Place: Sunset Cove Beach Resort in Morong, Bataan

We went to Sunset Cove Beach Resort in Morong, Bataan last yeat but I only remembered to write a review now.

Planning a family outing during summer is frustrating, especially when they ask me to do it just a few weeks in advance. During this season, it is more difficult to find a good beach or pool resort that's not too expensive and still available. By good, I mean somewhere decent, clean, has a nice view and/or facilities. It's important that they have a family room that can fit more than 10 people and that they allow guests to bring food and cook inside the resort premises. It's also a factor if the resort is not too "public" because nothing ruins a summer outing than a crowded beach or pool where you can't swim in without bumping into someone.

So when my family gave me this task, I chose to go north. Our initial plan was Subic and I've already inquired and researched about the places where we can stay and where we can swim. The good resorts in Subic are way beyond our budget for 12 people so I thought we'll go to a public beach by day and crash in a cheap hotel by night.

Then I found about Sunset Cove Beach Resort in Morong, Bataan, which is somewhat close to SMBA and thought that this was the better option because they have both a beach and accommodations. Immediately, I asked if they have a family room available on April 13-14, our target date and they said they do. So everything was set in motion. They sent me a quotation and asked to make 50% deposit to their bank account to reserve the room.

 

While I find the family room rate to be delightfully cheap, I wasn't too happy about the additional charges, especially the additional fee for the Bahay Kubo lounge/dining area. We're getting a room already, do we really need to get a separate cottage for dining? Can't we just eat inside the room? But the total amount was still cheaper than my initial estimation for our Subic trip and very much within the budget so I just let it go.


The Resort

We made a side trip to San Fernando, Pampanga because my uncle's parents live there, and we paid them a short visit and he knows this wonderful market place where we bought our food supplies. Then we entered SMBA and exited at the Morong gate. From there, we just followed the directions given to us by Sunset Cove, or did we get that from Google? Sorry, I can't remember anymore, but the place is not that difficult to find.

It was past 10 a.m. when we arrived at the resort and we were immediately greeted by the owner, Ma'am Cecil (Jimenez). Because it was still early for our 2:00 p.m. check-in time and our room was not yet available, Ma'am Cecil chatted with us and kept us entertained by her stories of how they started the resort and what they do during the lean season. Apparently, the place can get flooded during the rainy months. It was a good chat and she was very accommodating.

By 11:30, we were told that our room is ready and we can unload our things and start cooking. The use of the kitchen and all utensils were already included in our quotation so we asked someone who looked like the manager of the resort, because he's the go-to person for everything, for the things that we need for cooking.  I forgot to ask for his name so let's just call him Kuya.

Our Family Room

Before we went to Sunset Cove, I inquired first if we still need to bring kitchen and table utensils. I was told that they will provide all these, so we didn't bring any. And they did provide these. But Kuya, the one who manages everything in the resort including these utensils, was a very busy person and it's sometimes difficult to find him. We tried to ask the other staff, but they seemed clueless and they just told us to find Kuya, because he's the only one who knows about it.

Asking for something that we needed in the kitchen became a bit frustrating and we usually ended up improvising, which was okay, but the hassle of repeatedly trying to find Kuya when we need something, and not finding him was draining. We wished we just brought our own utensils, and we would have had I known that getting what we need would not be that easy.

After cooking our food, we asked if our bahay-kubo cottage, where we were supposed to eat, was already available. But it's not and they told us to just use any vacant table cottage that we can find. Good thing there were a couple of unoccupied tables near the cooking area.

I'd also like to point out that the "new wing kitchen" in the quotation. which we paid P1,000 for, is just your typical public grilling area with a gas stove. We only consumed a small amount of the LPG and grilling areas are normally provided for free in other resorts, so surely, it's not worth P1,000. We felt like the kitchen did not really justify the fee. But let's move on... to more problems.

Remember that this was summer and the resort accepts day tour and overnight guests. By noon, people were starting to pour in. I almost pity those who came at around 2:00 p.m. because they couldn't find any empty cottage, table or kubo or what-have-you type, anymore and they were just standing there, looking tired and helpless. I think there was a company team-building event or a birthday celebration - or worse both - that day and the place was jam-packed. I was just thankful that we arrived much earlier.

