Weekend trips to northern Luzon are among Manileños' favorite quick breaks. There are mountains,…read morebeaches, food, art, culture, and even extreme sports venues that await visitors. For me, one of the most memorable sights here is the blazing sunset found at Urbiztondo beach in La Union. The beach is popular for being a surfing spot, but I bet another major reason why folks like to come here is what they see above the water from 5 PM onwards. The sunset's oranges, reds, and yellows, plus the blue sky above and the water's white foam below makes you believe there is a god and that he is a master painter. It's the perfect backdrop to your last surfing session for the day and a great scene to watch while you're having merienda. Whether you surf or just came from Baguio or Vigan, I hope you can drop by Urbiztondo beach when the sun starts to set and remember why you love being outdoors in the first place.

Do not plan your trip here during peak season. That's what my friends and I did since we heard that…read moreit can get pretty crowded, noisy and the water full of seaweed during the summer with it being a public beach. We went here February of last year and it was a great vacation spot to celebrate the start of the year and get away from the hustle and bustle and pollution of the city. It's called "White Beach" but the sand isn't really white. It's more of a beige color but it doesn't really matter because the sand is nice and slopes progressively to the shore. The water is inviting, crystal clear and the waves were big. It was fun to play in and get some exercise at the same time. Not much sea life though so it's more for swimming than snorkeling. It's lovely to walk along the coast and see small coves and cool rock formations as well. My friends sat at a rock formation by the water and it was a great place to watch the beautiful sunset.

Because of the name, I'm guessing you'd think it's a cute little island, right? And it's just that!…read moreMy friends and I enjoyed our stay here. Deemed "Little Boracay of the North", the sand is almost white and clean, the water's clear, the sea life is pretty and everything is picturesque. You can literally walk around the island in about 30 minutes or more depending on how leisurely your walk is or if you're taking lots of photos. You get a 360 degree view of the sea and it's SO beautiful to watch the sunset! We actually went on the wrong side of the island for the sunset but thankfully didn't miss it. We had to run across the island to literally chase the sun down. The red sun shining through the trees was a beautiful site. What was missing was "Chasing the Sun" playing in the background, haha. It was funny because one of my friends yelled, "Guys, run faster! Think zombies are chasing us!". XD You can even camp there if you'd like. I'm sure the sunrise is just as fantastic as the sunset. My friends and I definitely made great memories here. :)

CASH ONLY! What a…read moredifference 4 years makes! The last visit wasn't one to be boastful about. It was a sh*t show half the time with our boat's engine dying every ten minutes, and when it did run, the boat moved ever SOOOO slow. I almost made a vow to never stop by here ever again. But with GodNiece's first time in Pangasinan, Hundred Islands was a must go-to for her. With a tad bit of reluctance, we went. I noticed an improvement in the area's overall appearance IMMEDIATELY. Parking was abundant and clean. The welcoming area is beautifully designed which included a pond filled with koi fish and small replicas of the islands. The entry way to the boats even had an arc. It was quite welcoming. The tourist center could use a little work: FIRST: it was CASH ONLY (for everything!) which is a huge no-no for a tourist attraction as famed as this place is. (One would reasonably assume they take cards, right?!) Now, keep in mind that this place is so much more fun when visiting with somewhat of a big party (we were a mere party of 9.) It's a good thing I brought enough cash to cover everyone for everything they need (including activities.) I can only imagine the trouble some people had to go through to go back out, find a bank or ATM that's open and come right back. Oi. SECOND: I had to deal with three different receptionists just to complete the registration process - one to register each individual in my party, one for the fees and boat, and one for the deposit for the trash bags (I'll get back to this last one in a bit.) I don't see why I couldn't just deal with one person for the WHOLE thing. The only reason I can come up with as to why they do this is that maybe the need for a moderator since everything is paid in cash. (There's gotta be liability somewhere, right?) But yeah, It took way too long to just get these done. It's a good thing we were there early Friday morning on a non-peak season. (I can imagine the chaos of the crowd during the weekends, summer or peak seasons here!) It wasn't long before we got on our boat. First stop was Governor's island for the sole purpose of ziplining. (The last time I was here, it was THE only other thing to do other than swimming or snorkeling, and it was a short one at that.) It's a bit of a trek climbing up - the steps are completely uneven and steep. Although the ziplining peeps kept telling us to follow the path to the left, we kinda got lost (and ended up the other way.) We weren't the only ones, so SIGNS might be nice. The view was fantastic, I gotta admit, but dang, that was tiring as hell! But the few seconds ride was WORTH IT. You can see a different side of Hundred Islands' beauty from where you're zipping from. The trek back is just as strenuous (again, SIGNS telling us how to get back would be nice) but also worth it since you get to experience walking on the wobbling bridge. (That was interesting.) Then off to Quezon island where we relaxed a bit more and had lunch. Ziplining is also available (one long, one short) but they aren't as steep as the one at Governor's. We brought our own food and drinks, but food is available on the islant itself. A vendor came up to us selling fresh crabs (small and big ones alike) for a bargain. We had plenty of leftovers to take home. We did a lot of swimming and snorkeling around this area. Beautiful clear waters allowed us to see all the way to the bottom of the water. This never gets old. I was going to suggest going to Children's Island, but we were having such a great time, we just kicked it on this island for the rest of our visit. Oh, except for helmet diving. That was the best way to top off the day. I'm not gonna go into it, I will merely suggest you DO IT! The one practice I noticed with EVERYONE: every person was mindful of their trash. I bought an ice cream from a vendor. He took it upon himself to get the peeled off paper from me and put it in his own trash bag. In all honesty, I did not see one piece of trash anywhere. And the bit with the trash bag deposit? Fill up your bag with as much of your group's crap as you want. Once you return to the main island, they take your filled trash bag away from you AND they will return your deposit. (THIS IS AWESOME!) We all had a great day. I am so glad my family doesn't live too far away from here. I'm definitely going out of my way to come back the next time I come to the Philippines. TIP: Come EARLY. The earlier, the better! There's so much to do! (They also have banana boats and jet skiing now!) Now if only they could figure out a better system of payment (than with just cash) and eliminate the whole "line here, line there" at registration...

