Archduchess Travels: August 2017

San Narciso is a 4^th class municipality and just about an hour away from Olongapo City in Zambales. From Manila, it’s about 3 hours and 30 minutes travel by bus. The town is recognized for its surf beach, high waves good enough to learn surfing basics. I chose this long weekend getaway location since it’s near Pampanga (where I’m based) and its affordable rate considering that I booked on the same day through www.booking.com. It was a last minute change of plans and the sun was up so we just had to find relaxation from the daily grind.

The beach waves are high at this time so it’s perfect for surfing. The sand is brown and there are rocky parts during late afternoon, water is clean but there are lots of sea plants floating along the shoreline.

Sabina Beach Resort

Sabina is a typical no frills resort meaning it’s a backpacker place – essential overnight stay with aircon (fan room is also available) and private toilet. No toiletries or fancy accommodation but that’s fine with me. I always support the locals who build their own homey resort. I’m not saying I don’t like the hotel chains but my blog focuses on budget travel and high room rates are not just my thing. My reason is that I just needed a place to put my stuff and rest for the night but I will be outdoors anyway, enjoying the beach so it doesn’t really matter to me. The rate I got from booking.com is P2,000 good for 4 pax. The room has 2 double sized beds, a/c, toilet and a veranda for eating outside the room.

The resort is huge and has potential but needs repair and facility upgrade. The good thing is that it’s just a 10 minute walk from the most popular resort and where the action takes place – Crystal Beach Resort.

Crystal Beach Resort

We arrived at 2:30 pm and had late lunch at Domingo’s Grille and Restaurant. This dining hall is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and transforms into a bar with live music. Prices range from P150 to P300 but the portion is good for sharing. We had pancit bihon, spareribs, baked macaroni and buttered chicken. Food is delicious and worth the price.

Crystal Beach has camping grounds for those who have their own tents and tent packages. They have a beach volleyball area, surfing activities and more. The place is IG worthy and has a wonderful laidback vibe to it. Surfing rate is P400 per hour/head. It’s great to see that most of the surfer students were women.

Ten Toes on the Nose Jungle Hostel

A pleasant place piqued my interest when I saw a beach front property called Ten Nose on the Nose Jungle Hostel featuring 10 cottages surrounded with pine trees. It’s still part of Crystal Beach but much more intimate since the cottage is good for two inclusive of buffet breakfast at P1,700.

San Narciso Sleepy Town Charm

At around 7:30 pm, when it’s too dark and too cold to swim we finally went back to our Sabina room and went out to find dinner. Best tips on budget travel is to check out places outside your resort where food is way cheaper and get to meet some of the friendly locals. We had siomai rice at just P80 good for 4 pax already and sago’t gulaman for me. There’s a debut celebration on the street and quite tempted to gatecrash the party (haha). By 9pm, mobile signal is intermittent and it was time to call it a night. There are 3 resorts in the area and the lack of any established hotels still add to the quaint charm of the place.

San Sebastian Church and Century Bells

A fun trip wouldn’t be complete without a heritage or historical landmark. It was just a blessed surprise to know that the San Sebastian Church in San Narciso has century old bells as far back as 1846 when the town was formed and they preserved these treasures.

So in essence, if you need to have a quick and affordable getaway from the city, San Narciso Zambales is the place to go.