As a child, the beach has always been my playground. And as such, I have been or have been taken to a lot of the beaches the Philippines has to offer. Along the way I’ve developed my favorites and one of them if not THE one is a nice little beach in Bagac, Bataan: Montemar Beach Club.
The first time I saw Montemar, back in the late 90’s, the first thing I noticed was a total lack of Globe signal. Of course being in the late 90’s and in the middle of the teenager process, that was a very important aspect. But after I got over that disappointing first impression, I started to see that this place could be special.
Lights at the Resto
First of all, here’s some history. Montemar has been up since back in the 80’s. It just got a facelift in the mid 90’s because of new management who jumpstarted its resurgence. Montemar is a membership based beach club so as members we get coupons that basically give us 50% off twice a year. The thing is they expire so we have to use it sometime before the year ends which to me, is a good excuse to go to the beach at least twice a year. If you’re not a member you can still go as long as you have a member sponsor. You won’t get the discounts though.
The beach tents
Montemar has a lot of room for guests. For more on the details, visit their site here. If your going as a big group they have rooms with lofts (Gallery room) that have two extra beds aside from the king-sized they have as well as apartment style houses (executive suite) which have multiple rooms. Check out their site for the rates. Even if they say otherwise, you can fit 7-8 people comfortably in the room with a loft. We’ve tried it plenty of times. For couples or small families they also have standard 1 bed rooms (the deluxe rooms). All rooms have nice bathrooms and are air-conditioned.
Montemar also has 2 pools, the green pool. And the blue pool which is closer to the resto and the beach. The blue pool also has a bar in the middle complete with stools and a bartender/lifeguard. The resto serves continental as well as local food. Personla favorites are the Burger Maxx, the Bistek Tagalog, breaded porkchop and the three chees pizza. Pricing is ok for a beach resort and the servings, except for the pizza, are big enough to share. The quality is hit and miss but the aiters are nice so just ask them what the favorites are and trust that they will take care of you.
The blue pool with the bar
Of course the most important part of a beach resort is the beach itself and in Montemar, it doesn’t disappoint. The sand is fine and the water is clean and clear. The beach is massive, which is why a lot of companies go here for their team building. They have a beach volleyball court and an obstacle course as well as a host of available water sports including a jet-ski with a banana boat, kayaks, and water bicycles. You can also snorkel to the right of the cove where there are plenty of fish to be seen, although this is not their main attraction. On some day when the water cooperates, it’s also a perfect place to skimboard (this is where I taught myself). Plenty of beach tents and chairs are available so you can actually stay in the beach the whole day and have lunch brought to you from the resto.
with bitsy
Skimming
playing in the sand
Another thing worth mentioning is that Montemar is part of the pawikan conservation project. They have a conservation area near the beach where you can see baby turtles and some of the turtles they take care of. Periodically, they release baby turtles into the ocean and you guests can experience first hand letting the creatures out to the wild. It’s a pleasant experience, and it doesn’t hurt that the baby turtles are cute.
pawikan
As a boy I dreamed of having my own personal beach house where I can live for months at a time just playing with the water and living the life. At Montemar I don’t get to stay that long but it gives me the feeling of what I expect would be similar to having your own personal beach playground.
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