And then there's the problem with our cottage. By 2:00 p.m., we asked again if we can use the cottage already because 2:00 p.m. is the official check-in time and I assumed that it will be available by then. But no, it's not yet available and it was only then I realized that they were renting out all the cottages to day tour guests. And that's just wrong because we paid for our cottage.

Granting that there was only a 3-4 hours overlap in the check-out of day tour guest and check-in of overnight guests, but the fact remains that we paid for that cottage and we are entitled to use it during the hours specified in the contract. Otherwise, they shouldn't have included that in the quotation and it should be just an option for overnight guests.

Our Bahay-Kubo Cottage



It is spacious enough for 15 people

By late afternoon, the day tourist had left and the place was quieter and less crowded and we finally got our cottage. We started to prepare for dinner and transfer some of our things and our food from the room to the cottage. After dinner, when no one was longer interested swimming at night and everybody just wanted to rest and sleep, we again carried our things and leftover food from the cottage back to the room. And in the morning, we did the same thing.

You see, having a separate cottage, a few meters away from our room, was really unnecessary. It would be perfectly okay for us to eat and lounge inside our room. We could skip the cottage all together and there wouldn't be the need to haul things back and forth. But since we paid for it already, not using it would mean wasting our money.

And then there's the water problem. Because they had so many guests during the day, their water reservoir was already empty by evening. We needed to wait until their motor had pumped enough water back into the tank. We were lucky our room was on the ground floor. Those who were on the second floor needed to wait longer to have water flowing in their faucets and showers. Some faucets in the resort have water, albeit close to a trickle, so we were able to wash our dirty dishes.




The Family Room

Our troubles didn't end with the resort's facilities. We had more in our room.

I totally agree that room that can comfortably fit 12 people at P6,000/night is a great find. Inside the room, we had 6 double beds, a small air conditioning unit, 2 wall fans and 1 stand fan. There was no closet for our clothes, no refrigerator and there's only 1 bathroom for all 12 of us to use. It wasn't swanky but it was alright.

 

Excuse our clutter. That's what you get when you have 12 people in a single room.

However, when we asked for the key to the door knob, they couldn't find it. We asked several times to no avail. At some point we were told that the previous occupant, who is a friend of the owner, brought the key with him by accident and they were trying to get it back. In the end, they told us that they'll just replace the door knob. But that didn't happen.

Also, for some reasons, people keept going into our room thinking it was the resort's public comfort room, probably because of the lack of clear signage and our room is close to the real comfort rooms. Because of this, we couldn't all go out at the same time and at least one had to stay inside to guard our things. It was a bummer.

Another problem was keeping the room clean and mud-free. The resort sits on a sandy ground and they didn't have cemented pathway so our sandals/flip-flops/shoes/whatever were always sandy. We couldn't leave them outside the room because, even if they weren't exactly the expensive brands, someone might take interest and steal them. You never know, right. No choice but to take them inside so sand was all over the floor. And because they didn't provide any floor mats, when we go to the bathroom, our slippers get wet, water and sand mix, and the sandy floor became a muddy floor.

Speaking of bathroom, we also had some issues there. Our bathroom looked pitiful, you could just imagine how dirty one small bathroom can get if 12 people were using it. There was a leaking pipe under the sink so we couldn't keep the floor dry, even if we try. There's nothing, not a caddy or a hole in the wall, to place toiletries on and there's no trash can.


The Beach

Although, it seemed that our stay in Sunset Cove Beach Resort, was unpleasant, it wasn't so terribly bad. While the resort itself was disappointing, the beach area was the redeeming factor. The sand is not white, more of a light gray and it turns into a rich cream color at the peak of noon. In some areas of the beach, the sand is black. But don't expect powder-fine, cool Boracay sand.

 

I like that some areas had a rustic, unspoiled charm.

 

 

Because it's a cove, the water was calm, and clear almost like spring water. It actually felt like we were in a big swimming pool rather than a beach because the waves, if there were at all, were very gentle. It's a small cove and you can walk from end to end in less than an hour. There are other resorts in the area, but I think Sunset Cove is the biggest.

We particularly like the beach area in front of Sweetwater Resort, the farthest resort on the right end, because it has the clearest water and there were hardly any people there at that time so it felt like we have the beach to ourselves.

