Philippines Travel Guide
Philippines Travel Guide seeks to share the vibe of an authentic experience through our idea of adventure travel for explorers and memory seekers in the Philippines.
Philippines Travel Guide seeks to share the vibe of an authentic experience through our idea of adventure travel for explorers and memory seekers in the Philippines.
For the last 6 days (Day 42-47), we looked for long-term accommodation in Manila in the province of Luzon (National Capital Region). We went from one city to another just to find an apartment or a small condo in one of the residential suburbs in the country’s capital city. The team planned to sort out all the travel blogs and videos we collected before moving on to the next destinations we listed in our travel itinerary.
For Days 48-50 of our Philippine adventure, we were invited by Gerry to his resort in Pangasinan, Ilocos Region. Gerry is a good friend of Mike, the founder of Paitan East Orphanage.
After a more or less 7-hour bus ride from Manila going northwest, we arrived at Bamboo Paraiso Beach Resort in Barangay Pandan, Alaminos City, Pangasinan. The resort is approximately 5 kilometers away from the town proper.
What makes Bamboo Paraiso Beach worth a visit? Here’s the real catch. Aside from its spectacular views and powdery dark brownish coast, it provides affordable but exceptional accommodation services to guests on a budget. Interesting, isn’t it?
Today (Day 48), we traveled back to Alaminos, Pangasinan by a provincial bus. From Victory Liner Bus station in Pasay City, Manila to Alaminos , the trip took around 7 hours. Amanda, the current manager of the Paitan East Children’s Home in Sual, came to fetch us at the bus station in Alaminos City .
From there, we took a jeepney – a multi-colored and extravagantly decorated public transport in the Philippines. She brought us straight to the Bamboo Paraiso , Gerry’s resort located in Bolo Beach, Barangay Pandan Alaminos, Pangasinan.
With small bungalows facing the Bolo Beach , it is perfect for guests who find beauty in simplicity.
We were offered by Gerry with free boarding and lodging at his resort. He is such a helpful man who is always in a good mood. As a token of appreciation, we created a content featuring his resort. We let Zak, our content creator, take care of it since he is the best man for the job.
At Bamboo Paraiso, we met Fe – the supervisor and (at the same time) the chef in the Catch Restaurant at the resort. She served us authentic local Filipino dishes which were really fantastic.
It is amazing to know that there are many types of accommodations in most tourist destinations in the Philippines. So, you won’t have a hard time finding backpacker hostels and hotels to stay while touring around these destinations.
Due to the increasing tourist visits in Pangasinan, the number of accommodation facilities shoots up. So, if you’re searching for a place to stay in the province, you might want to consider these options below.
Ready to level up your travel adventure to the Philippines? Choose backpacker hostels and make new friends. This type of accommodation goes beyond just affordability, but rather an opportunity to build travel memories with new-found friends.
Backpacker hostels let you build connections with other travelers, as you share the kitchen and gaming area with them. Also, you get to know their travel stories. So, learn from them.
But, if you want to stay in a cozy yet affordable space in Pangasinan, book at any budget hotel in the province. Although the rooms are typically small, they are comfortable and stylish.
For as low as PHP 900 or USD 18 per night, you can rest in a decent accommodation and have a good time with good company. Sounds good, right?
At this point, you already have a list of the things to do and places to visit in Pangasinan. Just like any other guests visiting the province, you want to peep through its rich culture too.
Top up your trip by staying in a luxurious hotel. Think about it! Why settle for a small and uncomfortable room when you can stretch out your budget a little more, and get a more private and spacious place to relax?
Luxurious hotels offer spa services, in-house gym, and pool. The cost of a luxurious hotel room that caters two adults starts at PHP 2,750 or USD 55 per night.
Aside from getting a bigger space for yourself, staying in an Airbnb is a great way of peeping through how the locals live. You’ll get to observe the minor but interestingly unique features of the place you're staying in.
