Travel Thursdays: El Puerto Marina Beach Resort and Vacation Club

All smiles at the entrance.

In 2011, we were offered membership to a relatively new concept (to us actually) of timesharing.  It was then that we were introduced to El Puerto Marina Beach Resort and Vacation Club. As we wanted to travel to different locales in the Philippines and hopefully, the world, we grabbed the chance to be part of this club.

Fast forward to 2013 when we were gifted with a mini-break vacation at the resort.  A mini-break is a 3-day, 2-night stay at their members only units.

 - The Accommodation
Members have the option of the studio unit, 1- or 2-bedroom unit.  We were asked to stay at the 1-bedroom unit since this was what we signed up for.  The 1-bedroom unit can accommodate four (4) adults and two (2) children.  Children aged 9 and above are considered adults, by the way.

Outside the unit at night.

At the terrace with sleepy F and bedhead G.

It came complete with a kitchen furnished with a refrigerator, induction stove, rice cooker, microwave, and a toaster.  It even had pots and pans.  Normally, guests are not allowed to bring in food but since we were members, and therefore, co-owners, we were exempted.

At the kitchen/dining room area. If you would look closely, a sponge was also included.

Bedroom with queen-sized bed

The unit was fully airconditioned.  The bedroom had a queen-sized bed, LCD TV, dresser and a wardrobe. An iron and ironing board were included also.  The living area had a daybed with pullout which the kids immediately claimed as their own.  It also had a LCD TV with cable. The dining room was set for four and had the type of furniture that I wanted (plus points!).  The bathroom had a shower with heater and the fixtures were top of the line.  I just wish that they had double sinks (peg for the future bathroom).  We were also given toiletries which were replenished everyday along with the bath towels.  The unit also had a patio where guests can lounge and breathe in the fresh air.  I just wished it had outdoor furniture, but inside the unit there were monoblock chairs you can take out.  J and little baby F, spent the afternoon here grilling.  J managed to somehow borrow a butaca chair which F promptly claimed.

Bathroom

Overall, the accommodations passed our little ones' standards.  H and G have an aversion to icky bathrooms and the resort passed with flying colors at that point.

-The Beach

Ah, the beach, the part that H loves being part mermaid. Hehe.  The sand at Pangasinan was pretty much the  same in consistency with that of Boracay's although not white.  This was the consistency that we wanted as this did not cling to your feet or into the "nether" regions of your anatomy. Hehe.  H, being part mermaid, plunged right into sea.  Thankfully, the sea was calm that early morning.  There were huts where the beach bums or "marinaters" (as J likes to call me and G) could stay and just enjoy the breeze.  The sea was calm enough for mid-February and this was the perfect opportunity for baby F to be introduced to the water.  I think that we have another mermaid at our hands. She was not scared unlike "marinaters" G and me. Teehee!

Soon-to-be mermaid, baby F

Baby F with the "marinaters" and off in the distance, our other mermaid.

Baby F being introduced to the water by J and G

After the beach, the children still did not have enough of the water and went to the pool.  The pool area had an adult's pool and a smaller sized jacuzzi.  The adult's pool was deep so I asked the kids to just stay at the jacuzzi.  G, being a marinater, as usual stayed by the side of the pool.

-The Service

The service and staff were very accommodating and polite (plus in my books. *winks*).  When we asked for room cleaning, not one but three staff members came and so we did not have to wait long for them to be done.  The towel and toiletries were replenished.  They even offered to change the beddings but as we were just going to stay for one more night, we declined.  The cleaning was done in about 10 minutes and it was not haphazarly done as evidenced by the clean bathroom.  Moms with small children know what a nightmare the bathroom is after their use.  When J asked for help in grilling, the same staff members came to help.  They would have grilled the fish if J had not wanted to do the grilling himself.

- The Food

Being club members, we were allowed to bring and cook our own food and therefore, not able to sample the food.

All in all, our stay at the resort was a pleasant affair.  In fact, the unit is our peg for when we build our forever home. We all can't wait to come back.  Now that the temperature is rising and summer almost upon us, why don't you try El Puerto Marina Beach Resort in Pangasinan?  Believe me, the long drive is totally worth it.

For booking and reservations:

Don Martin Domingo Street, Pangapisan North
Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines
Phone: +632 856-4600/ +632 775-6789
Mobile: +63939 540-0251/ +63917 867-3906
Fax: +6375 542-2285
email:  inquiries@elpuertomarina.com