Bolinao: Punta Riviera Resort
Wooden bridge to the beach in Bolinao
It was more than 5 years ago when I first stepped foot at the beach of Patar in Bolinao, Pangasinan. It was the early days when I was starting out on the outdoors. Not too many people knew about this place before and there were only few established resorts at that time. We only stayed in our tents then but were awed by this beautiful stretch of beach which we had for ourselves. Fast forward to present, I never thought that I get to visit this place again. When, two of my sisters secretly plotted to go home without the rest of the kin knowing, they asked me to find a nice vacation place where the whole family could spend a nice weekend. We are not a very rich family so an exotic locale resort is out of the question so I tried to find a nice place only a moderate driving distance from Manila that’s not too popular but scenic and relaxing enough. Something new and something different, and alas, we found ourselves at Punta Riviera Resort.
Pool, sand and the sea
At first, I was actually booking on another upmarket resort there in Bolinao, but their reservation people didn’t get back to me after several calls. Good thing, Gener, the operations manager of Punta Reviera Resort got back to me quickly with a quotation from the details I gave. And since I booked almost a month ahead, I got a considerable amount of discount from them. They were also able to give the driver I hired his own cabana at the resort.
Our room is on the 2nd floor of this building with a great view of the sea
The travel time from Manila to Bolinao took around 5-6 hours with stops along the way. I noticed that the roads coming from Alaminos, Pangasinan are mostly well paved and cemented now. Last I went there, it was still a bare and dusty road. I guess with some resorts developed and being a part of DOT’s “Rediscover the North” project, they developed the roads to make Bolinao more accessible to tourism.
Nicely landscaped garden with my mom (right) and one of my sister (left)
By noon, we arrived at the resort. When the gates opened, it was as if a hidden garden was revealed to us. Honestly this is one of the most scenic resorts I have seen. The centralized garden is well landscaped, tall coconut trees abound give a tropical feel of the place. Buildings in bright orange Mediterranean theme, strategically arranged to let the incoming sea breeze in and have a spectacular view of the garden, the sea coast and the river. I wasn’t disappointed having chose this resort. And since it was Friday, we had the resort mostly to ourselves and a couple of guests.
The resort’s infinity pool
We got a Familia 8 room on the 2nd floor of a building. The rooms has the basic beds and bathroom. It was also air conditioned and additional stylish ceiling fan. There’s no cable or UHF reception here but there is a DVD player if you want to watch some movies. You may bring you own but the reception also has a large selection of DVDs/VCDs you can rent for free.
statues found around the garden
The room is fairly spacious and comfortable. It just so happen that our room has no lock as it was just removed the day before for repair. But we didn’t have any problems with security and nothing was lost in our room even if we left some things there and had them cleaned. If you’re paranoid, you can leave your important stuff at the reception. Tap water seems to be coming from a deep well as it has a bit of taste. Electricity is ok. There were moments of interruption but it goes back shortly and they have a generator at the area.
Tall coconut trees among the garden
The resort also have a restaurant which serves several Filipino dishes and of course sea foods. We were able to try their cuisines for dinner and all were delicious. We could really taste the freshness of the ingredients. The price for the meals were also very reasonable. They also give complimentary breakfast with their rooms. Breakfast composed of danggit, hotdog, fried egg and fried rice with a choice of coffee or choco or tea. You also have an option to upgrade to more meals but the free one was already good enough.
Dining area with our complimentary breakfast
Punta Riviera Resort is a brian child of couple Dr. Ian Mc-Feat Smith and Aileen Respicio. The former is a Scottish Geotechnical consultant married to Filipina Ilocana Aileen. We were able to meet Dr Ian as he greeted us personally when we arrived. Nice guy and I was able to chit-chat with him several times during our stay there talking about how the resort started and his expansion plans as well.
