Hamilo Coast: Pico De Loro Beach and Country Club

We are always on the hunt for affordable yet beautiful beaches near Manila so when my son’s graduation came up, I was very excited to have the “excuse” to try Pico de Loro. This resort is in Nasugbu, Batangas but bordering on Ternate, Cavite. For most Manila locations, going via Cavitex will be faster.

We were hesitant to go there before because of negative reviews from friends who felt discriminated and was not able to enjoy as much because they did not have members’ privileges, but this is what I can now say: as long as you know what to expect, and know ways around it, you’ll definitely have a blast in Pico de Loro! J

So, what is there to expect? 

Firstly, yes this is a Club Membership facility. Yes, non-members will not have the same benefits and will not enjoy the same amenities as members. 

What do you do?

AirBnB now abounds with condos for rent for Pico de Loro. My tip is that apart from looking at the price of the unit, look also for those that offer member-accompanied access. This means that the members will register with you, and with this, you will now be able to enjoy the members-only amenities – namely the Beach Club and the Member’s Only beach area. For our stay (we were 4), we were able to book a studio unit for 4K a night, with member’s access. There are some that are cheaper but does not have member’s access, so it’s your choice. Most of the smaller units can fit up to 6 guests while the bigger ones up to 10.

The Beach Club has restaurants and bars and of course a pool, by the beach. It is a really nice place to enjoy the pool and the beach at the same time, and of course, not be hungry while doing so.

Beach 

Beach Club Pool

Pancit 

Loved snacking on these nachos

Refreshments by the beach

If you do not have the access, you can still enjoy the beach, but there is a separate area on the side and you cannot order food from the restaurant. Also, you will still have access to the Country Club, which has a bigger pool overlooking the lake.

Second expectation: The units in AirBnb is for the room only, you have to pay for a separate Club Entrance fee. Club fees valid for 1 week stay are Php800-1300 depending on the season, with children aged between 4-12 half priced.

What to do: It will be more “sulit” if you stay for 2 nights or more, instead of just 1. Anyway, there are so many things to do in Pico that surely an overnight stay will be bitin.

Apart from swimming and relaxing by the beach, what can you do inside Pico de Loro? Here are some:

Bowling

Billiards

Badminton

Bond at your unit

Jogging - They have a jogging path around the lake

Just enjoy the scenery

Third Expectation: Pico De Loro restaurants are expensive. Well, resorts' restos usually are, but in this case, we have a workaround. :)

Our lunch, plus a slice of cake Php2000

What we did was to maximize the kitchen at our units. While we still allowed ourselves to eat at their restaurants and bars, for breakfast and dinners, we cooked at home. Most of the units have everything you need to cook, just make sure you do your grocery shopping first before going to Pico so you are fully stocked. :)

Steak Dinner. Yummy!

Breakfast before heading out

And we loaded on snaaaaaaaccckkks

Fourth and most important expectation: Know that you will enjoy. 
No workaround needed for this one, and is something that is key in making the most out of your stay. Have an appreciative mindset, no nega vibes welcomed during vacations. And don't forget to make lots of memories and takes lots of pictures!  Enjoy!

Fairways and Bluewater Boracay

Ventana Bar

It took us several days to decide whether we are going to stay in this hotel or not. We were going through the hotels in Agoda and trying to pick the best resort in terms of price, location and amenities and being far from White Beach, it WAS a tough choice. However, we loved the resort so much that we will choose it again the next time we go back - and that will likely be sooner than later.

Let us get the main blocker not more people are opting to stay here out of the way - its distance to White Beach. Though the gate of Fairways is 2kms or 15 mins from D'Mall, the resort offers an hourly shuttle service to and from DMall from 9AM to 6PM, and then every 30mins until 10PM. Should you wish not to wait, or to travel outside those hours - you could ride a tricycle for Php150.

For those who want to have lounge chairs with umbrellas by the beach (the reason we were willing to spend more for a beachfront hotel) - we just learned that several establishments are already renting these out. Just stroll along the beach and look for signs of lounge chairs for rent - we saw some that is Php200 per hour (Station 1) but also saw one that is just Php300 for the entire day. Wow that is very cheap. I actually stopped and asked Kuya about the price - he said it is actually Php300 for the entire day and that is with Towel and Umbrella. If just the lounge chair - Php250. And then he said that if you will just stay for 5 hours, it will just be Php200. Now I think that is a steal - Kuya may have been mistaken when he told me that - but for those who want to check it out, we saw it in Station 2, somewhere in the vicinity of Shakeys I think. (Please let me know what you find out) Of course, you can also just bring your own beach mats/ shawls and towels (Towelite is perfect!) and just lie on the sand. Or you can eat and drink at one of the restaurants that have lounge chairs in front. There are many options. Just like:

For you to just enjoy the private beach in Fairways. The sand is not as white compared to White Beach but the water is also clear and you can enjoy the beach without peddlers bugging you to buy something. They have lots of lounge chairs and also have a bar by the beach that serves drinks. I have to advise you to wear slippers or aqua socks if you are going to swim as the sand near the water is already a bit rocky. Another thing I love is that when we stayed in this beach at around 3PM, the hill on the side already offers shade from the sun, so we just laid on the sand.

