We went on a scheduled trip to Bolinao, Pangasinan on Easter Sunday. Bolinao, located on the farthest tip of Pangasinan, is embraced by the Lingayen Gulf and the West Philippine Sea. The trip itself to Bolinao provided breathtaking views of Sual, Alaminos and Bani. We had reserved weeks before at the Treasures of Bolinao, a resort situated at the farthest part of the beach stretch of Bolinao and very near the historical Cape Bolinao Lighthouse.
The Expectation
Although we paid a good 10K for two rooms, I didn't really put my expectations high on this resort. Bordered by the West Philippine Sea at the north and west, Lingayen Gulf at the east, and some mountains in Bani at the south, I figured that cellphone signals, broadband, cable tv would be close to non-existent. But hey, we went there to get a respite from our everyday lives so going back to basics is actually a welcome thing.
The Room
The room we stayed in (called New Villa) was relatively good. The two double beds are comfortable. The air conditioning was excellent. The toilet and shower was spacious but there was no heater. There was no refrigeration. There was also no place to put your clothes (clean or dirty) unless you want them to get wet by hanging them on the shower curtain rod while you take a shower or you totally forget about hygiene by placing them on top of the toilet bowl, toilet sink or even the toilet floor. However, I can totally do without these as the weather was hot (no need for heater), we didn't bring any perishable food and I can easily shake off the water on my body after the shower (like what dogs do), open the shower door and get the towel and clothes in the main room area.
There is also a tv in the room and as expected there's nothing you can watch (cable or non-cable). However, there is a dvd player and you can borrow DVDs from the office. The selection is limited though and some of the titles are missing. This is not surprising since even though they ask you to leave an ID when borrowing DVDs (up to 4 titles at a time) they don't list down what you borrowed. (
Note to management: A simple logbook will do the trick here.)
The Beach
Simply put: the beach is great. During our stay, the waves were relatively strong and we had fun as we waited for waves after waves hitting the pristine white beach. During low tides, you can go to rock formations and watch as small fishes come out. To me, the beach was the "glorious" factor to this vacation. As my wife would say, seeing the expanse and might of the sea, one would find it hard not to be humbled as you realize your smallness in the grander scheme of things.
The Food
Remember - I was willing to go back to basics. No tv, no ref, no cellphone signal, no wifi, no heater are totally ok. I can even go to the extent of no air conditioning or even no electricity. But food I think is basic.
We went to the resort restaurant (if you can call it that) at around 6:30 in the evening. We were so famished after a day of swimming. I even joked that I could eat a kilo of seafood. Telltales of bad service became apparent as no one there greeted us. I mean there were staff walking around probably (to borrow the term) "Noynoying" around but you get the feeling that you are not welcome. We took our seats waiting for someone to give us a menu. I had to literally find a staff to ask for a menu. The staff went to the motions of finding a menu but apparently there was only one menu and it is being used by the the only other customer at that time. We asked the staff if what was available and the only answer we got was she didn't know because she was only an intern.
When we finally got the menu, the reason why the other customer took so long to order became apparent. First, the menu was poorly printed. It looks like it was printed on a printer whose ink was already on its last breath. (
Note to management: It would have been better if the menu was handwritten. It would have given the impression of personal touch). Second, although the menu offers a wide range of dishes, it seems that everything we order was not available. We were told no seafood was available. Not even bangus! For chicken, there was only fried chicken. Not even chicken adobo was available. On hindsight, I could have volunteered to cook adobo myself which was far easier than cooking fried chicken. Third, the food was a bit pricey (imagine paying 500 pesos for a small whole fried chicken and 35 pesos for each cup of rice). Actually, I could have lived with the price (as we were really hungry) but they should be able to deliver at the very least.
Exasperated, we just decided to go back to our rooms to eat whatever bread and instant cup noodles we brought. However, we still decided to order the fried chicken and pancit canton (I honestly expected getting a cooked Lucky Me here - goodness it wasn't). To be fair, the fried chicken and pancit canton was delicious - comparable to something you get from Max's.
