Pangasinan | Bani: Surip Coral Beach and its "Baby Pools"

Surip, Bani, Pangasinan

My mom is a Pangasinense and I was born in Bani but except for a few visits to my relatives, I've never explored this town until May last year. Bani, a coastal town in the province of Pangasinan, is usually overshadowed by its famous neighboring towns, Alaminos and Bolinao. It is a second class municipality known for its sweet watermelon produce and as such, is called “Pakwan (Watermelon) Capital of the Philippines”. Last summer, I got the chance to visit some of Bani's tourist spots – Surip coral beach and Surip pilgrimage site. Located in Sitio Olanen in  Barangay Dacap Sur, Surip beach is around 30-45 minutes travel by tricycle from Bani's town proper.

C2: crystal clear! ;)

A rocky coastline on the western side of town facing the South China Sea, Surip beach is covered with coral beds, some of which have shallow openings they call "baby pools". During low tides, these baby pools trap teeny weeny colorful fishes and other marine life. It also serves as the swimming pool of the kids and kids-at-heart who visit this shoreline.

flat coral beds and "baby pools" here and there

kids and kids-at-heart enjoying the "baby pool" in Surip

Surip, being a rocky coastline, is ideal for snorkeling and diving. It sure is a good site for recreational fishing, too, given the many fingerlings and marine species I saw in some of the shallow pools. I actually saw some fisherman throwing their lines not too far from the shore which proves that this area abounds with marine life.

teeny weeny colorful fishes... can you see them? ^_^

flat coral beds

How to get to Surip?

From EDSA-Pasay or EDSA-Cubao, take Bolinao-bound buses (Five-Star - Pasay, Victory Liner, Dagupan Bus - Cubao) and tell the driver to drop you off in Bani. From Bani town proper, take a tricycle going to Surip, (tricycles are parked near the town's plaza). Bus fare is around 400 Php (for aircon buses), tricycle fare is 250 Php, one way for 4-5 persons. Travel time is around 7-8 hours (Manila-Bani), around 30-45 minutes from town proper to Surip.

the coral beach of Surip

Where to Stay?

We never stayed overnight nor avail a cottage in Surip but I saw at least two resorts very near the beach where we went – Surip Mountain Beach Resort (recommended by my uncle probably because the owner, then Mayor of Bani, Mayor Gabriel Navarro is his former boss) and Hide A-way Sea and Beach Resort. Take note that I never stayed in any of these two resorts so I've no idea of their services and/or the facilities they offer. It's best that you contact Bani's Tourism Office at (075) 5532010 to get correct and updated information.

~  oo00oo ~

We had fun in the few hours of our stay in Surip. My nephews enjoyed the beach. They get the chance to ride a pump boat, too. Although now that it's past, I realized I was a bit reckless back then. I have with me two kiddos (a 6-y/o and a 4-y/o) and we rode the pump boat with no life vest. I'm just thankful that nothing happened to us considering the sea was a bit rough. Tsk! I'll never do that again.

Anyway, Surip is a recommended destination for those who are into quiet and secluded beaches, for those who just want to escape for a while their busy life. If you are the type, go check out Surip. You'll enjoy it.

Up-next: A Tour to Surip's pilgrimage site. 'Til then...

Blessed Sunday everyone. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

 

~ oo00oo ~

Surip Coral Beach

Sitio Olanen, Dalacap Sur

Bani, Pangasinan

Date of Visit: May 13, 2015

Read More

Batangas | Happy Family Weekend @ Blue Coral Beach Resort

Blue Coral Beach Resort - Laiya, San Juan, Batangas

Last July, my family had this relaxing and fun overnight stay at Blue Coral Beach Resort. As mentioned in my previous post, my brother took a vacation from his work and invited us in his family's weekend getaway. It was just an overnight stay, yes. But it was such a happy and stress-free vacation, especially for me since I didn't spend a single cent on this short getaway...hehe. Thank you, brother! ^_^

Anyway, Blue Coral Beach Resort is one of the beach resorts located in the shoreline of Laiya in San Juan, Batangas. It offers rooms and suites (furnished with basic amenities) and other facilities (swimming pools (for kids, adults), water sports equipment, restaurant, videoke bar, etc.) for their guests to enjoy. It also has free WiFi, for those who need to go online during their stay.

Read More

Bohol Family Trip | Dumaluan Beach Resort 2 - Accommodation, Etc.

Dumaluan Beach Resort

As I said in my previous posts, I was able to bring my family to our first ever family trip. Though it wasn't with the whole family, it was still a happy out-of-town trip. It was my mom's first time to travel by plane and by ferry, my nephew too. So I was excited for them, a bit worried though because my mom is hypertensive I was afraid her blood pressure might shoot up during the trip. But thank God it didn't; it was such a happy and hassle-free vacation.