So, are you now convinced to stay here as well?

Wait, I have not mentioned how affordable the place is. We stayed in a big and luxurious Pool View room and including all taxes, paid only Php4000. Other rooms without nearby pools were just Php3000. For the luxury, beauty of the resort and amenities that I have yet to mention - definitely worth it!  Most rooms have 2 queen beds and can accomodate up to 4 pax but the extra adults after the 2nd will be charged Php800. For kids, just Php200. Be mindful when you book though - I went back to Agoda to check out the rates, and the room we were able to book for 4K is already Php7000. Today, it was 5K. So I guess you have to watch out for deals to make your stay cheaper.

The resort is very big - 150 hectares or about 15% of the land area of Boracay. It has more than 500 rooms spread across lots of buildings. So when booking multiple rooms with no indication of the building (Lucia, Laguna and Monterey are clearly identified in Agoda) - best to contact them to ensure that you will be on the same villa. There is no problem going around though as their shuttles inside the property operates round the clock.  It has 6 pools, with Villa Lucia, Laguna, and Monterey being near 2 of those. The other villas do not have pools near them, but they can very much enjoy the big one by the beach, the first infinity pool overlooking the beach, and the new infinity with the Ventana Bar. 

Infinity Overlooking the Beach

Among all the pools, my favorite is the one in Ventana because of the view, the relaxing cabanas, and the hot whirlpool where you can have some drinks overlooking the sea. We almost gave up going to the White Beach and just stay there the whole day.

Relaxing Ventana Cabanas and the beautiful view

Hot Pool at Night

Hot Pool during the Day

Ventana Cabanas at night

Ventana at Night

If you want to be more active, they have horseback riding, segway, ATV, zipline, parasailing, and of course, golf. We did not try the activities, but I jogged around the resort in the mornings and it was wonderful! The scenery is amazing and the cool breeze will  help you push a little more. I was actually surprised at the distance that I was able to cover, there was so much beauty around to see, you just want to go on and on.. (Oh - make the beach/pool areas your last stop though. When you get to the area, its impact will just pull you, making it hard for you to leave)

Golf course scenery all over the resort

They have 5 or so restaurants but because we opted to eat at White Beach where there are infinite choices, we were only able to try the breakfast at La Terraza and the cocktails at Laguna Bar and Ventana. The cocktails were good, and they have Happy Hour from 4-7PM. I particularly like the Frozen Margarita (Buy 1 Take 1 for around Php200), which tasted good but be careful as it is actually strong. 

So, there. Hope you were able to learn something from the post, and am wishing you a wonderful stay in Boracay!

Fairways & Bluewater Newcoast Boracay |
Bo. Yapak, Brgy. Balabag, Newcoast, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, 5608, Philippines | 
Phone Number: +63-36-2885587

The Barbeque Hack

The best barbeques are those that are grilled perfectly - juicy and tender. Yummmm. The problem is, bbqs are very difficult to reheat. When you do, whether you do it in the toaster, grill or microwave - they become hard and dry. Boo. 

It is just very forunate that I learned from an Andoks store that the secret to maintaining the bbq's freshness even after reheating - is water.

When you reheat the bbq in the microwave, put a small container with water along with it. And promise, the bbq wil be heated just as if it was just grilled, moist and soft!!! Amazing! 

The Amazing Ant(Man)

This is how ants look like after being placed inside the refrigerators. Dead. Operative word: look.

I once bought cupcakes that I forgot and left on top of the kitchen sink. The next day when I found them, they were already full of ants. AAaargh!

Because I love cupcakes and was so looking forward to enjoying them, I tried to save my dessert by putting it inside the refrigerator. My thinking was, the ants will not survive the cold and once they're dead I could easily remove them from my treat.

And so I patiently waited, and a few hours after, took out my cupcakes with the ants no longer crawling all over my precious food.

Because I dont want my cupcakes cold and hard, I let it get back to room temperature first. Waited about 15 minutes and then I started to eat. Oooops. Something, or a lot of somethings, were moving on my cupcake. The ants are alive!!!! I cannot believe my eyes at first - but they are really alive.

And so I did my research. Why did the ants come back to life????

