88DB.com iBlog4 After Party…

DISCLAIMER: The following will be unpleasant. This blogger has had a bad experience. I might hurt some feelings so if you’re not up for that, I suggest you read elsewhere.

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Travelogue XXXII: Crystal Beach & Subic, Zambales (April 19-20, 2008) Part III

After a very “fruitful” night, Peter and I woke up early the following morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. As we had our breakfast cooked, we headed straight to the beach hoping that Peter could catch some waves and get to surf. As for me, my body still shivers at the thought of being out there in the open sea so I opted to just body board for a little while and just watch Peter from afar. The current was so strong that in just seconds of being in the water, it immediately dragged Peter at the far left side of the sea. Scary!

Even Sam got alarmed with Peter being so far out there…  But the moment Peter went back to the beach, exhausted and out of breathe, Sam relaxed and started minding his own business.

Then it was time for me to play a little. But since the waves were so strong, I think I only stayed for a couple of minutes. I found my body shaking in terror and I just couldn’t take it. Tsk, tsk, tsk… I guess I still am traumatized for getting drowned last December. Sigh. 

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Travelogue XXXII: Cystal Beach Zambales (April 19-20, 2008) Part II

Gosh, it’s Saturday morning after shift at work and I’m not yet sleepy… I’m  missing the beach a lot even though we’ve just been there last weekend.  Too bad, we’re attending the blogging event later at UP and the after party at Katips. Actually, I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to go to the Summit coz I bet I’ll be super sleepy by then and I’m surmising that it might be boring. And if ever I will have the energy to travel this afternoon, I might just go shopping and attend Irene’s baby shower. But all of these things will depend on my state of health and if Peter can drive me all the way to Marikina since I think he is obliged to attend the Blog Summit. Oh well. Whatever! I miss the beach… Huhuhu… So to appease myself, I’ll just post the remaining things that happened last weekend when we went to Zambales…

This is from Peter’s point of view… 

This is from the crab’s point of view… 

This was what I missed… 

Like what I said in my previous post, I fell asleep while sunbathing. I didn’t even see the sun go down, boohoo! So Peter took tons of sunset shots and showed them to me when I woke up… After a while, when it was really getting quite dark, we headed back to the room. It was time for dinner and just like that afternoon, we had our food ordered and cooked by the very friendly staff of Johneva’s Resort.

 
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Travelogue XXXII: Crystal Beach Zambales (April 19-20, 2008) Part I

It’s the middle of summer so what do you expect? Of course I’ll spend as much of my free time as possible at the beach! Regardless of the fact that I’m already getting as burnt as a coal and the sun’s rays are A LOT  hotter than the previous years (no thanks to global warming). So last weekend, after packing all my beach attire, gadgets and gizmos in a trot, off we went to San Narciso, Zambales to explore Crystal Beach, one of its more famous beaches known for its great surf, kind locals and great ambience! Never mind the fact that I haven’t slept in 24 hours and looking (and feeling) like a zombie, I was still very much excited to go. It’s just me, my hubby, and our four girls. Yep, we brought them with us — Samantha (our ever lovely adopted basset hound), Didi (our ever reliable yellow surf board), Bebe (our sturdy and uniquely-shaped green skim board) and Pupu (our ultra mighty purple body board).  Despite the fact that Peter and I were both excited, we were also preparing ourselves for the worst like what happened the other weekend when we went to Calatagan and ended up in Nasugbu.

Also, the past few times we visited Zambales, we’d always go to Pundaquit in San Antonio.  Megan’s resort  is a great place to stay at and the nearby falls and estuary are really fantastic natural resources we love to explore. But I must say that if we were not with our friends and we were not heading to Capones then and just stayed at the Pundaquit beach, it would’ve made those vacations depressing. Pundaquit beach has a certain air of sadness that I cannot explain. I was hoping that Crystal beach would be different.

As  it turned out, it was!!!! O-M-G!!! Crystal Beach went far better than our expectations! When we went there last weekend, the water was so clear and bluish (unlike the one in Pundaquit which remains grey even when the sun is shining), the waves were awesome, the sand has always been powdery grey (a mixture of white crystals and black sand) that is soft to touch, the beach is sooooo wide, and there werent’ many people at all ( as compared to Munting Buhangin the other weekend when it seemed like most residents of Metro Manila flocked the entire beach). We even saw a lot of pine trees far into the distance which we explored later on.

There were also flower-bearing bushes that are shaped like a starfish! Cool!

 
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My Five Bora Picks

Aside from this fabulous Singapore-based blogger I know, April Zara, there are other people interested in visiting Boracay, asking me about resorts and hotels I could recommend. So I’m opting to make a post about it here for everyone’s information… 

True Home Resort

I like the layout of their hotel. When I looked at it from my sunbathing spot just across the hotel,  it really seemed like a home away from home. The architectural design is ver cozy and very homey. It has a unique blend of Mediterranean and Filipino architectural style so it came out really fabulous. I even thought about incorporating a bit of its layout into our house in Manila. Although their rates are not so low, they’re not so expensive either. For the cheapest room, they rent it out for Php3,500 during peak season and Php 3050.00 during off peak .

All prices are for single or double occupancy and include free breakfast for two (2) persons.  Children 10 and under stay for free. Fantastic, right?

 Blue Lilly Villa

This one is just right beside True Home. So this means, they share the same perfect white sandy powdery beach. The layout of the house is not as beautiful as True Home but customers say  that their staff will really make you feel like you’re part of the family. And while they share the same peak season price for their superior room, during off peak, it’s just Php2,500 good for two. Children below 10 years old are free of charge as well.

Sun Village Central

For those who like to have a more private location (on top of a hill), they have the Sun Villa Private Homes. It’s the hotel I checked in at during the Bora Fun Board Cup last January. It has its swimming pool and it’s really cozy. But you have to walk all the way up to the hill where it’s located since no tricyle ply that upward route.  So I suggest that you get the one located along the beach instead — Sun Village Central. They have a promo right now valid from October 27 to June 13, 2008, not valid during Super Peak Season

INCLUSIONS:
Room Accommodation
Breakfast
Roundtrip land and boat transfers via Caticlan only ADD USD5 per person if Kalibo
Welcome drinks
12% Vat

NOTES:
Rates in US Dollar per person
Rates are subject to change without prior notice
Valid for local residents only
Exclusive of P50/pax environmental fee to be paid at Caticlan jetty port

For their standard room, this is their rate for a 3 dayss/2nights package:

Single: $167

Double: $92

Triple: $80

Chez de Paris

For those who are on a more stringent  budget but would still like to get that wonderful beach ambience, go here. My friend Koryn and her other friends stayed here last holy week and they had a blast! It’s not only a hotel, it’s a restaurant and bar as well!   The lowest rate they offer is a fan room for only $15 during low season!!! Fantastic!!! And the menu they offer include French, Thai and other Asian cuisines. I think I’ll check them out myself the next time I go to Bora on a budget.

The Panoly

And of course, our home in Boracay (until year 2014 at least), is always the best place if you want that secluded part of Boracay without the hustle and bustle of Stations 1-3. You are also sure that the water here is cleaner since there are few people who use the beach even during peak season. The only downside is, if you want to go to the main beach, you have to follow their schedule of free shuttle service  to and fro. They are on the pricier end of the spectrum as you can see on their website. But if you will rent our time share, we can give it to you for only Php3000 per night for the bungalows good for three people already and and Php4500 per night for the hotel rooms, also good for three people already. With this, you get to experience everything they have to offer — use of swimming pool, use of tennis courts,  and discounted rates in water sports activities. Just contact me so we can book it asap under my name (0918-9270850).