areas at each airport. If you haven’t activated international roaming with your home carrier we strongly advise purchasing a tourist sim.

Cellular and Internet service in the Philippines is still lagging compared to the rest of Asia. 5G is slowly being rolled out in certain parts of the country. While most hotels and restaurants offer free wifi connections, the speed, strength and stability will vary.

You’ll need to have a messaging app installed on your phone - WhatsApp

Currency

The Philippines Peso is currently trading at 61/1 USD.

Atm’s and Currency Exchange booths are prevalent throughout the country. The safest atm’s are those located in heavy traffic areas such as the airport arrival areas, shopping malls and those attached to physical banks. Always be sure to verify exchange rates before using an exchange booth. The airport exchange booths always have the worst rates and the highest fees.

Pro-tip: When withdrawing money, a pop up screen on the ATM will ask if you would like to use the machines conversion rate - select no. Selecting yes allows the machine to override the prime exchange rates and use a lower rate thus costing you more.

Credit and Debit cards are readily accepted in most establishments.

Accommodations

The entertainment district in Angeles City is compact, spanning only about twenty city blocks. Walking Street which was recently renamed “Red Street”, (we hate the new name and refuse to use it). Fields Avenue essentially turns into the Walking Street on one end and then extends six blocks down to the ABC Hotel and the perimeter bars. You will want to stay in this district and within walking distance of Walking Street. - see image below.

All of the hotels in this district are guest friendly. No one will look twice when you come rolling in late at night with a couple of new “friends”. Just make sure the front desk checks their ID’s before they come up to your room. This is for your protection

When booking hotels in Asia / Philippines most of us use Agoda.com Center your search on the Walking Street district and find a property that fits into your price range. Before booking make sure to read a few reviews - sort by my “most recent”

IMOL Member approved Angeles City Hotels

1. ABC Hotel : One of our most favorite hotels on the planet. ABC mimics the Hard Rock Hotel brand in every manner. Huge rock star suites, Aqua Rooftop pool bar, 24hr room service and fully stocked min bars.

2. Central Park Tower : Modern luxurious rooms, roof top pool with attached bar/restaurant. Best location in town. Book direct and receive 20% off when paying in cash.

3. Score Birds : Every third Sunday of the month.. bikini contest. Do we need to say more? Picture below.. - It’s kind of run down

4. Prime Asia : Try for one of the two level loft rooms. Roof top pool with a really good attached restaurant. You can occasionally snag unbelievable deals on the Presidential Suite via Agoda.

Food in Angeles City

This is not the culinary capital of the world, not by a long shot. But you can still find a decent meal in this town if you stick with main stays.

Here is our list of dependable spots - Tequila Reef, Margarita Station, Swiss Chalet, 88 Street (located on top of Central Park Hotel) and T-Backs Sports Bar.

Kokomo's located in the middle of Walking Street has decent food but the real attraction is to sit at the rail and people watch.

Phillies Sports Bar at the foot of Walking Street is the same deal as Kokomos, just be weary of the Lady Boys circling around outside.

Restaurant row on the back of SM Clark Mall is one of the best kept secrets in town. It’s just a short walk or trike ride from most hotels and features a TGIFridays, Denny's and a Texas Roadhouse - all practically brand new.

We would advise most visitors to avoid the street food and by all means...avoid drinking any tap water.

If you are daring and want to do the Philippine food challenge, have your bar girl order up a nice serving of Balut..watch the following episode of our Best Behavior series for an up close and personal sampling of Balut.

Edit: We pulled the Best Behavior Series because Danny’s girlfriend caught glimpse of an episode.

Sports Bars

There is a very large expat community floating around Angeles City so it should come as no surprise that there are several very good sports bars in town. Catching the NFL, NBA, Ruby or Football (Soccer) match, even at 3am isn't a problem in Angeles City. Both Phillies located at the foot of Walking Street and T-Back's located by Kandi Tower operate 24hrs a day. Major events such as the Super Bowl will require a reservation if you want prime seating.

