Saturday, February 22, 2014

BOLINAO "ROCK VIEW RESORT", "CITY HOTEL" ALAMINOS & OUR TOUR GUIDE KUYA JULIUS

ROCK VIEW RESORT

Rock View Resort is within Brgy Patar. It has different types of accomodations like kubo cottage for 2 to 4pax, w/ or w/o cr, A/C rooms for 2-4pax. The room we got is the A/C room w/ cr, with a king bed for P2,000. We just asked for additional foam mattress and blanket free of charge. Aircon is new and very cold. CR is clean and has strong water pressure. 

Resort is very clean and well maintained. There is a small store near the resort entrance (Alma's Store), you can buy bread, softdrinks there if gusto niyo mag merienda. Peaceful surroundings. It also has an amazing view of the rock formations on the beach front. Sobrang ok dito mag-pictorial if gusto niyo mag emote-emote haha. Very picturesque. The owners are very nice and puwedeng sila ang magprepare ng dinner nyo. May charge lang for the pamalengke and pagluluto. May provided sila na Distilled water, nagpapahiram rin sila ng cups, plates, etc.

A great option for those who are looking for place to stay in Bolinao. Recommended!

**don't have their contact number though, but if you'll get "Kuya Julius" as your guide puwede niyo sabihin sa kanya na gusto nyo sa Rock View mag-stay. kakilala niya yung may-ari/caretaker kasi ^__^ **


















CITY HOTEL - ALAMINOS

City hotel is 10-15 mins trike ride from the Victory Liner terminal in Alaminos. They have basic rooms that can service 2-4pax per room. We got their family room good for 4pax and got it for P1,600. One double bed and 1 double deck bed. CR is not as clean as we would have liked pero ok naman siya. Water pressure is enough, there's a small CRT TV, aircon is cold, and mababait ang staffs. Toiletries and towels were provided. If you're arriving at dawn, advise them para mahintay nila kayo. They also have a bar that mostly caters to foreigners. And its also near CSI (terminal ng mini-bus to bolinao). 

Verdict: Good enough for the price.

Contact# 0949-3002549 ; 0905-3449870










KUYA JULIUS LAZO

Learned of Kuya Julius via blogs. He gave us a rate of P1,200 inclusive of the tour and hatid/sundo sa terminal ng bus. Halos parepareho lang naman ang rates ng ibang trike guides pero siya yung pinakamasipag sumagot sa queries ko regarding the tour kaya siya na ang kinuha namin. He also suggests resorts & places na ok puntahan na di ka matataga sa presyo. Maayos siya magmaneho and feeling safe kami kahit puro kami babae sa group. Won't hesitate on getting his services again.

Verdict: GOOD SERVICE!

Contact# 0946-4540179




100 ISLANDS & BOLINAO - GOING HOME

3rd day - Back to Manila

Woke up at 6AM, went to the beachfront to view the rock formations. May part din sa beach na puwede magswim though mabato lang talaga so puwede ka masugatan. 



At dahil gutom na kami, walked outside the resort para bumili ng makakain. There's a small sari sari store sa may entrance lang ng resort, dun na kami bumili ng bread and coffee. Humingi na lang kami ng hot water sa resort. They also lent us their cups para magamit namin. Dun kami sa beachfront cottage pumuwesto, kuwentuhan lang and tambay. 


By 7:30, isa isa na kaming nagshower, susunduin kasi kami ni Kuya Julius ng 8:45AM para ihatid sa terminal. 9:10AM na kami nakaalis ng resort to travel to the town proper. Rode the 5star bus to manila 10AM trip. Reached home by 4:30PM. 

Had a great time in Pangasinan. Will definitely come back!




BOLINAO "Yellow Sand Beach and Enchanted Cave"

2nd day

Upon reaching the mini bus terminal, I called Kuya Julius para sunduin kami. I already contacted him beforehand for the tour. Agreed price is P1200 inclusive of tour, hatid sundo sa terminal, and serving as our guide. Tourist spots to see are Enchanted cave, Bolinao Falls, Bolinao Lighthouse and Patar Yellow Sand Beach. I asked him if he could do a sidetrip to Rock bed resort near the town proper since dun naming balak mag check in. He suggested na we check out first a resort na near Brgy Patar na ok daw ang service. Room is 2k per night, with a/c and CR. Resort name is Rock View Resort. We said ok and we went there. Travel time from town proper is 30-40 mins. Malayo layo talaga pero if we’re doing the tour, mas ok if dun ang base naming since within the area lang ang mga tourist spots.

with Kuya Julius - GOOD SERVICE!

