Hannah's Beach Resort, Pagudpud

Happy and blessed New Year to all!

I was on the verge of ending this blog last year because my life as a working mom hinders me from posting as often as I want to but then I remember why I started Pixels for Four. I wanted to chronicle our stay here in Saudi Arabia as a family and someday look back to those moments with pride. So here I am. I don't have the almost mandatory year-ender post for bloggers because it would be unfair to post pictures of places I haven't fully told you about. Believe me, they are a handful. But what I have is still the desire to have our experiences archived like our trip to Baher Villas in Al Khobar which is the most popular post here.

So let's add one to that archive. I know I already ended my Ilocos provinces posts. But I would deprive this blog another worthy post by excluding our stay in Hannah's Beach Resort. Though our stay was short and the rate we paid was too much for a night till afternoon the following day stay -  we had a good time. But as usual, I wouldn't post only the good ones about it. I would just tell you the truth, which I always do here.

We checked in past 7PM and because we were tired, sleepy and hungry, we wanted to get rooms as quickly as we can. When the male front desk clerk presented the room rates, we agreed that they were way too expensive for a night stay. Or even if you add another three hours or so which we did, it was still expensive. The clerk, though he heard that we were having a hard time deciding which rooms to take, didn't even give suggestions. We ended up taking the family suite which we shared with another family of three.

The room was big enough that we didn't bump into each other. The designer in me wanted to rebel against the bedsheets' designs that do not complement with the curtains' but the tourist in me decided to just let it be. Aside from the two beds, there was a long sofa which Fred insisted on sleeping in but later on changed his mind because the other bed can fit all four of us.

I suggest you check the rooms first before you pay. Do not choose the adjoining family suite/s. We could hear our friends from the other room because the only things that separated our rooms were the wall and a locked door which was blocked by a refrigerator. If you would try your best to peek and get a good glimpse of what's on the other side, you wouldn't be disappointed. It didn't matter that we overheard each other because we're friends, but if you're traveling as a family and are not in a group, and you value privacy, go check out the other room options.

I didn't expect that there would be two boxes of toiletries for guests because since this is a beach resort, guests usually bring their own. But I'm glad it was provided. Each box contains a toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, a small soap, shampoo and conditioner in cute dispensers and a face towel. The toilet is big enough to accommodate two people, one taking a shower and the other, washing the clothes in the sink. Yes, we washed our clothes because we were confident enough that they would be dry by the time we wake up. We asked the staff in charge of our rooms for clothes hangers and this is what I really liked: they were handed to us in less than three minutes!

We didn't eat at the resort's restaurant because it looked expensive. We already spent way above our budget for the accommodation so we had to scrimp on food. But it was the wisest decision we've made during our stay. The food at a nearby restaurant was affordable and the dishes were so appetizing that I ate too much. Again.

There was no internet connection in our room. But we didn't mind it, again. We were too tired from all our commute from Ilocos Sur to Ilocos Norte, the walking we did the whole day, and the night swimming which relaxed our bodies a bit. But if you really want a wifi connection, you would have to go to the reception area, ask for the password, and stay there. The internet connection only works there. Sad.

As I've told you here, if you like to have your pictures taken with life-size or oversized movie character cast figures, you would enjoy Hannah's Beach Resort's Theme Park.

We enjoyed our stay there in Hannah's Beach Resort. The staff was nice and they greeted us whenever they meet us - but the front desk clerk assigned on the night we checked in wasn't too accommodating. The place was clean. We didn't check the convention center because we came there to rest and swim so I can't tell you how it looks like. The beach was perfect, although the waves were too strong for kids to wallow.

Would we recommend it to friends? Yes! Would we check in there again? No. We might try homestays or the other resorts next time.

Entrance: Adult - P100
Children - P50
Use of Swimming Pool - P200
For room rates and location, visit their website.