Bolinao, Pangasinan for Maundy Thursday! We went to Puerto del Sol Beach Resort, which seemed to be located on the very edge of the Earth. To quote Almi, we were on the road for 15 hours, and at the beach for six. Crazy! It’d be nice to go on an overnight trip and avail their promo.
Despite the long ride, the poor service at the resort’s restaurant, and the fact that our driver didn’t seem to have a sense of direction, the trip was worth it.
Just look at that.
It was a beautiful beach. Entrance for daytrippers is P250 per head, and we paid P700 for the cottage.
Fishies on the walkway.
We ordered a set meal for lunch. Try their Singaporean noodles, delicious and spicy with curry. But for the love of God, order ahead of time. Service here is really slow and inefficient.
For our other comments, let me quote Andrea:
I personally found the overall service and our dining experience a bit unpleasant. The restaurant could have been more prepared, since the whole country knows that it’s a peak day, it being Maundy Thursday. Guests weren’t allowed to bring rice meals inside so we had to order from the quite pricey restaurant. Staff could have been more attentive, or the manager could have hired extra people for the peak week? Maybe their system needed a total overhaul, since previous visitors online also pointed out that that was the resort’s weak point. Also! The toilets were dirty, with no trash cans, so some women left their used sanitary pads (!!!)/shampoo sachets in the stalls). The cushions near the cabana we stayed in were also off-limits to daytrippers and since we showed interest, were stowed in a place so no one could use them – and no one was using them, since there weren’t many guests in the area at that time. Maybe the cushion rate was tucked in the check-in cost? It was a greedy move that was almost laughable. Definitely needs MAJOR improvements. The place was farther than the usual resorts in the area, and it’s understandable that their guests are hungry and tired, so the least they could have done was to anticipate the needs of the guests (even if said guests were only daytrippers, since this would mean that these daytrippers are more pressed for time than the check-in guests). They also used what seemed to be henna in the stamp pad used for stamping guests, but the design was hastily stamped, so what’s left is a black splotchy thing that cannot be erased. We found the stamping unnecessary, because of the high security (and other resorts don’t even do this) Dear Puerto Del Sol, I hope you improve said problem areas because you have a really lovely place – make it worth the long journey, sayang naman.
Hope you got all that, Puerto del Sol! Moving on.
We rested for a bit, then on to the beach!
The water’s very shallow (except when you go beyond the breakwater, where you’ll encounter a steep drop and strong currents. Don’t swim there. It’s not allowed and it’s dangerous).
I can’t swim, so the shallow water made me really happy. A few of us stayed near the breakwater and sat on the ocean floor, talking about…Stephen King. (I’m looking at you Abi!)
My fellow daytrippers.
The resort also has a pool area. And a Jacuzzi! Which we missed. It was already closed off when we got there.
Look at all the beautiful flowers.
I showered early because I have sand everywhere.
No trip is ever complete without a jump shot.
This group jump shot photo courtesy of Kate. Thanks!
Goodbye, Puerto del Sol. Thank you for this wonderful sunset.
Eliza Victoria 
My family, along with a Japanese exchange student, went here too! The service was really bad and our stamps were worse! The stamp was huge and said “DAY TRIP.” It was quite embarrassing because it was Minori’s (our Japanese friend) first time in the Philippines and our trip was not enjoyable at all :( The only that made it better was the beautiful ocean.
I know! And that’s so sad. Kung hindi maganda yung beach wala nang pupunta dyan e. Malayo na, chaka pa service. Nakakahiya.