We think T-Back’s is much better than Phillies. American owned with killer burgers, bbq and steaks. It’s located off a side street down near the Perimeter bars but well worth the trike ride.

The Girls

Filipino women are some of the most beautiful, charming and polite creatures on the planet. This is one of the few places that we actually advocate wifing up with a girl. The success rate amongst our group with Filipino women is through the roof. Many of our guys are currently dating, engaged or married to girls in the Philippines.

This is one of the few places on the planet where we have guys literally hand their wallets over to the girls and let them negotiate/pay bills during an evening out. Obviously this is with “known” girls, never do this with a new person.

A few operational guidelines to help you navigate the Filipinas in AC :

Very few girls working in Angeles City are actually from Pampanga. Most come in from the other provinces and islands. They come to Angeles City for one reason and one reason only, to meet foreign men and generate income. Most of the girls will have at least one hungry child back home ( Filipino guys usually run the second they find out their girlfriend is pregnant, child support is laughable )

Most of the girls will search out legitimate jobs such as hotels, restaurants, bars, retail and call centers. The lucky ones who find those jobs will usually spend their days off scouring the dating sites for a shiny new foreign boyfriend.

The girls who can’t find legitimate employment end up in the Go Go bars or full time freelancing. This type of work is not looked down on in the Philippines, its a necessity for most women due to the high unemployment rates.

Understand this key point: The longer they work in AC the more robotic they become. Don’t expect GFE from a girl who has been on the circuit for more than a year.

Go - Go Bars

The Go-Go bars in Angeles City open early and stay open until late, some operate 24hrs a day with multiple shifts of girls. Guy’s coming out of Pattaya are usually shocked when they discover this.

Bar fines technically called “EWR” early work release depend on the venue, the girl, her appearance and how long she has been working in Angeles. You will read endless information regarding the current bar fine prices in AC on the forums and web. Almost none of them are accurate. Use this as a baseline: 2500 pesos - 7000 pesos for Long Time. The lowest rates can be found at the Perimeter Bars on Fields Ave just past ABC Hotel. The highest rates will be at the Wolfpack Go-Go’s ( collection of American owned venues) for the “model” level dancers. A twenty year old model type dancer newly arrived from the Provinces will demand the highest bar fine. As always, just ask the girl politely about her bar fine fee.

The girls working inside the Go-Go bars do not expect you to sit in the bar, make small talk and buy a bunch of Lady Drinks. Buy her one drink, talk to her for a few minutes, if you are getting along - bar fine her. She will immediately head into the backroom, change her clothes and come out ready to leave.

There is currently around a dozen go-go bars operating on Walking Street. None of us have a favorite. The best bet is to simply walk down the street and take a look inside each bar, if it looks fun go in and have a beer. Stay until you get bored and then move on to the next one.. That’s how Angeles City works.

Avalon Go-Go part of the Wolf Pack Group, Lollipop, Carousel and La Bomba are good places to start. All are located right in the middle of Walking Street. Follow those up with a visit to SkyFall and Viking. You really can't go wrong. Eventually you are going to find the girl of your dreams or a close second.

Angel Witch next to Kokomos is a dark, dirty, ghastly Go Go with some of the ugliest dancers in town, yet we fucking love the place. Cheap drinks, cold beer and everyone is available for a bar fine including the waitresses, mangers, mamasans, even the old lady mopping the floor will eventually make a run at you 🤣

The Nastiest Bar in town

Not only one of the dirtiest, the Roel George Bar is also one of the longest running. We got dragged into this dump over a dozen years ago. It’s the experience of a lifetime, if you are brave enough to venture into it. Home of the 500 peso blow job - it’s completely safe and the staff are actually very nice. Some of them even have teeth. Post them pictures in the chat group.c

Night Clubs

The best spot for Freelancers in Angeles City is inside the night clubs. Mega Dance (in our opinion) is the best one and it’s located directly on Walking Street. It opens at 10:00pm and stays open until the early AM. Don't bother going in before midnight.. this is a late night destination. Bottle service wins you a VIP table on the main floor. This is a great little club and you will have a lot of fun into the wee hours of the morning. Sky Trax is the other club in town and you can have fun in there also. A little less traffic than Mega Dance but still fun and lots of single women milling about. Dress code at both clubs - none.

