Subic Bay Weekend Get Away

It's been quite a while since my last entry. Since the Philippines is a tropical country, I think it is still worth-sharing what I have been up to and the places I have been to last summer season.

Subic is probably one of the most ideal places to go to for a weekend getaway. When I was searching for a sample Subic Bay itinerary, I got a bit confused that one part of Subic is in Zambales and the other one is the business district, Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBMA). For this weekend vacay, we visited the SBMA area.


Transportation

Going to Subic is not as difficult to reach via public transport.  All you have to do is book a trip with Victory Liner (fare is around Php 280 one way). They have several trips from as early as 5:30am onwards. You do not have to make an advance booking which was what I had in mind. You can check Victory Liner's website for the trip schedules. However, another option would be the Saulog Bus Transit but, I am not really sure where the bus terminal is because we rode on this Saulog Bus (Subic bound) by accident. We were actually in Magallanes waiting for a cab that will take us to Victory Liner in Cubao. It would be more comfortable that way since Victory Liner Bus passes through SCTEX which will save us travel time. However, while waiting for the cab along Magallanes, a Saulog Bus stopped by, and the dispatcher was calling for Northbound passengers. I saw the signboard that says "Olongapo." Then, I asked the driver if it is headed to SBMA. He nodded and said that Saulog terminal is near SM Olongapo which is about 2-minute walk from SBMA Gate. However, one downside of riding this bus is that Saulog had several bus stops and passes through the traditional Pampanga route which took a bit longer. Good thing though that it was a Sunday and traffic was really not a problem.

When we arrived in Olongapo, we were dropped off at SM Olongapo; and we saw color-coded jeepneys. The streets are filled with Pinays partnered with foreigners, which is understandable because Subic is a dock area for US marine vessels. We left our backpacks at SM Luggage Counter and explored the mall and tried to ask around as to where we is the Entrance Gate going to SBMA. It was actually near China Bank, just walk a little farther, and you will be able to see SBMA Entrance Gate. It was literally a 2-minute walk. However, due to the summer heat, I was actually thinking that we can take the taxi going to our hotel inside SBMA despite the many comments that SBMA taxis charge passengers a little over the top. Oh yes, there were cabs in SM Olongapo that will take you to your route inside SBMA. From SM to our hotel (Poco A Poco Hotel), the driver charged Php 80. They do not have a metered taxi but fixed rate based on destination.


Poco A Poco Hotel  in Subic Bay

Poco A Poco Hotel was just near the Bay area. It will take about five minutes for you to get to the beach area. It was very near the public beach where a lot of people hang out. In fact, it reminded me of Baywalk in Manila, but Subic's version was more like a place to chill with far way cleaner surroundings and beach area.  The humid weather makes you want to take a dip in the sea, but unfortunately, we don't have swimming clothes. There were hotels along the beachfront area, restaurants, bar and shopping spots. One sad thing though is that the marina area seemed like a prostitution site full of US Navy men hanging out in bars and restaurants with Pinays.

Anyway, our hotel was just near the restaurants so, we walked along the shore trying to explore the restaurants, but there were only the usual ones like Gerry's Grill, Pier One and Giligan's Island. But, it was definitely a scenic location for photo ops.

If I were to rate Poco A Poco Hotel, I would give it a 4 out of 5. It's probably one of the most reasonable hotels in the area but just be careful in the published fees because it may appear as discounted rate, but we were actually charged for a 500-peso processing fee. 



But, the room was spacious, it was very neat, they had cable tv, bathroom was clean and the attendants were also nice.

clean and very cozy parts of the room

Ocean Adventure in Subic

The highlight of our tour in Subic is the Ocean Adventure trip. It is a wildlife park that showcases four parts of a show. We caught the 1:30pm show and paid around Php 600 each person. Going to Ocean Adventure is quite far a distance. We took the cab from our hotel and paid around Php 400. Luckily, the taxi driver was friendly and gave us some little chit chat like a tourist guide. As we travel the highway, we saw some monkeys on the sidewalk and stopped a bit to take a photo of the fruit bats quietly hanging on the trees. Ocean Adventure was like 1 hour away from Poco a Poco hotel. Soon as we arrived, we got our tickets and proceeded to the cafeteria. Food was quite pricey ranging from Php 200 to 300 per meal. It was generally of average quality so, we just opted to order burger and fruit shake which cost around Php 220.  And then, at exactly 1:30pm we rushed to the first show which was the Sea Lion show. After that, we proceeded to the Divers show and then, transferred to another part of the park which showcased wildlife animals -- monkeys, snake, Philippine eagle and even the dog popularly known as "askal." The last show that we watched was the Dolphin show. All of which were very entertaining, educational and the animals were so much fun to watch. It was also an eye-opener for those who lack concern for animals and the environment as well. I think it is one good way for students to learn interactively and entertainingly.

Here are some of the photos we took:

fruit bats

monkeys we saw along the way

dolphins in the air

more of them

divers

sea lion show with a man who volunteered to imitate the sea lion but ended up sliding down the pool

Overall, Subic is another good way to unwind and relax although it would be better to stay in beachfront accommodation. Nevertheless, I had fun exploring and learning more about Subic. You oughta go there, too!