The cove has lots of potential and I just hope that the resort owners will do their part in maintaining the beauty of the place. In the morning, we saw some trash left by guests who had bonfire the night before. No one was cleaning it. There's also food wrappers and plastic bottles floating in the water.

This is just a small cove, and if resort owners don't implement strict rules regarding trash, it's just a matter of time before the water becomes polluted. Without the clean and clear water, the cove doesn't really offer anything much.

Well, except for a great sunset.

We also went on a boat ride, P500 for 10 people (the 2 kids were free). If anyone offers you a boat ride for more than P50/head, don't accept it. There's not much to see, just the other side of the cove and the boat ride was short.

The Verdict

I think it's obvious that I won't be recommending Sunset Cove Beach Resort, especially if what you're after is relaxation and hassle-free stay. I understand that this is not a high-end beach resort and we weren't expecting fancy amenities and posh accommodations. Despite that, we felt that the resort fell short in providing us the basic things that we expected they will provide. After all, these are just basic things that other resorts of the same caliber have no trouble providing.

One of the staff admitted to us that they simply took in more than they can accommodate that day so it was chaos. To be fair to the staff and especially the owner and Kuya, they were really very friendly and accommodating. But I can't simply ignore the misses and shortcomings. And we all agree that although the beach was nice, Sunset Cove Beach Resort was simply not worth going back to.

---

Sunset Cove Beach Resort
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunsetcove/
Email: sunsetcove@yahoo.com
Phone: 0915-784-6541
            0933-674-0906
            0928-500-1132

Product: Philips Satinelle Epilator

I've been wanting to buy an epilator because DIY waxing is sometimes clunky and you need to wait for the underarm hairs to grow long enough so they will stick to the wax and can be uprooted. Salon waxing is more convenient but I find it to be an unnecessary expense, because it's something that I can do on my own. Going the laser hair removal route is the best option for underarm hair but I still don't have the budget for it (or I just refuse to make a budget for it).

Enter Philips Satinelle Epilator, which I bought at SM Appliance Center for P2,495.00.

This epilator is actually for the legs, but the one intended for whole body use (Philips Satinelle Soft) was P2,000 more expensive because it comes with a few attachments. I thought I don't need those extras and it looked like the Satinelle can do the job without them. So I went with the basic model.

 

Model Number and Electrical Specs

 

Speed Settings and other features

 

 

Because I chose not to get the more expensive model, the box only contains the actual epilator + power cord and a multi-language manual. So don't expect much.

Operating it is pretty easy to figure out. Just slide the head into the body and make sure it fits snugly. Plug it in and push the speed slider up. 0 = off, 1= low setting for gentle epilation and 2 = max setting for faster epilation.

I intended to use this on my underarm so that's where I tested it first. Before using it, make sure the underarms are clean and dry. Then just gently swipe it on the skin with an up and down, and sideways motion.

For me, the actual epilation didn't hurt at all but I made a mistake of letting it stay on just one area of my underarm for too long because there are some short stubborn hairs that I wanted to pull out. The result, I scrape my skin in that area.

So be careful because the Satinelle epilator doesn't have a cover and the rotating metal tweezers will come in direct contact with your skin. Remember to keep the swiping motion. If you start to feel some sting, stop and check if you have bruised your skin. If you have, stop using it.

Except for that one-time scraping incident, I think Philips Satinelle epilator does a great job of pulling out my underarm hairs, even the shorter ones. Although I think it will be easier if you can ask someone to help you keep your skin taut as I notice those hairs in the creases are the most difficult to get.

It also doesn't cause chicken skin but sometimes, I do get in-grown hairs (just 1 or 2). But this is still so much better and more convenient than DIY waxing. It's so easy to use and will come out cheaper in the long run because you won't need to keep buying wax strips (or whatever you're using). I love the fact that I don't have to wait for my hairs to grow long and avoid wearing sleeveless shirts until I wax my underarm.

Now, whenever I notice some visible hair growths, I just plug it in, swipe it on and I'm done. Philips Satinelle epilator definitely made my life easier.

Food: Places to Eat in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Catching up on some of my delayed posts, here are the places where we ate when we went to Puerto Princesa Palawan last February 2013. Since it's been more than a year, I can no longer remember the exact prices but I do remember how each food we ate is almost always perfect - very delicious and relatively cheaper.

