The Enchanted Cave of Bolinao

Part of our Puerto del Sol package is a land tour of several attractions near the resort.  Our first stop is the Enchanted Cave in Baranggay Patar, Bolinao, Pangasinan.

After what seemed like forever in a long rough road, we were welcomed by a giant fossilized clam.  A few meters away we were at the entrance of the Enchanted Cave, a coral cave with a fresh water pool at the bottom.  This cave is quite famous according to our driver/tour guide.  The movie Ang Pinakamagandang Babae sa Balat ng Lupa and somewhat recently, Dyesebel (the one with Marian Rivers) were shot here.

We had to go down a steep staircase to reach the bottom of the cave.  Inside, the temperature was a bit cooler, a nice change from the humid weather of Bolinao.  Going down, we saw a lot of rock formations.  It reminded me of a scene from Harry Potter where Hagrid took Harry to Gringotts to retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone from an underground vault.

Stalactites or stalagmites?

The pool looked more of a lagoon.  I didn't get a decent shot of the pool but it was clean, very clear and inviting.

The Enchanted Cave of Bolinao is not something you see everyday.  If you happen to be around the area, I highly recommend you check it out.  Swim in the underground lagoon if you want.  We didn't get to do this because we started pretty late with the land tour and we were running on a tight schedule.

The Gem that is Puerto del Sol

To say that the Puerto del Sol  is not the easiest place to get to is an understatement. It is seven hours away from Manila.  Dadayuhin mo talaga.  But my stay at the resort more than made up for that.

Photo by Jasper Buenavista

My five-day stay there was very hectic, in fact, I was not able to take pictures of the resort.  But take my word for it, the place is picturesque in a rustic sort of way.  If you don't believe me, check out their website.

Photo by Jasper Buenavista

But more than the resort itself, I was impressed by their friendly and very accommodating staff.  I went there for work.  We organized a Fear Factor/Amazing Race type of activity.  Not the easiest thing to mount but thanks to the staff headed by their manager Sir Nestor, the event was a success.  The staff really went out of their way to accommodate all of our requests.  It's not only us though, case in point, the opening picture was something that was set up because one of the guests wanted to have a romantic dinner with his wife.  That's how they treat their guests.

As part of the advance party, I also got to taste a lot of their food and this time, I made sure to take a lot of pictures.

Dinner: Day 1

Egg Drop Soup

Chicken Teriyaki

Grilled Stuffed Bangus

Seafood Chopsuey

Leche Flan

For this set, only the leche flan stood out.  It was rich and creamy and not overwhelmingly sweet.  The perfect ending to a very tiring day.

When I was asked to provide a feedback for this set, I remember telling the F&B Manager that most of the dishes are under seasoned.  They took note of this comment and when all this was served to our clients, everything tasted better.

Lunch: Day 2

Roast Pork Loin with Mushrooms

Pan-fried Blue Marlin

Broccoli and Cauliflower with Bacon

Buko Pandan

We all enjoyed this set.  The pork and the fish dishes are well cooked. I remember enjoying the freshness of the broccolli and cauliflower but the dish itself is pretty forgettable.  The buko pandan tasted great with just the right balance of pandan flavor.

Dinner: Day 2

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet

Roast Pork Loin with Cream Sauce

Sauteed Green Bean

Our official food tasting menu ended here.  Everyone liked the Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet best. By this time, the food was starting to taste the same us. But this was the most fun meal we had during our entire stay because we were serenaded by the F&B Manager.

Lunch: Day 3

Mixed Tempura

Bangus Sisig

Kare-kare

Since the food tasting ended with yesterday's meal, we decided to order ala carte, para maiba naman.  I personally liked the Mixed Tempura best.  The Kare-kare is just okay, the sauce is a bit too sweet.  The bagoong is also sweet, I was expecting to see the salty Pangasinan pink bagoong which would go well with this sweetish kind of Kare-kare but I was disappointed. I'm not really a fan of bangus that's why I didn't taste the sisig.  During check out, we were not billed for this meal so this is our "tawad" meal.

I'm definitely going back to Puerto del Sol, purely for leisure next time I have the chance.  In the end, I know that the seven-hour drive is worth it.