Aqua Felmida Resort: The White House Zambales Cottage Village Annex ( Cabangan, Zambales)

One of the advantages of the Philippines being an archipelago is that people from Metro Manila can enjoy the long stretch of beaches along the West Philippine Sea within just a few hours drive.  With the vast beach area comes numerous resort options.  Aqua Fel Mida in Cabangan Zambales is one of the latest resorts to be developed.  It is owned and managed by the same people behind the popular The White House Zambales which was developed a bit earlier - August 2018 located just beside it.  Hence, we consider it as one of the several annexes of The White House Zambales.

Aqual Fel Mida

Earlier this year, one of our office mates was retiring so we wanted to have an office outing before his retirement date which was his birthday.  Now, we feel fortunate to have had such a decision since the COVID pandemic soon hit the Philippines.  Although this resort is open and offering discounted rates, we still feel that traveling before was more convenient as there are no check points and requirements.

AQUA

The other The White House Zambales annexes are AQUA and...

RGV

RGV.  During our summer weekend visit, all annexes were occupied.  All of them are maintained by the same set of staffs who we believe are just nearby locals.


But, each resort annex offers its own unique ambiance. 

Aqua Felmida Resort looks like a mini native hut village.  

Day Tour Beachfront Cottages (DOLPHIN)

DOLPHIN

There are different types of cottage huts.  Some comes with a mini pool which didn't look appealing so we did not avail.

Modern Cottage B (MILK FISH)

MILKFISH Dining Area

All huts have a dining area, a rest room and

MILKFISH Twin Bed Room

 

and an air-conditioned bed room.  There are electrical sockets for charging in all areas.

Aqua Felmida Resort Beach Front

As with other beaches within the Zambales shoreline, the sand is a bit grayish.  The water is not clear blue but it is clean enough for swimming.

 

As a bonding activity, we avail of the videoke (1,000 php) and bonfire (500 php).   We enjoyed cooking our smores by the bonfire.  It was a first time for us so it was an awesome experience.

Overall, the service was good.  We also availed of its cooking serving.  The staffs prepared a boodle feast for us for lunch and then grilled variety for dinner. 

 

Aqua Felmida Resort
Hotel Address	Brgy. Felmida-Diaz, Cabangan, Zambales
Contact	(63923) 0819898 | (63906) 0917387 | (63923) 0862898	Reservation Required	Yes
Payment Options	Cash	Public Transport	Bus, Tricycle
Room Types	Room Amenities		Price
Modern Cottage A - (YELLOW FIN)	•1 Queen-size bed •Fully air-conditioned room •Comfort Room and Kitchen  •Free water, use of rice cooker and kettle		2,500 php (2 Pax) 2,900 php (3 pax)
Modern Cottage B -(MILK FISH)	•2 Twin size bed •Fully air-conditioned room •Comfort Room and Kitchen  •Free water, use of rice cooker and kettle (Additional Charge for the use of Gas Stove 150 - Grillings 100 charcoal not included,)		2,500 php (2 Pax) 2,900 php (3 pax)
Modern Cottage C -  (STARFISH & JELLY FISH)	•2 Queen-size beds •Fully air-conditioned room •Comfort Room and Kitchen  •Free water, use of rice cooker and kettle (Additional Charge for the use of Gas Stove 150 - Grillings 100 charcoal not included,)		2,500 php (2 Pax) 2,900 php (3 pax)
Non Aircon Cottages	•Use of Electric Fan •Comfort Room and Kitchen		6,000 php (2 Pax) 2,900 php (3 pax)
Day Tour (6AM-6PM) Beachfront Cottages (BLUE MARLIN & DOLPHIN)	•Comfort Room and Kitchen		2,500 php (10 Pax) 250 php (per pax excess up to 15 persons)
General Amenities	•Gas Stove (150/350 php) •Grilling Charcoal (100 php) •Kayak (200 php/hour) •Bonfire (500 php) •Boat ride (750 php/hour) •Karaoke up to 10pm only (1,000 for whole stay) •Cooking service 450 php (3 meals good for 3-4 pax) and 100 php (per additional dish)	Parking	Yes
Travel Tripsters Hotel Review Rating		Aqua Felmida Resort Map
Location	★★★★
Room Comfort	★★★
Cleanliness	★★★★
Service	★★★★
Price	★★★

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Seorabeol Grand Leisure Hotel: Value for Money Accomodation in Subic Zambales

Because work continuous even for the summer, many of us from Metro Manila try to squeeze in a quick summer escapade to nearby beach areas.  If you have Subic Zambales in mind then Seorabeol Grand Leisure Hotel might just be the accommodation you are looking for.

Located at Waterfront Road in Subic Bay, going to the beach is as easy as crossing the street.  It is also near most restaurants and bars.

Seorabeol Grand Leisure Hotel has a beautiful and well-air-conditioned lobby.  You can enjoy lounging in this area where the free WiFi is strongest.

The hotel is bigger than it looks from the facade.  There are rooms near the lobby and extended to the pool area totaling 53 rooms in total.

While, most rooms like ours will require passing by the outdoor pool.  Not a problem for us though as the WiFi reaches even this area and even our rooms.  The staffs are very courteous and more than willing to accommodate your requests.

Family Room (With Breakfast)

Our room is very clean and spacious at 65 sqm with 3 Queen-Sized Bed.  The price is more than reasonable at below 1 thousand pesos (20 USD) per person even with an additional charge for extra bedding.  There's a cable TV and fridge.

The room has more than adequate outlets for recharging.  There's a safety deposit box inside the cabinet.

There's even an cozy loft area.  Although I personally prefer the lobby area which is more classy.
There's a window for a natural light source but no view.

Toiletries and a bottled water is free for each guest.

