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In April of 2007, Amrei and I went to Bicol in time for the Holy Week vacation, we were going to meet with Angku and Ryan who were currently vacationing there (Angku’s hometown is Bicol), the day after we arrived. Then Abet and Hasmin will follow from Manila, on our third day.

Our first stop was where we would be staying – EcoVillage. It was only very lucky for us to be able to book a room in EcoVillage because it was the holy week so all accommodations that we contacted near CWC were all fully booked. We got a room because we very eagerly followed up for cancellations. The Eco Village management was nice enough to notify us when a room became available.

Ate Lyn (but we call each other “Teng” short for “Ateng”), my sister, her husband and their friends were already in Bicol for three days when we arrived. They’ve already swam with the whale sharks in Donsol. On their last day in Bicol, they tried out the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) where we met them up for breakfast.

We had pancakes and omelet. I remember that the breakfast foods were only around Php 90-110. I was a vegetarian then so I requested for a tomato and mushroom omelet.

CWC at that time only had a few accommodations, the containers were under construction.

I was delighted to enter the complex, with a big pool that’s surrounded by cabanas for spa and lounging, the clubhouse, and the 6-point cable ski system. The whole walking area is made of wooden flooring too! It’s a very relaxing atmosphere.

The place also has a good view of Mt. Isarog.

Read what you can do when in CWC here.

Contact Camsur Watersports Complex at these details:

Camsur Watersports Complex Office:
Provincial Capitol Complex
Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur
Contact Number: +63(54) 4773344 / 4773347
Fax Number: +63(54) 477-5162
E-mail: infocamsur@gmail.com

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The Great Bicol Adventure: Rest and Relaxation in Awesome Camsur
Eco Village, Pili, Camarines Sur

On January 01, my family went to White Cove, Laiya Batangas to jump start a year of lakwatsa. You’ve heard the saying — whatever you have in the first day of the year, you’ll have the whole year round. That’s why we always welcome the New Year with a feast, hope that no one’s sick or broken hearted at the time, and the family is celebrating together. I was not able to come with them because I was not prepared, and I never go to the beach unprepared. I was not informed that we were going out of town that day, and the only clothes I had on my bag were overnight clothes, and this was because I do not live with my parents, so all my gears are in my apartment, far away.

At night, with Laiya on my mind, I thought of a place that I would want to go to. I thought of Subic because Amrei, my travel buddy and designated driver, has been saying that she wanted to drive to Subic and experience the beautiful Subic Clark Tarlac Express Way (SCTEx). We also wanted to go to the zoo and shake hands with some monkeys on the way.

So off we go at 11 AM of the second day of the year. We stopped by at a convenience store in Timog Avenue to pick up chips and water while we fill the gas of the car. At around 1PM, we’re in North Luzon Expressway (NLEx). The first stop over is a Shell Station but we opted to stop at the Petron Station in Balagtas.

This is our favorite stop over, last time I was here was last November when we drove off to Dagupan.

We entered the Subic Bay Freeport Zone at around 2:30 PM, we followed the signs that said “BEACHES” which was also the same way as Zoobic Safari. We took a left turn after exiting SCTEx and drove until there were signs that said “Beaches”. We  realized that we’re on the wrong route when all we can see was the way to Camayan Cove and Ocean Adventure, after passing by the Zoobic Safari road and meeting some monkeys on the way, and since we’re already there, we went ahead and checked out Camayan Cove. The place was fully booked. We turned back and checked out two other beaches at the other end of the road — Bungaree Beach, at Php150 (3.27 USD) entrance fee, without overnight rooms. Then All Hands Resort, P150 entrance and only one type of room available for overnight stay at Php 4,500 (98.09 USD). Since it seems that this was not going to work, we headed back to where we should’ve come to in the first place — Olongapo’s National Road where most of the Subic Bay beaches are. We checked out several other resorts, where the look, feel and rates vary wildly, before we finally found a nice place. Playa Papagayo. Read more about our fun stay at Playa Papagayo.

We were able to catch the last minutes of sun, had a wonderful dinner at Playa Papagayo, rested for a while and went out at night to have a few round of beer and billiards. In the morning, we got our free continental breakfast, enjoyed some more morning beach, and checked out at 1 PM to go to the Zoobic Safari. Read more about our tour in the Zoobic Safari.

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Zoobic Safari – The Only Tiger Safari in the Philippines

As an annual family vacation every May, we went up North to Baguio City last weekend.

We haven’t been going to the usual tourist spots like Mines View Park, Botanical Garden, Wright Park and Philippine Military Academy (PMA) since we’ve visited these places a couple of times years before.

