Villa Balinmanok: The Hidden Treasure of Pangasinan

Located in Dasol, Pangasinan, Villa Balinmanok is just the best place to relax and enjoy summer.  Unlike other tourist destination during summer, Villa Balinmanok is quiet and is not yet popular. It was just an accident when we were finding a place to stay at Tambobong Beach when we came across at Villa Balinmanok. After seeing the pictures of the place and reading some blog I convinced my sister to choose Villa Balinmanok. 

Villa Balinmanok is not a hotel type resort, so don't expect a wi-fi, air condition room. Its a normal house with three rooms wherein guests can stay. Guests have an option to rent just a room or the whole house. Aside from the house they also have cottages near the beach.Guests can bring their food or ask the staff to cook food for them. Since Villa Balinmanok is far from the market, it is advisable that guests should bring their food or buy foods that they can cook before heading to the resort.

The sand at Villa Balinmanok is not as white and powdery like those of Boracay or Palawan but its not that bad. The sand feels soft on your feet and the water is clear. The staff said that the water is much clearer during early summer. The sea is not calm since we went at the last week of May and rainy season is making its way. We can hear how the waves hit the large rock formations on the place. I think all of these make the place more beautiful because it has that natural appeal. 


Villa Balinmanok is divided into three section. First is the beach front which is where most of their guests stay. This is also where you can see the swing and the raft. The beach front have two cottages and a hut which is slightly atop of the mountain. On the left side is a place they called Jacuzzi because of the holes on the ground. The place is a five minute walk from the resort. The place is beautiful in the afternoon because even if you cannot see the sunset, the sea still reflects the red-orange color of the sun. The staff of the resort recommends that we should visit the place in the morning to watch the sunrise. Although you cannot swim on this part of the resort because of the large waves you can still enjoy it because of its natural beauty. The third section of the place is the beach where you can see the shipwreck. Actually, the shipwreck is one of the deciding factor why we chose Villa Balinmanok. The shipwreck is approximately 50 meters away from the shore hence you cannot have a closer look to it unless you rent a boat to get near it. 

Over all, Villa Balinmanok is a great place to stay and spend a summer vacation because of its natural beauty, quiet and relaxing place. It's a place less traveled and less talked about but a place with its own distinct beauty.

You may want to check my previous blog: Alchemy: The Place Less Traveled to get information on how to get to Villa Balinmanok.

The Place Less Traveled

This is a trip one year in the making due to differences in schedules and unexpected events. Since last year we've been planning this trip but something always hinder us to push through. At last, it will finally come true. we are going to Balinmanok in Dasol, Pangasinan. We were supposed to take the 6:30am bus going to Alaminos but unfortunately we woke up at 5:30am hence we were only able to leave the bus terminal at 8:30am. We know that it will be a long trip but we never expect that it will be that loooooong.

After four hours of trip I started to get bored and hungry fortunately we have some bread and crackers. The photo on the left is a farm in Camiling, Tarlac. I never though that the trip from Tarlac to Pangasinan will be that long. I can't sleep and I have already stopped listening to my playlist. 

We were able to reach Alaminos terminal at around 1:30pm. We took our late lunch at the nearest Mc Donalds. After lunch, we went back to the bus terminal to wait for a bus with a Sta. Cruz signboard then our drop-off is at Burgos Market. We were informed by the locals that the bus going to Burgos Market arrives every 15 mins. We've waited for almost 15mins when the bus arrived. Unfortunately its a non-air-condition bus and there is only few seats left. My sister was able to get a seat while I have to stand. Luckily the guy on the nearest seat went off the bus so I wasn't seating the whole travel. From the bus terminal to Burgos market it took us about 30 mins.

When we arrived at Burgos Market, a tricycle driver immediately approached us and asked our destination. He offered to take us at Villa Balinmanok at P300. We accepted the offer since we already want to reach the resort and the price is the same as what we got from other blogs and what the resort owner said. At first the road going to the resort is smooth and cemented. You will pass by farms and residential houses however on the middle of the trip you have to take the rough road. Aside from its not cemented, the road is also narrow and there are times that the road is going up. 

When we reached the entrance of the Villa we thought that the road will be smooth but that is not the case. The road is still not cemented and it's quite far from the resort. When we saw the beach, our disappointment on the road was erased. We were filled with the excitement to explore the place.

a view going to Villa Balinmanok

The road inside Villa Balinmanok

The Beach of Villa Balinmanok

Below is the cost of our travel going to Balinmanok

Bus (Victory Liner Cubao) - P393/person
Bus (Victory Liner Alaminos to Burgos Market)  - P30/person
Tricycle (Burgos Market to Villa Balinmanok) - P300

Total Cost -  P723.00

Travel Time
Cubao to Alaminos - 5 hrs
Alaminos to Burgos Market - 30 mins
Burgos Market to Villa Balinmanok - 1 hr

Total Travel Time - approximately 7hrs