Maundy Thursday passed, and our family was just going through the usual practice of Visita Iglesia and attending Siete Palabras at church. Right after returning home, my mother suddenly suggested that we should go to Zambales the next day to experience a white sand beach near Quezon City. She also recommended hiring a van to make it less of a hassle for my father, as he gets easily tired due to his heart condition.
After searching for a van, I looked for an affordable beach resort in Zambales, Philippines and discovered that Montecruz Beach Resort in San Felipe is secluded but offers decent amenities and activities during the stay. Since it is isolated from other beach resorts, we were hopeful that there would still be space available at Montecruz, even though it was Holy Week (April 9–16), the peak season.
Montecruz Beach Resort Rate
Upon arriving, Ate Mila informed us that the entrance fee was only P50 per head, and it was free for children 12 years old and below. The cottage rate was P800 for the whole day, and she mentioned that the cottage could also serve as a place to sleep if we planned to stay overnight.
While it’s cheap, I find that the people here are the working class, like us who wants peace.
Montecruz Beach Resort Rooms
There were people who stayed overnight, along with three groups who rented cottages. One of the cottages even rented a videoke, which became the sound of the otherwise quiet beach. True enough, this resort was the perfect choice for my mom, who hates crowds.
Common Area
Apparently, bringing the food from the parking area to the cottage area took a toll of our time since it’s very faaaaaarrr from point to point. Good thing that there’s no corkage fee but grilling has fee but I don’t know the charge.
The lagoon could be an attraction to the place but the boats were not on display. I just saw it piled in a shadowed area.
Beach volleyball!
Bonfire last night?
Our Cottage
Here’s our cottage, and it’s also very far from the shore. When I talked to the lifeguard, he mentioned that the big waves are bringing more sand to the seashore, which makes the cottages get farther from the beach. See my picture below.
I like that there are many shower rooms and comfort rooms at this beach. Moreover, instead of palm trees, pine trees are the ones present on this beach.
The Beach
The sand may look white, but it’s actually gray when it gets wet. Unlike the sand in Bohol or Boracay, which is really white, this one is different. Anyway, while it was scorching hot and the air was sweltering during noontime, we were all happy that our flip-flops were stepping on the sand, and the view was where the sky and the ocean meet.
Montecruz Beach Resort How to Get There
For public transportation
Take Victory Liner from the Cubao Station to Iba, Zambales, for P250. Tell the driver you will get off at San Felipe town. From there, you can take a tricycle and tell them you’re heading to Montecruz. I’m not sure about the fare since it’s quite isolated.
For private transportation
We just trusted Waze for this. For the toll fees, we paid P45 for Paso De Blas, Valenzuela, and P112 for San Fernando, Pampanga. The road we took was the zigzag one when we entered Zambales.
On the way back to Manila, we paid P408 coming from Tipo to Bocaue exit.
Save at least P1,500 for fuel.
Travel time: 4 hours.
So there. I hope I was able to help you calculate your budget for a quick beach getaway! For reservations, you can contact Ate Mila at 0919 488 9185 since Montecruz’s Facebook page is not active.
Montecruz Beach Resort Address: Aragoza St., Brgy Sto Nino, San Felipe, Zambales
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. Photo watermark is named after my old site.