Morning by the Ilog Malino
Dr Ian told me that originally the place was planned to be their retirement home when they came back from Hong Kong. As it was being developed, Aileen had a more grander plan and soon opened it up as a resort to the public back in 2006. What’s amazing is that they didn’t really hire a professional architect or landscape artist to design the place but had to decide the aesthetics on their own. It somehow gave me an idea that they didn’t really hire a professional since one of their stairs has uneven steps.
kayaking through the scenic Ilog (river) Malino with my big brother ahead
I guess one thing that sets this resort apart from the other resorts in the area is that they are situated in a very scenic spot where the river meets the sea. And I vouch for the scenery. Though we weren’t able to actually see the sea and Ilog (river) Malino actually meet because of the season the scenery is still very good. Dr Ian told me that I should try to Kayak there and I did with my brother and it was a very scenic trail of a river by the sea.
Flags and a hut by the beach
Though the sea coast is very scenic, the sand quality here is not very ideal for swimming. Lots of crushed corals and the waves up ahead are quite strong, more ideal for surfing (and they have a surfboard you can use). But the resort is also a nice starting point in exploring the rest of Bolinao. From there, it’s a good 15 minutes drive to the finer sands of Patar white beach, and to the historic Cape Bolinao lighthouse. In between there are also several in land cave pools you can visit.
Sunset at the beach
All in all it was a fairly enjoyable stay at the resort. The family got to relax and enjoy. If you are looking for something different, something new, where your family or barkada (friends) can enjoy for the summer, make this an option when you are in Pangasinan.
Check out their website: http://www.puntarivieraresort.com
And also my Bolinao Video from my previous post.
Tags: Beach, Bolinao, Pangasinan, Patar, Punta Riviera, River, Sleep
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Saturday, February 16th, 2008 at 9:34 pm 
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February 16th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Nice Pictures!Bravo..
February 17th, 2008 at 12:13 am
In case I go home, this will be on my list since it’s very close to my province.
Amazing pics again.
February 17th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Will keep this in mind. I am quite restless and you can’t keep me very long in a beach resort but I would surely try it out for a day.
You have the gift to document a place perfectly in a few powerful shots.
February 17th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
uy, bgy. patar. very, very memorable place. naku bai, when we went here, we slept in tents far away from the maddening crowd
and commuted on a rented van that’s jampacked like sardines soaked in corn oil :-D. this resort seemed like a nice place. will keep it in mind next time i venture sa pangasinan. btw, great pix. then again, that’s expected :-))
February 17th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Well written as always, Ferdz. You’re blessed to have a beautiful sky when taking these photos…
The resort owner should pay you for the promotion. Or, at least, there will be incentives in your part when you get back there…
February 17th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
It’s really a beautiful place! Given a chance I’d love to be there now since the mad rush in school is starting to seep in.
February 17th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
hi, ferdz! you got me interested in the place now… i even bookmarked it. the kayaking pic looks nice.
February 17th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
galing. di pa ako nakarating dyan. swerte mo naman sa sky
February 17th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
Sakto to! We’re planing to go to pangasinan on March. I’ll take note of this place.
Love the pics! Galing!
February 19th, 2008 at 9:28 am
bolinao! patar! someday, someday!
February 19th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
wow, very scenic indeed! i’ve never been in that part of the world.
February 19th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Grabe. Napakaganda. Your photos make every place worth visiting.
I am now in the land that greets “Sawadee”. I’ll post lots of pics when I go back home.
February 20th, 2008 at 8:47 am
even with just looking at the pictures it’s very obvious that the scenery is really great. i’ll also keep this in mind as my friends and i are plaaning an out of town trip in the summer.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:27 am
beautiful! ang ganda talaga ng white balance ng Olympus. blue na blue talaga ang langit tas ganda ng porma ng clouds. ganda ng pagka-developed ng beach na ito. at walang masyadong tao.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Hopefully I could visit the place…I’ve been to Pangasinan but I dont really have the idea that Bolinao is there…
The photo of a Banca is honestly captivating
February 20th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
such a lovely resort!!!
February 21st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
napansin ko, iba ihip ng hangin sa place nato.. ung lipad ng tela at pag sway ng niyog.. ^_^
sarap siguro jan.. pararang lilipad lang ako.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:18 pm
wow!this will make a good press release and review though for punta riviera ;P photos are nicer than the ones posted on their site..hehe ..the more it looks so inviting.. i will definitely go back there!
