Alaminos, Pangasinan is four to five hours away from Manila. My friend and I rode a Victory Liner bus from Cubao Terminal. Our bus departed at 11:40pm, and arrived at around 4:00am.
I thought of getting to Alaminos as early as possible to maximize the entire day. But it was a wrong decision because the Hundred Islands National Park does not allow the boats to travel in the dark. We had to wait till 7 in the morning to set off.
Oh, make sure to buy your tickets in advance. Better be safe than sorry.
Be very aware of tricycle drivers in Alaminos who trick tourists! I had horrible experiences on the two out of two tricycles that I rode there. Don’t trust them. Always agree on a price before jumping in the tricycle. Even if you agreed on a price, look them in the eyes, and explicitly agree again.
My first bad experience was right when we arrived at the Alaminos Bus Terminal. A barker called us and we agreed on a Php 20 each for both people. So we quickly hopped on a tricycle that he led us to. When we arrived in Lucap Wharf, the driver was charging Php 60, plus an additional Php 20 for “backing because he said that it was too early to get passengers on his way back to the bus terminal. I didn’t want it to ruin my day so I just gave it to him after exchanging a few arguments.
My second bad experience was when we were back at the Alaminos Bus Terminal A tricycle driver approached us and said that there was an Public Utility Van (PUV), air-conditioned, that was going to Baguio for the same price of a non air-conditioned bus. Not wanting to be tricked again, I confirmed with the driver if he was sure about it, and he confidently said yes. So, we agreed that he take me and my friend for Php 20.
On our way to the terminal, he kindly insisted that he take us to a restaurant first for lunch. I asked him how much he would charge, but he said he would not. So we agreed. And finally, when he dropped us off the PUV terminal, we found out that the PUV’s fare was higher than the bus. What infuriated me the most was that he was asking for an additional tip because he waited for us in the restaurant.
He already tricked us with the wrong fare information, and still, he had the nerve to ask for an additional tip. He even offered to take us back to the bus terminal, but I had enough. I declined and decided to just walk back because I had a feeling that the bus terminal was just near, and the driver just drove us around in circles.) And yes—turned out that the Victory Liner Bus Terminal was just 300 meters straight away. Plot twist: I still gave him additional Php 20 before we parted ways. Yes, that was how peace-loving I was.
Camping out is the only option for visitors who want to spend the night in Hundred Islands National Park. Most tourists would normally stay at Quezon Island because it is the most developed one. It has toilets and food stalls in the area.
However, being the busiest island, Quezon Island had a rule that I did not like: no pitching of tents from 6AM to 6PM. Pitching of tents alongside the beach was only allowed when the daytime tourists leaves the island. However, the officer allowed us to pitch a tent on the cemented gazebo area which were frequented by less people.
The usual boat tour in Hundred Islands would consist of a 20-minute visit each to Quezon Island, Children’s Island and Governor’s Island. I read in the internet that some boatmen would agree to change the island at the same price, but our boatman did not agree. Well, at first he did, but when we were at the boat, he was now charging an additional. I suggest finding a recommended boatman over the internet if you want to avoid a trickster.
We finished the boat tour quickly, and stayed in Quezon Island for the rest of the day. It was a bad day for me that day because (not only did it rained heavily but) I was stung by a stonefish. My foot swelled up and it was the most excruciating pain I had in my life. I had to force my foot in a pail of hot water. We were forced to seek cover under the pavilion to avoid the damp sand and cement. I was sad that I did not get to fully enjoy the beachside camping experience for the rest of the night.
The sunrise in Quezon Island is worth waking up for. It would be a nice idea to go for an early dip or play in the sand.
From the Lucap Wharf Tourist Center, there was a person offering rental fees to a bunch island essentials such as life vests, snorkels, goggles, drinking water, utensils, cookwares and other camping necessities. We bought a 5 gallon purified drinking water container (the blue container with the gripo) for drinking, brushing and washing. Quezon Island do provide drums of fresh water for free, but the water could be a bit murky.
The Lucap Wharf Tourist Center also has a pretty decent pay restroom with shower room for a minimal fee of P5 or P10. This is where I took a shower after getting back from the island.
No need to worry about food in Quezon Island because it has sari-sari stores and mini food stalls that cooks food for its visitors. There was also a buko vendor for rehydrating under the sun. But as expected, the costs of food in the island was a bit pricey. We came in prepared and already had some canned goods with s from Manila.
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