You can check out different Airbnb listings over the internet, and decide which option best suits your needs. Depending on the size of the property, Airbnbs in Pangasinan start at PHP 550 or USD 11 per day. If you stay longer, some hosts offer additional discounts which means more savings.
This morning (Day 49), we had a great breakfast – with a lot of omelets. Zak went off and took some photos of Bamboo Paraiso Beach Resort and Blue Coconut Resort, located nearby. Then, we hopped on a resort-owned tricycle for a short motorbike expedition in the city. It was really adventurous and fun.
Touring around the Philippines by motorbike is a great way to explore the charm of this beautiful archipelago.
It was already lunch time when we got back to the resort. For lunch, we had Adobo, one of the most famous Filipino dishes. It is a stew made with different kinds of meat marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, chili peppers, and other spices. We really enjoyed the best foods in the Philippines.
In the afternoon (Day 49), we explored Lingayen Gulf, Pangasinan by kayak. Although I (Dani) got stuck in the mangroves, the adventure was extraordinary. I needed to get out of the kayak and manually free it. Stepping on swampy ground felt strange.
When I saw people at shore waving at me, I thought that they were just greeting me from a distance. But when I reached another sandbank inside the fish farm, I realized that those people tried to warn me not to go there.
After completely freeing my kayak from the mangroves, I returned to Bolo Beach in Alaminos, Pangasinan. The way back was a lot harder because I traveled a lot farther than expected. Worse, the wind and the current were against me – which made me completely exhausted.
When exploring places for the first time, it is recommended to have a guide with you. Follow the best travel safety tips in the Philippines when going on an adventure in the Philippines. Also, inform others where you intend to go before leaving.
Remember that the tropical weather in the Philippines tends to change very quickly. So, always take the wind, the current, and the weather in consideration when traveling.
While we were sitting on the balcony of our accommodation, a middle-aged lady came by selling Balut. Balut is a traditional Filipino food that can be found anywhere in the Philippines. Served with salt and vinegar, it is a cooked duck egg with an embryo inside. Along with Adobo and rice, it is the country’s trademark.
If planning a trip to Hundred Islands, check out the Google My Maps below to experience the activities and adventures, and get to know different routes and directions, accommodations to stay, attractions to visit, and restaurants to dine in. Visit the Hundred Islands travel Google My Map to learn more about our Philippines Travel routes and adventures.
For this day (Day 50), we returned to the Hundred Islands by a private banca that Gerry lent us. A banca is a small native double-outrigger canoe that is used in shallow coastal waters and rivers. To get a good video material for marketing, Gerry had gotten all his bancas and jet skis ready for a group tour.
Our first stop was at Shell Island, one of the beautifully scattered islets in Lingayen Gulf, Pangasinan. Its limestone rock formations are awesome. You’ll certainly enjoy collecting shells lying on the shore or glistening under the shallow azure waters.
From there, we went to Governors Island where we found a zipline leading to the opposite islet. Unfortunately, the zip line was closed at that hour, because it was already lunch time when we got there.
So, we just took our lunch that Gerry had prepared for us. As expected, the lunch from Gerry’s Kitchen was excellent.
Wanting to get some good shots with the GoPro, Zak and I (Dani) set off to the zip line on top of a small hill. Zak’s plan was to follow me holding a Filipino flag down the line, using a drone. But, it didn’t work because the zipline was just too fast.
Our goal was to get a steady shot, which means setting the drone to a stable mode and follow me all the way down the line. So, I tried it again and went up the hill while Zak waited for me at the bottom. When I got to the hill top, I couldn’t hear Zak anymore. I looked for the drone, but no luck because I couldn’t find it anywhere.
So after a while, I decided to go for it, hoping that Zak and the drone would capture it. Still, it wasn’t as successful as we planned because the drone ran out of power.
Always follow the general rules in flying a drone in the Philippines to avoid unnecessary incidents.
