Experiencing Santorini in Bolinao at Sundowners Vacation Villas

The balcony of Couples Marina 1.

Have you ever dreamed of spending your idle days in an island wherein hundreds upon thousands of specks of magenta-colored bougainvillea are accentuated by blue-capped cliff-side white buildings, with the commanding view of a teal-tinted crystal ocean surrounding a beautifully-shaped caldera? If Greece is where your soul yearns to stay but you find yourself tied to the Philippines by the many complicated things that come with being an adult, there's nothing to worry about. Recently, tons of local resorts are starting to emulate the signature appearance that made world-famous the pristine island of Santorini-- and in Pangasinan, the most famous among these resorts is Sundowners.

Sometime during the end of April this year, we visited the resort's official website to try to book for an overnight stay and were mildly surprised when the booking widget ended up with zero results! The resort was fully-booked, and the next opening for a room good for six people was in August! In desperation, clinging onto the hope that there was merely a problem with either the widget or the Internet connection, we called their Manila booking office to personally make an inquiry. We saw a faint glimmer of hope when the receptionist informed us that there was an unconfirmed booking for Couples Marina 1 on a day that we found convenient for travel, and that if it lapses without it getting paid before cut-off we could have the room for that day after we were able to pay via bank deposit. Long story short, the people who made the original reservation cancelled, and we raced to the bank to secure it for ourselves. Tip: book (through phone or website) around two to three months in advance.

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Sundowners Vacation  Villas.

Sundowners resort is divided into two establishments: Sundowners Vacation Villas, where the villas are found on the cliffside, and Sundowners Marina, which is located much closer to the beach near a mini-wharf where passenger boats ferry people to and from certain parts of Bolinao. The first step upon arrival is to check-in at the reception area in Sundowners Vacation Villas, after which (depending on what type of accommodation you have booked) you can stay in Sundowners Vacation Villas and wait for your room to be ready, or you might be directed to Sundowners Marina which is a two- to three-minute drive away. Note that Sundowners Resort is strict about the times of their check-in and (most especially) check-out.

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The view from a balcony in Sundowners Vacation Villas.

The view from a balcony in Sundowners Vacation Villas.

The poolside bar in Sundowners Vacation Villas.

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The infinity pool in Sundowners Vacation Villas.

They have a diving board, too.

Pretty handmade decor found in a wall in Sundowners Vacation Villas.

Soakin' up some sun!

We drove down to the Sundowners Marina building to wait for our room, Couple's Marina I, to be ready. Great news, though, for travelers accompanied by impatient children (like my three-year old Disney princess) to whom waiting is never an option: the pool may be used while waiting, and the poolside bar is open for business.

Sundowners Marina.

"Swim at your 'ow' risk."

A medium-sized swimming pool.

Sundowners Marina's infinity pool.

Infinity pool overlooking the motorboat ferry terminal.

The poolside Marina Bar.

Lychee fruit smoothie (Php 120.00) and yellow mango shake (Php 120.00) from the Marina Bar.

My ultimate summer coolie-- mais con hielo.

Wish the South China Sea was always this calm.

It was a thrill to watch passenger boats and fishing rafts create ripples on the calm ocean.

The view from the Skybar, a rooftop retreat for those who want a little peace and quiet.

True to the resort's policy, we were admitted to Couples Marina at exactly 1:30 PM. Couples Marina is a condominium-style accommodation that is good for 4-8 persons. Because we visited on a "peak day", the room cost Php 8,500.00 per day (Php 7,000.00 for non-peak days). It is located on the ground floor, right next to the infinity pool, so our very breezy balcony had a panoramic view of the pool area along with the wharf and the whole island ringlet.  

Couples Marina I.

Our balcony.

A spacious Moroccan-style living room with its own 32-inch cable TV.

A fully-furnished kitchenette with a bar-top counter, microwave, toaster, LPG stove, and rice cooker.

Amazing! Everything's been provided for.

The bedroom features a queen-sized bed and its own 32-inch cable TV and access to the common toilet.

A bunk bed out in front of the living room.