Puerto Princesa is not just brimming with natural wonders and captivating tourist attractions. It is also a haven for foodies, especially seafood aficionados. There's just so many good places to eat.

Here's something I wrote a while back:

... Puerto Princesa is a cornucopia of many good restaurants. Choosing rather than finding where to eat is the real task. But the best part is, and this we found out to be true whether eating in a posh restaurant or paluto style by the beach, the seafoods in Palawan are the among the best in the country. They're the freshest, most reasonably priced, and most enjoyable seafoods I've ever had.

It was a Seafood-fest for us while we were in Palawan because they just taste delightfully fresh and 100x better than the seafood dishes that we normally have in Manila.

Dampa sa Mansion Restaurant

Mitra Road, Santa Monica, Palawan

It was out first day in Puerto Princesa and we were doing our DIY city tour. I asked our tricycle driver, Kuya Tong, to take us to a good restaurant where we can have lunch. I was hoping he'd take us to Balinsasayaw or any of the Inato restaurants, but he said he knows someplace better, and it's along the way to Mitra's Ranch.

And he took us to this paluto-style restaurant beside the Commodore Mansion called Dampa sa Mansion.

My mother at Dampa sa Mansion Restaurant

On the left side is the small talipapa where you can buy fresh seafoods and have them cooked any way you want. Like any paluto service, you need to pay for the seafood and the cooking fee separately. They also offer meat, chicken and vegetables dishes if you want more variety.

Inihaw na Pusit or Grilled Stuffed Pusit

At first, I wasn't too thrilled to see that they used ketchup on the squid as I'm not fond of eating with ketchup. But it was surprisingly good. Apart for the ketchup, there's nothing different in this dish - you get the usual tomato-onion-stuffing inside - but what made it outstanding was the freshness of the squid and that it was cooked just right leaving the meat soft and easy to chew.

Kibaw Sabaw / Some shellfish cooked in clear broth with ginger and leeks

We bought some random shellfish (that looked like tulya but bigger) and asked them for recommendation on how to cook it. A lady said sabawan na lang and when I looked at our handwritten receipt, they wrote Kibaw Sabaw. Hence the name of the dish.

I'm not sure what kibaw is but I guess that's how they called that shellfish. Anyway, this very simple dish was so good. Cooked in clear broth, with ginger and leeks, it was a tasty blend of the shellfish juice with a wonderful minty-spicy kick. We couldn't stop sipping the broth.

Steamed Lapu-lapu with Oyster sauce

This one was my favorite. They used just the right amount of oyster sauce, and it permeated the meat of the fish without overpowering the freshness of the Lapu-lapu resulting to a well-balanced flavor; a very delicious dish, the best steamed Lapu-lapu I've ever had.

Dampa sa Mansion was D's favorite among the restaurants we went to (it was my second favorite) because he said the dishes were so simple, the place so unpretentious and yet the foods were fresh, cooked just right and simply outstanding. And I agree.

Kinabuch Bar and Grill Restaurant

369 Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa, Palawan

If you've been to any bar and grill restaurant, you'll find that Kinabuch Bar and Grill is no different. Well, except that they offer exotic dishes like Tamilok (wood worm) and Crocodile meat. But we weren't adventurous enough to try those so we just ordered Sisig, Grilled Tuna Belly and Chopsuey. Though none was a stand-out, the dishes were good enough.

Pork Sisig

Grilled Tuna Belly

Chopsuey

Kinabuch Bar and Grill is a hangout place, if you know what I mean. So if you just want to chill, have some beer while rocking yourself to an upbeat music, this is the place.

Paluto in Pandan Island

Pandan Island, Honday Bay, Palawan

While doing the Honday Bay Islands Tour, we were thrilled to know that there are paluto services at Pandan Island. Because of our wonderful experience in Dampa sa Mansion, we were looking forward to have our lunch here.

Here are some of the interesting seafoods available:

But we were disappointed when our orders were served. First thing that my taste buds noticed was the lasang usok in all of the dishes (not the same as savory smoky flavor you get from grilled and BBQ meats).

