

Villa Balinmanok – The Hidden Treasure of Pangasinan
Villa Balinmanok is a serene place. This is best for people who want to stay away from urban life and be with nature.
The archipelagic features of the Philippines paved a way to fabulous, raw and untroubled sceneries known to man. Dubbed as the “Pearl of the Orient Sea,” this country can name thousands of tourist attractions that can fill in the adventurist spirits of people from around the world.
Since this country is composed of islands, it is savored with beaches that can captivate the hearts and spirit. Beaches like those of Boracay and Palawan are known internationally. However, they are far from the metro.
For those who don’t know, there are also great white sand beaches that are near it. Pangasinan is a town that is home to such.
Villa Balinmanok is one of the hidden treasures of Dasol. The term “Balinmanok” came from the Filipino word “manok,” a Filipino word meaning chicken. According to the owners, the place was inhabited by wild fowls before their ancestors found the place.
How to Go to Villa Balinmanok?
I above-mentioned the word “hidden.” Please take it literally.
To go to this place, the best thing to do is to go to the more popular beach, which is the Tambobong. Then, ride a boat that will take you to Villa Balinmanok.
If you have your own vehicle, you can also reach it by land. I’m telling you, it’s a long, bumpy, but worthy ride.
From Manila, you should go to the Alaminos town proper. From there, take the short road to Mabini where the Burgos is and when you reached a Petron Gasoline station in Guiang take the opposite road. Then, just ask for locals the road that will take you to Villa Balinmanok cove. I suggest you contact the owners (contacts below) for clearer directions and they will also have someone to serve as a guide when you reached the Concordia Plaza.
The Beach and Nature
The Villa Balinmanok beach resort is highly recommended, especially when you have kids with you. The water is calm with little to no waves. It is shallow as well. “Crystal clear” is the best definition for me.
The place the beach and water are clean. The only things that you can see are the leaves that are falling from the trees. You can even see small fishes that are trying to go near your feet.
All the owners are seriously protecting the place even in a way that commercialized boats are prohibited from the area. They also build a sanctuary for small fishes, which is a wonderful place for shallow water snorkeling.
The giant rock formations are the reason why the place has calm waters. They also serve as a home for small fishes, that’s it’s also recommended for shallow water snorkeling. The marine life there is sublime. It’s not recommended to climb them because they feature sharp edges.
The sand is not as fine as those of Boracay. However, there are no small rocks and pebbles that can hurt your feet while taking a bath in the shallow waters.
There’s no pollution at all. The place also features a forest where you can also venture.
Overall, the place is serene.
The Preserved Shipwreck
On the right side (facing the beach) is a narrow path that will bring you to another beachfront lot. A few meters from the beach is a shipwreck that is preserved for tourist attraction.
According to the owners, the ship was a Chinese cargo vessel that carries about 600 kilograms of illegal substances. That time, it’s a storm and the officials of the ship accidentally dropped the anchor. The ship was damaged prompting the crew to abandon.
Read: Labrador Stall: The Sidewalk for Freshly-Caught Seafood
I and my cousins swam to that area and to be honest, it’s disappointing. There is no marine life thriving there.
Personnel Services
The owners and personnel of Villa Balinmanok are very accommodating. One of the owners, Mr. Ogie welcomed us when we arrived. During our stay, he used to visit us in our cottage, to have a little chit chat and to know if we needed something. By the time we’re about to go home, he even bid us goodbye and thanked us for visiting their place. After a few hours, we received a message from him asking us if we got home safe and hoped that we will be back.
The crews are always ready to serve. They are willing to help even to the smallest things like chopping the onions for our meal. When we went for island hopping, we asked them to cook our foods and when we’re back our meals are ready.
All the crews are always smiling, which made us comfortable and at home. One of the little boy, which I suppose the son of one of the crews played with me and hugged me before we went home.
In terms of the personnel services and friendliness, I will give them 98%.
Conclusion
All of us have our own definition of vacation. Some wanted it loud with lots of people bumping each other while some wanted to meet new friends on the beach.
But for me, a vacation is the other way around. My definition of vacation is relaxing in front of the beach with my family. I want it peaceful and stay away from too many people, noise, and pollution. I’m not anti-social, but I prefer a resort that has 2-3 groups sharing the beach because I want my vacation-worthy so I can release the tension brought by the urban life. That’s why Villa Balinmanok is best for me.
This is also best for kids because the water is shallow and calm. You will not be worrying that kids will be taken away by the waves. They can also play with the sand.
If you’ll ask me, am I going to go back to this place? I’ll answer yes. This article is not paid, and I just did this as I want to tell the world how beautiful the Philippines is.
The Villa Balinmanok rates are ok. They are actually lower than the more popular beaches in Pangasinan.
For people who wanted to visit Villa Balinmanok, you can contact the owners through the following details:
Cellphone numbers: 09152092010 | 09084551047 (look for Ogie Belarma).
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