Relaxing, hidden, and far away from the hustle and bustle of Manila. Despite the distance, this…read moreresort was worth the 3.5 hour drive from Metro Manila. Crystal Beach is in the town of San Narciso in the Province of Zambales. The resort features air-conditioned rooms, cottages, and beachside camping tents. They also have WiFi in the main area. There are a few bon fire pits and grilling stations for anyone to use. We opted for a day entrance just to experience the food, beach huts, and the sand. The admission fee, parking, and cost of food were very reasonable. The long journey from Manila definitely made us hungry. We decided to try out their restaurant located in the main common area. Seating was easy and we also chose the table closest to the fan for comfort. We ordered sisig, tuna salpicao, halo-halo, rice, and sinigang na hipon. The sisig has a nice mix of crunch with a citrus-pepper marinade. The tuna salpicao was tender and flavorful. The shrimp sinigang, which is a true Filipino favorite, was sour and savory. Halo-halo came last as a dessert. The bowl was filled with various sweet toppings and a generous scoop of ube ice cream. Post lunch coma started to kick-in and we decided to relax in one of the many beachside huts. Beach chairs were available along with the perfect view of the mountains and blue waters. The beach was almost empty and quiet. There are available surfboard rentals and surfing lessons for anyone seeking to ride the small waves. Showers are available near the common area. I would recommend this resort to anyone seeking a tranquil escape.

Very disappointed on this beach..first the sand of the beach is not that clean as you see on their…read morewebsite 2nd price of shake..120 pesos for melon and 100 pesos to mango!!! Any differnce? Cabin itself no restroom, lights need update, outlet for 15 person capacity have 3 electric fan!!! Food is so pricey..restroom is to far for the cabin ..not recommend this beach for my friend

My college barkada introduced me to the brilliant idea of renting a beach house in Tali and staying…read morethere for the weekend. We would usually scour the internet for great houses that are rented out by the owners, and then we would leave on Saturday morning and head out to Nasugbu. What's great about these places is that they are fully-furnished, and some of them have great stuff, too! I have gone on such weekend trips to Tali exactly six times, and every time, my friends and I have rented a different villa. You know, just to keep things fun and exciting. We have stayed in really creepy and haunted places, and we have also stayed in really awesome, very well-maintained houses. I just love how we don't have to bring anything anymore, since most of the beach houses are fully equipped with great stuff that you can use for cooking. I love preparing food for my friends because I hate seeing them endlessly bingeing on crap food like chips and stale pizza, so we always pool our money, stop by a supermarket in Tagaytay and then shop for an entire weekend's worth of food and groceries. The villas in Tali are usually fitted with nice stoves and a fully-equipped kitchens, so preparing meals in a jiffy is such a breeze. You don't have to worry about food going bad either, since there is usually a fridge where you can keep stuff fresh. Most of the time, though, the best beachhouses are actually still a couple blocks away from the shore, so you would really have to walk or drive just to enjoy the beach. Moreover, there isn't really much of a "beach" to enjoy, because the shoreline is actually pretty short, just a small cove that is partially sheltered by the surrounding bay. It is also advisable to make sure that you have all your supplies and sundries before you even go inside the gated community, because going out for groceries is such a hassle. There isn't any well-stocked store for miles. This is a pretty nice place to just hang out with friends. If you don't have snazzy memberships in nearby Punta Fuego or Pico de Loro (Hamilo Coast), this is not too bad an option if you just want an idyllic weekend getaway.

Tali is a popular seaside resort community in Nasugbu, Batangas, about 2-3 hours away from Manila,…read morejust a short distance from Tagaytay. The place is a private subdivision so you need to have a homeowner with you or at least advisement from wherever you're staying. It's not totally private though! You can go online and just look for beach house accommodations, since many of the residents there already put up their own houses as B&Bs or inns for those who want to go to Tali Beach. It's a really nice place, like how you'd wish it would be if there were beach cities in Manila, hahah. Not overly developed either so it's pretty peaceful. Here, you have a whole village full of summer houses and instead of the regular playgrounds or village parks, they have a beach! However, the beach here isn't exactly fit for swimming. It's rather small, rocky, and full of corals. There's no long, wide stretch of sand where you can lie down and sleep or sunbathe. But they do have gazebos and small open spaces to hang out in with the water splashing about beside you. If you wanna go swimming, better go back to your accommodation. This is why most houses there have swimming pools already. People like to do water sports around there though, so don't be surprised to see boats and jet skis in the houses inside the village. It's also normal to spot people just casually kayaking and standup paddle boarding all around. There aren't really any organized water sports services, you just do it on your own. Of course, there's also the popular Tali cliff jump you have to try at least once! They have great, clear blue waters that you can dive safely into and then you just climb back up easily through the big polished rock boulder beside the cliff area. Just be careful not to touch the sharp rocks/corals by the side of the boulder! Only grab the ropes by the ladder area.

