I choose Rama International Beach Resort over the other resorts in Botolan because it has a cooking facility, swimming pool with kiddie pool and from their website it looked really nice. Poor judgement.. as the resort may have international on its name, it is far from being one. The resort is old..needs a lot of improvement. And the room we stayed (sea view apartment) was really old.. clean yes, but old. We can’t help but joke around about the resort’s policy of charging their guests. We were charged for extra head as the apartment we book is only for 6 persons (charge is 350 per head per day.. a 3 days 2 nights stay is for 3 days.. which I can’t understand why), there is a corkage fee of 50 per head per day (3 days again) and gas range (300 per day..3 days too). Kulang na lang pati paghinga at pag utot mo may charge hahaha.. If you ask for extra mattress, that’s another charge.. not included in the extra head you paid (err??).. Charge overload! The resort’s name should be changed to Rama Charge Beach Resort hahaha

The only consolation we had was the apartment we book is sea view.. and a few feet away is the shore.. we were able to cook our meal and don’t mind the kids.. as soon as we settled, they started playing in the sand in front of the apartment:

Sige na nga, that’s not our only consolation.. we arrived during lunch and much to our surprised, hubby found a lobster! What a treat! Lobster for our Anniversary lunch. He got it for 300 PhP.. the kind of lobster you can buy at Farmer’s Cubao for 1500 PhP or more..

Another good thing about the resort, the place is very peaceful.. quiet.. serene.. and their restaurant is beach front. Perfect place to have a morning breakfast. The resort have a lot of tables and benches fronting the beach. You can just seat in any of the bench and watch the day go by..

The sea in front of the resort is nice too.. clean and though wavy when we went there, it’s safe to swim and there’s a life guard nearby.

The swimming pool was smaller than I expected.. and looks dirty.. but actually very clean..and the kiddie pool.. small but perfect for the kids.

The room we stayed is fan room but the air is cold during night time, so it was not a problem.. and though the kitchen area is small, in front of the unit is a big table (though old looking, it is functional) where we had our meals.

On our last day, we tried a few snacks from the resort’s restaurant.. Aussie burger+ Pizza (freshly made):

Both are tasteful and priced just right.. extra charge if you want your food to be delivered in the pool area 🙂

There’s a small playground beside the pool.. where the kids stayed as we pack our things..

By 12 noon, we’re on our way home..

Our anniversary getaway is successful nonetheless.. and for the first time, I enjoyed the outing not because of the thought that my kids had fun.. but because I enjoyed it first hand.. the beach.. swimming with the waves.. making sand castles, being buried in the sand… swimming non stop on the pool.. and most of all not worrying much about the safety of the kids.. the trip was worth it despite my complains on the resort we stayed.

And of course, the kids had a blast! Non stop playing and swimming.. even the little girl braved the pool.. and now she’s asking for more!

If you ask me, if ever we go back in Zambales, we are going to stay maybe at West Coast Beach Resort, not in Rama again..

But La Union is our top, still.. hopefully this May, La Union will be cleared from oil spill.. I miss Banggar.. Bacnotan..Luna.. and yes the shore of San Juan and Normi2’s Resort which is far more accommodating (and cheaper!) than Rama’s.

It was our first time to go to Zambales..it’s a 4-5 hour drive from Metro Manila.. that’s  quite nearer compare to La Union which will take 6-7 hours. By public transport though, (through Victory Liner) Zambales is 6-7 hours away from Manila.. thank goodness for SCTEX, the travel is shortened.

Going to Zambale is easy, with many signage along the rounds, you won’t get lost. Just take NLEX then follow the signs to Subic via SCTEX. When you arrived at Subic, juts follow the signs to Zambales. What we did not expect was, the drive is a boring one. If you are heading to Zambales, better stop over at Shell and stock on Starbucks coffee or any coffee you want, some chips may help too. The SCTEX stretch is supeeeeer boring. The road comes to life once you reach Subic and after that, boring roads again. Not much to see on the road, except the mountains which are not even nice to look at (kalbong kalbo na mga teh).

If you need to stretch a little, I suggest you stop by at Subic, stretch, eat or shop.. do whatever you want because this is your last chance to stop.. after Subic, no more stop overs.. not even a nice gasoline station to stop. Travelling to Zambales made us miss La Union more.. the road is different.. even it is a 7 hour drive, there is so much to see along the road.. haays sana wala ng oil spill sa May 🙁