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Once a quiet coastal fishing village, the people of Olongapo were known for their tendency to stick together and to maintain good relations with their neighbors. Olongapo accepted the rule of the Spanish for a while, but when the resistance began in the 1890’s, the town quietly joined in. When the Americans arrived, the city welcomed them. Thus was born the Subic Bay Naval Base and Olongapo City connection. When the Philippines became independent after World War II, Olongapo remained under U.S. governance as a part of the Subic base. Finally, in 1992, the U.S. remanded custody of the area to the Philippines, and the Subic Bay Free Zone, a duty free vacation area, was created. By this time, however, eighty years of serving sailors as a playground left Olongapo with a bad reputation. Since taking over, the Philippine and local government has totally remade the area, earning international recognition for their work, including the the UNESCO Cities for Peace award and the Konrad Adenauer Local Medal of Excellence.
Today, Olongapo is the capital of Zambales Province and home to more than 190,000 people. The entire Subic and Olongapo area is now filled with fantastic vacation attractions. The attitude of the people is best described by this story from the founding of the town: a wise, old man once tried to bring peace to the warring tribes in the area, knowing that disunity invited conquest. One day, he disappeared. Later on, the old man was found, but he had suffered the ultimate insult – his head was gone. The people searched for it, but became tired. Only one boy dedicated himself to the search, week after week. And one day, he found the head on a bamboo stick by the river. He ran from village to village shouting “Olo nin apo! Olo nin apo!” (“Head of the Elder”). The people decided that the old man had true power in his counsel, and the town of Olongapo was born. A bust of the old man still sits in the heart of the city.
When visiting the Subic and Olongapo area, you can enjoy a Disneyesque range of attractions. Scuba diving is taught everywhere. Ocean Adventure Park offers theme park rides, while Tree Top Adventure and Zoobic Safari compete to bring in vacaiotners interested in animals and adventure. The Barrio Baretto area retais the better aspects of the Subic nightlife scene, while the Subic International Raceway gives fans of the motoring world fantastic events. The following list is a partial suggestion for places to stay at when visiting Olongapo…
Bayfront Hotel
The Bayfront Hotel in Subic has a Mediterranean theme, and a charming, peaceful arrangement of villas. It is clean and cozy, and it offers exquisite service.
Kokomo Beach Resort
Set alongside the beaches of Olongapo, the Kokomo offers breathtaking sunset views of the ocean to the south and west and the Zambales Mountains to the east.
Subic International Hotel
A former US naval barracks, the Subic International Hotel Corporation is now one of the biggest hotels in the area. With its location in the Subic Freeport Zone, the Subic offers bargains galore.
Arizona International Hotel
The Arizona International Hotel Subic offers luxury accommodations with a full selection of amenities. Only minutes away from the best food and entertainment hotspots in the Subic area, the Arizona is always busy.