We went to Ray Reyes, the general manager, and suprisingly he was not surprised on our comment about the restaurant. There were similar complaints about the food service (
Note to management: Read TripAdvisor.Com). He told us that the kitchen was fully stocked and was bewildered by the unavailability of seafood. After a few minutes, the staff who "took our order" came to our room to apologize and she said that yellow fin tuna, squid and tilapia are available. (Still no bangus though).
The Service
The staff were generally nice but it seems they don't know what customer service is about. This is probably because most of the "staff" are just interns who are probably underpaid (if paid at all). During our 24-hour stay there, I have heard at least 3 apologies by "staff" to customers. All of them say they were just interns.
Some highlights of quotable quotes and funny events to highlight the service:
1. DVD Rental
Me: "Ito lang yung mga meron."
Staff: "Oo sir. Nakakainis nga e. Ayaw bumili ng may ari ng bago."
Staff 1: "Nasaan ba yung volleyball?"
Staff 2: "Nandun sa huling humiram."
Other conversations by staff are along similar lines.
2. Restaurant
Wife: "Eto yung order namin sa breakfast"
(Wife enumerates 7 orders while staff "writes down" the order on a piece of paper)
Wife: "Ok na. Patingin ng order namin."
(Wife looks at the paper and sees nothing written there as the ballpen has no ink!)
(Overheard)
Man 1: "Pa-order ng ..."
Staff: "Sir, wala po"
Man 1: "Eto na lang ..."
Staff: "Wala din po"
Man 1: "E ano na lang ang meron kayo?"
(Overheard)
Probably after a similar experience of Man 1.
Man 2: "E hotdog meron kayo. Yun madali lang lutuin."
Staff: "Sige sir, itatanong ko."
What, not even a hotdog!
Staff: "Ma'am ano po room number nyo?"
Wife: "Binigay ko na dun sa kumuha ng order."
Staff: "A ganun po ba."
After one minute, staff goes back.
Staff: "Ma'am wala po daw."
Wife (not wanting a long argument, gives the room number): "Bahala kayo kung ma-doble ang order"
Staff: "Hindi po Ma'am"
Our orders arrived, we have eaten and the staff comes back with two plates of food.
Staff: "Ma'am, saan niyo po gusto kumain?"
I am sure we could have eaten another round of breakfast.
3. Check-Out
Me: "Eto na yung susi. Ok na ba?"
Staff: "Pa-check ko lang sir sa house keeping."
Me: "Ok."
After several minutes, staff comes back.
Staff (talking to another staff): "Nakakainis. Wala yung housekeeping. Di tuloy ma-check."
(then to me): "Sige, sir. Ok na."
I tell my wife about what happened and she told me that the housekeeping already checked the room even before I gave the keys to the front desk. Apparently, the housekeeping didn't coordinate with the front desk.
The Resurrection (aka suggestion to management)
This resort has so much potential. The location and the beach itself is already a big plus factor. If guests are already in the resort, they will surely look for food as the town proper is 20 kilometers away (rough roads on some parts). Based on the cars parked on the resort when we arrived, the guests are mostly upper class and families willing to pay hard-earned money to have a relaxing vacation. Even if the food is pricey, as long as they can deliver what's on the menu, people would be willing to pay. Nothing beats a growling stomach. If the restaurant can't handle a full menu, even a menu for the day with probably 5 types of viands will do. Buy a small blackboard and write the menu there for every guests to see. That way, they don't need to buy ink for printing several menus.
Also, training (or re-training) the staff can also go a long way. A simple smile and "good morning" to the guests will make them feel more welcomed. Walking around with eyes looking downward as they pass guests is not part of the manual for customer service.
A resurrection of sorts is needed to be done by the management if they want to get more satisfied guests. Thank you Bolinao for the wonderful beach. Sadly to say, if we ever come back to Bolinao for a vacation, we won't go back to Treasures of Bolinao unless the simple treasures I am looking for - good food, good service - are resurrected from it's current state.
