Sun Bloom Beach Resort has a New Website!

http://www.sunbloomresort.com/

screenshot of the website

For reservations, please look for Maribel or Allan at +63 916-543-9709. You can also email them at reservations@sunbloomresort.com.

Updated Contact Person for Sun Bloom Beach Resort (Potipot Island)

For the longest time, I have not been to Potipot and I have not checked Sun Bloom Resort’s multiply site. When I signed in last Tuesday, I saw a message from Maribel Crout:

Hello-
Thanks for taking the time to create this great site for our resort. We are in the process of having our own website which will be provided very soon. We just had taken over the resort last December 2009 from my sister who sold it to me and my husband. That will mean that Mercy doesn’t own the resort, as she used to be the caretaker for my sister. Currently, I have delegated Allan to take charge of reservation & bookings and he can do an excellent job & good services,too. We are happy to make room for improvements for the resort in the near future. We have stopped cooking for our patrons during the busy or peak season, but will resume again. We plan to put up a restaurant by next year and an internet cafe, as well.
As of now, please contact Allan for your bookings at this number :0916-543-9709. We will be providing you with our new phone number soon. Also, for your convenience, please send me an email for your inquiries to : m2albano@hotmail.com*** for immediate response. Thank you all and God Bless…

Maribel Crout

 

Sun Bloom Beach Resort has a new owner and has a new contact person for reservations. Instead of looking for Ate Mercy for the bookings, kindly look for Kuya Allan (according to the message above). It’s the same cel# though: 0916-543-9709.

***UPDATE:

Maribel Crout’s email address is now m2albano@hotmail.ca

Revisiting Zambales: Sun Bloom Beach Resort and Potipot Island

Labor Day weekend 2009 (last year), my boyfriend and I vistited Potipot Island again. Here are some of the pictures I took using my Olympus 850sw camera: 

[For our 1st Potipot trip, click here.]

We're back!

rocky side of Potipot

snorkeling time!!!

I love my digital underwater cam! ♥

I also wrote this on Sun Bloom Resort’s multiply site:  

Last weekend (2-3 May 2009), we went back to Potipot (and of course, we stayed in Sun Bloom). There were a few things we noticed:  

1. There were a lot more trash compared to the last time we went there. [To the tourists, kindly bring your own trash bag and throw your trash bag when you get back to your resort].   

2. People were so amazed to see live sea stars (a.k.a. starfishes) that they were taking them from their habitat and putting them under the sun to dry. [Please don’t take those creatures home. They’re meant to stay in the sea. If you keep taking sea stars, Potipot eventually would have none.]  

underwater shot: starfish that's still in the sea

Here's one starfish taken from the sea. 😦

3. People were stepping on the live corals. [Please don’t step on the live corals, fishes live there and they lay their eggs there. If you keep stepping on them, they will eventually die. No corals = no fishes]  

another specie

4. A lot of people were planning to catch the fishes swimming in the shallow waters. [Please don’t try to catch them. Let Potipot keep those fishes.]  

Did you notice the other specie of fish?

5. If people are feeding the fishes, please don’t swim where the fishes are. You can check them out underwater but please don’t swim right through the fishes. You’re disturbing them.  

To the owner of the island (if you’re reading this), kindly do something about these. We’re paying Php50 (day tour) or Php100 (overnight) to be on your island. You can put posters/tarps on the island to remind people what not to do. You can impose rules like these. You can even ask the rangers to penalize tourists who do these horrible things.  

We lurve Potipot!

 

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How to get to Sun Bloom Beach Resort – Potipot Island via public transpo: (via private transpo, click here)  

You can take Victory Liner Bus (Caloocan, Sampaloc) headed to Sta. Cruz, Zambales. You can ask the driver and/or the conductor to drop you off at Dawal (Uacon, Candelaria). You can just walk going to Sun Bloom. Dawal and Sun Bloom are just beside each other. From Sun Bloom Resort, you have to ride a boat going to Potipot Island (around 5-15 minutes).

view from the shore going to the main road (If you're coming from the main road, Sun Bloom is at right side and Dawal is at the left side of the street)

It cost us Php418 per head (Caloocan to Uacon – Dawal). But this was a year ago, okay? Better phone Victory Liner and check out their rates. 