This time, we went to Tam-Awan Village for a different experience. I’ll post a separate article about that, meanwhile, let me tell you what I do when 0n vacation in Baguio.

One of the fun things that I always do when is going to Ukay Ukay stores to look for very affordable fashion finds.

Aside from the cool weather, Baguio City has also become famous for its Ukay-Ukay (probably derived from the Filipino word Hukay, or to dig) or Wagwagan (to shake) shops. Originally, clothes, bags, shoes are thrown in on a mat, table, or big boxes where you can dig to find your match, these were on small shops and  side walks.

Now there are several Ukay Ukay joints in Baguio, most famous are the Skyworld along Session Road, and Bayanihan, near Burnham Park. They have rows of clothes racks, and shoes are displayed in an organized manner.

I still do not know where the items come from, some say these are surpluses from abroad, maybe why some items are brand new and still have tags.

Most of the items are pre-owned goods and if you’re lucky, you’ll find new, branded stuff at very cheap prices.

Another place to visit is an area called Hilltop, behind the Baguio Market where they sell all sorts of clothes, accessories and even home furnishings like curtains and bed sheets. You can find streets and blocks of Ukay Ukay shops in Hilltop. A few years ago, I was also able to buy a couple of good finds in Harrison Building in Harrison Street, beside Burnham Park. At night, Ukay Ukay sellers would spread out their selling goods around Harrison Building, passing through Mabini Street going up to Calderon Street. Calderon Street is intersection Session Road. At the corner is Skyworld. So that’s a whole block of Ukay Ukay stuff!

Related Post:

Oh My Gulay! Baguio City

This year at Puerto Galera, instead of the usual Coral Garden – Bukete – Bayanan island hopping, we only went to Coral Garden and Bayanan. We were supposed to go back to White Beach, where we were checked in, but the boatman was nice enough to wait for us while we have lunch at the nearby Aninuan Island. So instead of going to Bukete, we went to Tamaraw Beach Resort to have lunch.

We went to the small dining area and ordered for food.  think it took about an hour before our food was served. While waiting, I took photos around and surveyed the place. They offer different water rides: banana boat, glass bottom boat and wakeboarding, even. But a little pricey for half an hour’s worth.

There are lounge chairs in the shore, and ping pong table beside the coffee shop. The place is full of plants and flowers too.

I asked for their rates becuase Tamaraw Beach Resort seemed a nice place for families and honeymooners. The rooms look nice and clean too. They even have weekly and monthly rates for the units that have kitchennette.

It’s peaceful and quiet, with its quaint own shoreline. I wish to get away to Tamaraw Beach Resort soon!

Related Post:

AMCI Anniversary Weekend

I booked a room for six on the night of Maundy Thursday. I said that we would be checking in at 12 noon on Black Saturday.

We rented a van from Alaminos town to take us to Bolinao. We passed by CSI Warehouse Club Alaminos to buy canned food, chips and drinks. Then at a flea market in Brgy. Balingasay get some food to cook.

We got to Bing’s Beach Resort (which is actually the last resort in the stretch, together with Hans-Min Beach Garden) at around 11 am and my contact person that there’s still people in the room that I booked and they will leave after eating lunch, and we can get the room after they clean it.

We did not want to waste time so we hired a tricycle to take us to other resorts so we can canvass for more rooms. Unfortunately, Bing’s Beach Resort is the best deal compared to Hans-Min and Dutch Beach Resort.

The room was not yet ready when we came back so we started cooking our food. The staff at the resort were nice enough to lend us one of their grills at the back kitchen, and let us stayed in the air-con function room in the reception hall. They let us keep our food in their ref too, wash our food in their sink and gave us glasses with ice on the house.

We passed the time cooking, eating, playing PSP and cards. So much time wasted. And when we finally got our room at 3PM, yeah, we waited that long, the staff still made me wait when I asked for an extra mattress. Generally, they are nice and apologetic, but they still need to learn more about client servicing. Especially that most guests on peak seasons, like this lent, were from Manila, and went there to enjoy the beach. And waiting wasted us precious time and left us with only two to three hours of sun in the beach.

Here is the room that we rented for Php 2000 and P100 for an extra mattress:

The water in the bathroom is definitely stronger than the water in Lucap Point.

Bing’s Beach Resort has units on both sides of the road. What we got was not on the side of the beach. Here are some photos of the units that are on the beach front:

This is in the middle of everything. I don’t know if it’s an elevated cottage, or just a view deck.

