Magalawa Island

Exploring the Philippines more is one of my targets for 2015 and to start the year, I headed out to a small island off the coast of Palauig, Zambales. I didn't really know anything about the area until I randomly saw a Facebook post about "Magalawa Island" and it got me all curious - "Wow may ganung area pala sa Zambales?"

Panoramic View of the Sandbar in Magalawa Island

Travel time from Manila to Palauig (NLEX + SCTEX) is about 6 hours. Boat ride from Oslet Armada fishdealer compound to Magalawa is just 10 minutes. (More details on how to go there on this link)

The Oslet Armada compound has parking slots at Php 150/night. It is gated and secure. I left my car there for 3 days and they even washed it for free!  Here's quick snapshot of the mini-port in the Armada compound:

There are only 2 resorts in the island. I stayed at the Magalawa Island Armada Resort. There are campsites, fan rooms, and rooms with aircon. Not all rooms have restrooms inside. Also, the restrooms have a manual flush a.k.a buhos mode of flushing. If you are a bit picky with bathrooms, you might not like it here :p We got the Php 3,500 package for a 3d2n stay. You can view the rates in this link: RATES

The resort offers a package deal: accommodation and meals. They have a nice floating restaurant and the food servings are very very big! 

Floating Restaurant in Armada Resort

We did a bit of a tour of the island and spotted some sites for spearfishing and snorkelling. My only comment is that there are a lot of jellyfish in the area and when you're not wearing rash guard, it will be a stingfest for them!

Fresh Urchin as snacks

I used to be afraid the ocean. Last year, I pushed myself to swim without lifejackets and take risks. Been doing these crazy underwater stints since then. I still have A LOT TO LEARN. 

Spot the jellyfish

Trying some breath hold

Summer is here and I can't wait to explore more beaches in the Philippines!

xo