We returned to the banca, and rowed back to the Bamboo Paraiso Beach Resort. Traveling by boat or banca in the Philippines is the main water transportation of locals for short distances.
A few hours before dinner (Day 50), Zak stepped on a decorative piece of coral at the resort, which cut his big toe. We had been to more dangerous destinations before, where we could get hurt. But least did we expect that a small piece of coral could cause injury to Zak.
Fe, the lovely lady from the kitchen, took care of him in a traditional Filipino way. She got a few leaves from a tree, squeezed them, put them on his cut, and placed a bandage on it.
For dinner, we feasted on a Lechon, a young pig cooked in Filipino-style over charcoal. Amanda and her brother Rey had dinner with us. With Jonathan from Quebec also joining the party, it turned out to be a fun-filled evening.
Wondering about the things and adventures to try in Pangasinan? Located halfway between Manila and Ilocos in the northern province of Luzon, the province is an underrated destination in the country. Although it serves as a jump off point for passengers coming to Baguio or other regions up north, it appears to be out of most people’s vacation considerations.
Nevertheless, you’d never regret stopping over Pangasinan after a mountain adventure in the Cordilleras. Loosen up on the beachside. Or, go island hopping in the Hundred Islands if you are into adventure.
Manaoag is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in Ilocos Region. Christ the Savior, on the other hand, is located at the Pilgrimage Island at the Hundred Islands National Park, Alaminos. Take a look at the top things to do in Pangasinan.
In February 2015, it was designated as a minor basilica, the highest honor awarded to a church outside the Vatican. This means that those who visit the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag gain the same spiritual advantage as those who go to the Vatican church buildings.
Being the only Christian nation in Asia, the majority of Filipinos in the Philippines practice Catholicism. Find out more about the religion in the Philippines and its interesting history and background.
Get to know more about the most beautiful waterfalls and the top beaches in the Philippines.
Visiting the flatlands in Pangasinan from Manila is approximately a 4-hour ride by private or public transportation, depending on the traffic and weather conditions.
Don’t miss to try the most popular local desserts in the Philippines.
Check out the Google Maps below, to have an overview of the entire 51 days of Philippines travel adventure including exciting attractions and activities we did, destinations we explored, and travel directions in the Philippines.
Adventures and fun times are unlimited when you visit the Philippines. Our encounters with the country’s attractive scenery and people were unforgettable. Here is a complete overview of the Philippines Travel Diary experience for our 51 Days trip to the different destinations in the Philippines in 2017:
Zak and Dani created the Philippines Travel Guide while on 51 days Philippines travel adventure in 2017. Focused on the idea to explore travel routes and documenting location information by using the Google Maps application in the Philippines.
We created a detailed Philippines travel diary each day about our Philippines eco-adventure traveling experiences, including the production of pictures and videos of our trip through the Philippine archipelago.
Philippines Travel Guide is passionate about helping other self-minded adventure travel lovers, to make the best out of the trip to the Philippines by providing real information that passionate travelers and enthusiasts need to know about the archipelago.
Philippines Travel Guide is an ongoing process to work out public shared and detailed Google MyMaps of the entire Philippines to provide easy navigation for travelers.
This website also contains a collection of interesting authentic insights and travel tips and tricks and destinations in the Philippines.
To say that our visit in Alaminos, Pangasinan’s Bamboo Paraiso Beach Resort was memorable is an understatement.
Our 2-day (Day 48-50) stay at Bamboo Paraiso Beach Resort in Alaminos, Pangasinan let us experience local and authentic foods in the Philippines, like balut, adobo, and lechon. Exploring Shell Island and Governors Island in the Lingayen Gulf, Pangasinan by kayak was exhausting, but action-packed.
We ended our Alaminos, Pangasinan adventure, and headed back to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, by a provincial bus.
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Philippines Travel Guide seeks to share the vibe of an authentic experience through our idea of adventure travel for explorers and memory seekers in the Philippines.
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