Escaping Reality in Potipot Island

Image from http://www.wayph.com

Potipot is a charming little island found in Candelaria, Zambales.  This remote island is the perfect spot for a weekend getaway with friends or family.  A short, weekender in Potipot is enough to ease one's stress and relax one's mind.


Getting There

Potipot is a 5-6 hour drive from Manila.  To get there, you should take NLEX and SCTEX to Subic.  Once you've exited Subic, turn left at the National Highway.  Turn right at the Castillejos-San Antonio shortcut and just go straight from there.  Candelaria is approximately 2 hours from SBMA.


Accommodation

If you're feeling adventurous, you could pitch in a tent and stay overnight on the island.  However, since we wanted a more relaxed trip, we opted to stay at the Dawal Beach Resort.

Dawal had all the amenities a good hotel needs.  It had clean rooms, a nice pool, recreation areas, and a restaurant that serves good food.  We booked a poolside room for four which only cost us P2,600.  There is a corkage fee of P35/head all in for outside food.

The staff were very accommodating and friendly too.  They never hesitated to assist us in all our quirky needs (spatulas, new sheets, peppers, etc). 

The boat ride from Dawal to Potipot only costs P400 for 6 people.  The island can actually be seen from the shores of Dawal, and the boat ride only lasts 5 minutes.

There is an entrance fee of P100/head for the privately-owned island.


Food

Dawal serves sumptuous meals, and if you're planning a relaxed vacation then you could order your food from them and bring them to the island.  But if you want that complete outdoor experience, you could grill something using Potipot's outdoor grills.

We brought pork and some vegetables to grill for our lunch.  You could opt to buy the ingredients in Iba, which is a few towns before Candelaria.  But if you want to do the cooking the day after you've arrived, it is best to buy them fresh and go to the nearest market which is two towns (15 minutes) after Candelaria.  There is also a mall right beside the market where you could buy other necessities.

Bear in mind that the mall and the market closes early.  We went there at 7pm and everything was already closed.  The small sari-sari stores right outside Dawal became our lifesaver because surprisingly, they had everything we needed.  Who knew a sari-sari store would sell butane?


Things to Bring
Cookset
Butane
Charcoal
Lighter/Match
Food
Knife
Utensils
Drinking Water
Dishwashing soap
Sponge
Tabo


Weekend Adventure

The island is very small, and you could go around it in less
than 15 minutes.  There are makeshift restrooms that you could use, and clean water is available from the poso.  There are also huts that you could rent if you are a big group.


It was raining very hard when we went there, but the heavens were merciful and gave us a few hours of sun.  It was more than enough to complete our short but sweet weekend adventure.

'Til our next adventure.  Tah-tah, travel freaks.


xoxo,
BVG ♥