February 25th, 2008 at 12:38 am
nice place! saw this resort while watching trip na trip. I was surprised na meron palang ganito kagandang beach resort sa pangasinan. how can i get there pala? do you know their contact nos? pls. if anyone knows it, paki post naman. thanks!
February 26th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Did you tell them that you were IronWulf and you better get a discount? :p Im sure this post brings plenty of hits and visitors to that resort.
February 29th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
seems like a nice place
hope to visit it someday..
March 5th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
hmmm…eto pala ang sinasabi nasa dulo ng pangasinan. well worth naman ang place. itsura pa lang ng resort PANALO na! masarap mag-outing d’yan
March 6th, 2008 at 11:38 am
wow ferdz!!! a real great find
many many thanks for sharing!!
March 11th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
[...] of islands are found in Alaminos, Pangasinan, about 4-5 hours drive from Manila going north. From Punta Riviera, Bolinao where we stayed in Pangasinan, it’s a 45 minutes drive back to Alaminos. And from Alaminos [...]
March 16th, 2008 at 8:17 am
how much your rate?
March 18th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Dear Ferdz
Stunning photography - many thanks. Delighted to meet you at the resort.
Drop me an e-mail - next trips on me!
For your readers they can find details of the resort at http://www.puntariviraresort.com
March 18th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Whoops
http://www.puntarivieraresort.com
March 24th, 2008 at 11:53 am
what a beautiful and memorable …..experience in bolinao…..this last holy week,especially in punta riviera resort,with my family……….u guys!!!!!try to visit,it’s 4 you 2 find out……………
April 19th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Hi Ferdz! I emailed them for my inquiry re room rates but they havent replied pa. would you happen to know their room rates? if yes, pls email me.
thanks soo much!
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
how can we get in touch with you guys?… we’re having our company outing on may 13 and i want to go to bolinao!… been there few times… thanks…
May 5th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
hanep~!
June 4th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Unfortunately our experience is not the same with what you have experienced.We were disappointed with the service of the resort. Actually the worst so far! We arrived at the resort around 1 pm and we were really hungry from the long trip. When we arrived I asked my husband to order food for us. He went to the bar to tell the waitress that we are ready to order. So my husband went back to table and waited for the waitress. And well the waitress did not went to our table. So my husband went back to the bar to order. We were starting to feel annoyed already. And the waitress went to tell us that 3 of our orders are not available. To make the matters worst you have to wait for 30 minutes for the food!!! While waiting I ask the other waiter for our drinks and he has the nerve to ask me again for our drinks. So I replied please look at the order list because I don’t want to ask my husband again. Who is obviously mad and ready to walk out. If only the manila is not 5 hours away.
Finally, we started eating and when we finished I asked for the check. I checked it and noticed that my husband ordered “cock light”, oh yeah that’s how they spelled coke light. I can’t help but to laugh. I am not trying to degrade the waitress, but I do believe that you have to train your staff. And one more thing the staff does not have uniforms. So you cannot recognize who works there and who are the guests.
At night they turned off the water pump. So if ever you have to pee or you know what, you cannot flush anymore.
We were supposed to stay there for another night but because of our experience we decided to leave the next day, even if we have to pay a cancellation fee.
I am sharing all of these because its not to late for the owners to make drastic changes. SAYANG! Kung ako lang di ko siya irerecommend! Na over shadow ng bad experience namin ang ganda ng Bolinao. And to tell you the truth, it was expensive. We paid 16,000 for two rooms, food for lunch and dinner.
I am hoping you would publish this. So that people won’t be misled. We stayed there May 29-30, 2008. Thanks
June 28th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
yup maganda talaga dito samin sa bolinao,ipapasyal ko mga frernds ko dito ds coming dec.try our place at santiago island at bolinao
July 7th, 2008 at 8:56 am
This place is beautiful. Me and my wife were the first couple who got married here back in 2006.we cant wait to go back
August 5th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
i was looking for an alternative for puerto del sol, and found your post. thanks, your photos are wonderful!