Puerto del Sol. Bolinao, Pangasinan

Bound to Puerto del Sol, Bolinao, Pangasinan.

Woke up early to avoid traffic, after 5 hours of travel, we arrived at the resort. All my whining stopped when we got there. I never thought I would see this beautiful haven--a place for relaxation, away from the busy streets and pollution. Perfect for a heavenly vacation.

Puerto del Sol's Entrance

They have very accommodating staffs. The moment we arrived there, they gave us a shell necklace, as a form of their warm welcome to their guests. We were then guided to    our rooms. We rented a Mansion villa. Here are some of the pics I took along the way.

Their indoor restaurant, Cafe del Sol. Ambiance is great with a Mediterranean setting.

This their outdoor resto, the La Playa. View and food is great. =) 

La Playa. Lounge by the sea. 

Ambiance is just so great.

Relaxing.

View of the pool. Nice isn't it?

Picturesque. 

Here are my night shots. Still, the view's great but it's more into a romantic homey feeling.

Pool at night 

Pool overseeing the Mansion Villas 

Looked like I'm in other country.

The patio. 

Nice landscapes. 

Speechless. =)

 "Experience the rustic appeal of a beautiful town rich in culture and steep in history. Its verdant shelters breathtaking waterfalls and mystic caves, the crystal clear waters of the South China Sea is lined with golden-white sands that sparkle under the tropic sun. Its people, the friendliest there is in north of Manila...this is Bolinao! A most beautiful and exclusive resort/hotel nestles in the heart of this picturesque town in Pangasinan - Puerto del Sol." - puerto del sol's website.

Well that's true. I just didn't enjoy the sea because its low tide; we already reached halfway but still waters were just under my knees. hahaha.Want to know more about this place? Just visit their website: http://www.puertodelsol.com.ph/

Great escape. Homey. Romantic. I'll surely come back.

MJ ^_^

Villa Teresa Resort. Pansol, Laguna

An overnight stay at a resort to be with good old friends. A nice idea. But overnight only? Yeah. Since we are "busy people", we can only afford a Saturday night getaway from our schedules. Market! Market! was a perfect meet-up place. After facing a not-so-cool traffic, we arrived at Villa Teresa Resort, located at Pansol, Calamba Laguna.

Villa Teresa Resort

Nice.

Shot from the veranda

This is our room.

The resort enough is very big. Their helpers were very accommodating. There are things I can comment though, their restrooms had no pail, and the 2 hours steamed Jacuzzi included at our package was only 30 mins. Oh well. There is a room for change.

We were only 11, but our availed package included 3 rooms. An overnight rate for this place costs P12,000.00. It had a 3-car garage, a grill and cooking station, a Jacuzzi, big restrooms, a billiard table and a videoke. For their contact number, just visit their website,  http://villateresaresort.multiply.com/.

Surely you'll enjoy this place especially for big occasions.

Red Box, Greenbelt 3

It's our batch anniversary. Ano kayang magandang gawin? How about singing it all night long? hehehe..After the group agreed, we went to Red Box at Greenbelt 3.

Let's Rock, Dine and Roll.

Yeah, we will sing kahit hindi kami gusto ng kanta. hahaha.

Approaching the reception area, I saw this display.

Prices

We availed the Primetime option, P499+199 if you'll avail the eat-all-you-can buffet. It also includes 2 drinks. Eat-all-you can buffet lasts until 10:00 pm.

Buffet, plus P199 for the P499 Primetime option

My plate. Takaw.

For their menu, they also offer a la carte.

Red Box offers good food, but just one complain, hindi malamig yung room na napuntahan namin, we were sweating all over kaya eventually, hindi masyadong na-enjoy. Service is just ok. 

Krocodile Grille, Greenbelt 3

Food trip. 

Luckily I've been to Krocodile Grille last week, located at Greenbelt 3. I wanted to try this one dati pa but time won't permit me. hehe.. Shoot, my officemate celebrated his birthday here and I was invited, so definitely there was no excuse for me not to try this one out. =) 

Inihaw Big Squid, P330.00

Yes. the big squid was definitely a hit. I also enjoyed the "atsara" that came along with it. The Crispy pata and tadyang ng baka were delicious, but still I would like it to be falling of the bone.

Crispy Pata, P450.00

Crispy Tadyang ng Baka, P250.00

Oh. Eat your heart out with this chix. Deli. =)

Chix the Kroc Way, P230.00

Pork sisig. Crispy with mayonnaise. Aw. Sira diet.

Pork Sisig, P160.00

Vegies. Seafood pinakbet and Kare-kare cooked the way I liked it. 

Seafood Pinakbet, P120.00

Ox Tail Kare-Kare. P305.00

Pastas. Haven't tried these dishes, I'm so full na. hehe. =)

Pasta sa Aligue, P140.00

Seafood Pasta, P150.00

Inihaw sampler plate. It's ok but I had no choice but to just eat mussels and barbecue. I can't eat prawns because of allergy, and I had never eaten a catfish all my life. hehe.