LOOK LEFT Pundaquit…read moreBeach is the dock-off point of travellers heading to the islands of Capones, Anawangin, and Nagsasa. We prepared less for this trip and it took us 6-hours to queue at the bus station. We took an Iba-bound bus for another 5 hours on the road. We arrived San Antonio by sunset. Quite honestly we are initially disappointed upon arriving at our accommodation. It is an extremely tiring trip and there's is a big group occupying half of the resort. They tend to be rowdy through the night. We stayed here since we refuse to camp in the islands. We got non-aircon cottages which is actually a steal for a budget of less than Php1000 per night. Meals is not a problem, they serve pretty good breakfast. Tables and chairs are also provided outside the cottages. There is also a tree house deck for relaxation. Like most backpackers inn, the rest rooms are communal but well-maintained. There is no vehicle parking in their premises but there nearby spaces available for rent. On to our second night of stay, as soon as the big group leave, it turned out as a quiet place to stay and unwind. The hotel staff also assisted us in getting a boat to Nagsasa for our Day Tour. We booked the boat for Php1200 back and forth. Tried Ohana Art Cafe for dinner. Food is just okay. We ordered the set meal for P350 per plate. For our last night in Pundaquit, we had a Filipino food feast at Canoe Beach Resort. Menu extremely affordable and surprisingly good. We had Sisig, Sinigang, Caldereta, Ensalada, Grilled Fish, and Drinks for Php1200.

Out of the other coves you can visit in Zambales, Nagsasa is my favorite. Just a few hours from…read moreManila, the campsite is not as crowded and you can go on a nice hike across the mountainous area to enjoy two waterfalls. There is also a very basic toilet and shower so you can still do your business and clean yourself up. I like that on the right side, if you're facing the cove, is an open area where you can play Frisbee or tan to your heart's content. The water is also calm and warm. Guides are available for the hike. We did this on a whim so we did not have the right attire, but we survived our in flip flops and swim shorts. It's always better to be prepared, though. If you're on a budget, buy food at the wet market before boarding the boat to the cove. You can cook in the little kitchen hut at the campsite, just remember to ask your guide nicely. You can also ask them to charge your gadgets for you for a small fee (less than P30), but that means they will take a boat back to your take-off point where there is electricity. If you run out of water, you can also ask them to get water for you. We found out that one of the waterfalls is the source of that water so if you're picky, bring plenty of bottles or a portable filter.

great place to unwind and friendly people…read more a lot of stores and restaurants and of private resorts around.

4 stars for the beach and the water, which is actually enjoyable and calm. Don't expect waves. If…read moreyou come here book a hut, they are nice and good for 8 people. The food we got for lunch was good and nicely prepared, some in foam cases and some on plates. But bring something to clean the table yourself and don't stay overnight. The showers and restrooms are horrible. I can cope with a lot of situations but I can't imagine to enter these "facilities" with my kids. There was some litter on the beach and even more around the huts and tents. Obviously nobody cared to pick up beer bottles etc. probably left by guests the previous night. Tables in tents and huts were very dirty. You can rent a volleyball for 50 PHP but you don't rent the net. So if other people are playing you can't really use the ball. To be fair we got our money for the ball back. We enjoyed a great day on the beach, but cleanliness and overall appearance should be improved.

we went on a day trip... this place is so dirty and service is terrible…read more we found another beach that is close and way decent

I came here with a group of 10 people. We bought our tickets online to save a total of P500. The…read moreprocess was worth it since you're saving a good amount especially if you're going with a group. You don't even have to print anything, just bring your confirmation/reservation number. When you come in, you'll have to do a quick orientation just to find out the rules and regulations. They won't allow you to get life-vests without taking the orientation. We bought half day tickets and It was perfect. On to play, it was hard but super fun. I fell several times in the water, but their lifeguards are there to save you and lift you back to the inflatable. The lifeguards are awesome. They would show you how to do it to get through an obstacle. Overall, we had an amazing time. Tips: bring your own food. They said no outside food but everyone brought their carts full of food. The food places inside is horrible, they have a big menu but very little availability.

