The time & date in Clark, Philippines is

Clark Pampanga Philippines Things to Do

Phlippines’ Clark Freeport, just 80km north of Manila, is located in the province of Pampanga. Ever since the two expressways – North Luzon Expressway or NLEX and Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway or SCTex – were built, not only is the travel time from Manila shortened to just 50 minutes, the journey north to Clark is smooth and pleasant.
 
 

Journey to a holiday destination is one of the major deciding factors for many Manila residents looking for a good place to bring the family out of town for a vacation or even a short getaway daytrip. For the last 10 years, Clark Pampanga has become a holiday destination of choice for many Manila residents as well as expats stationed in the Philippines.

Once in Clark, there are a surprisingly large number of interesting options especially for visitors who are there for golf, family-bonding and quality living. Bear in mind that Clark’s proximity to Manila makes this Freeport City in Pampanga a viable daytrip getaway destination for Manila residents. In fact, many visitors go back and forth from Manila to Clark on a regular basis for business, golf or just to visit families and friends. All in all, Clark Pampanga has become one of the post popular “staycation” destinations in the Philippines, not only for Manila residents but also residents in other major cities in the Philippines.
 
 

The journey to Clark might be smooth and pleasant, but for Manila residents especially, driving in Clark is Heaven sent. The absence of traffic jams, wide roads with no tricycles, very few jeepneys and very little interference from jaywalking pedestrians, make for a most pleasant drive around town. That said, traffic enforcers are fiercely vigorous, albeit courteous, so motorists who might be used to less stringent traffic enforcement back home should not test the law in Clark. Wear your seat belts, observe traffic lights and signs and the motoring holiday in Clark Philippines will be a memorable one, in the positive sense.

Here are some of the popular items that appear on many visitors’ itinerary when travelling to Clark Philippines.
 
 
WHERE TO STAY IN CLARK PHILIPPIES
Hotel and Resort Accommodation

The usual hotel options like Holiday Inn aside, Clark is known for resorts and hotels offering nice outdoor amenities, a feature that is particular sought after by visitors who come from crowded cities like Manila, as well as tourists arriving from major cities around Asia. Manila residents looking seeking a resort for a weekend “staycation” often prefer a resort that offers a lifestyle and an ambiance that is different from that in Manila.

Several resorts with outdoor amenities are available in Clark. One of the more popular outdoor resorts is Clearwater Resort, where visitor can find the beautiful lake in Clark. This resort in Clark is a 10-hectare property designed not for luxury but for a laid-back, stress-free lifestyle. In addition to kayaks, boats and fishing, there is a white-sand beach with a adjacent lagoon and swimming pool overlooking the lake. Cabins, cottages and lodges are scattered around the property offering a nice feeling of privacy.
 
 

Oddly enough, despite its idyllic ambiance and that sense of seclusion, Clearwater Resort is actually located in the central business district of Clark Pampanga. Shoppers might be thrilled to learn that the row of duty-free shops and malls are just behind this resort, literally a stone’s throw away and certainly within walking distance.

Other hotels and resorts in Clark worthy of interest include Mimosa, Fontana and Oxford while there are a number of good hotels outside of Clark Freeport in Angeles City. More information about special resorts in Philippines Clark Freeport, Pampanga……
 
 
(DUTY FREE) SHOPPING IN CLARK PAMPANGA

Clark Philippines cannot be described as a shopping haven when compared to major shopping destinations like Hong Kong and Singapore. But for Manila residents as well as many residents in Angeles City and San Fernando Pampanga, Clark Freeport still offers a few enticing options albeit mostly at the basic levels.
 
 

Almost all the Duty Free shopping malls in Clark Pampanga are located on the road called C. M. Recto Highway. Popular shopping stops include Puregold, Liberty, Clark Interiors, Oriental and Parkson Duty Free. Just at the border of Clark Freeport next to the main gate and adjoining Angeles City is SM. More about Shopping in Philippines Clark Freeport, Pampanga……
 
 
DINING OUT IN CLARK
Restaurants, Bistros and Cafes in Clark Pampanga

Pampanga is already quite well known within the Philippines for its provincial cuisines, one that features exotic ingredients some not exactly for the faint of heart. A visit to Clark Philippines is not complete without sampling one or two delicacies indigenous to this province. Among the must-try is the famous dish called sisig which translates literally to “a snack that is somewhat sour”, a translation that doesn’t come close to resembling what the real dish is about today. There are, as expected, many versions of sisig but Pork sisig remains the most ubiquitous and the most tourist-friendly. That said, one should expect to find certain less-than-familiar ingredients in the dish, including but not limited to pigs face and ears mixed with assorted livers.
 
 

Now that you have been there, done that, some may crave for a more familiar meal of steaks and seafood. Seasoned travelers tell us that a big surprise awaits us in Clark, specifically inside Mimosa Golf Leisure Estate. Quite well known among food (and wine) lovers in the Philippines the Yats Restaurant and Wine Lounge stands out among all other upscale dining establishments not only within Clark but practically anywhere outside of Metro Manila.

The cuisine at YATS can be described as French Mediterranean. This restaurant in Clark is frequently lauded for featuring a collection of delectable ingredients and prepared with healthy options in mind. Foodies from Manila have more qualms travelling to Clark to enjoy some Wagyu, Kurobuta Pork, Crocodile, Pigeons, Lamb Chops from Mongolia, as well as healthy and delicious red meat options such as Venison from New Zealand or Kangaroo from Australia.