I understand that because we were in an island, they were probably using wood fire to cook, which gives that distinct usok flavor, and I could ignore it if only the dishes tasted good. Unfortunately, they didn't. Buti na lang the seafoods were fresh, so that somehow made up for the lackluster cooking.

But still, compared to the other seafoods we've had while we were in Puerto Princesa, this was a big letdown. Just goes to show na di porke fresh, it will turn out delicious. It will still depend on the skill of person who's preparing and cooking your food.

Buttered Garlic Prawns and Alupihang Dagat

 The buttery garlicky taste was lost in this dish.

Kibaw Sabaw

A bigger kibaw, but this is a far cry from the Kibaw Sabaw that we had in Dampa sa Mansion. The shellfish was fresh but it just didn't taste as good.



Inihaw na Pusit

The squid was overcooked and therefore, tough as a rubber. But the freshness was able to shine through behind the not-so-good cooking so we were able to enjoy this dish somehow.



Kalui Restaurant

369 Rizal Avenue Puerto Princesa City Palawan (Opens Daily Save Sundays Lunch 11-2pm; Dinner 6:00-10:30pm )
Reservations Requested: You may call our Landline: (048) 433 2580
Mobile No: +63 928 753 9621
E-mail: online@kaluirestaurant.com

KaLui Restaurant is one of those highly recommended restaurants in Puerto Princesa. I learned that the place get filled up fast so you better make a reservation a few days before if you want to dine here. But they accept walk-in guests if the house is not full. I said house because KaLui looks like a traditional wooden house furnished with lots of artworks, local decors and indigenous pieces to supplement the native theme.

And like a traditional barrio house, you are expected to remove your footwear before entering the restaurant.





I think we ordered Kalui Special of the Day which consisted of veggies, a fish dish, prawns, a veggie dish, rice and dessert. Because this set is only good for two, we added two more fish dishes and a Seaweed Salad.

Veggie for the Day: Fried Egglant Sticks

These are just eggplants cut lengthwise, dipped in a light batter and fried. Then the slices were topped with a sweet sauce. I can't remember anymore what the sauce was made up of but I do remember liking how it complements the rather bland taste of the eggplant.

Additional fish dish: Stingray in Coco Cream

I honestly can't recall how my first Stingray taste like.

Additional fish dish: Steamed Lapu-lapu

I think it's evident by now that we like Lapu-lapu. Unlike in Dampa sa Mansion, the waiter who took our orders was not very helpful when we asked for suggestion on how to cook the Lapu-lapu. So I just blurted out "steamed" thinking that they have their own special way of doing steamed fish. But when the fish arrived, it was steamed alright. Only, they didn't add anything to it - it was just steamed - so it was devoid of any flavors except for the taste of the fish. It was very uninspiring.

Seaweed Salad

Seaweed Salad (the other side)

This was my order. I was feeling a bit bold and thought I'd have something that I don't usually have. So when the salad came with sashimi slices - I haven't eaten raw fish before this - I got what I asked for. The Seaweed salad is a tumble heap of seaweeds, tuna sashimi, ripe mango, [I think that's] guacamole, basil leaves, cashew nuts and sweet blend of vinegar dressing, which you can sour with squirts of calamansi.

And guess what, I loved this dish. All those flavors and textures provided a refreshingly unique experience to my taste buds. I must say that their vinegar dressing was the glue that held the flavors together. It went well with everything in the bowl.

Tuna Steak

I think fish steak is always a safe dish - all you need is a fresh catch and some flavors, and you're all set. This was good but overcooked and not really memorable.

Prawns in Tomato Sauce

I often find prawns to be less flavorful than smaller-sized shrimps. Because of their thickness, it not always easy for the prawns to absorb essences and flavors added during cooking. So sometimes, the solution is to separate the sauce from the prawns. The tomato sauce here added a delicate tartness to an otherwise flat taste of the prawn. Like the fish steak, it was a nice touch but not something to rave about.

If you're in Puerto Princesa with your significant other, KaLui Restaurant is the perfect date place. The ambience, the mood, the lighting - everything calls for a romantic dining experience. But I was a bit disappointed with the taste of the foods we've had. Except for the Seaweed Salad, I think our orders were mediocre at best. Even D and my parents weren't too impressed. The food was good, but maybe we expected it would be better - something that will inspire us to want to recreate the dish at home because it blew us away.

