Addition to My Favorite Vacation Spots

My children and I love spending time at the beach.  Anywhere where there is sand and sea becomes a favorite, but more so when it gives us also the oppurtunity to visit the family.  Iligan is such a place for us.  Iligan with it's bountiful share of natural falls , spring pools and clean beaches is really a magnet for us.  Over the years several private residences have invested to transform their beach residences into private resorts.  One such resort that we have discovered during our recent trip to Iligan last December 2010 is Alta Beach Resort in Linamon, Lanao del Norte. Technically, it's not in Iligan but who's nitpicking right?

It's really only about 15 minutes ride from Iligan City to here.  It has 4 bamboo cottages, 2 airconditioned rooms for an overnight stay, it has ample parking, gated and clean shower and comfort rooms.  It's well-maintained and the caretaker is just around to watch over the place conspicously.

This is the first time that i tested our GE underwater camera which i tell you, by the way, is great. More on that in another post. See how clean the water is..

Sulit.com.ph and Trajet Tours and Travel promote tourism in the Philippines and abroad. Find great travel deals at Sulit.com.ph, the leading online classified ads website in the Philippines.

9 Waves Pool Resort at San Mateo, Rizal

When we went to Marikina to look at a piece of residential land at Marikina Heights , we also get to swim at the 9 Waves Pool Resort at San Mateo, Rizal. I had a headache but even so i did wade in the pool because i have to babysit aj and abby. Later, when i really can't stand it i asked hubby to watch those two because they take to water like ducks.

This is in the reception area.

It's a novelty for us swimming in a wave pool. Although Iligan City has lots of fresh water cold pools and cheaper at that, there is a different sense of enjoyment when you play with freshwater waves. And i can watch the kids play with the waves at a bit of distance without hyperventilating when a wave is coming.




Anyway, hubby is not interested because it's too far from where we work and although it's a good place to live what with the much cleaner air and lots of trees, i still think i will get stressed travelling everyday with traffic going home to marikina. But who knows?

If you want to go there, here's the complete address:

Ciudad Christia Resort, Inc.
Resort Site: Earth St., Carrieland Country Homes II
Ampid, San Mateo Rizal

Tels. 997-6009
297-1111
997-9999
997-5945 to 46

Fees for adult is 250 , children 225, a kiosk costs about 1,500

Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

As a sort of birthday gift, hubby said that we will celebrate aj's birthday at the beach. Back then, he was actually contemplating if we should take a day-off but i said that we can just go to the beach the weekend of her birthday. I am not sure how he came to chose Pagudpud as our destination but he was with his friend Mandy. And so when friday came, he told us to packed our bags because we are heading for the beach. With us, are our friends Mandy and Mynne. It was a 10-hour drive. We left Manila at 7pm, ate our dinner at Total,NLEX. We made occasional stops to take a pee, drink coffee. We had breakfast at Jollibee, Laoag. Hubby really pushes himself so we get to enjoy these..

Nostalgia

Nostalgia it is said is about longing about the things of the past, remembering only the good times. Looking through old photos, i can't help but feel nostalgic about things and places of the past. Browsing through my latest photos during a trip back to Bohol, once again I was kept reminded of the place where I was born and where we, as a often family go back to in times of fiesta of my father's hometown, Lila. Back then, whenever we got home no matter how dark it already is, neighbors, relatives converge at our ancestral house eager to welcome us, share whatever it is that we brought from Mindanao, even when it consists only of a loaf of bread, and several manos of "tabako."


This one is recent, taken at the airport while the blind entertainers were rendering us beautiful songs. The youngest of the three have the voice of a pop star, and his choices also were surprisingly current.This following photos are the sceneries that you will pass by when you travel from Lila to Tagbilaran. The sky seem overcast it's really about 5 o'clock in the morning when we left Taug. Initially, i thought of spending the night in Tagbilaran so that it will be easier for us to go to the airport but Ng Delma offered to use her car to bring us to the airport early. That is how generous and kind and how good a bol-anon spirit is. Most of my relatives are like that, I am proud to say. Really...

This was inside the hinagdanan cave.These are taken at our home in Iligan sometime in the 90's. That was the pre-leukemia, pre-accident days. Sometimes, I have a tendency to divide timelines before and after those two defining events. I have written my thoughts on those times.

Mama still had her nose

But that is all it is, reminiscing. I like the present with all it's challenges and revelations. Also, vacation time with the family is almost always an occasion to look forward to.

Cozy Resort, Rosales, Pangasinan

Hubby decided to spend the weekend at Rosales, Pangasinan in part to accompany his uncle who is to be a principal sponsor at a friend's wedding.

We left manila around past 10Pm and traversed the rainy SCTEX around past 1am. We checked in at Cozy Resort in Pangasinan. The room we had was big and clean for 2,500 a night, it should be it's the suite room. It had simple furnishings, and a really strong airconditioning unit but the television set is not working and there was no refrigerator. The resort itself is situated in a ricefield so the only water facility available to entertained guests is the two swimming pools. My daughters really enjoyed the pool. But then it is easy to please them, anywhere with a body of water where they can dip is enough for them.

Breakfast consisted of daing na bangus, spam, eggs which costs 95 pesos along with coffee and or milo. I never did like salty foods but neither do i like bland foods. The breakfast was just bland. And their were flies on our breakfast table. Maybe they could have put something to deter the flies considering the place was really clean.
Over all, i think this is a good enough place to stay. We have only been to Pangasinan only one time and we stayed at Urdaneta Garden Resort. I would recommend that you stay here if you have business to do in Rosales or you just want somewhere else to sleep. Otherwise, if you want rest and relaxation and something more, like good food and really excellent service(like the guard being onhand to open the gate of the resort and we didn't have to honk twice, or that the tables are set for breakfast and waiters readily available and no flies please!, or that toiletries are already in the rooms without having to call room service) maybe there is a better place elsehere.

I may just add that the employees were really polite, they only probably need a training and instruction. Here's the contact numbers just in case you will be going to rosales:

Cozy Place Resort

Bgy. Rizal, Rosales, Pangasinan

(075) 582-2696 / 09175011444 / 09194182489

cozyplaceresort.multiply.com

youtube : cozy place resort

Nasugbo, Batangas

Nasugbo, Batangas
He has been promising to take the kids to swimming at the condo pool on the 32nd floor. Since friday was a holiday, finally he was able to make good on his promise, and so they all troop up to the pool only to find out that it's not available for use because the water is undergoing treatment. So he told us to pack things up because we were going swimming to Batangas.
At first, he asked me of the resort i've read in the paper, i think it was Costa del fuego or something but i don't remember it anymore so again, he was the one who decided what road to take. We took the skyway and entered through sta rosa. laguna and then onwards to tagaytay, and finally to nasugbo. We found out that Nasugbo is actually hilly and most of the beach there are of the cove type. We also found out, that most of the beaches in Nasugbo have become elitist, mostly by membership only. The one private beach that allows the public to use it is the one owned by enrile. The other one opened to the public is the munting buhangin beach camp. While the facilities are good, i think that the entrance and the gazebo rates are too expensive for the masses. IT is probably intended for the upper middle class and those who have money to spare once in a long while.
Surprisingly, the water was cold and clear and calm considering that a tropical depression is spotted entering the bicol region and one just leaving. I like that beach. He spent about 4k for that trip to Batangas. It is expensive living here in manila. And even more expensive to go out-of-town.