Subic: The Cliff Royale

We came across The Cliff Royale through the net while we were looking for a place to go to for a family event. I can't honestly remember what that occassion was and this was a few months back (yes, this post is long overdue).

So anyway, as mentioned we were looking through the net for a resort for the family and The Cliff Royale seems to be a good option because it's just in Subic, J & myself are frequent Subic visitors - but that's a different story. The family did not end up going there but J & I decided to still visit the resort for future reference.

We decided to go there via public transport, aka, Victory Liner to save on gas and so J can also relax and have a day off driving. We went there on a weekend with a reservation for an overnight stay which I arranged a few days ahead through SMS.

To get there:

• Victory Liner - from Pasay to Olongapo
• Jeepney - just near the Victory Liner Terminal in Olongapo, make sure you get the one with a roof painted in blue. Jeeps are color-coded in Olongapo, the yellow ones go around the city proper while the blue ones ply the neighboring towns outside the city proper. Ask to get off at Baloy Beach (this is pretty known in the area)
• The Cliff Royale is just at the corner of the street going to the resort strip along Baloy beach, they have a giant wooden gate with The Cliff on it. (just right beside Palladium Resort)

lovely lady, I mean, lovely windows ;)

We got the cheapest room because we're only staying overnight and honestly, their cheapest didn't seem cheap for me at all.

• PHP2000/night
• Two wooden double beds
• AC
• TV
• Hot & cold shower
• Personal refrigerator
• Nice stained glass on the windows and the bathroom door

What I didn't like about the room:

• It smells old - like wet wood or old blankets stored and forgotten in the closet, it's not mabango
• Poor ventilation
• Creaking beds
• Bathroom has poor drainage
• No towels - for the price, most resorts would provide fresh towels and toiletries
• It wasn't as clean as I expected

Naturally the room was our first stop and I was already disappointed with what we're getting for the price that we are paying for but I still kept my hopes high and looked forward to enjoying the resort, especially the pool.

the pool

see the color?

Much to my disappointment, yet again, it was nowhere near the clean blue color of a swimming pool, it was green... if I hadn't known better, if there weren't people in it and if I hadn't browsed on their website, I would have thought that it was just a giant pond! A freakin' pond with water lilies and koi -- I am exaggerating, no lilies and no fishes, but it was really moss green, warm and had a lot of sand and floating leaves in it. I confess, we took a dip in that dirty pool. At that point I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, they were gunning for a shabby chic look for the pool and intentinally colored the pool tiles green, I realised it I was wrong when we went in.
After that unfortunate dip in the pool, we just bid our time taking pictures around the resort.

the resort's up there, you have to go through a
cemented spiral staircase to go down the beach

one gazebo had a swing!

The Coffee Shop's famous tacos, yum!

The Coffee Shop is also just walking distance from the resort so I insisted that we have dinner there since it's going to be J's first time to see the giant tacos that Karen & I were boasting about.

After dinner, while walking back to the resort, we saw various bars and night clubs already open for business. I realized this must be one of the famous night strips back in the days when the US base was still here, there were still a lot of foreigners mingling around that night. It would have been an experience to go in on one of the bars to satiate the curiousity but I wanted a quiet night (read: I didn't want J oogling at those girls clad in itsy-bitsy tiny bikinis) so we just dropped by 711 grabbed a few bottles of...was it beer or vodka, I can't remember because I think I passed out just after finishing off half a bottle of whatever it was.

The next morning was a lot better... we went down to the beach, had our quiet time at the shore taking pictures and chatting with some fishermen.

the sun!

great view

effort!

The Cliff Royale seems to be a nice resort but one who has seen it's glory days. Maybe we just caught it in a bad time but they really could do better. Capitalize on their prime location, the beautiful beach, the great view from the cliff and improve on their services. I am nowhere near an expert on managing a resort but I am saying using the eyes of a frequent traveler and a guest.

• Centralize their reservation process - I confirmed our reservation several times, but when we got there it seems like the lady did not have any idea about it. I didn't know if there was really a room reserved for us or we just got lucky there was one available.
• Clean-up - they may be short of manpower or whatever but guests pay special attention on how clean the place is, they should prioritize this...from the rooms to the pool and even to the plants around the resort. If the kids were with us it would have been a disaster not having a clean swimming pool!
• Customer service - we could very well ran-away with the keys to our room because when it was time for check-out, their office was close and we couldn't find anybody except for the gardener. We handed the keys to him.
• Rates - I once stayed in a small resort along Baloy Beach (which was just a few minutes way by feet) - cleaner room, fresh beddings, and friendly staff.

I am not picky traveller. I can do with rustic, I actually love rustic, but at least give me clean. Looking back, the resort would have been okay... but the room and the pool did it. Maybe they just magnified the things that I would usually overlook.