Ka Inato Restaurant

Rizal Avenue, Puerto Princesa, Palawan

On our second to the last day in Puerto Princesa, we transferred to Airport View Pension because we had an early flight back to Manila the next day. For lunch, we decided to walk along Rizal Avenue and look for the nearest eatery. That's how we stumbled upon Ka Inato Restaurant.

I know from research that inato is a popular dish in Puerto Princesa. Similar to inasal, inato is a barbeque technique normally used in chicken.

I love these CFL lamps.

Chicken Inato

Undoubtedly better than the Chicken inasals that proliferate in Manila. But I guess the authentic Chicken inasal of Iloilo will also taste better than the copy cats in Manila.

Sinigang na Ulo ng Isda

Head of which fish, I don't remember anymore. Lapu-lapu maybe?

Seafood Curry

Aside from the Chicken inato, the other dishes that we ordered were good but just ordinary. Yung tipong sakto lang ang lasa. So let's move along. Not much to say here.

What I like about Ka Inato is the good food and affordable prices. We usually spend almost a thousand pesos or more in the restaurants we went to so it was a relief (for our wallets) to spend only a few hundreds for our lunch that day.

Badjao Seafront Restaurant

Abueg Road, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island, Philippines

Badjao Seafront is another popular restaurant in Puerto Princesa. According to Kuya Tong, our jovial tricycle-driver-slash-tour-guide, they serve the best chili crab in town. That alone is reason enough to go there.

At first, I thought it was the Badjao Inn and Restaurant that I saw along Rizal Avenue that he was referring to. But when we went there, the reception personnel was kind enough to point out that what we're looking for was the Badjao Seafront, which is far from the main road. So we hailed another tricycle to get to the right restaurant. And it was far.

Badjao Seafront is a floating restaurant by the sea and we need to cross this narrow and colorfully decorated bridge to get to there.

Inside, we were treated to another nice native ambience.

This is an alfresco restaurant and it's greatest come-on is the by-the-sea dining. It's best to go there late afternoon, just before the sunsets so you can enjoy the view. I noticed they have lots of electric fans in the dining area and I thought that they are not really necessary because the sea already provides fresh and cooling breeze.

But as the night sets in and because we were seated near the water, I realized that the purpose of the electric fans is not to provided ventilation but to ward off mosquitoes.

Our orders took a bit long to arrive but it was still early and we're not yet hungry so it was okay.

Caeser Salad

A bed of lettuce, bacon and overly toasted bread squares sprinkled with parmesan cheese. It was uneventful, but we're not here for the veggie salad so we didn't expect much.

Squid Dish

I'm not sure exactly what this squid dish was but I distinctly remember that it was very yummy. The squid slices were cooked just right and coated with a generous savory sauce similar to the sauce in the chili crab, but less the spice.

Butter Garlic Prawns

Better than the prawns we had in KaLui as the meat is more flavorful.

Grilled Tangigue Steak

The Tangigue steak was grilled to perfection - outside is a light brown color but the white lightly seasoned fish meat inside stayed soft. And the lato and calamansi provided a nice salty and sour contrast.

Sweet Chili Crab

The dish that brought us here - this Chili Crab lived up to our expectations. The large crab bathing in the most awesome sweet chili sauce. It has the right blend of sweetness and spice, and punctuated by hints of garlic, perhaps oyster sauce - it was a true stand out. I think this was the most expensive dish on our table but it was worth the price.

Badjao Seafront was my favorite among all the dining places we ate at in Puerto Princesa. This was where got the inspiration that we didn't find in KaLui, and we've experimented on our own version of sweet chili sauce since we've tasted that wonderful Chili Crab. I think I have it down pat by now.

If I were to rank these restaurants, it will be in this order:

1. Badjao Seafront
2. Dampa sa Mansion
3. KaLui
4. Ka Inato
5. Kinabuch
6. Paluto in Pandan Island

But please note that I'm ranking these places based solely on the foods we had. Ambience, prices and customer service were not considered. Overall, I think Puerto Princesa, Palawan offers some of the best gustatory experience in the country. And I'm sure there are more to savor in this province, which I hope to try if and when I go back there again.