Subic Bay is small bay on the West coast of Luzon Island and only two hours drive from Manila. ( The recent improvements in the Northern Expressway and the new Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway SCTex make it even quicker). It used to be a home of major United States Navy, who have since moved on and the place is not a popular resort and commercial area, known as the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
The streets are walkable with not much traffic around, pollution levels are minimum, the beach is clean and the nightlife is ever-expanding. It is slightly more expensive than nearby Olongapo but cleaner, more family friendly and altogether more pleasant.
You will not have any trouble finding accommodation to suit your needs and every hotel that we checked out had affable and attentive staff and was pretty spotless.
Two of our favorite hotels were La Casa (budget option) and Cubic Bay International (middle range option). The latter offered the best breakfast we had in the area with a 5 star service as well as a small swimming pool with plenty of free sun beds.
It is possible to go snorkeling and scuba diving. If you are a diver you can also visit a number of ship wreaks, which ended up in Subic Bay as a result of either the Spanish–American War in 1898 or of World War II, where a number of Japanese vessels were sunk by American aircrafts.
You can also swim in Cubic Bay but the best beaches are ten to twenty minutes drive towards the airport and charge the small fee for daily use. While it does seem like a lot of effort to do so, it is worthwhile experience because the range of facilities is good and you can rent a small cabana next to the water for less than you would pay for a sun bed in one of Spanish resorts. This option is great if you have kids and are not keen on them sun bathing all day long. It is also an unbeatable spot for a family picnic.
The water itself is beautifully turquoise, warm and clean and the beach is white sand gently sloping towards the sea. The only thing to watch out of is sunburn because in this part of the world afternoon sun is very strong.
Bataan peninsular (ten minute’s drive from Cubic), unbelievable, is one of the most unexplored in the Philippines and is a great place for hiking and bird watching.
The range of hotels and restaurants in Cubic Bay is second only to Manila and hygiene is generally very good. There is normally no need to prebook a hotel, but it you feel safer doing so HERE is a website with some options.