Rock View Resort is within Brgy Patar. It has different types of accomodations like kubo cottage for 2-4pax, w/ or w/o cr, A/C rooms for 2-4pax. Peaceful surroundings. It also has an amazing view of the rock formations on the beach front. We decided to stay here kasi ok ang place. So after check in sa Rock View Resort, bihis lang then went straight na sa tour.

1st stop is Enchanted Cave. Entrance is P120 if including swimming, if hindi mag swim P90. Clear fresh water. sarap dito, puwede magrent ng life vest just not sure how much yun rental. Better go here early kasi pa-tanghali kasi mas dumadami yun tao. Left here after 1 hr.





2nd stop, Bolinao Falls. From brgy patar, almost 1 ½ hr ang biyahe to falls. No entrance fee but cottages have a rental fee of P100, salbabida is P30-40. Umaabot ng 18 feet yun lalim ng tubig so if you don’t know how to swim better rent a salbabida. Sarap tumalon sa may falls, kasi no worries na may tamaan na bato. Just make sure na marunong kayo lumangoy. While we were there kasi, muntik nang may malunod. Ang tapang din naman kasi, di pala siya marunong lumangoy, tumalon pa rin siya sa falls. Akala yata niya eh may aalalay sa kanya. Buti na lang may mga sumagip sa kanya.





3rd stop, Bolinao Lighthouse. Take your picture dun sa paakyat pa lang ng lighthouse para kita yun ng buo.


4th stop, Patar Yellow Sand Beach. The sand is as soft as boracay but not as white. Water is very clear and clean. Medyo mabato lang nga. Sarap dito tumambay. This is is a public beach nga pala. Walang entrance fee though there are cottages for rental. Meron din public restrooms so you can take a bath here after swimming. Meron din souvenir shops dito. This is just 15-20 mins away from Rock View Resort.




horeseback riding




sunset pic
Got back to the resort around 6:30PM na, while 1 of us took a shower, the others ate dinner. We were served Inihaw na liempo, porkchop, bangus, salted egg w/ tomatoes, rice and 1.5L coke. Paid 540 for the meal for the 4 of us. Sulit na rin kasi marami naman na-serve. After that, took a shower, prepared our bags for the travel back to manila, then went to sleep.

100 ISLANDS & BOLINAO - TIPS AND TOTAL EXPENSES





Breakdown of Expenses:


COST
Bus from 5th Avenue to Cubao Victory Liner
21.00
Victory Liner Cubao to Alaminos Terminal
393.00
Trike from terminal to City Hotel
10/pax (regular fare)
City Hotel (3 hours Short time 4:30AM – 7:30AM)
500/4 = 125.00
Trike from City Hotel to Lucap Wharf
20/pax
Tourist fee to 100 islands
20/pax
Boat Fee for Island Hopping (Medium – good for 5 to 8pax)
1500/4 = 375.00
Packed Lunch of fish, shrimp, salted egg, 4 rice & 2L water (w/ plastic cups, spoon & fork provided)
395/4 = 98.75
Snorkling equipment rental (mask, snorkel, aqua shoes, life vest)
250 per set
Tip for the Boatmen
100/4 = 25.00
Souvenirs bought at the wharf
250.00
Halo Halo merienda at the wharf
25 to 30.00
Trike to city hotel to shower
20.00
Trike to town proper for dinner
10.00
Dinner at Mang Inasal (town proper)
118.00
Trike to City Hotel
10.00
City Hotel (overnight Jan. 31 – Feb1)
1600/4= 400.00
Trike to CSI (bus terminal for mini buses to Bolinao)
10.00
Bolinao Express Mini Bus to Bolinao town proper
50.00
Trike tour c/o Kuya Julius (includes hatid/sundo sa bus terminal)
1200/4 = 300
Overnight stay at Rock View Resort
2000/4 = 500.00
Entrance & Swimming at Enchanted Cave
120.00 (P 90 if not gonna swim)
Lunch/Merienda at Bolinao Falls
280/4 = 70.00
Cottage rental at Bolinao Falls
100/4 = 25.00
Shirt Souvenir at Patar Beach
120.00
Paluto (Inihaw na Bangus, Pritong Liempo & Porkchop, Rice, 1.5L Coke) at Rock View Resort
540/4 = 135.00
Breakfast (Bread & Coffee from nearby tindahan)
15.00
Tip to Kuya Julius
200/4 = 50.00
Pasalubong Delicacies (Tupig, Bingayen(?))
300.00
Five Star Bus from Bolinao to Balintawak
459.00
Packed Lunch & Bottled Water from nearby Carinderia
69.00
Merienda (Chicharon & Mani)
35.00
Jeep transfers from Camachile to Home
24.00


