The first time I visited the town of Pasacao in Camarines Sur was in 2009. I was too busy catching with my then little, fat Brad so taking pictures wasn’t really something I intended to do but enjoy the eldest son’s first swimming experience. The memories from that day are still vivid in my memory. This was one of the few summer getaways where full immersion of myself in the family is the very purpose—not documentation through photos. I’d talked about that in this writeup: “The Kind of Miracle I Received From The Lady of Manaoag”. Also, I wasn’t that active yet in the blogosphere at the time.
Then Philippine tourism bandwagon went full speed thereafter to promote the country’s new campaign slogan: #itsmorefuninthephilippines (from 2012 onwards).
As I gravitated towards mainstream destinations and mountains for the most part of the endeavor, I’d forgotten about Pasacao even when I already started opting for the lesser-known tourist attractions’ promotion in 2015, after I chanced upon and became enamored of Bagolatao’s White Pebble’s Beach. I felt like I contributed to the neglect of this coastal town in Camarines Sur—tourism wise.
Thank God 2022 came and my ever reliable travel buddy recommended one of her accidental good friends’ holiday center in Pasacao called “Sariana Beach Resort Gate 6”. The deal was sealed after knowing that we were given a 50% discount for an overnight stay.
We then shared the news with the boys. A shout of joy instantly filled the Western middle bungalow of Sulcis Street in Cararayan. Beaches excite them as they do us. It must be my or her influence but whichever…I’m glad they like this kind of place as much as we do.
The only thing that worried us was the uncertainty of a good weather by that time as wet season was then on. Whenever this happens, what I’ve been doing is to assure that as long I’m with them, the sun is gonna come up uncovered. Coincidence may be the explanation but there’s never an outing where we got soaked all throughout. Papa’s got an agate to control the weather.
So here’s what happened on our way to Brgy. Caranan in Pasacao on 19 August 2022…it rained halfway through 😊 but the sun was piercing all over the place upon arrival at the resort’s entry point in the afternoon.
We have the continuously advancing technology to thank for smoother and faster connections in cases like this where locating which gate to head to no longer requires a lot of time and effort.
We were greeted with a long stretch of fine black and white sand; a blue sky with neat, thin feathers; and a quiet (from people’s noise) environment while go-to destinations in the Visayas were hosting hordes of visitors even at this time of the year. (Boracay is waving.) I’d choose this in a jiffy.
Sariana Beach Resort is one of the nearest, cheapest, and decent weekend getaway destinations in Camarines Sur (i.e., from Naga City). Distance from the city is approximately 25 kilometers.
A cool breeze blows from the southeast while the ocean disperses a light mist of salty air as we were walking towards our beach house for the next 24 hours. I always consider the unison of those natural phenomena a panacea that I need to take every once in a while.
I also couldn’t help but notice the glistening of black and white sand softly splashing on our legs on every tread through Gate 6. There’s some kind of novelty in it that got me transported to my childhood days, appreciating small things to say the least.
A few minutes later, a sparkling azure water occupied the sight in front of us. We rushed to the nipa hut near the beach house and rested for a few minutes before attending to the paperwork.
The gushing of the ocean waves was soothing to the mind, body, and soul. It was like listening to a gospel in church. This was followed by filling our sacs with travel buddy’s sumptuous packed foods. Is there anything more satisfying than this in that moment?
We spent a few hours waiting for the sun to go down. During that period, there seemed to be no adults inside the nipa hut but just two teens and kids at heart who lounged around and watched the nature’s bounty and magic around come into play.
Looking up the blue sky, the yellow orb emitted ray upon ray of a blazing heat down to the coastline and every space within its reach. A feint patch can be spotted like a flat silver ice on top of a tropical sea water in the distance.
Once again, I felt the sea breeze rustling, obliterating daytime warmth. and lulling us to sleep. That was such a peaceful and melodic nature treat.
There’s nothing like a nap from the hugs of the sea breeze.
As soon as the sun descended in the distance, we all zoomed off to freshness of the newly cleared briny water of Sariana Beach. Thanks to the waves that pulled the few visible trash out earlier in the afternoon.
We swam in the clearest part of the beach. It was so pristine and clear that anyone in it could immediately regain a sense of clarity. I heard nothing but human chortles.
Frolicking on the beach with these three is always a moment to freeze and save in the memory card.
Everything was falling into place except this one thing: watching the full glory of a sunset at the beach. It was too cloudy from the golden hour until the gloaming. It was okay with me because the most important thing was it shouldn’t rain until the next day.
All in all, I felt satisfied about how daytime transpired. Nature did grant more than what I had asked for, I must say.
Soon, the sun completely disappeared below the horizon and darkness fell gracefully with the blue sky being replaced with a roof of celestial gems. Then my thoughts “time travelled” to the night I was writing the blog post “Bagolatao Trilogy’s Part 2: Stargazing By The Beach“. It was a night worthy to be considered another one for the books.
What made the difference though between this and that one we spent in Bagolatao was the presence of a row of light bulbs at the beach. There’s something captivating about it that made me feel happier. It added some form of aesthetic that’s new to me.
On a side note, travel buddy and I had another great catch-up time. Talking under the night sky married with the sound of small waves breaking gently on the shore, there’s no chance for an argument to crop up but a peaceful discussion from start to finish. I think the ocean vibe has something to do about our calmer behavior whenever we’re at the beach, even if were drinking beer by the beach during that night. And that’s the reason why we do this on a regular basis. It was the perfect way to cap the night off.
We woke up the following day a bit late but refreshed and relaxed still, given the rejuvenating magic of nature at the beach.
Opening the window, this view greeted the senses…you can’t go wrong with this.
How I wish we have a house in this area in times like this.
We spent a few minutes at the kitchen for the breaky before I and the teens went for the morning swim. The weather was especially hot on a supposed rainy season day. This means one thing for travel buddy: no to swimming 😊 but yes to being the photographer. We couldn’t say no to the calm rhythm of the seductive water in front of the house just yet especially upon noticing the sand free of any footprint.
After 3 hours, we had to rinse off at the showers. Of course, this is something we should never forget because the skin exposed to a different mix of organisms, salt levels, water from different tributaries.
We left Sariana Beach Resort (Gate 6) by lunchtime with a light heart for all the good reasons. Ultimately, because there’s nothing more memorable and meaningful than a vacation with family. Quality time at its best! I mean who wouldn’t feel this way in and with a place like this?
Thank you to Ms. Nerisa Bombase, Sariana Beach Resort Gate 6’s owner, for making us realize this yet another fantastic family vacation. Also, to the attentive-to-details manager and caretaker of the resort’s beautiful beach houses: Erwin.
For reservations purposes, contact the owner at mobile number +639497030604.
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