Zambales was a taste of the good life, the provincial life. Add a beautiful beach and some uninhabited islands and you have Zambales. The short drive just four hours away from Manila makes it an easy escape. We rented an Airbnb as per

Kids More Fun

recommendation and it was nice to have our own space and the pricetag can't be beat.

I grew up in a small town in Northern California so living in the big city is a fun and thrilling experience. However, I am a country girl at heart so the province is always enjoyable. You can't beat the slow life or these views. There was carabaos, pigs, goats and horses all on the property. The kids couldn't get enough.

Our first beach day we spent at Pundaquit. Some friends recommended Crystal Beach and had a good experience but when we arrived it was covered with a lot of trash so we turned around and went to Pundaquit.

You can pretty much drive up to any beach resort along Pundaquit and pay an entrance fee and rent a cabana. They are not right on the water but perfect for eating lunch and shade. *You do have to pay an entrance fee which bugged me because I just want to drive up to a beach, walk out of my car and enjoy the ocean. I guess my beach days in California and Hawaii spoiled me.

Our second beach day we returned to Pundaquit as that is where all the boats dock and leave for Capines, Aniwangin Cove and other places. We were only able to go as the weather was storming and my amazing sister in law did this whole trip with a broken leg! I would have loved to have gone to Aniwangin Cove as the pictures look beautiful. Hope you can go. We ended up only going to Capones and staging for a few hours for lunch and swimming. I highly recommend this as most people were just snapping photos and leaving, that means you have the island to yourselves.

Things to know:

Pack lunches so you can stay longer at the beaches.
There are covered places to rent for overnight and even have Kareoke available.
You can camp at some of the coves but I would make arrangements ahead of time because the boats easily fill up.
You could definitely ask a local or trike driver where the best beaches are. I wish we could have found a place that was undiscovered. Ha, silly, I know.
You MUST visit Rosa's Mango Farm. Post coming soon!