I came here with my family at the suggestion of my mom and aunts. We came here pretty early and…read morefor good reason. It gets pretty packed very quickly. There were 18 of us, so we reserved 2 boats. FYI once you get there, be prepared to be bombarded with people trying to sell you things. I already came across some of that that during my trip, however, there's more of it here. They literally come to your car and sell you things: sunglasses, sea shells, hats, etc. and they will follow you around. Granted this is how some people in the Philippines make their living, but I think there has to be some kind of boundary. That's just my personal opinion. The boat ride was not bad and the weather was perfect to visit the islands. We didn't visit every island because my group didn't want to, but we did stop by 2 of the islands.

When I told my friend that my family was going to have a summer trip to Hundred Islands, she kept…read moreon telling me numerous times to go to the Clam & Coral Garden. She was saying how huge and beautiful the clams are and they're just that! My siblings and I loved the snorkeling there and snorkeled until we were tired and hungry. There were fishes in different colors, sizes and shapes. They were beautiful. Don't forget to bring bread so you can feed them and take awesome underwater photos like we did with our GoPro. I also loved that there's a floating roofed rest area/docking area were there were benches to rest on. It also has a ladder so it's easy to access the boat when you're tired. The Clam and Coral Garden is definitely one of the top places to visit when you're at Hundred Islands.

Bluish green beach. Got there via boat around 30 mins from the port. Unsure cost but I do know you…read moreget charged a refundable PHP200 for each plastic bag you get and must return it to the port upon returning. I don't know if worth going back to. Also biggest con: no running water. PHP 100 for zip-lining across the beach

It was really nice to spend some time in Alaminos City and go to the 100 Islands. We ended up…read morebuying some tuna and meat from the local market and grilling it on Quezon Island. This city is growing fast so try to get there before it get too commercialized.

This has got to be my family's favorite island in Hundred Islands. We went there not for the PBB…read morehouse but for the 360 degree view deck and the zip line. The 123 steps were a bit daunting. You needed to go up and down a lot of steps when you're going around the island. You get really tired but it was worth it! Do bring bottled water because I almost fainted from heat stroke, ahaha. The waters by the beach were rocky but the 360 view was amazing and great for a panoramic shot. The zip line was awesome and the view breath taking. Gorgeous, clear blue waters, magnificent greenery and the bright sky. I even took a video of my descent! The walk going back is scenic too. They have a bright orange floating bridge-slash-dock where you can chill at and swim, do fun jump shots and snorkel at the area beside it. Not a lot of people know that actually. We were the only ones swimming there so we got to see the fishes and big clams all to ourselves and take photos without people in the background. We got this tip from one of the kuyas at the zip line area. He was funny and friendly. Love this island!

We were excited to visit Marcos Island because of the Imelda Marcos cave where you can release the…read moreadrenaline junkie in you and go cliff jumping and then from there, swim out to the sea. It was our last stop of our Hundred Islands tour and take note, don't make it your last stop too. We couldn't go cliff jumping anymore because during late afternoon comes low tide and the water is too shallow to jump in. We still scoped the island out and swam to the cave. The cave was cool as the top is open and the sunlight streaks into the water. There's also a pocket of the cave where you can swim in if you like dark places, haha. There was a lot of floating Styrofoam though which was weird. Sadly, the cliff wasn't even that high as a lot of people have said. 20-30 feet? More like 10. :( I've definitely jumped higher but for people who are wary about cliff jumping, this height would be doable for you. It's nice to take a leisurely swim there though and you do see some tiny sea creatures whilst swimming near the shore.

Though I understand that the aesthetic of The Circle Hostel is going more for the backpacker type,…read moreI'm just not sold on the whole hammocks thing because they can be quite uncomfortable. The place looks like it's in a state of disrepair because they let the guests graffiti the place (and not in a tasteful way). I was able to get a discount because I insisted on a bunk, and the bed that they gave me didn't have sheets, so I had to use my own travel blanket. The common area was noisy until the wee hours, so maybe they should restrict loud conversations after a certain time or window so as not to disrupt others. The neighboring establishments also blare live music until the early morning hours, and it's a bit impossible to get some decent shuteye.I am also a bit worried about the security because people can just walk in there, and I doubt if there is round-the-clock security, as a sign up in the front says that guests can just walk in and settle in a bed when the front desk is already closed for the night, and then settle the bill (honesty system) the morning after. This can be a huge security risk since people can just walk in. They have metal lockers, but you have to bring your own lock. Who brings a lock with them when they travel?