Travel: Trip to Subic (Day 2)

June 9, 2012

Dylan waking up to Chips Ahoy and Milk

Day 2 of our Subic getaway started early.  Everyone wanted to get a move on because our itinerary today involved going to the beach.  We originally planned on visiting Sunset Cove in Morong, Bataan because we saw pictures of our friend who went there over the summer and we became curious too.  So, we set off on our adventure for the day because we didn't really know where it was located because the directions and the map from the Net were a bit vague.

The travel from Subic to Morong was quite easy because the road was direct and Patrick was familiar with it having passed by this area on many occasions.  However, finding Sunset Cove was a little daunting especially when you reach the part where you have to travel on a very narrow road, passable only to one vehicle at a time.  The area on both sides of the road were occupied by residents so expect to see people, chickens, kids and dogs crossing in front of you.  There was a part of the road that was cemented but by the time you reach the gate of Sunset Cove, it's no longer cemented and it was rather gravelly so you can just imagine our fear of getting the Subaru scratched.



When we got inside the compound, we were a little dismayed, although the people who came out to talk with us were very warm and accommodating.  It wasn't the right time to be going there as the water was very high and there was barely any sand to walk on - not really the kind of picture we saw from our friend's trip.  There were sandbags everywhere.  They offered us a "family room" within a family bungalow but it was too narrow and really not worth the price.  So, we just decided to leave and chalk it up to experience.

Our next stop was Dungaree beach in Subic.  We went there before and we had a good time then so we thought it would suffice.  We were surprised to find out that now, since it's under new management, everything is being charged and I mean everything!  The cottage that used to be P1000 is now P1500 and you have to pay an entrance fee of P150/head.  Even the floaties and the water toys that you bring in has a corresponding charge.  The cost will be halved if you bring your own but you still have to pay a "corkage" since they're also "renting" these things out.  In computing our costs, we would end up paying a lot more for a swim on the beach and as much as we didn't want to because of the prohibitive expense, the kids were really looking forward to it so much so we still went with it.  I personally didn't have as much fun as before because this time the beach was rather dirty too.  It was filled with lots of garbage and by garbage I don't mean the seaweeds that were everywhere.  Rather, there was a lot of plastic stuff that must have come in by way of the tides.  The kids though didn't mind and they loved being in the water and on the sand! :D

After burning ourselves up on the beach, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and then headed to a Subic staple, the Xtremely Xpresso Cafe, for lunch.  Before the trip, we decided that we'd try eating at Subic mainstay restos so we can really appreciate the trip.  Xtremely Xpresso was number one on the list since we already ate at Meat Plus Cafe in previous trips.

We were ahead of the lunch crowd and easily found a table for the four of us.

Dana had the Carbonara

Dylan had the Tuna Mayo Sandwich

I think Patrick had the Meat Lasagna

I had the Meatball spaghetti

Big Ben Pizza

Patrick was enamored of the Spicy Chocolate

We really enjoyed the food at Xtremely Xpresso.  The cost of the food was pricier than "normal" restos but the serving on your plate and the taste of the food more than made up for it.  In the end, the price was just right for the quality, presentation and ambience in the restaurant.  You see even when the restaurant was filling up with its regular patrons, the service wasn't diminished.  You didn't have to wait an eternity for your order.  That in itself is a plus factor! :)

After a filling lunch, we just drove around Subic, testing the driving potential of the Subaru. We went up the mountains and looked at the interesting houses with their garages that are detached from the house. I don't know where that is exactly but it's really cool! :D  All that driving around lasted a good couple of hours and by the time we got back, the kids were itching for a round in the hotel's pool.  I've never seen my kids' feet so clean at the end of the day :D

their VERY clean feet :D

Holy Week Vacation

March 30 - April 01

The busy and hectic lives of people have certainly changed the way the Holy Week is commemorated.  Take our family for instance, we hardly have any days for vacation because of Patrick's schedule which often includes weekends especially during the summer when there are a lot of car-related activities going on.  The Holy Week is the only holiday time when you can take longer with your vacation instead of just the usual weekend.  Of course, you have to file your leave applications beforehand and at the earliest possible time.

Anyway, Patrick and I have decided we're going to go to Subic during the Holy Week and spend 3D/2Ns there in celebration of the kids' birthdays and Dana's excellent performance in school.  Unfortunately, we left it too late for scheduling and we ended up reserving for Holy Tuesday up to Holy Thursday.  It was still fine and it was actually better because Subic wasn't going to be so cluttered with people and by the time that we're going home, that was the time when people will be arriving so we'll be against the traffic.

Our first stop during the trip was having brunch at Delifrance along the North Luzon Expressway.  We haven't really tried any of their dishes but we're a fan of their baked products.  The store was airy and cozy and the food was great!

It was smooth sailing going to Subic via the fast and smooth Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).  We made it in such a short time.  You can however observe that there were many people heading to Subic because of the number of vehicles that were traveling at the same speed as us hahhaha After checking in at our favorite Subic Bayfront Hotel, we all changed into our swim attire and headed for the pool.  In our excitement, we forgot the cameras so we don't have any pictures hahahaha

We timed it well though because we finished swimming with just enough time to spare to head to Meat Plus Cafe so that Den will have a chance to try their great steaks (it's Den's first time to be with us in Subic).  We were all famished and ended up eating so fast we didn't have time to take pictures (gluttons!) hahahaha

With a huge dinner in our stomachs, we needed to walk all of it off so we headed to the beach.  The kids were running around and building sandcastles even though they can't make the sand stick LOL

 The next morning after our buffet breakfast at the hotel's Japanese/Korean Restaurant, we climbed into Stanley in search of a beach to swim in.  We kinda new where to go because we've already scouted some of them in our previous trips.

We didn't go to Camayan because we knew they're fully booked so naturally there'd be a lot of people on the beach.  We headed to All Hands and true enough the beach was packed.  Dungaree beach was relatively peaceful so that's where we stayed.  The beach was clean, the huts were comfortable.

We had lunch there and we all had a blast.  The water was warm, the beach wasn't rocky.  With the kids' floaties, they were able to swim freely  which they loved.  The sand got too hot though and Dylan got a little scared when we tried walking across it the first time to get to the beach from our hut.  We had to run and when our feet touched the water he was all smiles again! :P

We spent the whole afternoon there and we had so much fun.  We're going back for sure!

 We came back dinner time and we had hotpot at the hotel's restaurant.  We just love eating there hahaha We just spent the rest of the night in our room watching cable TV hahaha (a luxury we can't afford!)

The next day, going home, we stopped at the duty free shops where I was able to buy 2 pairs of Land's End jeans that fit me so well and they were so cheap - only P250 each!! Den was able to buy for herself a pair of jeans too :)

It was a great and relaxing vacation :)