The Beach Hidden in Bataan - Westnuk Beach Resort

the summer sun

It’s March and summer is already in the air. Me and my friends always have our summer out of town get together. And this time we decided to go to Westnuk Beach Resort in Morong Bataan. Westnuk Beach Resort owned by the National Power Commission and is located at the west of the Nuclear Power Plant in Bataan (hence it was named as Westnuk), inside the premises of the Napocor.

the road to Morong, Bataan

The travel to Bataan is a 2 hours ride, but if you left Manila after five in the morning, the two hour ride can become a three to four hours. We left Manila at past six in the morning and reached Balanga, Bataan at 9a.m. We have a quick breakfast at the Balanga town proper and then we head back again at the terminal to ride a bus bound to Morong. The ride going to Napocor is a one and half hour ride on a non-air-conditioned shuttle bus. Luckily, the driver is nice and have us seated at the passenger seat. And the passenger seat is the nicest seat in the bus especially if you are traveler because you have a good view of the road. The driver kind to tell us of Westnuk and warned us of the long walk we will go through upon reaching the drop off point at Napocor. The bus ride from Balanga to Napocor is a 1 hour and a half ride but we enjoyed the curvy road and the scenery.

Mt. Samat from a distance

Upon reaching the gates of Napocor the guards will already check your reservation and call at the resort to confirm your reservation. The main gate to the resort proper is a 3 kilometer walk, but the head of the security is nice to offer us a ride. Beside from the main gate there is another gate for checkpoint inside the Napocor vicinity. SirRaul – the head of the security told us that it is very hard to get inside especially if you don’t have any reservations.

Upon reaching the resort, Sir Raul introduced us to Kuya Teng, the head caretaker of the resort, to check our reservation. Unfortunately there was a miscommunication with our reservation as there are no available rooms left and the only available are the open cottages. They let us use the cottage and guarantee us that once there are cancellations of room reservation we will be informed immediately.

the relaxing view of the beach

The cottage was nice and inviting. Once we settled at the cottage, we immediately laid down at the wooden flooring to rest from the long travel. There was a cool air coming from the sea plus the good scenery, we didn’t dare complain even we did not have a room to stay. There was even electrical outlet at the cottage that we were able to charge our cell phones and tablet. Lucky for us, there was a cancelled reservation and we were able to obtained a room for our group.

another view of the beach

There is no cafeteria inside the resort; they only have a small store that offers bottled waters, softdrinks, cup noodles and junk foods. Guests are advised to bring in their own food. If you were not able to bring your food, you can ask Ate Layka, the storekeeper, if they can buy you food at the nearby market. You will just need to pay for the gasoline charge of Php 250-300. You might think that it is too expensive but if you consider the distance of the resort to the town proper it is worth it, plus the food in Bataan is also cheap. For our Dinner and Lunch it cost us only around Php 600.

The best thing about Westnuk is that you will come close to nature. You will hear geckos, birds chirping, see small crabs running at the sand, and hear the cicadas sang their song. Also the staffs at Westnuks are all hospitable and caring for their guest. As much as possible they will attend to your needs and will always greet you whenever they see you.

The cottages at Westnuk

On our way home, we decided to walk the 3km road from Westnuk to the main gate of the Bataann Nuclear Power Plant. We wanted to see the Power Plant for ourselves as this is a rare opportunity for us. We never actually entered the Power Plant as it is prohibited; we took pictures behind the no entry sign.

The road to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

We officially left the premises of Napocor at around 3 in the afternoon. And as we left the place, I realized that there are still unknown and hidden places in our country. And these places can be found on the most peculiar spot. Who would have a thought that hidden inside the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is where the treasure of Westnuk Beach Resort can be found.