Crystal Beach Resort was an Instagrammer’s heaven. There were so many thoughtful and artsy places that demanded to be photographed. From the reception area, take a few steps forward and you’ll easily spot signages that remind you to throw your trash properly and segregate it. This one was more for the kids to be able to understand easily too since they created mascots for the biodegradable and non-biodegradable. Awesome effort!
Go a little further and you’ll come across a beautiful walkway that had a bamboo top that started from the reception up till the campsite fronting the beach. It was an eyecatcher and if you got the right angles, it’s good enough to make it to your Instagram feed.
Walk more and to your right, you’ll see a wooden wall with scribbles and doodles on it, mostly aimed at the single people (it was the Valentine’s Day weekend) and it had a dainty white retro bicycle standing on one end. This photo wall definitely would garner a lot of photos around especially to those who weren’t in a relationship.
One thing I would encourage you when you’re in Zambales is to bring slippers with you unless you want to burn your feet walking from the beach to the nearest shaded spot. I forgot how wide the beachfront was and from Domingo’s restaurant up to the shore, there weren’t much trees nor infrastructure to shade the sand from the fiery sun.
I was used to having a lot of trees shade the sand around in Dahican or I could just run up to the shore where the sand was constantly wet from the waves. Here in Zambales, you’d have either have tough heels or wear slippers to avoid being burnt. Although I realized this on our second day already and my burnt feet did not dampen my whole experience at all.
To your right, after the wooden wall, you could see a line of mature pine trees that lead to the glamping grounds and the campsite. This is the most photographed part of the resort as I’ve observed. On a packed day, it can be challenging to get a shot without photobombers so you have to choose the time you’ll be taking pictures.
Although the place doesn’t get really packed and suffocating, there are a few people bound to walk behind you, completely unaware you’re having a photoshoot. That’s okay, a few minutes they’ll disappear from the frame and you can have the pine trees all to yourself.
Now, let’s talk about the food. You’ve got a choice between bringing your own food and cooking them at the resort’s grilling areas or you could order at Domingo’s Restaurant. It takes quite a while to get your orders if it’s the peak hours but the food was delicious. The price is around the normal Manila range, an average of PHP 200 per dish but the serving sizes were big enough for two if you order outside the sulit meals.
During the evening, acoustic nights are held on the sand just in front of the resort, you could just grab a table and sit on the sand, order beer and listen to the music. The view is again picture perfect, even at night. There are lights suspended in the air and it truly gives you that “I’m on a beach vaca” vibe.
My favorite parts were the Jungle Hostel because of the juvenile pine trees that were growing around the surf shacks and this was the part not so many people visit. You can have one side of the shoreline to yourself while you take some time to sunbathe on the recliners nearby.
If there aren’t any waves around then this is the spot you’d find me. With a book and just the sound of the ocean, you’re all set to soak the sun and the sound of the sea for hours on end. If only there was a way you could easily order drinks, you wouldn’t have to leave but I guess not being able to order drinks would make this spot available for other beachgoers.
Zambales has the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever seen. The first night I arrived, I was watching from the ocean, the biggest sunset I’ve ever seen in a decade! Too bad I didn’t have my phone with me but the memory of it was clear. A huge orange-red sun hung in the distance as it was slowly going down into the sea. Everybody had their phones out taking photos. There were a few just admiring the sunset on the shore.
It was beautiful, relaxing and very peaceful even if there were people around. The crowd was very chill too, adding to the effect that this wasn’t a party person’s paradise which I loved. Next week, I’ll share about the Earth Festival and the best foodie spots in Liwa! Check out www.millennialmermaid.com for more details on this trip. See you!
