Crystal Beach Resort Travel Guide (San Narciso, Zambales)
Crystal Beach Resort is the most popular beach resort in San Narciso, Zambales. It is known for its shore lined with pine trees, comfortable accommodation, and well-maintained grounds. This place is one of the best surfing spots in the province. Unlike other beaches in Zambales that boast white sands, Crystal Beach Resort offers black sand (those viral photos you see in Facebook are deceiving).
If you are looking for an Instagram-worthy beach resort with nice accommodation and can offer outdoor activities such as camping and surfing, Crystal Beach Resort is definitely a very good option. However, if you are looking for a beautiful, serene white-sand beach where you can do soul searching, sorry to burst your bubbles, skip this place and go to other more beautiful and relaxing beaches in Zambales where alternatives are abundant. We would like to reiterate that Crystal Beach Resort is not as beautiful in person compared to the online photos.
When we visited the place, my hopes were high. I was expecting for a white sand beach with crystal clear waters and pine trees surround. I was heartbroken when I saw the place, it was way too far from the amazing photos I saw online. Almost unrecognizable. So here’s a piece of unsolicited advice from someone who expected too much: “Hindi sya ganun kaganda. Huwag masyado mag-expect. Masakit, bes!”
Anyhow, if you plan to push through with your Crystal Beach Resort trip, allow us to assist you with that…
HOW TO GET TO CRYSTAL BEACH RESORT
VIA COMMUTE FROM METRO MANILA
1. Go to any of the Victory Liner stations: Cubao, Pasay, Caloocan, and Sampaloc.
2. Taka a bus bound for Iba or Sta. Cruz, Zambales then get off at San Narciso. Landmark is San Sebastian Catholic Church.
3. Take a tricycle and just tell the driver to drop you off at Crystal Beach Resort. Travel time takes roughly 10 minutes.
(Tip: Tell the staff in Victory ticket booth that your destination is San Narciso otherwise they will charge you with the fare rate for Iba which is higher).
** It usually takes 3-4 hours to travel from Manila to San Narciso, Zambales. Although in our case, it took us 8 grueling hours! Because (1st) We left Metro Manila pretty late; quarter before 12NN (2nd) Instead of waiting for 30 minutes so we can ride the Iba-bound bus, we instead took the bus bound for Olongapo and from there we took another bus bound for Iba. So yeah, do not do what we did or you will end up disliking your weekend.
VIA A PRIVATE CAR FROM MANILA
1. Take the Balintawak exit to North Luzon Expressway (NLEX)
2. Exit on SCTEX on the last tollgate of NLEX.
3. Upon exiting, take the route going to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
4. At SBMA tollgate turn right on Rizal Highway.
5. Go straight until you reach the dead end then turn left on the right tollgate to Olongapo City.
6. Turn right on the first intersection (Canal St.).
7. Exit to Kalaklan gate and turn left going to Zambales, Subic town, Castillejos, San Marcelino.
8. Take a shortcut: see shortcut signage in the middle of the road.
9. Town of San Narciso, turn left after the Municipal Hall, follow road signs going to Crystal Beach or ask the locals for the directions.
Resort’s exact address is Barangay La Paz, San Narciso, Zambales , Philippines
PROJECTED EXPENSES & RATES
click on the image for a clearer view
For a group of 2 travelers, the safe budget for a 2D1N trip to Crystal Beach Resort from Metro Manila is Php3, 000 per person.
IMPORTANT: Make sure to book your trip beforehand to make sure there’s available room when you arrive. There are no other (better) resorts in the area.
OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CRYSTAL BEACH RESORT
• Crystal Beach is a pet-friendly resort but pets are not allowed inside the rooms.
• Crystal Beach also has a restaurant which opens from 7AM and closes at 9PM.
• Resort’s Wi-Fi area is only at the reception.
• There’s a corkage fee of Php50 / bottle for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and Php500 / case or bottle of hard drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages).
TRAVEL TIPS FOR CRYSTAL BEACH RESORT
- There are eateries and stores outside the resort where you can buy commodities/food for much lower prices.
- If you want to save money, bring your cooking set, a gallon of water, and your own tent.
- For arranged group trip to Crystal Beach or other places in Zambales, you may contact Sole Adventours. You can message them here – https://www.facebook.com/SoleAdventours/messages
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Crystal Beach is more of a surfer’s paradise than a family beach. There are swells and breaks so if you have kids, this resort may not be a very good option unless you plan to just stay in their comfortable rooms and cottages. However, if you are the athletic type who enjoys extreme beach activities, you can visit this place and surf to your heart’s content.
UPDATES
January 02, 2018 – The new rate for a day tour is PhP500, inclusive of PhP150 consumable for food and drinks. (Thanks to one of our readers, Jan Abellera for the info.)
Thank you for dropping by!
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