Backpacking Philippines: Review: Punta de Uian Resort in San Antonio, Zambales

Review: Punta de Uian Resort in San Antonio, Zambales

The first time Tutubi sat foot on the sands of Barangay Pundaquit in San Antonio, Zambales, his feet and legs tired and weary from climbing Mt. Pinatubo, his itchy feet took him to nearby Capones Island and its romantic lighthouse, and his back later rested on the bed of Megan's Paradisio Beach Resort

The second time in Pundakit, it's not a backpacking tour but purely a relaxation/vacation mode in the form of a company outing with his rowdy officemates in a rather upscale resort on the other end of the beach-- Punta de Uian.

Planned by his officemates, who up to now didn't know that one of the websites they referred to researching Capones Island Lighhouse is actually owned by an officemate, the summer outing was booked at Punta de Uian, a resort and hotel with amenities and facilities Tutubi never knew existed in San Antonio. He found out later that the resort was the "Villa Santibañez" of the popular local adaptation of the Mexican TV series Marimar.

Punta de Uian Photos:

the welcome sign giving directions to the place since getting there is not easy from town center of San Antonio starting at Casa San Miguel

The homey feel of Tutubi's room

the swim-around pool with gazebo in the middle

sunrise at Punta de Uian, a rare time Tutubi, a frustrated landscape photographer, was able to get up at dawn to catch the "golden" sky

Punta de Uian Review:

The place has a swimaround pool for those "allergic" to salt water with a depth of 6 feet at its deepest; children or those who can't swim can just stay near the poolside. Service is ok with friend staff even exchanging banters with their guests. The lobby with spiral staircase is inviting for photo-op. Rooms are cozy and homey; particularly loved the wood furnishings and the shower rooms. Even toiletries can match, if not exceed, those in plush hotels in Manila. Food is generally fine, though not something to rave about, except for the halo-halo (Filipino dessert of shaved ice, milk and various fruits and sweet stuff) which is forgettable. They have available boatmen who can take you to island-hopping to Capones Island to see the lighthouse, Camara Island or to Anawangin Cove. Overall, Tutubi gives this resort a highly-recommended mark for vacationers but not for budget travelers due to the price tag.

For room rates, photos, and other inquiries, you may visit Punta de Uian's official website here, call telephone number +63.918.800.8426 Punta de Uian contact number) or email elsa@puntadeuian.com.

Related Post:

Capones Lighthouse

Labels: Central Luzon, Hotels and Resorts, Resorts, Zambales

posted by GingGoy @ 9:44 PM,

21 Comments:

At Jun 27, 2008, 2:33:00 PM, Anonymous said...: the bed in the room is something. it looks good.
At Jun 27, 2008, 5:00:00 PM, Oman said...: I always wanted to go to Capones Islans as well as to Anawangin Cove. Thanks for the info, now I have an alternativ place to stay in mind.
At Jun 27, 2008, 5:59:00 PM, Kyels said...: I like the swimming pool. Haha! Maybe b/c the weather is so hot here that I need a dip in the pool.

XD
At Jun 27, 2008, 9:28:00 PM, GingGoy said...: acey, comfyand fluffy bed...

lawstude, i'll post next other resorts in the area for your info

kyels, i,too, need a dip
At Jun 28, 2008, 7:32:00 AM, Photo Cache said...: It's looks inviting. I like the pool area very much.
At Jun 28, 2008, 3:33:00 PM, pieterbie said...: Wow, that spiralling staircase is really something.
At Jun 29, 2008, 12:27:00 AM, Anonymous said...: What a lovely and beautiful to relax and stress down from the urban life - again, I'm tempted to pay a visit :-)
At Jun 29, 2008, 8:40:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Yes please, take me there! *giggles*
At Jun 29, 2008, 5:30:00 PM, escape said...: i like the swimming pool. we are going to capones by the end of july. yihaa!
At Jun 29, 2008, 10:40:00 PM, GingGoy said...: photo cache, inviting for a dip?