Inihaw Sampler Plate.  P495.00

Seafood soup. heavenly.

Seafood soup, P190.00

This is the highlight dish for me. Baked Tahong. Uhlalala... Sarap. I can eat this all night long. 

Kroc's Baked Tahong, (10 pcs.) P150.00

Dessert. Vanilla Choc Nut. Medyo tunaw na nung sinerve, pero overall it's ok.

Vanilla Choc Nut, P75.00

My first food blog. Krocodile Grille offers great food, especially if its seafood you're craving for. They also offer exotic foods like Crocodile and frog dishes. I'm not that adventurous in terms of food, so definitely I will not try that. hahaha.. Service is just ok. 
Till next blog entry guys. Ciao. ^__^

The Paradise Waiting to be Discovered: Coron, Palawan

This is my very first blog post. Bear with me. Since I am still attached to this place, I decided to post my first Coron, Palawan experience. I love to travel. I always wanted to travel. Luckily for me, I have some office mates na ready sa mga ganitong situation. 
 

Meet the gang! =)


The Coron Palawan tour was very nice, kung pwede nga lang hindi na umuwi..hehe. I so love the place. Coron is known for its Japanese shipwrecks. Maganda na yung place, may interesting piece of history pa. Let me tour you around sa mga napuntahan namin.

1. KAYANGAN LAKE

The Kayangan Lake is also referred as the Blue Lagoon. It is regarded as the cleanest lake in the Philippines. 20 minutes away by boat and you'll see this beautiful place.

Kayangan Lake, Coron, Palawan
For me the its the best lake at Coron.
Btw, my friend from Coron said na this lake already reached hall of fame 
by bagging 4 consecutive awards for the cleanest lake in Asia. =)

Yes. It is true, for me it is the best place at Coron. It is very serene. Drawback lang, mahirap umakyat sa hagdan, and limestones pa, medyo slippery yung steps lalo na pag umulan kaya kailangan doble ingat. But after we had reached the top, grabe ang ganda, breathtaking. The above pic is my first photo taken there, using my Canon EOS KissX4. =)

Ladder going up to see the breathtaking view. =)

Boats around the area. Luckily wala pang masyadong tourists nung pumunta kami. =)

Kayangan Lake. Beautiful. Sobrang linis. =)

After we reached the lake, all we said was 'wow'. hahaha. Wala ng nasabing iba pa. Water is very clean, sobrang ganda nung place, daming small fishes. My friend also told me na kaya maraming entrance fees na binabayaran sa mga tourist spots ng Coron kasi para ito sa mga Tagbanuas na nagbabantay at nangangalaga sa kapaligiran nito. They use the fees for the Tagbanuas' education and daily living. =)

This the wooden platform that you can walk through. Don't worry, sturdy naman siya. =)

Nice isn't it?

The rock formations there were exceptional and sharp. hehe. Be careful, kahit malalim, nakakasugat pa rin ung mga rocks sa gilid. Better use aqua shoes if you have any. =)

These are the rock formations taken from my underwater camera.

Oh see, di ba sharp? hehehe. Piece of advice, if you're going to go to Coron, please have an underwater camera. Hindi naman necessary na mahal, I just brought a Kodak Easyshare Sport 12 MP Underwater Cam. I tell you, it was all worth it, kasi puro water activities ang ginawa namin. So that's it. Off to the next destination! =)

2. BARRACUDA LAKE

Barracuda Lake. Yes you heard it right. Some people say it is the craziest dive spot in the Philippines. If you're into diving, well this place is for you. 

Approaching Barracuda Lake

Wooden stairs para mapuntahan yung site. Be careful. (Thanks Derms for the pics.)

Happy tropa. hehehe. =)

Actually nung andun kami siguro paranoid lang na may malaking Barracuda sa ilalim to eat us out. hahaha. Hindi naman ganun. Some locals say that wala naman talaga, but some said na may nakitang bone relic of that big fish kaya they suspected na meron pa. Although meron naman maliliit nga lang. Well, to see is to believe. hehe. =)

Pose guys! =)

This is me after snorkeling.  Haha sorry hanggang snorkel lang d kaya dive. hahaha. =)

To tell you frankly hindi ko masyadong na-enjoy yung Barracuda lake; more likely it's a diver's haven. I don't know how to swim, naka-rely lang ako sa life jacket, together with the thought na baka nga may malaking fish. hehehe. Pero that place is very beautiful and tranquil. =)

3. BANOL BEACH

This is one of the places I enjoyed most, it reminds me of Panglao's pure light blue waters. hehehe. I really admire the rock formations here, sobrang ganda parang inukit. Again, be careful lang kasi sharp talaga ung mga rock tips. Clear waters, white sand. What more can you ask for?