Guests of this restaurant in Clark who fancy a nice bottle of wine with their meals have certainly arrived at the right place. The wine list of YATS has placed this restaurant among some 900 restaurant in the world to be given the Best of Awards of Excellence awarded by world-leading magazine called The Wine Spectator.
 
 

What really appeals to wine lovers is not just the immense selection offered by the 2500-line wine list and the depth of vintages of some classic vintage wines spanning the last 50 years, is the attractive prices of its wines. Pricing is something that this restaurant seems to pay a great deal of attention to. The proprietor of this restaurant in Clark makes the point to abandon the insidious practice of slapping a high markup on the prices of wine, something that frequently angers the guests of other upscale dining restaurants around Asia. Taking a look at its menu, it is obvious that its friendly pricing policies apply to the food side of its business also, a refreshing development, one that many guests wish to be more prevalent in other dining establishments in the Philippines.

YATS Restaurant is a little bit more than a restaurant. It is a frequently used by business travelers as a venue for meetings. In addition to a comfortable and elegant wine lounge offered to guests who wish to stay on for a night cap after dinner and can serve as a good place for a cocktail meeting before dinner, this restaurant also offers several private rooms of varying sizes. More about this restaurant in Philippines Clark Freeport, Pampanga……
 
 
CLARK FOR WINE LOVERS
Wine shopping in Clark Freeport Zone, Philippines

Talking about wine, frequent visitors to Clark who have a penchant for wine have long discovered that Clark is a great place to do some shopping.
 
 

Appearing frequently on the itinerary of wine-loving visitors arriving in Clark for holiday, business or golf is a stop at the Clark Wine Center, one of the largest wine stores in the Philippines and certainly one with the largest selections of wine at the disposal of wine shoppers. The wine shop is a stand-alone two-storey white building along the main road coming into Clark, called M A Roxas. Inside are several cellars each housing hundreds of bottles of wine, some old, some new, some expensive and some very affordable. Wine lovers reported that all the wines in this wine shop in Clark Pampanga are attractively priced. Other wine shops can also be found inside the duty-free shopping malls mentioned earlier.

Many wine lovers opt to enjoy a few bottles from the spoils of their shopping expedition before leaving Clark. They are delighted that many restaurants in this wine-friendly town waive corkage for wines that they bought during their visit. This is just one of many things that have placed Clark on the map for wine shoppers not only coming in from Manila and other cities in the Philippines, but all over Asia and some from much farther away. More about wine shopping in Philippines Clark Freeport, Pampanga……
 
 
Bars and Pubs in Clark Philippines
Nightlife entertainment as well as after-dinner places to hangout in Clark Pampanga
 
 

When it comes to traditional nightlife entertainment, nothing surpasses or even come close to the nightlife capital of Asia, Angeles City, or AC as bar hoppers prefer to call this exotic town. Adjoining Clark Freeport and just a fence separating the two cities, most of AC’s nightlife establishments are located on one long strip of a street called Fields Avenue. Congestion, law and order issues and cleanliness problems are not enough to faze tourists arriving in droves. Many of these tourists end up staying in hotels in Angeles City, not inside Clark Freeport.

Other visitors coming to Clark Pampanga looking for a quieter way to spend an evening, often prefer to relax and unwind after dinner in one of the bars and pubs inside Clark. One of the most popular places in Clark is a joint called The London Pub which is located inside Mimosa. The classic English pub décor provides a relaxing ambiance that makes one forget the time. The pub atmosphere also promotes a high degree of congeniality among guests. Games of darts and billiards often comprise of players who have just met over the evening.
 
 

The London Pub is also the first gastropub in the Philippines. This is one bar in the Pampanga that dispels the myth of bad pub grub. In fact this family resto bar in Clark serves up some of the most delectable English cuisine to be found anywhere in Philippines. Aside from the usual Fish n Chips and fish pies, this bistro in Clark offers a menu that appeals not only to adults but the whole family too, making it one of the most popular family dining establishments in Pampanga. Another interesting thing about this pub in Clark is its unique beer offering, called Vintage Beer, something that even beer aficionados may not be very familiar with. The name stems from the fact that these triple-fermented brews are bottle-conditioned so that it continues to develop after it is bottled. Vintage year appearing on the label tells us how old these beers are. This pub is now serving beers from vintage 2003 to 2005. Cigar aficionados should be pleased to know that there is a quiet porch outside the pub and the establishment sells a good selection of Cohiba, Romeo et Julieta, Monte Cristo and other Cuban cigars. More about this English Gastro Pub in Philippines Clark Freeport, Pampanga……
 
 
OTHER THINGS TO DO IN CLARK
recreational, relaxation and myriad of things to do in Clark Pampanga
 
 

Pampanga Clark Freeport has become a destination of choice not only for frequent individual travelers and families residing in Manila this city is now heavily favored by event organizers, wedding planners and facilitators of teambuilding exercises. Proximity to Manila, low crime rates, relatively pollution free and pleasantly light traffic are some of the factors that have vaulted Clark onto the top of the list of destinations for corporate and social events.

Find out more about Clark in the sequel to this article which features many ways to enjoy Clark. But be careful. Many visitors have grown so fond of Clark Philippines that they ended up leasing a plot of land and live here.