Bing’s Beach Resort
09282477501
09212807142
Look for Grace

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Hundred Islands, Alaminos Pangasinan

There should not be anything stopping us from going to different islands of our country. The Philippines is really beautiful, so go on, explore. And enjoy the promo fares that airline companies are offering.

Now that Philippine Airlines’ Seat-All-You-Can Promo is back, with flights to major destinations, what else are you waiting for? Click on the photo to book a flight!

We went to Pangasinan for The Hundred Islands National Park for the long weekend and our first stop was well, the Last Resort. The Last Resort is in Lucap Point, Alaminos Pangsinan. The resort is just in front of the pier where outrigger boats bound for The Hundred Islands dock.

We got a big closed cottage with an air conditioned room, good for 10 single beds, a spacious room with kitchen lavatory for cooking, two bathrooms (showers of both not working, but faucet water was ok, water’s not too strong) and a long dining table with matching benches on the porch. It’s originally priced at Php 3000 for 10 beds. But we got it for Php 2500 since we were only six.

The Last Resort do not sell food so we ate brunch at the Maxine by the Sea Lodge & Restaurant which is just in front of it, right beside the wharf.

Lodging at The Last Resort is generaly comfortable since visitors need not share a bed, and a big space for cooking is advisable for families. Market is in town, 10-15 minutes by tricycle. Tricycle from the town (where Alaminos-bound buses from Manila arrive) to Lucap Point is P100.  Manila to Alaminos is P350 via Victory Liner. First trip from Cubao is 430 AM.

The Last Resort said they don’t sell food, and referred us to Maxine by the Sea Lodge & Restaurant. Walking across the road to go to Maxine by the Sea, a kindly old boatman approached us and asked what we were looking for. He pointed us to the opposite direction for an eatery, saying it’s a bit expensive to eat at Maxine by the Sea. He then noted that he’s a boat man, if we ever need to rent a boat. Too bad he was not there when we were about to leave (by boat) for the Hundred Islands National Park.

Maxine by the Sea is not only a restaurant, it is also a resort. There are stores in front of the resort that sell colorful beach clothes, hats and souvenir items but the entrance to the main building is pale and gray, because of the concrete walls. The restaurant is really big, and looks ok. There’s even a more intimate al fresco set up at one wing of the resort.

Other areas of the resort:

Mr. Boatman was right, price of the food in the resort is a bit steep if you’re on a budget. This was what we had for lunch:

Seafood Kare Kare was good. I did not try the bagoong (shrimp paste) because it looked salty. The Dinaing na Bangus (milkfish) was ok, but not really as yummy as I was expecting, since Pangasinan is famous for Bangus. Mango shake tasted like over-riped mango. It could be good, or bad, depending on your preference.

I paid P 105.00 for my share of food, and P 65.00 for my mango shake.

Before going to Pangasinan, I got the resorts rates from the online support staff of the Hundred Islands’ official website. But the waiter in the restaurant said that their room rate is Php 2500.00 per room for 2 people, plus 5% at peak seasons. Here’s the rate that I got from the The Hundred Island’s official website’s staff:

- Php 1,288.00/day for 3 pax
- Php 600.00/3 hrs.
rooms with aircon & CR

MAXINE BY THE SEA
Lucap, Alaminos City
Tel: (075)551-2537

Villa Concepcion Wet & Wild Waves Inc. Resort encourages guests to bring in their own food with no corkage charges. Alcoholic beverages, however, are not allowed.

Because we are a family who loves traveling, celebrations, cofee bonding and food, we brought in our own cooked food:

We also had spaghetti, fried chicken, kakanins, and lots of chips and cookies, and doughnuts and a lot of other finger foods! Yum-my!

So this is the beautiful extension of Villa Concepcion Wet & Wild Waves Inc., in Pandi Bulacan.

Here are the photos of the big swimming pools.

Some areas in the annex are still in construction but the whole resort is already fully functional.

You will surely enjoy it in the annex because of the big pools and the homey ambiance.

Since some people have been asking,  here’s the direct link to the resort’s rates.

Villa Concepcion Wet & Wild Waves Inc. is located in Brgy. Masuso, Pandi Bulacan, 3014. You can reach them through 044-661-88-88 or 0917-892-64-85. Or send them an email at vcwwwi@yahoo.com. Check out their videos at www.villaconcepcion.cjb.net. Or go to Villa Concepcion Wet & Wild Waves Inc.’s Multiply page.

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Villa Concepcion Wet & Wild Waves Inc. Main Resort