We visited during the opening day by availing 2-hour pass online. It was a strategic option to…read moretravel the night before and book an overnight stay in a nearby hotel. The duration of our pass is from 8:00am-10:00am avoiding exhaustion of summer heat. We get to go back to our hotel for quick naps and shower before lunch. MISS: Subic waters is not as clean. The shower areas and cabanas inside the resort is at the sand area, it is better to book hotels outside if prefers to stay overnight. HITS: safety measures are presented at the beginning of the session. Life vests are provided. Inflatable obstacles can be really challenging, it's best to wear action-ready swimwear. All-day pass will work for adventure seekers and athletic ones otherwise, 2-hour access is fine.

Because of the name, I'm guessing you'd think it's a cute little island, right? And it's just that!…read moreMy friends and I enjoyed our stay here. Deemed "Little Boracay of the North", the sand is almost white and clean, the water's clear, the sea life is pretty and everything is picturesque. You can literally walk around the island in about 30 minutes or more depending on how leisurely your walk is or if you're taking lots of photos. You get a 360 degree view of the sea and it's SO beautiful to watch the sunset! We actually went on the wrong side of the island for the sunset but thankfully didn't miss it. We had to run across the island to literally chase the sun down. The red sun shining through the trees was a beautiful site. What was missing was "Chasing the Sun" playing in the background, haha. It was funny because one of my friends yelled, "Guys, run faster! Think zombies are chasing us!". XD You can even camp there if you'd like. I'm sure the sunrise is just as fantastic as the sunset. My friends and I definitely made great memories here. :)

Somebody in our batch suggested Anawangin for our batch outing. We were asked to contribute about…read more500php each, that's to cover the transportation, the boat ride, the overnight stay and whatever's left would be money for food. Of course we were encouraged to bring snacks and whatnot because when you get to the island, you won't be able to buy anymore since there are no tindahans, there wasn't even a cellphone signal. It was one of the best and cheapest trips I've been to. At that time Anawangin wasn't full of people and it wasn't offered as a promo on the group buy sites. It gave me the chance to actually sleep in a tent, cook my own food, gather around a bonfire and live a full day without the comfort of technology. The view was spectacular, and the experience was awesome. It'd really give you a chance to bond with the group and appreciate the simple things.

One of the great unexplored past times in Manila is camping. Sure, the metropolis is smoggy and…read morecongested, but there are really nice forests and beaches just 3 or 4 hours away from the city. A weekend escape from the trudge of modernity is always a great way to relax and unwind, and trailblazers are always finding new places to pitch a tent. Over the past decade, Anawangin Cove has become one of the most popular camping spots close to Manila. Only a 5 hour drive away, the cove is surrounded by hills with an interesting feature: pine trees. While they aren't quite the Temperate variety, the back end of the beach is littered with pencil pines. The rustling of the needles creates a very soft white noise, and the place remains peaceful even with the presence of a large amount of campers. The beach is great too; wide enough for a good game of frisbee or beach football. We stayed here overnight and even barbequed our own steaks, and we couldn't help but notice eyes leering at us with envy. Fortunately, they were only envious campers and not smarter-than-your-average-bears.

We called the night before our visitation because we are fully aware that it is raining and asked…read moreif water activities will still be available by the morning, they 100% confidently said YES to us and even tried to explained that the waves is not that big, guess what? SURPRISE! No any activities are available at all and they still asked us to pay for the entrance fee without informing us about being nonsense inside the resort, even the food? NONE. They literally gave us a menu just for a display. 700 pesos per person for NOTHING.

Place has gotten better fr years I haven't gone back. Well maintained as it can be... only thing…read morewas signage said FREE access to shoreline dining... as how my sister remembers how it worked and yet they charged admission fee for my sister who i brought with me to have lunch while I go for a swim