Pangasinan Trip Day 2 - Hundred Islands

We had an early start for our 2^nd day in Pangasinan. Our itinerary for the day is the island hopping at the Hundred Islands in Alaminos. From Lingayen, Pangasinan we ride a bus going to Alaminos for more than an hour. The buses in Pangasinan are mostly non-airconditined, old and rusty, but the good thing about it is that you can feel a very provincial vibe. Upon reaching the town proper of Alaminos you need to ride a tricycle that will bring you to Lucap Wharf which will be your drop off point going to the Hundred Islands. Upon reaching the wharf, you will need to register at their office and they will accommodate you for your banca and guide.

Lucap Wharf

An important thing to remember when travelling to Hundred Islands is to travel light. Bring only the necessity. Not all the islands have cottages where you can leave your things; most islands don’t even have a restroom. As much as possible bring lots of water, an umbrella, a sunblock and your towel. There are islands that are exposed to the scorching heat of the sand and have no available shades. Assign on your group on who will be bringing the food, water, umbrella, etc.

Our very first stop for the Hundred Island tour is the Governor’s Island. This Island offers a beautiful bird’s eye view of the different islands. But before you can enjoy the wonderful scenery, you must first trek the island. At the middle of your climb you will already feel exhaustion, and sweat already streaming down your whole body. You will also need your umbrella upon reaching the top, since the heat of the sun will welcome you immediately. But all of these will be erased once you saw the beautiful scenery. The Governors Island is also the location of the house used by Big Brother Philippines aside from the one in Quezon City.

our boat at the shore of Governor's Island

bird's eye view form Governor's Island

The house used for Pinoy Big Brother

The Children’s Island is another island being sought by travelers. It has shallow water perfect for children, but it has rocks and the sand is not fine. It also has cottages, restrooms and small sari-sari stores that can cater to the needs of travelers. This island is always packed with people, and you will find it hard to find an available spot.

Another Island that is suitable for beach bummer is the Quezon Island. The island is ideal for campers and picnickers. We did not go to this Island as we can see from afar that it was crowded.

Another island where we dropped by is Cuenca Island. This island is not suitable for swimming as this is actually a cave. This island is popular for traveler because of the different rock formation inside the cave. The cave also offers a good view of the other islands.

the cave at Cuenca Island

Not all the islands can be explored, like the Turtle Island, Bat Island and Lonely Island to name a few because they don’t have a shore where the banca can land and the Lonely Island is very far away. You can ask your guide and boatman to bring you to islands that is suitable for swimming and with less people. 

The Bat Island

Turtle Isalnd

Unnamed and Undiscovered Islands

traversing the sea

Aside from the Hundred Islands, tourists can also enjoy the different souvenirs that the town of Alaminos can offer. The Count Hundred Islands monument at the Lucap Wharf is also an eye-catcher for tourists.

Count Hundred Island Monument

Pangasinan Trip Day 1 - El Puerto Marina Beach Resort & Spa

The Lingayen Gulf

It was almost a year when me and my friends went to Hundred Islands, Pangasinan. We always wanted to go to the town of Alaminos since one of our friends is from that town, but he is currently based in Hongkong. Since our patience is not that long enough to wait for him to come back in the Philippines, we decided to go to Pangasinan in May last year.

Our destination is Lingayen, Pangasinan, where our resort is located. Although the Hundred Islands is in Alaminos, we decided to have a stay in Lingayen because most resorts in Alaminos are expensive and are already fully booked. Luckily our resort has a beach front of the Lingayen Gulf.

Based from a past experience, travel time from Cubao to Alaminos is eight to nine hours. So we decided to leave early to avoid the traffic. We left at five in the morning and we reached Lingayen, Pangasinan at around eleven. We had our lunch first at the town proper before going to our resort. We did not indulge ourselves with something special to eat, as we just headed to the nearby Chowking.

After having our lunch we then ride a tricycle to reach the resort. Although there was a company team building ongoing at the resort, it is still not crowded as compared to other resorts. The resort’s amenities include a swimming pool, catering service, and tour to Hundred Islands.

After unpacking our things, we headed to the beach or the Lingayen Gulf. The sand is dark but it was so fine. We walked barefooted along the shoreline. It was a sunny afternoon but the breeze coming from the gulf is relaxing. As I look around, I noticed that the Gulf was untouched by the resort. There were huts and cabanas at the shore to accommodate the guests but aside from those there are no other structures. The water is also clean as you cannot find any trash floating around.

the cottages at the beach

enjoying the sand, beach and the waves on her birthday

The resort’s swimming pool is just small but because we are the only ones at the resort other than the company busy doing their team building activities, we have the pool for our group. One thing that we noticed about the pool is that it is salty. We stayed at the pool whole afternoon. We left the pool when the caretaker told us to leave the pool because of the thunder and the lightning.

the pool

another view of the pool

the seafood chopsuey

We had an afternoon snack at the resort of pansit and halo-halo for my friends while have a cup of coffee. After the snack, we then confined ourselves to our room since we can still hear the thunder. Luckily every room has a television with cable. But due to tiredness, some of us fell asleep including me. We woke up at dinner time already.

Since it was already seven we decided to have dinner at the resort. We would like to eat outside the resort because we find the foods that they offer are quite expensive. We ordered for a bulalo and seafood chopsuey.

the bulalo

We stayed a little while at the restaurant of the resort since the view is great there before going back to the pool. Good thing the thunder already stopped, we can again enjoy the pool. We did not stay that late for we have to wake up early tomorrow to go Alaminos for the Hundred Island Tour.