Pundaquit Beach

Pundaquit is a small fishing village located in San Antonio, Zambales, about an hour or so away from Subic. The small town has garnered more buzz in the recent years as the jump off point to Anawangin Cove, the famous camping site.

We stayed overnight in Pundaquit at Canoe Beach Resort. The accommodations are modest. The rooms have the essentials and nothing more. There's a bed, towel, private bath and the room we got is air-conditioned. There's no television and no hot shower or toiletries in the bathroom. As for the cleanliness, much can be improved.

The resort has a small pool, cottages near the beach for rent, a function room and a restaurant. The food is not bad and not that expensive, but if you don't like waiting, better order ahead of time.

That French Restaurant in El Nido

That French restaurant in El Nido is called La Salangane. Salangane is pronounced as sa-lang-gan.

This restaurant does not try hard to be a French restaurant. It just is. There is an authenticity to everything, from the menu, the decor, the staff and the food. The one page menu is French on one side and English and Chinese on the other. Soon, I realize that French is the primary language in this place.

Flavored rums sold by shots or by the bottle

When we arrived, the house is full. We ordered drinks and appetizers, while waiting for a table and deciding what to have for dinner. Looking around, the map hanging on the wall is in French. I browsed at the books and magazines and they're also in French.

The (Perfect) Alternative

The Alternative is a beachfront bar and restaurant located at El Nido town. The main attraction of this place is the unique seating available to customers called tubs.


The tubs are like round daybeds that have a low table in the middle. Around the table, the tub has a cushion and a couple of pillows, which makes it perfect for lounging after a day of touring the Bacuit bay.

There are two tubs facing the beachfront. Each can accommodate four. The two other tubs at the back are bigger and can accommodate up to six.

Being at The Alternative feels like being in a tree house. It helps that the restaurant is elevated, but also because everything is made of wood or natural materials and plants are everywhere.

El Nido Island Tour Day 2

Another morning in paradise…

For the second day of our tour, we already know thedrill. We wait for the boatmen to load things we'll need and made sure we rented a kayak for the day. The sky out in Bacuit Bay seems dark and cloudy, but we hope it won't rain on our El Nido parade.

Today’s tour is also known as “Tour B”. The sites we'll go to are farther away from the main island. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the Cathedral Cave, our first stop. We whiled away our time by asking each other what figures we can make out of the different islands and rock formations.

El Nido Island Tour Day 1

the El Nido sunrise

Our second day at El Nido marks the first day of our two island tours. The morning  was bright, sunny and filled with excitement. Countless boats lined the beach, swaying to the waves, ready to whisk away  passengers to paradise. On the shore, tourists kept busy doing what tourists do, as boatmen and guides get ready for another day at the office. I'd love to call this place my office.

Just like in Puerto Princesa, tours are already organized and you'll see similar choices in the different tour organizers. For today, we're going on what they call Tour A (they weren't very creative with the names), which includes Small Lagoon, Big Lagoon, Secret Lagoon, Simizu Island and 7 Commando. The tours usually start at 9am and ends between 4pm to 5pm. If you avail these tours, it would also include lunch. Rates range from Php700 to Php1200 per person.

Public tours are available for those traveling alone or small groups. It would be better to arrange private tours though so you can control the time spent on each place.