Security in both clubs will be happy to make introductions. Just tip them and tell them you are looking for a nice girl to hang out with. They are on first name basis with most of the girls in town and also know who is problematic (rare in AC) and who is not. They also want to make sure you are happy and will continue coming back with girls just as long as you continue tipping.

LadyBoys

As with the rest of Asia the LadyBoy scene is continually growing in the Philippines. We see more and more wandering around each trip over. Unlike Thailand, the LB’s in Angeles City are not allowed to work inside the bars or go-gos. For those searching out a LB adventure - take a stroll up Fields Avenue just past Philly's Sports Bar, you will find LB freelancers patrolling the street. Be warned, the LB's in AC have been known to misbehave on occasion. Keep an eye on your possessions

Caution: the LB's in Angeles City won't always admit to their true gender and they can be very deceiving. Make sure to ask "Lady Boy ?" if you have any doubt when dealing with the freelancers. - - You might have to ask twice…🤣

The Korean Factor

The guys from Korea invade Angeles City every weekend. They are professional party animals and they don’t fuck around when it comes to pulling girls from the Go-Go bars.

Important: The Korean guys operate with different tactics. They don’t go into the Go-Go bars to drink or socialize, they go in to scoop girls. The hotest girls in town usually work the prime evening shift which starts around 7pm. The Korean guys roll in at 7:01 and go from bar to bar looking for the best girls. If “your” girl happens to be up on the stage when some Korean guys walk in, she will be gone in the blink of an eye.

Do not be indecisive in Angeles City.

Massage Parlors

Believe it or not there are several massage parlors in town with absolutely no extras. You'll immediately know this due to the signs plastered throughout announcing this policy. If you're looking for extra services walk down to Vian street in close vicinity of the Pacific Breeze hotel. The massage parlors down here operate with a practically anything goes policy. There are also a few “loose” parlors scattered up and down Teodoro Street. - Some of these unsavory establishments will try and push "four hand" massages. Feel free to politely decline. Cost ranges from 300-500 pesos for the massage, extra services should be no more than 1.5k pesos for the full option list.

Side Trips

One of the great things about the Philippines is that in-country travel is very inexpensive. You can grab a plane ticket out of CRK and head to any of the island destinations for usually under 100.00 round trip. Cebu Pacific, Air Swift.

If you meet a cool girl you might just want to invite her to go on a mini vacation. Pay her bar fine for a few days, pay for her expenses and have great little holiday. Alona Beach Bohol, Boracay or even El Nido are great spots.

Subic Bay / Olongapo

As most of you know, we have no filter. In our opinion Subic Bay is a shit hole and should be used for a two - three day side excursion at best.

It’s located about an hour drive from Angeles City. Most hotels in Angeles will be happy to arrange private transportation. The other option is to take a bus from the Dau Bus Terminal. Look for a Victory Liner Bus with "Olongapo" in the window. You can also ask the drivers who are usually standing around their busses. Be warned, there are alway several locals hanging around offering to "help".

We say Subic Bay but you are actually headed to the small town of Barrio Barretto just up the coast from Subic Freeport. In all honesty this could be a great little destination if they cleaned up the beach, picked up the garbage and ran some off some of the broke ass expats.

Come over for a couple of nights, stay at the Central Reef (owned by the same group who have Central Park Tower and Pacific Breeze in AC). Walk across the street to one of the bars and get blind drunk. Your bar fine will be less than your bar tab and you’ll probably regret both the next day. It’s an adventure and an experience.