It has been a question to many people here in the Philippines where to go on a summertime or a weekend to spend with your family. There are so many places to go here in the Philippines but where exactly is the best place?

I was lucky enough that when I arrived in Manila last April 17, I was invited by my relatives to go with them for a weekend family trip to Subic, Zambales last April 21 & 22. I immediately said yes because fortunately, I had all the free time to tag along with them.

Subic, Zambales is a 4-6 hours ride from Manila. In our case, we came from Cavite and traveled our way north. Through the express highways that were built and the countless toll ways along it, which were a little bit pricey, to be honest, it was definitely faster and convenient for people to travel north or south of the metropolis. We took off at 5:30 in the morning and we traveled to Subic. As far as I remembered, we passed by three road accidents along the way and we almost emptied our gasoline because of the long drive.

When we arrived at Subic's Freeport Zone, I was amazed of how they had a rule when driving, the "Stop and Go" system, where you have to stop first even though there's no car approaching, before going or making a turn. It was cool for me because you would see how disciplined drivers are in Subic and I guess it will only be applicable in a small town or city like them.

Anyway, it was then almost 12 noon that we arrived at Olongapo City where we stopped over for a lunch at McDonald's. We took the time to fill our tummies first before hitting the road to where we will be staying.

After we had our lunch, we were stuck in a heavy traffic on our way to Subic's beach area that it took us almost 2 hours to drive our way through and to the Yellow House, my Lola's (grandmother) cousin's house, where we stayed for the night. I guess many people were traveling to Subic too because it was a Saturday. We went to the accommodation first to rest for a while before we went to find a good beach resort. As per recommendation by my Lola's cousin, we went to Blue Rock Resort.

Blue Rock Resort was one of the known beach resorts along Subic. It was one of the top chosen resort where we also found celebrities like Rex Cortez and her daughter Cai Cortez swimming and having fun like ordinary people on the beach. We even had a chance for a photo opportunity with Rex Cortez.

The beach was clean enough and a recommendable place for beachgoers. The sand is not white but it's fine that even their beach doesn't have rocks when you swim. It is safe for children and even adults. They offer a slightly expensive cost for their huts, rooms and even their food but it was deliciously worth every penny. We spent the whole afternoon swimming, sunset viewing and taking a lot of pictures with the family.

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Yup, that's me taking pictures of the place.

Originally, I planned on not swimming but heck, the beach was so inviting that I could not resist. I thought to myself that I traveled that far and why not make the most out of it right?

Who doesn't want a good sunset view like this right?

Nevertheless, the resort also offers a floating restaurant if you do not want to eat in their inland restaurant.

While we were also swimming, we saw little boats or bangkas selling shells from a hundred to 500 pesos. There was even a shell with a pearl in it. I did not buy but my Lola did and she brought it home with her.

After all the hours spent on the beach, we ordered our dinner. One thing I didn't like about the hut we stayed was that it was a non-waitress area since it's located near the shore and away from the main restaurant. The resort should be providing or extending their services to us because we are paying and as customers, we have the right to be served accordingly. Nonetheless, we capped the night with a seafood platter, Pork sisig, lechon Kawali, Laing, and sinigang na bangus for dinner.

It was indeed one of the best opportunities I had and experience with my mom's relatives in Manila. The fun actually never ended here. Next posts will still be about the weekend at Subic with the family.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Love lots,

@kyanzieuno