Turned out that Ants are cold blooded - their body follows the same temperature as that of their surrounding. Thus - when placed in the refrigerator, their body temperature will become very low as well - and they will cease to move. But despite how they appear to be - they are not yet dead, just hibernating. 

Cool, right? Hahaha. Pun not really intended.

So, I think you'd agree with me that ants are real amazing creatures - they are hardworking, strong, and now we learn that they are also able to get back from the dead. No wonder there is now a superhero movie based on them.

PS. Unfortunately I lost my appetite for my cuppies and they were just wasted. So so so disappointing. Tsk tsk tsk. Additional lesson learned: 

Never leave sweets out in the open.

Canyon Cove - Recommended affordable beach resort near Manila

It is our 3rd visit here, and would most likely not be the last. Being only around 3hrs south of Manila, this is one of the closest beach resorts that you could easily escape to. To go here, you pass by Tagaytay and continue on to Nasugbu for about an hour more. What is better: Metrodeal offers almost a year-round promo for this place, only 2999 for 2 adults and 2 kids below 12. There is no free breakfast for that rate though, and extra persons are Php800 each.

The room for this promo is big enough for 4. Actually, even 6pax could fit. The rooms either have 1 King or 2 queens, and then it has a daybed that the kids could sleep on. All rooms have balconies with views. 

Canyon Cove Deluxe Room

On out first 2 stays, the room we stayed in had a bathtub, but the last one didnt. Im not sure if they have dowgraded the rooms in the promo or it was just a matter of luck. The room has a tv and a ref - but bringing of food is strictly not allowed. Security will most likely open the luggages and inspect for food. And the inspection is not the kind that the mall does, where they will just open your bags and point their stick inside and they're done. At Canyon Cove, they really LOOK inside the bag. We watched several guests get inspected, and saw how they were asked to place in their cars the food. Luckily though, for some reason, they didnt inspect our bags. They just let us in! Big tip to the porter who assisted us. 😊 But I would not count on luck if I were you. There is also another way to sneak the food in - we saw some doing this the past times we were there. Their parking is right beside the bottom floor of the rooms at the south side, separated only by a waist-high wall. There would be someone on the other side of the wall (inside the resort) and then someone will pass the items from the outside. And the inspections are skipped. 

For those of you  who like to follow rules though, do not worry because their gift shops are actually amply supplied with chips and candies at relatively reasonable prices. They have Lays, Cheetos, Ruffles for about Php140, Piattos and other local chips for Php35. The softrdrinks have a different stoey thiugh- you can only get them from the restaurant - and they cost Php95 per can. 

Speaking of restaurant, they have Max's inside. During weekdays you can only eat there, but on weekends they also have a a grill station by the pool and beach serving 300-peso-bbqs good for one. There is another option though - the resort is just 5Kms from the town proper so you can just leave and choose from what the town has to offer. They have Jollibee, McDo, Mang Inasal, Chowking, Lots A Pizza, and if you're not too concerned with budget you can try Kainan sa Dalampasigan. It has a garden ambience, lots of flowers around and the food is ok. 

Back to the resort... I think the best thing about Canyon Cove is their pool. They have a very big pool complex where even in their crowded days you will still have room to swim. 

Canyon Cove Swimming Pool

Even better (for me at least) is that the water is a bit warm! The pool is by the beach, so you can still feel that you are by the beach even if you in the pool. Coz unfortunately there were no lounge chairs  in the beach area (photo below was from our previous visit - there were some chairs then, but our last visit there were no more) and there is not much shade so you'd have to bring mats (or just sit on the sand if that is ok with you) but you'd be exposed to too much sun. There are a few cabanas, but they're expensive, while the cabanas in the pool area are free. You just have to arrive early to get one if the day is crowded. For us, because we came on a weekday in June, there were lots and lots of available cabanas. Another good thing: beach towels are available for free, you can get as many as you need with no charges. 

The beach, for its proximity to Manila, is already very nice. The sand is golden, and while it is not powder fine, you don't need aqua shoes to get about. And the water - clean and cool. 

Canyon Cove Beach

Canyon Cove Beach

Another thing I really love here is the sunset. This place has one of the most beautiful sunsets, make sure you have your cameras ready at sunset hour.

Canyon Cove Sunset

For other entertainment, there are water activities like banana boat, snorkeling, and kayak. There are also indoor activitirs like table tennis and billiards. You can swim until 9PM, and if you are still not tired, they have a bar that is open until 1am. I was only able to try the non-alcoholic Mango Tango, but it was good. Kind of on the expensive side though. The bar had nice music, and a tv as well.

So overall, I'd really say this is a sulit resort. Please don't expect luxury - and surely you'd find "better" resorts elsewhere. But remember we are talking about a Php3000 resort only 3hrs away from Manila - this is really a good deal.