I was sent to Masinloc Zambales for the second time to supervise another project last March 2015. Before we head back to our home in Bulacan, we want to give ourselves a little treat from our exhausting jobs. So my team and I have decided to go to this place which our local workers call it “Bacala”.

The Bacala guest house lies astride on a white sandbar in the middle of the clear blue waters of the Masinloc Oyon Bay. The guest house is owned by the town Mayor and is a favorite part of the eco-tour program offered by the local government. Read More: Masinloc Eco-Tour Program

But luckily, our local workers have their own boat, so we got there for free! (Well not really free, we bought fuel for the boat, but still cheap!) Plus, we have the whole guest house to ourselves. Yay!

It was high tide when we got in Bacala, as you can notice there was no sandbar (what a total bummer!).

The guest house is spacious and inviting. The floors, columns and some part of the ceilings are made out of wood, while weaved palm tree leaves for the walls.

Bacala is a two-storey guest house with rooms on the second floor. I forgot how many rooms they were though. But imagine waking up in the morning and you’ll see a marvelous view of the bay. It was quite stunning.

I have encountered numerous starfishes by swimming around the guest house. Have you seen or wonder how a starfish pull back to their original position when they were turned upside down? I did! I can’t believe how flexible they were.

I also made a starfish crawl on my hand, it was so cute and was ticklish .:D

For me, snorkeling or diving around the Bacala guest house may not be the best location, for I only saw nothing but starfish (well yea they were amazing), school of baby fish (which sometimes I don’t even notice, until I do some “auto-focus” of my eyes) and countless of sea urchins so you really have to wear aqua shoes or in our case flip flops to prevent your feet from getting punctured by sea urchins. It was painful I’m telling you!

But what I really like about the Bacala guest house is its calm ambience since its in the middle of the bay. I think it’s a good place for meditation; it’s very peaceful and quiet. I can still feel the relaxing sea breeze and hear the sound of the water waves. If there’s a chance for me to stay overnight, I would really love to (but with some friends of course cause I’m kinda scared to be alone in the dark and at the middle of the bay.haha!). Also, the water around the guest house is too shallow, so it is safe for children and even for nonswimmers.

It’s better to avail the local government’s eco-tour program (for as low as P410 per person!) because they will also bring you to the hottest spots in Masinloc, especially the giant clam farm, which I really want to go to!

Also, we ate some sea urchins, so booyah sea urchins! But be careful on eating those, because some of them are poisonous. Better have some research first or seek a sea food expert aka fishermen.

My friend told me that these columns are once where the Bacala guest house was situated. I find it dramatic (hehehe!) during sunset (my favorite part of the day), so I tried standing up on one of them and watch the sun as it goes down.

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HOW TO GET TO MASINLOC:

BY PRIVATE CAR:
1. Manila to NLEX
2. NLEX to SCTEX
3. Take the Subic/Olongapo exit in SCTEX.
4. Then straight ahead to Castillejos.
5. Just drive straight from Castillejos. You will pass through about 6 municipalities ( San Antonio – San Narciso – San Felipe – Cabangan – Botolan – Iba) before Masinloc.

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
First Option: Take the Victory Liner Bus in Monumento going to Sta. Cruz Zambales. The bus will pass through Masinloc.
Second Option: Ride any bus going to Olongapo. From Olongapo Terminal, ride a UV Express going to Sta. Cruz Zambales. Again, it will pass through Masinloc.

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For more information about the Masinloc Eco-Tour Program:

Call or Text +639124905877 or +639985783466 or visit our office at Tourism Office, 1st floor, Masinloc Municipal Hall, Inhobol, Masinloc, Zambales and look for Geniu Edora.