Every year, we make it a point to have a trip to the beach. Last year, we had a vacation in Bicol and sadly, we were not able to go to Subic -- our staple summer vacay location. We tried looking for a beach in Legaspi, Albay, to no avail. So, this year, we went to Subic... again.
My mom just called me one summer day and told me that we're going to Subic, leaving me with the burden of finding a place for us to stay overnight. It was not an easy task, given that it was already summer and most of the hotels and other accomodations are fully booked.
Then, I found Subic Homes. The rent price was a bit steep at Php 8,000 per day, but we had no choice. When we checked in and saw the place, I honestly thought that it was worth every cent. The 2-storey house had 3 big bedrooms, with an extra room for a driver, in case you have one. The living and dining rooms are big as well as the kitchen. The entire house was clean and the furniture were fairly new.
As I mentioned before, Subic was our staple "beach getaway" and for the past 3 times that we've gone, we always go to All Hands Beach. What surprised us this year is the cost of swimming in that beach. In the past years, we would just pay the entrance fee of Php 150 per person and rent a "kubo" which costs about 800-1,500 depending on the size. This year, there were no entrance fees but we had to rent out a beach hut costing 3,500 pesos! We were surprised (and quite disappointed) with this change, but we were already there and we didn't want to disappoint the girls. The reason for this new rate is that All Hands Beach is now a private beach and the new owners implemented these new rules.
With the new fees at All Hands, we decided to forego our visit on the second day. I'm not sure if we're going again next year. After this, I became more determined to look at the beaches in the south for our next beach outings.
OH, PICO!
A few weeks later, we found ourselves in yet another beach, this time in the South. I wanted to explore the beaches in the South and Pico de Loro was a very good choice. At first, I was hesitant when I found out the cost of staying there overnight. In the end, it was all worth it. The beach was very nice and the pools were simply beautiful. More importantly, Dana and Darla really enjoyed our trip. That, for me, is priceless.
When going to Pico De Loro, you have 2 choices of accomodations. You may stay in Pico Sands Hotel or rent out a unit in one of their condominum buildings. If you choose the first one, you no longer have to pay for registration fee of Php 1,000 per adult and Php 300 per child. This registration fee allows you the use of the beach and the pools and other amenities. Once fees are paid, they will make you wear a water-proof bracelet which will be your "ticket" to their amenities.
Since we chose to stay in a condo, we were endorsed by the owner/member but we still had to pay the registration fee. You can find a lot of Pico De loro condos for rent on sulit.com. We stayed on a 2-bedroom condo which costs 10k per day. But it was big enough for 7 adults and 3 kids. Studio units costs 6-7k. What we like about staying in the condo is having a kitchen and being able to save money for food.
What made this beach getaway even more special is that my bestfriend and Dana's godmother, Cathy came home from the US for a vacation, with her son Kobe. Actually, it was really her idea to go to Pico de Loro. She already visited the place and fell in love with it instantly so she wanted to go back. After seeing and experiencing Pico de Loro, I understood why she wanted to go back. An overnight stay in this quiet paradise is not enough. We will be back, definitely.
