The less paved road leads to paradise
I’ve always thought that it would take some time before our planned trip to Dasol Bay would push through. The remoteness of the place and the hours of long travel to a less familiar place is discouraging a lot of visitors but the feedback from those who have been there has been very positive.
Actually, a week before the Holy Week, we were scrambling to look for a decent resort to stay in Zambales when some people recommended Dasol in Pangasinan although the drawback is the rough road leading to the place. In addition, there were lots of pictures uploaded to prove the beauty of the place so we decided it was Dasol for the ultimate trip this vacation. We contacted the only beach resort in the stretch of Tambobong beach and unfortunately, it is fully booked this coming Holy Week. Instead they gave us the weekend before the Holy Week so we confirmed our reservations and prepared everything we needed.
We left at 6 in the morning from Pampanga and stopped for a rest in Camiling and in Alaminos. We were in Burgos by noontime, anticipating the less traveled road to Tambobong while looking closely at the map we printed. The map was a big help even though there were other landmarks that could give additional help in finding the place. As the road gets rougher, it indicates that you are entering the less populated plains of Dasol and into a semi-hidden paradise only a few have experienced.
To say that the road is rough can be treated as an exaggeration or an understatement, depending whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. The road to Tambobong from Burgos is almost 70% paved, and the remaining is filled with rocks and at some point bumpy. It is passable though, but when you see yourself imagining a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, that is when all sorts of anxiousness creep into your already troubled mind with no signs of life in the plains in front of you. Even the very long distance is making you think that you are lost in some secluded place far from any civilization with no idea on where to go.
After an hour of conquering the long, winding, and partly rough road, we arrived at our destination: Matabang Beach Resort in Caiman Cove, Brgy, Osmeña in Dasol, Pangasinan. The beach resort is located at the end of the stretch of Tambobong Beach if you are coming from Ilio Ilio road and from Burgos. It is at the start of Caiman Cove coming from the road from Dasol which is an alternate road but much rougher from what we have heard from locals. Matabang Beach Resort is the only resort in that stretch, but the entire Tambobong beach is open to the public.
Our restlessness inside a crowded, oversized vehicle under the scorching sun turned into awe as we finally reached the beach road. The almost halfday trip was worth it as we marveled on the beauty of the long stretch of white beach, crystal clear waters, and the calm waves within the cove which is enjoyable even for kids who are very much afraid of the unpredictable seas.
As much as I wanted to tell more about our stay in Dasol, I would leave it up to your imagination on whatever we did during our three days’ stay in this faraway, secluded, but accessible paradise North of Manila. As far as I can tell, there is little to say about Dasol except the word ‘paradise’ screaming loudly in my head.
