Our tour guide billetted us at the Canoe Beach Resort. I have no complaints about this place since it was simple and no frills – just the way we liked it. The centerpiece of Canoe is its huge pool, and of course the beachfront. There’s also a large barbecue pit for the use of the guests and it’s good since this means you can cook your food for free! Otherwise, there’s a separate pavilion where the coffeeshop is located. I liked taking my meals here since it has the view of both the pool and the captivating San Antonio mountains.

Here’s one picture I took of the beach after sunset. I like scenes like this since it makes me admire the rustic beauty of this country:

The next day, we went on a day trip to the much-talked about resort in Pundakit called Punta de Uian. At 19 hectares with another 20-hectare expansion, the place is indeed huge. It would tire one to go through the whole property without the aid of a vehicle.

“Grand” is the word to describe Punta de Uian, although it was kinda weird to see religious figurines all over and no recurring theme in terms of the furniture and interiors. Was thinking to myself that this place would really have been world-class if they hired professionals like an architect and topnotch interior designers.

A word about Punta de Uian. The resort is owned by a Filipino who won the lottery in the US so you can just imagine how the money they’ve spent in the resort is just a “drop in the bucket,” LOL. Uian is also the name of their only daughter, and that’s how the resort was named.

Things to do here: see the Igorot Village, use mini-all terrain vehicle and engage in all kinds of water activities.

Canoe Beach Resort
Mobile no. 09178810029
emil canoe_beachresort@yahoo.com

Rates:

Beachfront room (good for 2) P1,500
Poolside room (good for 2) 1,800
Dorm room (good for 10) 4,000

Punta de Uian
Telephone No. (047) 252-2692
Mobile No. 0918-888-UIAN

Rates:

Standard room P3,410 ++
Mountain View room 4,180
Suite with jacuzzi 6,600
(other rooms available)

It’s quite a shame that some of my friends have been to the gem of a beach called Anawangin Cove ahead of me. Having been here with the hubby over the weekend, I can only be thankful that I didn’t pass up the chance to go here. (Waste no time, if you must. My friend J predicts that in two years, Anawangin will no longer be the off-the-beaten track destination that it is now. The tourists will come in droves, and then it will be another Boracay or Puerto Galera. Hope not.)

One big attraction of Anawangin is that it is so cheap and easy to go here, being only three hours or so from Manila via the spanking new stretch of a super-highway called SCTEX. If you choose not to camp out, accommodations will only set you off by an average of a thousand pesos per night and a boat trip around the islands is only P1,500 or so.

On the way to Anawangin, the Zambales mountain ranges were, in themselves, a revelation: they were simply magnificent and breathtaking.
The landscape was dotted by unique rock formations and deep blue waters which have made this part of town a popular spot for surfing and diving.

How to go to Anawangin Cove: one can do so either by a long five-hour trek through the Pundaquit range, or by a thirty-minute boat ride from our jump-off point, Barangay Pundaquit in the town of San Antonio, Zambales. We choose the former, and catch our breaths upon landing in a fine stretch of white sand that is the cove itself.

One argument against the beach’s overcommercialization: it was very clean and well-maintained… to think that the place wasn’t government property at all. Anawangin was equipped with only the basics, like a deep well for drawing water and a makeshift toilet. Yet, its roughness hasn’t desisted people from camping all night here. I also had fun savoring Aling Meding’s halo-halo for thirty pesos only I don’t know how she preserves her ice with no electricity in the middle of nowhere, but she gets by.

Notice the tall pine trees in the picture: they are what makes this place unique. What also makes Anawangin extraordinary is that the the stretch of sand divides the vast sea, and the lake with the pine forest. Call it “having the best of both worlds.”

Traveller’s rating: Beautiful and easily accessible, the areas in and around Anawangin Cove is surely a must-visit when you’re in Luzon, Philippines.

(Text and photos are all rights reserved: annalyn.net)