During my getaway searches I stumbled upon this amazing
place. We were not able to go last summer with our family because of work. A
weekend getaway would be nice I thought so before I go back to work after my
healing period Slim decided its Dasol’s time to shine.
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| No edit needed |
We were supposed to leave at 2 a.m. but left by 4 a.m.
insomnia has been visiting me the past days so I woke up late. By 8 a.m. we are
in Iba, Zambales we took the NLEX – Subic SCTEX Route instead of going to
TPLEX.
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Spot Ligaya
Breakfast at IBA |
I think TPLEX would be shorter but we’ll try that soon. By 10 a.m. we
are in the Municipality of Dasol and entered Burgos which will bring us to
Tambobong Beach. We were dismayed that the better route is closed so we were
left with rough roads. The unpaved road is 80% rough, we have our travel buddy
Ligaya and Slim is getting agitated with every bump she took.
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| Road to Paradise |
After 2 hours of our bumpy ride we were welcomed by a
concrete road and a sight of the beach. Yehey!! Ligaya survived!!! We asked
around and we finally got to our home for the night R Paradise Beach Resort.
I
was nervous about the place they have bad reviews in Trip Advisor but good blog
reviews, my family stayed in Abella’s last time and they loved their stay. But
there is something about R Paradise that made up my mind…the bathroom perhaps?
I texted Ms. V the night before and she was very
accommodating, she made sure we are assisted properly and to text her if we
need something, she even called me when we got there when I asked her about the
road going home. This place is really recommended.
When we got to R Paradise I felt home because of the people
behind the resort. They were very accommodating, very polite and are making
sure that we are taken care of, Filipino hospitality at its best. I actually
love our room, it’s simple and rustic. The bed is made of local materials, the
wall is cemented covered with mats (BANIG), we have cabinets, the room we took has a
fridge, it’s clean and the bathroom is gorgeous. The bathroom is made of rocks
from the sea and it’s huge with shelf made of wood. It does not have hooks for
your things but they have enough shelves for your clothes, soap and stuff. The shower is great, not only do you feel one with nature but it doesn't get flooded and the toilet is clean.
While going to our boat I noticed that the beach is actually
nice, staying in Tambobong would be enough, there are a lot of fishing boats
docked and the water is clear.
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| The beach front |
The boat ride is
okay but a little bumpy, it’s not like the other boat rides we’ve tried before
but we survived.
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| Smiling even if the waves are crashing |
A boat just left Culibra Island so we are the only tourists left. The sand
is clear and finer than the sands in Bolinao. There are 3 coconut trees left
with no leaves so it was so hot in this island. No shades left but the water is
amazing. We stayed maybe for 45 minutes and off to the rocky Crocodile Island. I recommend going here early so that you can bear the heat of the sun. Our bankeros told us that there used to be Sea Snakes in this island but they left,must have been scared of tourists.
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| Bye guys! |
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| Culibra Island |
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| Perfect |
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| Hot in Culibra, off to Crocodile Island |
The tide is low when we got to Crocodile Island and was told that the boat
can’t be docked so we had to walk to the camp site. It is a rocky place. Thank you for our Aqua
Shoes it was manageable, I felt like we hiked mountains going through rock
formations and hiking a little. It was a good 10 minute walk to the cave where
we stayed.
Again it’s just us enjoying the moment. We stayed here for 4
hours, swimming, eating, drinking, acting like kids and savoring the moment.
What I like about Tambobong is its clean, maybe a few empty plastic bottles but
it’s nothing compared to the other places we’ve been to. It’s really a
paradise.
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| I was too scared to go inside |
This place has a lot of potential, I know that secluded
places like this would be a waste if tourist will flock the area but if we
promote responsible tourism we can enjoy places like this and still make the
place better.
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| Anatomy of FUN |
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| Fisherman boat going to Scarborough Shoal |
For dinner we had grilled fish and decided to eat by the
beach, what’s funny is I can hear a Gecko (TUKO) somewhere our kubo and dogs
were waiting for a treat. I really felt remote here but enjoyed it, a nice break from the city life.
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| Dinner |
Since we enjoyed our dinner we asked if we can also have
Grilled fish for breakfast. Wish granted!!! We left at around 10 a.m. and felt like we are leaving our relatives behind. It's like saying goodbye to our Aunts and Uncles and in our hearts we told ourselves we will go back.
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| Brekky |
We planned to eat lunch at San Marcelino Rosa Farms but when
we got there the Café Is closed. The café is open during the summer.
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| Bummer, cafe is open only on summer |
Is Tambobong Doable by car, despite the rough road? YES!!
Our Total Expense is between 5500 – 6000 the cheapest vacation we had and what I realized is it’s the same amount if you commute via bus. 3k per head is not bad right?
Estimated Expense
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Gas
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1200 Full Tank
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GAS RATE is 33.85/liter
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Food
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1100 (R Paradise Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast PLUS Beer)
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300 Breakfast at IBA
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Toll
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45 MIN
173 NLEX
168 Subic SCTEX
22 TIPO
22 TIPO
168 SCTEX
218 NLEX
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ROOM
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1200
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Depends on the number of heads and the room you take
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BOAT
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900 (PLUS LIFE JACKET)
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TOTAL
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5516
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| Ligaya's pampering after |
