Zambawood, Crystal Beach, San Narciso, Zambales

Where: Zambawood, Crystal Beach, San Narciso, Zambales
Who: Mr, Mrs & Little Miss Wanderlust, Papi, Mamita, Mama Ting, Aaron, Janey, Baby Alonzo, Alexi
When: May 2014
What: Quick Weekend Beach Trippin'

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How to get there:

From Manila if you have private transportation, it is around 3 hour drive. Drive to NLEX - SCTEX then exit to Subic. Follow directions or ask around Going to Zambales which you should pass by Subic Town then to town of Castillejos, and finally Town of San Marelino, then next is the town of San Nariso just follow the road signs going to Crystal Beach.

For those planning public transportation look for bus bound to Iba / Sta.Cruz, Zambales. Victory Liner is a bus company I know that has regular trips to the said location in their different terminals.

Where to stay:

There are a lot of resorts to choose from ranging from (1,000php - 5,000php) a night depending on the facilities etc. But for this particular trip, Mrs Wanderlust was able to research a hidden gem in the heart of Crystal Beach, Zambales which as discussed above was just a short 3 hour trip from Manila. The beach house was supposed to be fully booked for the weekend but luckily the group backed out and we got the slot. 

Mr & Mrs Wanderlust's Reviews

Zambawood Beach House

Everybody got excited and decided to go before the sun rises (6:00 am?) so arrived kinda early at the resort, around 10:00am where we got welcomed by the staff of the beach house. But since check-in time is 1:00pm we were given a place to stay which was a nice and cool spacious nippa hut. Thanks to kuya Ken and the rest of the staff for being so accommodating. The only thing was when noon struck, sun was kinda hot. So just a little suggestion would be an a big fan there or better yet, an air conditioned space for newly arrived guests. Especially if the previous guests are being inconsiderate and taking their precious time before checking out. :/

Seeing the beach house and its nice infinity pool with classy wood flooring overlooking the pine trees and beach, relaxation mode suddenly took over.

Another nice thing about the place is the great service of all the staff, they will cook for you, and serve you while you relax at the luxurious beach house.

The beach house feels cozy and you'll feel just like at home, it has nice big couch facing the infinity pool. really nice touch.

The beach is around a 6 minute walk of mini pine tree forest, and cross 2 streams before reaching the sand and salty water. Great for morning workout before dipping in the beach.

There is a great spot where the sea meets with the stream, a really nice spot to chill and watch nature work.

Has ATV that can be used to go to the beach, just make sure you don't stay off the trail or you'll get stuck in sand and you'll have to push.

I was hoping for nice waves and surf at Crystal beach because of what I read about San Narciso, Zambales being a surf spot in Zambales. Sadly though, waves were not good for surf that day,

Finally we would like to compliment all the delicious food that was served to us by the staff, from the veggies, liempo, chicken bbq, tocino, longganisa you name it, everything was delicious.

Again, Thanks for the warm welcome and a great weekend Zambawood! We'll know you'll get to read this sometime.

***Rating:

Price:  $$$$ (32,000php for 10 pax with full board meals)
Service: 5 star
Facilities & Amenities: 4 star (reason why 4? Well everything is perfect, its just the location is a little far from beach)
Restaurant (foods): 5 star 
Bar: n/a
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Overall: 4.8/5

*PS: This is a beach house so if you need beer / alcohol you can let the staff buy for you but if you need something that can't easily be bought at a local sari sari store, we suggest you buy and bring everything you need before going.


What to do:

> Chill & swim by the pool
> Eat, drink & be merry
> Play billiards (they have pool table in game room)
> Relax
> ATV
> Go to the beach
> Swim at the stream
> Surf (If waves are good which is usually on June to Oct maybe? Check local websites)

Bonus: Sights & Sounds of Crystal Beach, Zambales