We at this resort in Subic last April 2011, and we have to wait for the 2:30PM ferry to go to the island. They have no morning ferry schedule so it's useless arriving at the port very early.
After a 20-minute ferry ride, we finally arrived at the resort. The words that I instantaneously describe the resort are vast, wide, spacious, & extensive.
The rooms are many and built meters away... good for privacy. You will definitely tire yourself if you carry your own baggage by foot. Good thing they provide golf carts to assist us to our room. The rooms are clean by the time we arrived. We got the newest rooms but it is located at the farthest side of the resort. There is a solar panel on the roof maybe to help supply some of the electrical needs in every room. They have a television with a few cable/local channels. The CR is clean, faucet water pressure is adequate. They have a personal refrigerator. Be sure to buy your own drinking water before taking the ferry, the canteen is far from the room. They also have a local telephone to remind you when meals will be served or if you need to call for assistance. Added bonus, they got wifi internet inside the room. They also offer a banana boat ride as part of the package. I think it would be better if they have horseback riding available as an alternative recreation.
Meals are buffet style. Food is average. Juice taste like instant powder, and limited serving.
There were some downsides about this resort.
The beach is not child friendly. As you can see from the pictures posted, most of the coastline is too rocky. You need thick slippers or durable aqua shoes to walk the shore. Water is mostly not clear. There were many floating trash nearby. We even collected many lost slippers and used it while walking. The sand is dark, but there are some spots that they probably improvised by dumping a finer sand (color beige) just to have a place to play at the beach.
What I like about the resort: At that time, it was windy. I can sleep at the porch as air blows me to sleep. I even stayed for an hour under a tree near the shore and unwind to the splashing of the waves. Dinner was served outside and fresh air made us relax more.
For an alternative activity, you can visit the small old military structures (buildings, bunkers, fortress, and storage facility) during the Japanese-American war located at the other side of the island. The resort crew even gave us a free tour of the island riding the golf carts.
Overall, even if the beach is a disappointment, I am rating this resort 7 out of 10 mainly because of the non-aquatic relaxation I experienced. If you’re into photography, you can have many subjects / composition just by touring the island. By the way, the resort is facing where the sun rises.
Will I recommend this resort? It depends. If you’re more of into plunging at the beach, I’m hesitant about this place. But if you want a laid-back type of relaxation, or a roaming around photo enthusiasts… give this resort a try.
Check their
resort site to compare my review. I also posted a similar review at
tripadvisor.
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| The ferry we boarded going to the resort |
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| The ferry is spacious but during peak season, we have to sit at the floor due to many passengers. |
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| Upon arriving at the island |
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| View from the resort to the dock |
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| A small portion of the white / beige sand where most are swimming |
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| Sand quality at its best |
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| A very rocky shore and lots of drifted trash |
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| This is the far end (leftmost side) of the resort shoreline. Very very rocky. |
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| The shoreline in front of our room. Very rocky too. |
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| Your aqua shoes don't stand a chance on this shore |
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| Every house are far apart. We can't wait for the transport cart so we walked for like another 300 meters, but it's ok. |
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Our place to stay. Consisting of 4 rooms in 1 structure.
This is what our room looks like: |
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| Although our room is located at the far left side of the resort, we can access their free wifi internet with speeds of 2 - 3 Mbps |
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| The television only have a few local and satellite channels |
Here's some of the pictures during our tour at the other side of the island:
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| One of their staff gave us a tour and told us a brief history of the island. |
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| This canon on top of the fortress is one of the defense of the island during the American-Japanese war. |
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| Beside the cannon is a landmark where the Japanese bomb landed and created a massive destruction at the area |
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| The island is used to be a hidden storage for American ammunition |
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| It took us more than an hour to tour the island by foot. |
Some photos at night:
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| Our rooms |
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| View of front office |
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| Our buffet dinner was set outside and near the sea shore. Accompanied by a live band. |
Here are some photos during our 2nd day:
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| Sunrise |
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Going to the front office/dining area
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Buffet style breakfast
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One part of the island have these tables w/ shade where guest can relax. However, it is far from most of the rooms.
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| The resort also have a playground for the kids and young at heart |
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| The island is big and during our tour, we have to choose only 1 road at a time. Due to time constraints, we don't have the time to return for the other road. |
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| At the time of our stay, the big pool was under construction |
