Pristine Beauty of Capones Island

San Antonio, Zambales is a budding tourist destination for Manileno’s (people residing in Manila) –due to its proximity (4-5hrs drive) and offer of beautiful beaches.

Some popular beach/island destinations in town are Nagsasa Cove, Annawangin Cove, Camara Island, and Capones Island. You can reach these islands/coves by hiring a boat (usually fishing boat from locals) from the beach of San Antonio, and travel at least 20 minutes to reach one island. Could be a scary ride for some (especially for the sea-sick) since the boat is narrow and susceptible from waves. Note that there are season or time of day that the waters are fierce and make it unsafe, some deaths were reported due to drowning from toppled boats caused by unfriendly waves. But don’t be scared, just be aware and ask if the water is safe and peaceful before you take that brave ride. 

Camping is the usual practice around the islands/coves, don’t forget to bring your own food, water, and safety kit. Nagsasa Cove and Annawangin Cove recently have toilets placed which made it more pleasing for travels to come. In Capones Island, when we visited (Feb 2013), there was none yet. Hopefully, there is now! 🙂 

Surf’s Up in Zambales

If you are passionate about surfing and lives in Manila, Zambales is the closest place by road (3-5hrs drive) to satisfy your wave-riding passion.

Known for its wondrous beaches (e.g. Pundaquit and Capones islands), Zambales is getting to be a popular surf site not just for locals now but for tourists in and outside the Philippines.

San Antonio, San Felipe, and San Narciso towns have the well-known surfing spots. These three towns are basically close to each other and can be travelled by a tricycle if you fancy ‘surf-hopping’.

In my case, me and my brother stayed at San Narciso’s Crystal Beach Resort. We rented a pretty cheap but neat bungalow at Crystal Beach Resort (also a popular place for corporate team buildings) but ended up surfing at San Felipe due to the “very-low” waves at the resort. We have no complaints since we got free transfers and the view from the beach of San Felipe is equally beautiful of that in San Narciso.

And after you’re done with surfing (for hours/days), I suggest you travel around the province of Zambales and see all the other lovely beaches/islands around it. I’ll show you in my next posts. Cheers!