Going home, you’d be a chance passenger. Just wait along the highway for a bus headed to Manila. However, it might take you a long time to wait for a bus going back to Manila so you may also take a bus going to Iba or Olongapo. Once you’re in Iba or in Olongapo terminal, you can then take a bus going to Manila (Caloocan, Cubao, Pasay, Sampaloc).  

  

Sun Bloom Beach Resort’s Rates: (I’m not sure if these are still the rates so better contact Ate Mercy — 0916-543-9709) 

Room rate: Php1,200 (1 – 4 pax) 

Extra Person: Php150 / head a day  

Additional hours: Php50 / hour  

Folding bed (if needed): Php100 / day

Lost key fine: Php150  

*FYI: The rooms have 2 beds, an aircon, an electric fan, and a clean toilet and bathroom.

Check in time: 12 noon

Check out time: 11:00 am  

 

BOAT RIDE TO POTIPOT: Php400 (two-way) up to 6 – 7 pax — pay the boatmen directly (Ate Mercy will only contact the boatmen and arrange the boat trip for you) 

boat to Potipot

Regarding the time/schedule, you have to inform Ate Mercy or her people. They will arrange the trip to Potipot for you. Also, you must inform the boatmen what time they should pick up from the island. Once you’re back to Sun Bloom’s shore, don’t forget to pay the boatmen.  

*FYI: Potipot Island entrance fee — to be paid when you get to the island (a ranger from Potipot will collect the entrance fee) Php50/head (day tour) or Php100/head (overnight)  

  

OTHER CHARGES: 

*FYI: No corkage fee for the food, drinks, and any items you bring in Sun Bloom. But if you need a fridge, burner, and/or utensils, you may rent them from Ate Mercy.

Rental fees:  

Refrigerator – Php100 / day  

Single burner – Php150 / day  

Double burner – Php250 / day  

Utensils – Php25 / item / day  

For the electrical items you brought, charge for the electricity:  

Php 100 / item / day (example: charger, radio, speakers, etc.)  

  

FOR DAY TOUR ONLY: 

Entrance fees:  

Adult – Php30 / head  

Kids – P20 / head  

Tables Pavillion area: Php150 / table  

Coconut area: Php100 / table  

*FYI: The tables are big and long. 10 – 14 persons could be accommodated (I think).  

*** Prices subject to change without prior notice. ***

Manila’s Early Summer Makes Me Think of Potipot Island

I could feel the summer heat now.

Summer will be early in the Philippines this 2010. I read about it here.

Last year, my boyfriend and I went to Potipot Island, Zambales [28 February – 1 March] to celebrate our anniversary (It’s actually a pre-anniv celebration). We stayed at Sun Bloom Beach Resort and we loved the place. Ate Mercy and Kuya Allan were so nice and very accomodating. And since the said resort didn’t have a website, we decided to create a multiply account for Sun Bloom Resort to help promote the place and to help the tourists  (Ate Mercy or anyone from Sun Bloom did not know that we created a simple site for them).

Here are some of the pictures taken during our 1st Potipot trip:

Sun Bloom Beach Resort

room

going to Potipot

first kiss of the summer sun

other side of Potipot Island

blue waters, white sand

People were enjoying the clear waters

Potipot's white sand shore (taken using my underwater film camera)

fishes and my boyfriend's legs (How come his legs looked thin?)

That's me checking out the fishes

school of fish

The underwater shots were taken using my underwater film camera. I did not have a digital underwater camera that time so pardon the not-so clear shots.

My boyfriend and I fell in love with the island and with the charming resort. I hope we could go back this year.