I didn't want to show J my disappointment, afterall, we planned this weekend getaway to unwind and enjoy by ourselves. I still did my best to enjoy and we did enjoy our weekend although I don't think I'll be recommending this resort to any of my friends and definitely not to the family.

Anawangin Cove, San Antonio, Zambales

Karen and I went on an-all-girls get-away last January.  Actually, it was just the two of us and we braved to go camping in Anawangin, Zambales. It was a low-cost yet super fun trip.

 

We didn't get to pitch our own tent since aside from having no confidence in doing so, our boatman, Kuya Arnold and his buddies volunteered to do it for us (yeah, what could two tiny girls do).  Kuya Arnold was also protective enough, knowing that it's only gonna be Karen & me, to get us a spot near the sari-sari store so the Manang can keep an eye on us in case the other campers get too 'rowdy'.

After settling out stuff in the tent and arranging a pick-up time with Kuya Arnold the following day, Karen & I went roaming around the forest at the back of the camp site. I was honestly disappointed that the river was dry when we were there. It would have been nice to wade through the cool river water. Before the mosquitoes could get to us, we took pictures with our twin Kiss X3.  Toyed with exposures, apertures and shutter speeds and pretended that we know much about photography. :)

What's for dinner? A loaf of bread, cheese spread, pork & beans and my left over chow fan. We didn't get stuff that needed cooking since we were... no excuse, we didn't want to bother with cooking at all.  We planned to sleep early so we can roam around the cove early the following morning and take more pictures.  

We eventually got invited to join a group of campers - we saw them doing some fire dance so we went to check them out so we can take pictures. They were too kind to invite us over when they knew that it was only Karen & I.  They taught us some photography tricks and had us join their bartending 101. Thanks to Chef Janjie, Nano and the girls. :)

Anyway, this is how the logistics of the trip looks like: 

What	Details	Cost	Duration	Remarks
Pasay-Olongapo	Victory Liner	P220/each (P440/roundtrip)	4 Hours	You can opt to take a bus bound for Iba and get off at San Antonio;   You can go to Victory Liner station in Cuba/Caloocan.
Olongapo-San Antonio	Victory Liner (non aircon)	P41/each (P82/roundtrip)	1 Hour	Skip this if you are taking a direct trip to Iba.
San Antonio-Brgy Pundaquit	Tricycle	P30/each (P60/roundtrip)	15mins	Feel free to haggle with the tricycle driver.
Pundaquit-Anawangin (and vice-versa)	Boat	P1000/boat (roundtrip)	30mins	Good for 2-3 pax; Highly recommended - Kuya Arnold (09208289226 - tell him you got his # from Jimi); Be prepared to get wet since waves can get wild - waterproof all valuables and gadgets;  if you are staying overnight, make sure to arrange time of pick-up with your boatman. No network signal in Anawangin.
Overnight Fee	Caretaker	P100/pax		This is to cover for keeping the cove clean but doesn't mean that you can leave your trash around.
Tent	c/o Boatman	P300/tent		Good for 2-4 pax; You can opt to bring your own tent.
Gasera	c/o Caretaker	P50/lamp		You can opt to bring your own rechargeable lamp - safer and  caretaker only have a limited # of lamps to rent out.

The following day, although we didn't get to wake up as early as planned, we were still able to climb the nearby rocky hill to the view deck where we got to see how wonderful the cove was.  We almost got lost because the cogon grass and the baby bamboo plants along the trail are almost as tall as us. We still had so much fun though - gasgas and all. :)  When we got back to the campsite, Check Janjie had some breakfast for us. Spoiled! :)

Staying in Anawangin by ourselves did not prove to be scary since there were a lot of other campers and I think most people were there with a mind set to be in a harmonious union with nature.  I think, even going there alone is not a bad idea at all.   

Some random tips: 

• If you are going in a group, you can split up the cost for the rentals of the boat, tricycle and tent. 
• Send an SMS to Kuya Arnold ahead of time to make sure that he is available (especially on peak months) 
• Wear life vest at all times during the boat ride; the ride can get very rough (not exaggerated at all, ask Karen) 
• Always waterproof gadgets/valuables 
• Don’t bring too much food.  Bring only what you can consume since this will add up the weight of your baggage; There’s a grocery store right inside the Victory Liner terminal in Olongapo, you can get your supplies there. 
• There’s a small sari-sari store in Anawangin, but prices are steep 
• It can get really chilly at night, bring thick night clothes or better yet, bring a human blanket.
• There are two water pumps, but water is not potable; Bring your own drinking water. 
• There are three comfort rooms and 2 dressing rooms; if you are going to do your thing, wake up early to avoid the long queues. 
• You can arrange a side trip to Capones  Island (see the Spanish-era lighthouse) or to Camara Island (will incur additional charge and depending on how big the waves are). 
• When you are in Anawangin aside from enjoying the swim, you can also explore the river at the back of the campsite or climb the view deck at the far left side of the cove. 
• Make friends and meet new people. :)