Rock formations sa beach

So happy nakisama ang panahon. =)

Simply amazing. =)

There's a small nipa hut there and a store na may mag-asawang matanda na nakatira. There is also a monkey, (alaga nila) na mahilig mag-pose. hahaha. =) Very relaxing place, also great for pictorials. hahahahaha! =D

4.  CALUMBUYAN ISLAND

Calumbuyan is also one of my favorite spots at Coron. We traveled 2 hours via our boat. Thank God hindi maulan, dahil for sure d ma-eenjoy yung beach. hehe. =)

Ganda.

Makes me want to go back to Coron again next year.

It's a very relaxing place, we had our sumptuous lunch here. There are also hammocks na pwede mong higaan after a long tiring trip.  Asar lang may insekto dun na kasing laki ng bubuyog na ang sakit mangagat. hehe. So off to next! 

Sarap ng tulog. =)

O anong sinabi ng FHM? hehe. =)

5. CYC

Also called Coron Youth Club, an island with shallow waters, and is free to the public. It also has mangroves, white sand, and clear waters. Medyo malakas yung alon kaya yung bangka hindi masyadong nakalapit sa island. We have to get out of the boat and swim, hanggang chest lang naman yung tubig. hehe. =)

Getting ready for the pictorial? hehe.

Getting ready it is. =)

My highschool friends!! They were there too!

Luckily, I met my high-school classmates! haha. Uncanny, sa Coron pa. What a coincidence. They were there for their honeymoon. It's good to see them again. =)

Wala akong masyadong pics dito sa CYC, just like what I've said, we have to swim para makapunta sa island. Don't want to risk my cam anyway. hehe.

6. MAQUINIT HOTSPRINGS

Five kilometers away from Coron town proper is the Maquinit Hot springs. Its 38 degree Celsius salt water hot spring is located in the shorefront facing another great destination, the Coron island. - http://www.mttapyashotel.com/

I never knew there is a hot-spring at Coron. Taking a dip here really soothed my tired muscles. Very relaxing, tinalo pa mga yung mga commercial spas. Natural. You'll get used to it 'pag matagal ka ng nasa tubig. Sa una kasi parang sobrang init, hehe. 

Soothing isn't it?

There is a grotto too.

So beautiful. 

Derms taking his pics. =)

Nice place.

Some people there said that the water has therapeutic claims. I don't know actually, but I ensure you a very relaxing dip. =)

7. TWIN LAGOON

Yes, that's right. As a group, we really love this place. Nakakapagtaka lang, kasi mainit ung tubig then all of a sudden biglang lalamig. hehe. I really don't know the cause pero we dared to swim into a small underwater tunnel across from one lagoon to another. Exciting.

Ganda sobra. 

Heavenly.

We really had a great time here. Dito lang kami nakapagpa-pic ng kumpleto using my underwater cam. Thanks sa aming boatman, James. =)

so happy!

kulet!! 

I so love this pic. =)

Dare to pass? hehe.

So enjoyed a lot. Sana maulit. Sobrang saya ng kulitan. =)

8. MT. TAPYAS

Out of all water activities we had at Coron, I never expected na may mild trekking activity. haha. Sobrang taas nito. Tiring? Yes. But still nothing compares when you're at the top. You can see the whole Coron place. Breathtaking. =)

Sunrise. =)

Daming jump shots. haha. 

The domino effect jumpshot. hehe.

The shampoo commercial jumpshot

The wannabe kung-fu fighter jumpshot. hahahaha!!

This is the big cross you will see at the mountain, overseeing Coron.

Tremendous. =)

Coron at top view. =)

We went there ng 5 AM, I can assume maganda siyang exercise to begin with. =) Try it.

9. SHIPWRECKS

Truly. Coron is really a haven for divers, and this is the main reason. History can speak for itself, lalo na 'pag nakita mo na siya sa ilalim ng tubig. Unfortunately I can't do the diving thing, kaya mas na-enjoy ko yung sa Lusong Gunboat tour. Kapag low tide yung tip nung ship makikita mo siya. I'll just present here yung mga shots namin, pero can't remember na kung saan yung exact location for each shot. Bear with the pics, hindi masyadong maganda resolution. 

Malalalim na daw yung ibang wrecks. Anyway lucky pa rin I conquered my fear, medyo eerie nga lang yung aura niya, lalo na syempre may namatay kasama sa paglubog nun. Pero overall, its nice to know and see some parts of our history. 

10. CORAL REEFS

Coron is also known for its Coral reefs, especially at Coral Garden. Pictures below were taken using my underwater cam, pero again I so apologize for the resolution. 

So there you go.
Marami pang mapupuntahan sa Coron, that's just my top 10. hehe. I promise another entry sa second visit.  I so love this place. Hope you enjoyed a first blog post from a newbie. hehe. =)