September 9, 2017

Birthday Staycation at Puerto del Sol Bolinao Pangasinan

We have always wanted to go to Bolinao, but the 5 hours drive from Manila and often unpredictable weather have been huge deterrents preventing us from visiting sooner ~

We were glad that we finally had an opportunity to finally visit Bolinao and experience first hand Puerto del Sol ~ for my youngest birthday weekend.





We left Manila at 5:30am and arrived in Bolinao at 1pm.

The road to Bolinao is a combination of both paved and rough road. The travel left us both hungry and tired. I checked the trusted TripAdvisor for recommended places to eat and became excited when I saw a signage directing to Sungayan Restaurant.

Sungayan is one of the best recommended places to eat in Bolinao.
(Will write about our Sungayan experience in a separate review), so yes, we stopped by to  re-charge  before our final stop ~ Puerto del Sol.


Finally arrived ~ Welcome to Puerto del Sol!


The staff were nice and accommodating.  Check-in was fast and efficient too.  The receptionist carefully explained our package inclusions, before ushering us to our accommodation for the weekend ~ the Mansion Villa.


Our birthday boy.
Waiting for our room...



The Mansion Villa is a short walk from the resort's entrance lobby and located right in front of the resort's swimming pool. 

I was completely taken with the resort's well kept garden...  


All that green is truly relaxing!














We were billed in a Mansion Villa (see picture below).  


Our room is about 29-30sqm in size with a private patio and seating area. The room is quite small and basic. 

The TV channel selections were limited (with some of the channels were not children friendly) and wifi really bad (there are limited areas in the resort that will give you reasonable wifi signal.  

The bathroom (the toiletries were mediocre).  It was good that the linens and towels were soft, nicely laundered. 



But these hang ups were no biggie, since we were there for the beach and the pool (with the beautifully trimmed garden, a plus)!


Comfortable bed.


Pikachu getting cozy!  


Sad that there is no real coffee maker/kettle inside  the room.  We were just given a thermos of hot water (note: you can request for additional hot water anytime).  There is also a mini-bar though, items inside were quite pricey (a bottle of beer at P100+).


Our private patio... 



If you are not in the mood to go swimming,  the resort has a gaming area that checked-in guests can use for free. They have pool, air hockey, ping-pong and darts.



Just a few meters walk from the Mansion Villa ~ Beach Bound!


The water does not go higher than your knees though  ~ not very good for swimming, but perfect for beach walks!



And since, this birthday boy has been begging to go swimming since the time we left Manila about 8 hours ago, we just had to go NOW!




Obviously enjoying his swim..



Our room package included buffet dinner and breakfast.

Food is served  at CafĂ© Del Sol and
La Playa, Al Fresco restaurant by the beach.

Food were good, but with limited selection.  I think the resort can better.




VERDICT:
The beach and pool are enough reasons to visit Puerto Del Sol.  

We enjoyed our stay. 
The kids had fun and the parents got to relax.


For questions and inquiries, please check Puerto Del Sol website:  www.puertodelsol.com.ph



5 comments:

  1. I've only been to Puerto del Sol once but I love it there. Low tide is in the morning till about 3 in the afternoon so it is really safe to swim in the beach. You just need to wear aqua shoes though because of sharp rocks. The long drive was kinda hellish, too but it was worth it.

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  2. I got a chance to stay at Puerto del Sol around 2 years ago for a company outing. We liked our accommodation because it was modern looking and was right in front of the nicest pool. I also really liked their gardens. Their WiFI signal then was already almost non-existent.

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  3. I can relate with the long drive, ang layo talaga niya. We had a day trip in Bolinao and we also ate at Sungayan Restaurant. Belated Happy Birthday!

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  4. My father is from Pangasinan and we would definitely try this when we get back. The place looks nice and relaxing. Perfect for families.

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  5. Haven't been to the place but seems a nice one to give a visit. Also love it to have my own patio to enjoy morning or evening view. Wouldn't hurt as well if the place has recreational facilities. How I wish lang that they improve on their food

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Would love to know your thoughts!