Sugod sa Subic

I had an impression that Subic resorts were pricey. I was wrong. Upon checking online, there are beach cottages that are within budget. Subic is located in Zambales and used to be a former US naval base, the largest outside US territory for 9 decades. Most of the beaches and forest trails are preserved and turned into business ventures. It is also home to casinos, duty free shops and theme parks.

My friends and I had a day trip at All Hands Beach Resort. We paid P150 for the entrance fee and P400 for the   use of cabana with ceiling fan, shower facilities, floaters and other amenities. Beach use is from sunrise to sunrise (6am to 6am) the next day. The first thing I noticed was the pristine blue green beach and white sand.  The staff are warm and accommodating although we didn’t have prior reservation.  Thank goodness there are no videoke machines in sight. There was just a speaker playing party music heard around the resort. Fun floaters scattered on the beach for hanging out and enjoying the mountain views. The beach is ideal for children with shallow waters and small waves in the afternoon. The shoreline is not impressive but for those who just want to have a quick escape from the city and enjoy a refreshing weekend, All Hands is perfect. The resort also offers banana boat ride and jetski rentals. Food is affordable with grilled dishes starting at P150. There are meals good for sharing. You can also bring food and grill it there with no extra charge.

How to get there:

To those with vehicles, we headed to The Subic-Tipo Expressway (also known as the Subic-Tipo Road) that provided a direct route into the Subic Bay Freeport Zone without having to go through Olongapo City. This is a scenic route with a tunnel and my first time to see this part of the countryside.

For commuters, board a bus from Cubao or Avenida going to Olongapo City. These are mostly Genesis, Bataan Liner and Victory Liner buses. From there, a taxi can take you to All Hands for a fixed rate of P250 to P300 per way.

Check out www.allhandsbeach.com for details. 

Bakit Aliw ang Liw-Liwa sa San Felipe, Zambales?

I wanted to go to a beach that's just a bus ride away and yet near Manila. That would be a toss between Batangas, Bataan or Zambales. I've never been to the beaches of Zambales, mostly just Clark or Subic for work related team buildings. Once i zeroed in on the province, the next on my to do list was to check where to stay. It had to be affordable, no crowd, not fancy at all. I just wanted some peace and the beach. No other activity. I had to breathe because my last beach trip was a year ago and like a fish or a mermaid, I needed my water.

I searched and searched until I saw the sleepy fishing village and under the radar surf town of Sitio Liw-Liwa in San Felipe. Unlike San Juan La Union, Baler or Siargao, this beach town is still not as tourist plagued as the rest. It's not as crowded as San Antonio with its Nagsasa and Anawangin coves or as well known as San Narciso. In Liw-Liwa, there are no big resorts, only cottages. The resorts are just located alongside each other. The most popular is Circle Hotel, it's more for barkada getaways with cozy hammocks, tent places and livelier atmosphere. There's also Board Culture and Kila Bot Sir Ping accommodations.

Kapitan Liwa main house

Fan Room 

We stayed in Kapitan Liwa's Resort with gracious Tamara as owner. She manages the FB page and she was so accommodating. It was like being a  house guest, no reception area, just gave me a key and we're inside our fan cottage. I called it a tree house since birds perched on the roof and it was on the 2nd level.

Kapitan Liwa's can accommodate groups (15 pax minimum) for P300 per head in this huge hut, there are also rooms for 4 (P1,400) or 8 pax (P2,500) at really modest prices. There is also an area to pitch tents for backpackers. It has billiards, darts, mini bar and hammocks. The beach is just a 5 minute walk or a 2 minute run whichever you prefer.

There are no videoke bars or loud noise to ruin your stay. The place is like a sanctuary, only the birds, crickets and roosters do their thing. Pine trees adorn the way to the beach. There are cute dogs. One is a chihuahua who wanted to swim and and a resident dog who led me to the beach, he actually waited for me. Oh, it's love at first sight.

the welcome dog tour guide

virgin beach

Mommy Phoebe's lutong bahay dishes

Fely's Silog Meals 

Food is cheap and easy. There are two places to choose from: Mommy Phoebe's or Fely's. At Mommy Phoebe's there are home cooked meals and Silog choices ranging from P80 to P100 per meal. They also have local and imported chips, open from 5am to 7pm. But the winner for me is Fely's. Their silog meals are P75 with drinks and extra rice. I had Spam and bangus silog meals. Generous portions. Fruit shakes are at P40, snacks like microwave popcorn (P40) and pancit canton/mami at P15. This is also where most Circle Hotel guests hang out since it's just across the place.

brave surfers 

The beach is perfect. Fishing boats align the coast, the waves were huge. At this time (June), there are no surfing activities due to the strong waves. Surf board rental is P200, surf guide lessons at P400 for 1 hour according to the blogs I've read. It wasn't as fierce as Baler though. At 6 am, the waters are still moderately calm. Gray smooth sand can be seen along its coastline. It's a virgin, unspoiled beach which I hope will still remain for a very long time.

Budget per pax:

Victory Liner bound for Iba (but say it's San Felipe, cheaper fare) - P298
Trike going to Resort - P30
Kapitan Liwa's - P1,400 (good for 4)
Food - P75
Bus to Olongapo - P50
Victory Liner Olongapo to Manila - P198