pieterbie, nice photo-op, eh

rennyba, relaxing and not for adventure

lifecruiser, the beach is something you'll love

the dong, good luck on your trip
At Jul 23, 2008, 11:51:00 AM, Anonymous said...: Hi, which room did you stay in? I was wondering if their Garden Room can fit 5 people. They're saying that only a max of 3 people, but we're trying to squeeze our budget so we can only afford 1 room for the 5 of us. Thanks!
At Jul 25, 2008, 8:14:00 PM, GingGoy said...: i-am-evil, sorry, IIRC it's room #25 it has a pool view and at the right side of the resort when viewed from the beach
At Nov 4, 2008, 8:35:00 AM, Anonymous said...: There are about 20 resorts at Pundakit (Pundaquit) ALL are cheaper than Uian. Uian is also a massive construction site with it's US lottery winner owners fulfilling their dream. You can rock up at Pundakit without a booking& hunt around for the best deals. Expect to get a basic aircon room on the beach for PHP1000 or a Nipa (grass) hut for PHP500. Tricycle drivers here know everything about the place& are generally very honest, tip them PHP100 to find out anything you want to know. The person who got lost getting here must have been too timid to ask anyone. Most people speak at least basic english& many are fluent. I recommend staying near the village NOT at Uian, 3km away; all the colour& life of the place is in the village area.
At Nov 4, 2008, 9:30:00 PM, GingGoy said...: Chris, i know of the other resorts on the other side of the beach, been there before. Uian is really the most expensive yet i loved the place. Not all people are looking for colour and life, like me, sometimes i long for serenity
At Jun 15, 2009, 5:45:00 AM, Anonymous said...: chris is right, uian is just another resort, nothings new! find the cheaper one.
At Jul 1, 2009, 8:51:00 PM, Anonymous said...: Beautiful!!!
At Sep 19, 2009, 9:04:00 AM, wilma g. said...: Punta de Uian sucks! Well at least they do now. We've been there 3 or 4 times this year. The firt couple of visits was fine. Nothing great but just fine. We sort of liked to go there since my in laws met and made friends with the owners back in Los Angeles. They seemed nice, but a bit too superficial. This I realized after our last visit there August 29. My husband rode the jetski. Unfortunately he hit a big wave and he fell off.. I thought it was just an ordinary fall, we always fall off once in awhile, no sweat.. But that last time was really bad. While i was looking at my husband floating, i got a bit worried. He was moving alright, but not swimming at all. I saw him frantically wave at their so called lifeguard, yet I didn't see any rush on their part. They just yelled at him, "where's the key?!" I had to practically yell at them to rush to my husband to help him. One guy went for him. When he probably realized he couldn't lift my husband on to the ski, he signalled for a life saver. And to my dismay, the other so called lifeguards shook their hands signalling they didn't have any! I screamed at the top of my voice to make them realize that my huisband isn't kicking so something really bad hit him somewhere. That was the only time they pretended to be running about. my husband clung to the ski and paddle with one arm to get to shore. It was me, our driver and a cousin who helped to pull him out of the water. A guy, somehow a supervisor or manager came over and commented, "That's nothing, he just hit his hip hard.." My gosh, is he a doctor to make that diagnosis? And even an idiot will say that my husband broke something since he was practically dragging both his legs! it was totally dead weight! The worst part was they didn't have a doctor or a nurse in the resort. Their pretend lifeguards didn't even know to handle or carry an indured individual. They tried to carry my husband like a pig! It was really a nightmare! My husband was practically screaming with pain. The staff did call for an ambulance, but it was the ambulance from hell! The driver was like a madman! I feel off the make shift seat 2x! And he would roll his windows every few seconds to yell and cuss at the other motorists that was in the way. It was a 30 minute ambulance ride from punta to Olongapo, but it seemed like ten hours! That was really a nightmare trip. Saddest thing is that the owners, who suppossedly had been friends with my husband and in laws, NEVER, and i mean not even once, called or texted us to check how my husband was doing. I am very sure that they knew who and what happened to my husband out there. But they didn'y have the decency to at least check if he's doing okey. Anyway, hen we got back to Manila, we were at the hospital for 10 days! My husband had fracrures on his pelvis, on his lumbar sacrum and one more fracture towards the left of his groin. Up to this day, he still couldn't walk. he still is going through therapy. It's sad. Those owners of Punta de Uian are just fooling their customers. Their staff are untrained. those are just people they've round up from the atreets of Pililia (a province in Rizal where the owners originally came from) who had nothing better to do. And assign them as workers, worst as lifeguards, in that God forsaken resort. My advise to those who want to go for a trip to the beach in Zambales, Skip Punta de Uian. If you want safety, go someplace else...
At Sep 19, 2009, 10:43:00 AM, GingGoy said...: wilma g, i understand your disgust of punta de uian but note that what happened can also happen in other palces, even boracay. it's good practice to always know the nearest hospitals and emergency contact numbers for incidents like this. the beach of pundaquit is good for newbie surfing and so expect waves and riding the jet ski against a wave is really dangerous but there's really a lapse on punta de uian's management (i don't know why you singled out Pililla, yes I know the place, but it's unfair to other people living there)...hope your husband's ok now. take care
At Jan 1, 2011, 7:00:00 AM, don said...: I was thinking of having my wedding here. What would be your views and thoughts on that and do you know any others who have had their wedding at this resort.
At Apr 4, 2011, 10:19:00 AM, Anonymous said...: i love this place! who can help me to have a reservation here??
At May 17, 2011, 9:28:00 PM, Anonymous said...: How much is the entrance fee?

Review: Punta de Uian Resort in San Antonio, Zambales

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