There's a a shower with heater and bath tub but no bubble bath soap so bring your own.  Toilet has no bidet.

The hallways to our rooms offers a good pool view.  However, because of the intense heat, you cannot stand staying there during day time. 

Pool Area

The pool area is surrounded by the hotel building with some greeneries that works as a semi-shield against the direct rays of the sun.  The pool is very cool and clean.

The pool is open from 8 am to 10 pm which life guard being visibly present.

Swimming attire is encouraged but not to worry if you don't have one because they have some for sale.

Breakfast Buffet

I'm told that if they have many guests, the complimentary breakfast comes in the form of breakfast buffet served at Nicco's Restaurant.

Breakfast is served as early as 6:30 am up to 10 am.

Since Seorabeol Grand Leisure Hotel is the sister company of Subic Pearl Hotel and Terrace Hotel, the breakfast selection for all three are basically the same. 

So here's my breakfast plate.  Food is so-so they have tocino, hash brow, corned beef, scrambled eggs, fruits and refillable coffee.

Overall, we Travel Tripsters would recommend Seorabeol Grand Leisure Hotel for your value for money kind of accommodation when you want to stay in Subic Zambales.
 

Seorabeol Grand Leisure Hotel
Hotel Address	Lot MC-9 Waterfront Road, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Subic, Zambales, Philippines
Contact	(6347) 252-2765	Reservation Required	Yes
Payment Options	Cash	Public Transport	No
Room Types	Room Amenities		Price
Family Room with Breakfast	• Good For 6 Persons • 3 Queen-size bed • Hot/cold water / bathtub / shower • 24 hrs. cable TV / In-house movie channels • Air-conditioned • Safety deposit box • Free Wifi • Mini ref. • With free buffet breakfast		Around 6,000 php
General Amenities	•Pool	Parking	Yes (Very Limited)
Travel Tripsters Hotel Review Rating		Seorabeol Grand Leisure Hotel Map
Location	★★★★
Room Comfort	★★★★
Cleanliness	★★★★
Service	★★★★
Price	★★★★

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Mount Pinatubo Crater Lake: Pristine Lake View (Part 2)

After the 4x4 ride, we were all excited to begin our trek to Mount Pinatubo Crater Lake. 

There were so many rocks and stones in various colors and shapes.  I found it relieving that I came prepared with my trekking sandals.

Our Tour Guide

But even if you don't have trekking sandals, not to worry because the guides will assist you in every step of the way.  They will hold your hand as you cross the river and point out where to step through the rocky trails.  

Some of the streams are trickled with minerals:sulfur. 

Trekkers giving them candy.  I wonder if they know how to brush their teeth.

Since the pre-Spanish era until the eruption of Mount Pinatubo on June 1991, Mount Pinatubo and its nearby areas are inhabited by the Aetas.   It's quite sad that their population now is only in thousands.  They are protected under the Indigenous People Republic Act (IPRA) of 1997.

Happy to see an old Aeta woman.  Did you know that the average life span of an Aeta is 27 years old?

With the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the soil became acidic making it difficult for them to farm naturally and organically as they used to.   In 1996, the Aetas received a legal recognition of their ancestral domain for Mount Pinatubo. In November 2009, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) issued a certificate of ancestral domain title (CADT) covering Mount Pinatubo.

Aeta kids playing

Tourism in Mount Pinatubo began in 1999 as an alternative source of income for the residents of Capas Tarlac (80% of which are Aetas) and it has won several awards for tourism projects: PATA Gold International Award 2001, Kalakbay National Award 2001 and ASEANTA International Award 2002.

You can see stone balancing arts which are made by the Aeta kids along the trail.

My favorite parts of the trek are the streams. 

While many would recommend trekking early to avoid the sun.  I think trekking under the sun rays has its benefits such as being able to appreciate the bright and vivid colors of nature.

The sun makes the water glisten...  

and the leaves so green.

The clouds are also bluer.

So if its me, I'd rather be exposed to the sun than not to see this kind of beauty.  Besides, our Dermplus Moisturizing Sunblock Extreme X80 With SPF 80 and Dermplus Moisturizing Sunblock Ultimate U130 With SPF 13 protected us well from the uv rays of the sun.  My yellowish Chinese skin didn't even turn red.

This sign by the rest huts brought us great relief!  Knowing how near we were to the Mount Pinatubo Crater Lake motivated us to go on further.  We also tried to beat the senior citizen pace but failed.  There are rest rooms here and my companions also bought some ice candy (20 php) and Gatorade (100 php).

These rocky steps are beautiful but they really challenged my knees.

We've gone all the way up and this is it...  There's a park and portalets making this area the picnic and resting nest for the trekkers. 

Hundred steps down and then up

Just a few more steps down to reach the Mount Pinatubo Crater Lake.  Coming on a Saturday, they were already hundreds ahead of us.

When we got done, our Tripinas gave us an quick history of Mount Pinatubo.  We were also advised to stay until after noon time because it usually drizzles around 1 pm.  A lot of people set up a picnic by the lake and eat their packed lunch there. 

It took us around 2 hours to reach here and it's totally worth it!

If you're lucky, the crater water (accumulated rainwater) changes color because of the algae. 

Mount Pinatubo Crater Lake

After this, it's another 45 trek down where you came from. ;)

Overall, we Travel Tripsters had so much fun reaching Mount Pinatubo Crater Lake!  Definitely worth every step.  So have fun and stay sunscreen protected!

Mount Pinatubo Crate Lake
Address	Brgy. Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac, Philippines
Budget Per Person (c/o Trip Pinas)	1,790 php	Mount Pinatubo Crate Lake Map
Payment Options	Cash
Operating Hours	Monday to Sunday: (even holidays) 4 am-7am
Reservation Required	Yes
Contact

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