TOTAL EXPENSE:
4,457.75


TIPS:
1.       If your trip encompasses a long weekend, better have reservations beforehand for your bus trip. Yun delays kasi ng biyahe, baka yun pa kasi ikasira ng bakasyon niyo.
2.       During 100 islands (island hopping), buy your food & bottled water at the wharf kung wala kayong baon. Walang mabibilhan sa islands, if meron man, sobrang mahal.
3.       If planning on snorkling, rent a set sa may wharf or bring your own. Mahal kasi sa may wharf, P250 per set (aqua shoes, snorkel, mask, life vest).
4.       if you’re planning an Alaminos-Bolinao trip. Make alaminos as your 1st day then Bolinao 2nd and 3rd day. Arrive in Alaminos early to do island hopping. After nun, you can clean yourself up sa may wharf, meron sila CR (tabo type) dun P10/pax lang yata yun bayad if maliligo. Then ride a mini-bus to bolinao (P50/pax) at CSI terminal. Wala rin naman kasi magagawa sa Alaminos if dun pa kayo mag stay for 1 night. At least if you arrive at night sa bolinao, early morning puwede na kayo mag start ng tour niyo and mahaba haba ang stay niyo sa falls and patar beach. Kulang kasi ang Half day sa bolinao tour, mabibitin lang kayo.
5.       Sa bolinao in Brgy. Patar, walang mabibilhan ng pagkain (walang restaurants). Most shops ay nasa town proper lang. So if hindi kayo sa town proper mag-stay, daan muna kayo ng palengke para bumili ng pagkain (raw fish, meat, rice, veg, water, etc). Then iluto niyo na lang sa resort na pag-stay-an niyo or ask them to cook it for your at a certain price. In our case kasi, since we weren’t able to buy anything, si resort na mismo ang namalengke and nagluto ng food namin. So mas mahal siya ng konti. Also, bring styrophore na rin to store yung food, bili na lang kayo ng ice para di kaagad masira yun raw meat/fish.
6.       Bring sarongs. Puwede niyo magamit as towel, and cover up from the sun.
7.       Pack light. You’ll mostly wear shorts and sleeveless shirts naman so it won’t take up much space in your bag.
8.       Bring some snacks like hopia, bread, and easy to open canned goods. In my case, I brought some Vienna sausage and bread. Tipid na since di na kami gumastos for our breakfast.
9.       Buy your pasalubongs (tupic, delicacies) sa market ng alaminos. P10 lang per pack sa may market while dun sa naglalako sa mga bus umaabot ng P20 per pack. Doble na ang presyo.
10.   Bring extra money. Original budget namin is just 4K per pax pero based sa expense ko umabot ako ng almost 4,500 because of the pasalubongs.
11.   Trike around the town proper sa alaminos is only 10/pax. Yun iba nagtataga ng presyo so better know the standard fare within the area.



Alaminos City & Hundred Islands

1st day - ALAMINOS

After office on Jan. 30, we (group of 4pax) set Jollibee 5th Ave as our meet up point. From there we rode a bus to Victory Liner terminal in Cubao(P21). Upon arriving, we saw the long lines of people waiting for their bus to depart. We went straight to the counter and inquired about the trip to alaminos. Scheduled trips are 10:50PM and 11:40PM. Just imagine our reactions when they said that both scheds were all fully booked! Try na lang daw naming mag-chance passenger. So with worries on our minds, we lined up along with other passengers. First Bus came and we eagerly went near the entrance. Sabi ng kundoktor, unahin daw muna yun may mga reservations so naghintay pa kami. Nagdagdag na rin sila ng bus na bibiyahe so dun kami nakasakay. We left cubao at around 11PM. Trip was uneventful, mabilis lang and we reached Alaminos terminal ng 4:10AM. Pagbaba ng bus maraming mangungulit sa inyo na trike. P10/pax lang ang trip if around town proper but if to lucap wharf, P20/pax. Wag kayo magpapadaya. You can have early breakfast sa may Angies’, just beside the Victory Liner terminal. May bakery din na katabi so bili na dun ng bread pang-almusal.

From the terminal, I called City Hotel to inform them na mag-early check in kami. They said na ok lang since may available naman sila. Upon arriving at the hotel/inn, we were greeted by their receptionist and were led to our room. Basic room, 1 double bed, 1 double deck w/ cr, aircon, cabinet, chairs. Towels, soap and shampoo were provided. We were asked to fill up a form and there we learned that they’ll be charging us another P1600 for the early check in up to 12noon. I asked them if meron silang “short time” and they said meron, P500 daw for 3 hours. 4:30AM na noon, we’ll be checking out at 7:30AM. Sakto lang for our island hopping trip, so yun na ang kinuha namin. And because we’ll be checking in ulit after island hopping for the overnight, they allowed us to just leave our bags in the same room we’re staying in, instead of sa reception. So dun pa lang nakatipid na kami since for basically the same purpose (pag iiwanan ng gamit), we were charged P500 instead of P1600. Yehey! We were able to have a few hours sleep and recharged before island hopping.

