Kwentong Dagat, Zambales: A Pretty Quiet Beach Resort for the Tired Millenials

Our Kwentong Dagat getaway in Zambales has come at the right time. Despite that we booked it two months before for my friend’s birthday celebration, a lot of personal challenges have happened a few days before our said road trip. I was even crying my eyes out the night before and just dragged myself into the car the next day, clueless that this pretty quiet beach resort is just what I needed.

DRIVING TO KWENTONG DAGAT

Kwentong Dagat is in Sitio Liwliwa, Brgy Santo Nino, San Felipe, Zambales.

We left Rizal around 6 AM, and as suggested by Waze, we took the San Fernando NLEX exit and passed by the towns of Pampanga and Zambales instead of taking the SCTEX and exit at Subic. We stopped by Mcdonald’s Guagua for breakfast around 8 AM then again at Savemore Subic and the market for our groceries and food on this trip. San Felipe is just three towns away from Subic and just beside San Narciso, where the famous Crystal Beach Resort is. We arrived past noon.

TIP: The Jose Abad Avenue and Olangapo route are shorter than taking the SCTEX, but you’ll pass by several towns. If you left Manila late, then it is better just to take the SCTEX route.

If you’re commuting, ride a bus bound for Iba or Sta Cruz, Zambales in Victory Liner Terminal in Cubao or Pasay. Ask to be dropped at San Felipe Market and look for a tricycle terminal that will take you to Kwentong Dagat.

TRANSPORTATION EXPENSE:
Honda City XCS gas – P1500
NLEX toll fee (San Fernando exit) – P187

ARRIVING at KWENTONG DAGAT

As we arrived at the place, my friends were underwhelmed by it. I’m not sure if it’s because of the curated social media photos that build up their high expectations, or maybe they’re expecting some Elyu vibes.

But for me, the place was simple yet lovely and held serene and quiet vibes that I dearly needed from the past week burn out. It is a beautiful place to wake up to after a nap; I silently thought to myself.

The staff greeted us the moment we parked our car in their spacious and open parking lot. He asked for our reservations and assisted us over their reception area to fill up some forms for their record. We were also required to pay the P1,500 deposit fee that is refundable by check-out. After all that, he ushered us to our room as he told us about their amenities and rules.

The cabins were just a short walk from the entrance. We passed by the tents and their dining area on the way. I appreciate how clean this new Zambales beach resort is and how they observe proper waste segregation.

THE FAMOUS TRIANGULAR CABIN

For sure, you have already seen once or twice these triangular Instagram-worthy cabins on Facebook or Instagram. It is pretty and refreshing to the eyes (and soul), but it’s significant advantages are its price and being group-friendly. This cabin that can fit up to 6 people costs P4,000 on weekdays and P4,800 on weekends. In my experience in booking accommodations, P4,500 – P4,800 is the regular rate of a standard looking AC room for six people.

Now imagine, going on a beach trip, sleeping on not a typical looking place but instead in a lovely cabin, without spending that much? You’ll book a night on it before it even got famous like the Crystal Beach Resort. That’s what I did.

Each cabin had two double beds, another bed on the mezzanine-like, an aircon, mini table in between, four hooks for your towels or clothes, and enough space for your bags. It was small but enough for you to sleep in and bond with friends. The sheets were clean, the blankets were thick, and they’re generous with pillows too. Also, the bed on top was a little short for our tall friends.

The only downside of this room was how hard it is to pee when you wake up from your sleep due to the cold temperature.

kwentong DAGAT AMENITIES

THE DINING AREA

They have this common area with long tables and a large speaker nearby for good music for dining and bonding purposes. If it’s not a rainy day, they’ll set-up some mats on the sand under their LED lights for their guests to chill and eat.

THEIR COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST

Complimentary breakfast is toast with different jams. If you’re a big breakfast kind of person, you can order their vegan breakfast, but you have to tell them the night before so they can prepare.

TOILET AND SHOWER AREA

The toilet and shower room, just near the cabins, are clean and well-maintained too. They have four toilets and four shower rooms in total, but it didn’t felt crowded (or the feeling of you have to wait) throughout our whole stay. The toilets have bidets, and their shower areas have hooks and nice overhead showers. We didn’t have any issue even that it is a public one except maybe when going in the restroom at an ungodly hour at night.

KITCHEN

Since we are not vegans, we bought some food in the grocery and in the market to cook and grill. We paid P300/stay for their cooking charge so that we can use their common kitchen across the shower area. It is nice because they have a refrigerator, a grill, a stove and some utensils we can use. They also sell charcoal and ice since we weren’t able to buy that in the market.

Overall, we didn’t have a hard time preparing our meryenda and dinner (comparing to our previous beach trips) because it seems like everything is already available for us to use. We even made some friends with the other guests who use the kitchen at the same time.

