First summer getaway for this year happened at Montemar beach resort in the town of Bagac in Bataan last weekend. We left Fairview a little past 7 am on a bright Friday morning and exited through Dinalupihan at SCTEX. By 9:30 am we found ourselves making a detour at Mt. Samat and we were glad we did. A lot of workers were busy cleaning, repainting, and refurbishing the area in preparation for Bataan Week. By 11:30 we were a the gates of Montemar and after the guard confirmed our reservation and checked our car for "food and drinks" which are not allowed inside the resort, we were on our way down that winding road.
Montemar is a good place to unwind. There were 7 of us and since the room I reserved is good only for 4 adults and 2 kids I had to pay extra Php 2,100.00 on top of the Php 13,100.00 I paid for 2 nights stay. The breakfast was "free" but I prefer paying a little bit more if they can improve the quality and the serving of the food. The orange and pineapple juice they served were from 8o'clock instant drinks as my son pointed out. The food is average to say the least but I like the hospitality the workers, waiters and everyone at the reception area extended to us. That made up for the poor assistance we received from housekeeping not pointing the fact that there were extra pull out beds available for use. It could have given us a more comfortable sleep if my two children were able to use those pull overs instead of wrestling with us for space in the king size bed for 2 nights.
The kids enjoyed the beach from 7 am to 9 am and then jumped to the pool when the sun became too hot and back to the beach again by 4 pm till sundown. It is not a wading beach so swimming after sunset is discourage for safety reasons. The place could be better if they place more cabanas near the beach and it should be free for those who are staying overnight. Charging Php 100 per hour for the use of Cabana is a turn off. I would have loved getting a massage but they have no spa area or even a room for those who would like to get a massage. They told me I can have a massage in our room but that will defeat the purpose of getting relax if you have 4 children in the room with you.
On our way home we decided to use the Morong road and passed through SBMA where we had a late lunch at XPresso Cafe and experienced their 22 inches pizzzaaaaaa. The overall experience was okey. We will be back for sure and I hope when we do the food and drinks will be a lot better.