Accommodation

For this Bohol trip, we stayed at Dumaluan Beach Resort 2 (DBR2), one of the beach resorts along the Dauis side of Panglao Island. DBR2 offers several types of accommodation, one of which is deluxe. I would have chosen something of lower value but it was the only accommodation available when I was booking for our Bohol trip. DBR 2 deluxe room is an air-conditioned room with a double-sized bed, cable TV, mini-fridge with mini-bar, private bathroom with bathtub, hot/cold shower and basic toiletries (shampoo and small bath soap, a day's worth), and a small veranda out front. The accommodation comes with a complimentary buffet breakfast for two and is priced at P2,600.00. I had to pay P3,000.00 though, for the extra person charge (additional P400.00 per person, also inclusive of buffet breakfast).

The room is actually spacious enough for two persons but a bit crowded for three especially since we have to place the extra mat on the floor at the bottom of the bed. Because of this, there's no more space to walk around which makes going to and from the bathroom such an effort. But it's okay; anyway, we were there for only a few days. What I find a bit off is that they didn't clean the room on our second day, didn't even provide fresh towels and new set of toiletries. That despite the fact that I placed/displayed the 'please make-up my room' sign on the door. Apparently, they're not checking the rooms so they didn't see the sign. I asked the staff about it the next day and was told I should have alerted them through the front desk. Tsk...useless sign!

our room

bathroom/CR

pathway leading to our room

DBR 2 Breakfast

my breakfast, on our third day...
 poor mom didn't enjoy the food, she's limiting her fatty food intake, just contented herself with steamed rice and egg and lots of coffee, she liked their brewed coffee 

dining tables on the beach front

The Beach and the Sunrise

If you find my view of the resort's accommodation as something not very encouraging, the opposite is my take on the beach. I like their beach here in Dumaluan. It's clean. The off-white sand  is powdery, you can walk on the beach barefoot. Also, the water is clear and very shallow, you don't have to worry about swimming, safe even for children I believe (but still look after them, of course). I enjoyed it particularly during my early morning walk, when the beach is so calm, so peaceful. It made me feel so relaxed. After sometime walking, I just sat there at the shore; watching some other early risers as they too walk around the beach enjoying the sand and watching and admiring the sunrise too. Below are some of my photos of the Dumaluan beach.

clear water and powdery sand beach of Dumaluan

view from the dining area

Dumaluan beach sunrise

just like me, he's fascinated with sunrise, too :P

~ oo00oo ~

That's it for my Bohol-Cebu posts! For those interested in visiting Bohol too, try saving as much as you can for the trip. Touring Bohol is a bit expensive (around 9k per person), basically because the tourist spots are far away from each other and also because there is a limited public transport plying the route to their tourist spots (didn't see any public transport during our tour actually). One really has to acquire tour services from tour operators, unless you're comfortable touring the area using a motorbike which I guess, for the majority is not possible. Anyway, for those who might be interested in reading my other posts about this trip, please check out the following links:

Bohol Trip:
* Loboc River Cruise Experience
* Bohol Countryside Tour
* Dumaluan 1 vs Dumaluan 2 Food Trip
* CamFlicks | Bohol's Tourist Drawers

Cebu City Side Trip:
* Cebu City Food Trip
* Cebu City Walking Tour
* Cebu Business Hotel Accommodation

Thanks for visiting here peeps, happy weekend! ☺

Read More

Bataan | Westnuk Beach Resort: What to do? How to get there?

Westnuk Beach Resort

Summer time is beach time for most of us Pinoys, especially for people here in the Metro. Even I, who's not much of a beach person (hate the crowd during summer), have been to two already; one in Bohol (no post yet) and the other in Bataan at Westnuk Beach Resort. As I wrote in my previous post, Westnuk is Morong's hidden paradise (at least for me); the beach is clean, the off-white sand is fine and almost powdery, the greenish-blue water is crystal clear.

So how do we get there?

Read More

Bataan | Westnuk Beach Resort: Morong's Hidden Paradise

Westnuk Beach Resort, Morong, Bataan

Hidden in a cove along the coastline of Morong, Bataan is a place I can call a paradise, Westnuk Beach Resort. It is located west of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (hence its name 'Westnuk'), inside a government complex managed by the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR). Originally a private resort (some say you can only book at Westnuk before if you know someone from inside NAPOCOR), Westnuk is now open to the general public.

Read More

Batangas | Experience the Difference at Palm Beach Resort Laiya

Palm Beach Resort - San Juan, Batangas

It was a long weekend then, me and my friends decided to have a short/unplanned weekend getaway. But since we all couldn't be away for long, we decided to go to Batangas, San Juan in particular. I scouted for a beach resort online (through my CP) and came up with several options but it was La Luz our first choice. Unfortunately, it was fully-booked that time (we don't have reservations by the way).

Read More