SMOKING AREA

They also have a designated area only for smoking.

ACTIVITY HUT

I don’t know what they officially call this hut, but it’s for bonding, chilling, and for activities like yoga. At night, most of the guests stay here to drink while talking or while playing card games. Just ask the staff to set up some mats for you. It only has wooden curtains that they can pull up at night or when not raining so the people inside can enjoy the cool breeze. The wooden lamps are too pretty to look at also.

We stayed in the kitchen area at night to talk and chill, but we transfer here maybe around 11 PM to celebrate our friend’s birthday. They also have a bonfire in front of this hut, which we also used at around midnight. It was a steady night, nothing too much, just gossips, life updates, and realizing that we’re old enough to do an all-nighter session. We slept past midnight, and it feels good. #TitaMuch? #YES

Also, they have a roaming guard at night because the beach is already off-limits at that time due to strong and huge waves. He’s not a kill-joy, so we never mind since it’s also for our security.

UNDER RENOVATIONS

Between the shower area and the activity hut, there are renovations currently on-going. We asked the owner about this and turned out they’ll have private rooms for couples and small families since the cabins are catering to larger groups. They’ll even have a swimming pool, maybe next year!

GETTING SOME RESET ON THE ROMANTIC SUNSET

When we arrived on a Saturday, we settled in, prepared some snacks, and took a 2-hrs nap to recharge. After, we headed to the beach to explore and witness the sunset. Given that it is a weekend, the beach is not crowded and noisy compared to San Juan, La Union’s on a typical weekend. The weather was perfect, and the beach’s population is almost all millennials,  just casually sitting on the sand with beer coolers on the side, cameras, or guitars on the other.

It was a beautiful view, but a lot nicer when the sunset started.

It started first with yellow and blue skies hues until it became orange. But a few minutes later, it was already a cotton candy sky – a mix of orange, pink and purple. It was gorgeous, and it’s been a while since I saw one. All that I’ve been overthinking before I went on this trip were gone. Being on a beach and with people almost around my age – happy and escaping “adulting” for a while – made me feel relax and not alone. Everyone is struggling with something, and the sunset is a sweet reminder that life is so much more than what you’re stressing. You just need to stop for a while and refocus.

THE BEACH

After breakfast the next day, we decided to experience the beach. We walked maybe around 300 steps from our cabin before we hit the shore. There are already a few people and some surfers. We settled our things and go for a swim. The water is cold and somehow a little brown (maybe from the rainfalls from previous days) while the sand is fine and dark just like Elyu’s.

We only stayed less than an hour because the waves are strong and the sun is starting to get hot.

IS KWENTONG DAGAT WORTH IT?

For me, yes! If you’re in a group of 6 people, a cabin will only cost P800/person on weekends or P667/person on weekdays. Given that, it’s a reasonable amount to spend on a decent beach resort like Kwentong Dagat. And I was able to roam around Liwliwa Beach on our first day, and I got to say that this resort is already one of the pretty ones around.

But I also want to stress out that Kwentong Dagat, also speaking for the whole Liwliwa Beach, Zambales, is more for people who wanted peace. I was tired when I went, and we did nothing here but to talk and chill, but that’s what I needed, so the place and I matched. If you’re into parties and livelier vibes, then I think this will not be for you.

Kwentong Dagat is not a luxury resort, and Liwliwa Beach is not as commercial as San Juan Beach. It’s two different places, and it doesn’t mean one is better than another. I love how laid back and quiet Zambales is and hope it remains that way and doesn’t turn out to be as commercial as Elyu.

KWENTONG DAGAT TRAVEL GUIDE

RATES
Entrance fee (for day tours and who owns tents) – P250
Tent for 1 pax – P400 | for 2 pax – P500 | for 5 pax – P1,000
Cabin (weekdays) – P4000 | (weekends) – P4,800
7th guest on cabin (above 5 years old) – P250
Check in: 2PM | Check out: 12NN
Book your reservations at their website!

OUR TRIP EXPENSES
Transportation (gas+toll fee) – P2200 / 5 pax = P440
Food (meryenda + dinner + chips + drinks) – P2500 / 5 pax = P500
Cabin – P4800 / 5 pax = P960
Cooking charge + uling + ice = P500 / 5 pax = P100
TOTAL – P2,000 / pax

To Know’s
– They only serve vegan food starting at P200 / head.
– They are pet-friendly and free of charge.
– They offer some activities like surfing, yoga, and waterfalls trekking. You need to inform them beforehand if you wanted to avail of them.
– They accept photoshoots and events.

Contact them at
www.kwentongdagat.com
info@kwentongdagat.com
+639178138404

Have you been to Kwentong Dagat or Liwliwa Beach before? Or maybe planning to go soon? Let’s talk on the comment section below!