PUEBLO POR LA PLAYA, Pagbilao: Stylish Living in a Mexican-Inspired Beach Resort

Spending your vacation in an exclusive membership resort where you are not a member can be difficult to pull off unless you know the right buttons to push and strings to pull.  Pagbilao, Quezon may not be known for a beautiful sunset unlike Manila, with its world class sunset by the bay,  but in Pueblo por la Playa, waking up to be greeted by a sunrise radiating a kaleidoscope of colors is a spectacle you will truly cherish.

  

It all started when I was looking for a place to spend our office outing that I thought of Pagbilao, Quezon.  The first time I was in Pagbilao was on a private island owned by the real estate magnate, the Hon. Benito Soliven who incidentally is the developer of the subdivision where I grew up. I had just recently graduated from college and luckily found myself in the company of my neighbors who were close to the Solivens.  So I thought, why not Pagbilao? The sea was very clean then, so I think this place is worth visiting again, but this time in an exclusive beach resort called "Pueblo por la Playa".

  

Every time I search for a place, I always start by hovering over potential places in Google Earth.  If a place is already tagged in Google Earth, there will definitely be more data and pictures once you do further research.  Initially, a satellite view of the place can give you an idea if the beach has a white sand coastline, how long  the coast is, if it is secluded or near communities and accessible by roads. All of these criteria were met by the Pueblo except for one thing:the place is exclusive for members only! And the bummer part is: None of us are members!

Not easily willing to give up, I scheduled an ocular visit together with Malen and check the place out with of course the hope that the management would be willing to forego the membership and allow us to spend an overnight stay in the resort. When we arrived at the place, we were already impressed with the facilities and the surrounding environment.  Just the same as what we've seen in the internet, the place is Mexican-inspired with abodes bearing the typical Mexican architecture complemented with an array of bright colors.  The swimming pool is awesome and so cool to stare at that it creates an inviting feeling to really motivate us to push for this place.  

This is the main clubhouse and reception area.  We were cordially greeted by the resort manager who was very friendly and accommodating. After a pleasant exchange of introduction, we explained our purpose of the visit and expressed our intention to spend a vacation in the resort. We also honestly admitted that we don't have a membership but we do work for a prestigious university. After a brief moment, the hotel manager advised us that it is still possible to stay overnight and enjoy the resort upon applying and asking permission from the board of directors.  We readily agreed and submitted our written intention.  After a day or two, our request was granted by the board and we were on our way to an awesome vacation in Pueblo por la Playa.

The view of the beach from the pool area is very enticing to the eyes that we didn't waste time to check it out.  Up close the white sand really did enhanced the place but I kinda doubt if the sand is authentically natural there or was just artificially introduced to create a white sand beach.  However, I was a little bit disappointed with the water because it was a little brackish and my expectation of a crystal clear water was doused off because the water was never inviting at all.  But posing for pictures with a white sand beach background was fun because it gave a beautiful summer effect captured on photo.

When we were ushered to our room, I went out to the balcony to see the view from upstairs and this is what greeted me! A scenic poolside view with a greenery and beach background that will really unleash the stress from a long drive and make you while the time away in blissful solace!

What would really complemented with the seaview and the giant infinity pool is the bedroom!  The moment we saw the bed, our jaw dropped in excitement!  This was not the usual bed you will encounter in any ordinary beach resort! This is living in ultimate opulence!  Malen was so excited that she immediately threw herself on the bed and struck a pose for all eternity to remember!  That was an awesome moment indeed!  And we were not even sleeping in it yet!

Well, we wouldn't want to spend all the time in the room so we decided to have a stroll around the resort and check their other amenities that we can avail.  In the reception area, they have a bulletin board where pictures of previous guests were posted and we found out that the popular weekly sitcom in GMA-7 "Bubble Gang" made an episode right here in the Pueblo.  Seeing the pictures of celebrities enjoying the place made us feel that this resort is really for the privileged ones and we were very happy to have the privilege to stay here as well.  It is not everyday that a giant network will choose a place like this, but here we are, in the very same place Ogie, Michael and the other casts of Bubble Gang spent a wonderful and happy moment.

There are also other activities aside from swimming, such as these mountain bikes right here, where you can go pedaling around the resort and see all the different kinds of Mexican abodes and other attractions around the resort.

They also have fishing rods for fishing enthusiasts who are always on the go just to catch fish.  However, you have to pay for whatever you catch and for an additional fee, you can have your catch cooked any way you prefer it.

In all of the attractions of the Pueblo, the infinity swimming pool is still the centerpiece attraction with its crystal clear water reflecting the blue tiles of the bottom and the surprisingly warm water heated by the summer sun.  Later in the afternoon, when it will be a little cooler to come out in the open, we will be taking a dip in the pool until the evening before dinner.  Swimming in the pool is probably the highlight of our vacation in this dream resort.

The beach is still great despite the brackish water.  It can cater a large party with its wide stretch of white sand dotted by coconuts by the side.  One can really enjoy the ambiance of a seaside event and can even be a very romantic and memorable experience in your life.

When evening fell in the peaceful Pueblo, we went to the main dining hall to have a dinner which was smorgasbord style and definitely had more than our usual fill.  After dinner we washed down the food with a very refreshing cool glass of pineapple juice.  The next day will be another day of fun activities for us.

We woke up early in the morning to catch the stillness of the water and what greeted us was a spectacular daybreak as it reflects its kaleidoscope of colors in the blue waters of the pool.  I didn't miss this opportunity to capture my signature pose with my favorite guitar to embed it in the annals of my autobography.

We then proceeded to the beach where I took the chance to practice my golf swing.  It's been a while since I last played golf and I hope that in the coming vacation I will be able to trade swings with my Dad on the actual fairway.

After eating breakfast the first thing we did was try our dinghy at sea.  No one was swimming at the beach so I had the water all for myself and just paddled to my heart's delight.  Paddling an inflatable raft like this actually easy and fun.  I am planning if I can used this raft when we go on whitewater rafting in the Magdalena river in the future.

The swimming pool was not spared from my childish desires of paddling an inflatable raft in the pool.  I didn't only have one raft to enjoy my time in the water but two to make it really fun!  It's a good way of beating the heat!

The vacation at the Pueblo por la Playa was really worth the long trip to Pagbilao, Quezon.  Having the opportunity to stay in an exclusive resort makes you enjoy a carefree, no-crowded resort that everyone really desires. Open public resorts are cheap indeed but they will not assure its guests that the place won't be crowded.  You just have to live with the crowd and the noise of many unruly and rowdy, drunk guests shouting the night away while singing the videoke until the wee hours of the morning.

We may never had the chance to return to this wonderful place because of its exclusivity so we really maximized our stay here.  Maybe in the near future when things get better financially for us, we will come back to this place and have the grandest time of our lives!