Sundowners Marina completely transforms in the evening when different-colored lights illuminate the neighboring cliffside villas, the pool, and other nearby areas.

They should fix that sign.

We stocked our fridge up with food and drink, but I sure wish I tried that Feta Burger and Chicken Souvlaki.

The roftop hangout, Skybar.

THE CON'S

As any self-professed travel aficionado would do before any trip, I did a little research about the place and most of the reviews that I've read from websites that I've trusted were mostly positive. I totally understood what the hype about Sundowners was all about-- it's a luxury escapade guaranteed to give guests a temporary taste of what's outside the Philippines, particularly Greece's romantic island of Santorini, without the hassle of getting on a plane. We weren't wrong to expect for our stay in Sundowners to be perfect and blissful, given the amount of positive publicity it receives. That said, it came as a mild surprise for me how our experience in one of Bolinao's top tourist draws was far from infallible. The breakdown: it was somewhat disappointing. It could've been better.

If my judgment were based on the resort's appearance, I'd say that there's nothing worth criticizing about the beautiful Sundowners. The foreign immaculately-white theme from the outside to the inside of the villa was very consistent and well- planned, and coupled with the serene calmness of the picturesque South China Sea, I'd say the municipality of Bolinao has a few hidden gems that can compete on an international basis. However, there's a lot to be said about our stay and the quality of the resort's service to their guests.

1. No lifeguards/ pool guards on duty. Lifeguards are not only supposed to be always present to save lives but also to see to it that the pool rules and proper pool etiquette are strictly implied. During our stay, we were extremely annoyed to no end because we couldn't bring ourselves to swim in the pool after uncouth swimmers were done with it-- there were floating bits of food because they ate too close to the water.

Even so, saggy bits of Nova bobbing up and down in the water proved to be the least of our worries as, on the morning of the last day of our stay, a huge group of idiots decided they were entitled to disrupt everybody else's morning swim by being rowdy, diving as a collective whole when diving individually isn't even permitted, and splashing around as they scampered for twenty-peso bills in floating plastic bags that their leader threw into the pool. The most blood-boiling offense that they did in my opinion is when one single idiot signaled anyone who gets in the way of their group picture using a rude wave of his hand. While I understand that the guests are accountable for how they act in the pool, it would make swimming more pleasant for others if there is someone in power-- namely a resort staff, preferably a lifeguard-- to keep the wild ones in place.

2. Housekeepers are missing most of the time. Because of the resort's layout, guests who are wet after they've taken a dip in the pool can directly go back to their rooms using one common hallway, making it always wet and caked with mud. Anyone passing through has a chance of breaking his/her neck in an accident that could readily be prevented by the placement of a "wet floor" sign or-- even better-- the regular mopping of housekeepers who should always be available throughout the day. 

3. No toiletries. Apparently, common toiletries such as tissue paper, soap, shampoo, lotion, and dental kits are not included in the price of your accommodation.

4. Dishonesty. One of the Bordeaux glasses in our kitchenette already had a crack on it when we checked on all the utensils upon check-in. My mom's worry of getting wrongfully-charged for it almost came to fruition when the same porter who checked us into the room did a clearance check upon check-out and brought it to our attention. My mom lightly explained that it was already there when we first came, and the porter let the issue go at that. I was thinking, since he regularly conducted clearance checks as a mandatory procedure, shouldn't he have known about this crack already from past checks? I probably would never know if he did this for a purpose or not.

5. Beach is not suitable for swimming. If you're from anywhere that is landlocked and are craving for the beach, Sundowners is not for you. While the resort offers beach activities such as banana-boating and island-hopping, the beach has no sand embankments for walking and the marina is close by.

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Mom's very own home-cooking for breakfast! Thank you, Sundowners, for the awesome, fully-furnished kitchenet

All in all, we were delighted with our stay at Sundowners. While there may be a few shortcomings, the resort did not fail to provide us with what we came there for in the first place-- an opportunity to be with the family in a setting that is beautiful, intimate, and luxurious yet not far off from being at home. Feeling like we were in Santorini was just an added bonus.

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