At 7:30AM, we left city hotel for lucap wharf. P20/pax ang trike and travel is around 15-20mins. Pagkadating sa wharf, may mga tourism employees na that assisted us. May form na papasign, then you’d need to pay P20/pax for the tourism fee. Dun ka na rin pipili ng boat na kukuhain niyo ang what type (if Day tour or Service Boat). We chose service boat and got the small one for P1400. The boat fee will be paid sa boatmen na mismo after your tour. They’ll issue a receipt for that and then may mga magtatanong na sa inyo if may gusto kumuha ng snorkling equipments. Set is P250 with snorkel, mask, aqua shoes and lifevest. If lifevest lang P50. May lifevest din naman sa boat pero pang navigation lang yun, meaning if mag swim kayo, di niyo magagamit yun provided ng boatmen. You’d need to rent your own from the wharf.




Food can be bought from the wharf (carinderia). Pipili ka lang ng food and sila na magpa-pack para  sa group niyo. In our case, we bought some shrimp, fish, salted egg, rice and 2l water for P395 for the 4 of us. So parang P100 lang per pax, puwede na.  Sila na rin nagprovide ng plastic cups, spoon and fork.  Walked to the wharf and talked with the boatmen. Sabi nila naubusan na raw ng small boat and they’ll give us a medium boat na lang daw at P1500 (original price – P1800). We agreed na rin since baka di kayanin if small boat yun gamitin. Medyo malaki kasi ang alon since open sea na yun parts ng 100 islands.

1st stop is Governors Island. May part dito na you’d need to climb 123 steps before reaching the viewing deck. Nice view, ok dito mag-pictorial. Nandito rin ang PBB house where the 1st gen PBB teens stayed (kim chiu, Gerald Anderson, etc.). meron din dito maliit na cave. The island has a small store where you can buy some drinks (c2, coke, etc). 


stairs to the viewing deck

viewing deck


2nd stop, Marcos island. This one has really nice white sand beach, parang boracay. Although short shoreline and mabato. You can go cliff diving here though at the time na nandito kami, binawalan kami ng boatmen kasi low tide. Delikado at baka tumama kami sa rocks sa baba. Stayed here for 15-30mins then alis na. 





cliff diving
3rd stop, is sa may snorkling area near Marcos Island. We saw the giant clams that they are promoting. Ang ganda and nakaka-amaze since it was my first time to see something like that.


4th stop is Children’s island. Dito kami nagtagal. Had lunch here and enjoyed the beach. Puwede din dito mag-kayak pero may rental nga lang. medyo maraming tao dito since Quezon island at the time was being fixed (bawal magdock ang boat), so yun mga groups sa children’s island lahat nag-stay for lunch. Tables are for rent P200. Yun cottages mas mahal. Since theres only 4 of us, we opted na sa sand na lang mag-set up. Nilagay naming yun lifevest naming apat paikot sa food then ok na. dun kami pumuwesto sa may lilim ng cave near the dock. Stayed here up to 2:30PM then called our boatmen. Before bumalik sa wharf, dinaan nila kami sa Quezon Island which is being fixed, Cuenco cave na parang may treasure hunting yata na ginagawa and other islands like Monkey Island, turtle island, etc. All in all, I think sulit naman yun binayad namin. If you’ve been to Palawan though, better lower your expectations. Iba pa rin ang rock formations sa Palawan.


dito kami tumambay hehe

Reached the wharf at 3PM. Nag ikot ikot kami sa souvenir shops dun and had merienda. Price of Halo halo ranges from 25-30 pesos. After that, went back na to our hotel to shower and change clothes. 


For dinner, nag ikot ikot kami sa bayan para tumingin ng makakainan. Ended up at Mang Inasal dahil ang aaga magsara ng mga tindahan and restos. Nag milktea rin kami sa “I Love Milk Tea” na shop above 7-11. 35-40 pesos per small cup. Bought another 2L bottle of water. Went back to hotel and slept early for our trip to bolinao next day.

We woke up at 6:30AM and prepared our bags. Took a trike to the town proper (market) para bumili ng Tupig. Was able to buy 1 pack(5-6 pcs) for P10. Mura na rin. Rode trike to bus stand, across 5star bus terminal for mini bus to bolinao. Sabi nung iba puwede na raw kami dumiretso sa CSI since dun din naman hihinto yun mini bus to wait for other passengers. Di na rin kami umalis kasi ang dami ng gamit namin and paparating na rin naman yun mini bus. Fare is P50/pax. Travel time is approximately 45mins – 1hr. Reached bolinao town proper at 8:30AM.



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