Olongapo is like 3 hours to 4 hours of leisurely drive by bus or private vehicle, thru the North Luzon Expressway, and the SCTEX or some would exit at san fernando pampanga, passing the towns of guagua and lubao then dinalupihan bataan before reaching Olongapo. Its neighbor municipality of subic is a freeport, economic zone which also hosts to many attractions like resorts, beaches, forest adventures, etc and was a former US military Base. Olongapo's close proximity to manila has made it a favorite weekend destination or holiday spot for vacationers who want to excape the urban jungle that is metro manila.
There are buses going to Olongapo coming from Caloocan City, Sampaloc, Pasay and Cubao. I would recommend Victory Liner and Genesis, their buses have regular schedules early in the morning till midnite and they have quick stops along the way.
From Victory liner Caloocan it would cost you roughly P203 to get to olongapo city proper. Upon reaching final stop which is the victory liner bus terminal, hop on a blue jeep, ask local folks for the jeep terminal, its very close to victory liner bus terminal. It would only cost you P15pesos, tell the driver to drop you at the resort of your choice.
Barrio Barretto beach or Driftwood beach
Theres more variety to the resorts here, and there are so many eateries, convenience stores to choose from plus you get the feel of experiencing the local community in the area. Yes there are bars at night to attract former US servicemen who were once stationed in subic and clark during the 70s but its pretty quiet and safe during daytime. Even at night you wont see these entertainment girls sprawling on the streets looking for customers.
The beach in barretto is long but not so wide in certain areas. The current pushes debris from other places during the monsoon season, so you might think the beach is dirty. But resorts do their best cleaning their front property. Rainy day promos are offered by many resorts, i got a nice and comfortable queensized bed, airconditioned room, flat screen tv with cable, clean bath and shower for only P1300 at Playa papagayo resort which is good for two persons.
There are just too many options on this beach strip but i would prefer that you would stay at playa papagayo or by the sea resort since both resorts offer a variety of rooms at decent prices and the ambiance on these two resorts is unmatched elsewhere in the area.
Aside from the usual resorts theres a public resort which caters to locals on day trip picnics. Driftwood beach resort is one of them. Open cottages are priced at P1000 with electrical outlets, the cheaper ones are priced half of that. Its the one beside arizona beach with a long pier jotting out into the sea. The sand in this area is much finer and the beach cleaner. There is ample parking in the public resort.
If you prefer a more wider beach away from the nightlife attractions of barretto beach, then theres baloy beach which is more popular with the locals. The dropoff point from the green jeep route is the seven eleven convenience store in barrio barretto. Just tell the driver to drop you off at baloy beach and you can take a trike for P50 ride to your resort from the trikes parked outside 711.
The best option for a mid range hotel here are treasure island, the popular wild orchid beach resort and blue rock resort with its popular floating bar and restaurant. Johan's at the far end of the baloy beach strip and kokomo's are backpacker's haven. Johan's offers diving while kokomo's has themed rooms and a cool rooftop viewing area. Personally i think baloy beach is more of a local place as its frequented by day trippers and gets particularly busy during the summer months.
Here's a little secret...theres a nice hill pass blue rock resort which reasonably healthy adults can climb and get a spectacular view of both baretto beach and baloy beach :)
Make sure to check the weather before going to Olongapo. Enjoy!!
