Thunderbird Resorts | Poro Point | Around and About

Past the reception area and the restaurants are the stairs that leads to the swimming pools. On the right side is an area i'd like to call the "kiddie station". You'll find a kiddie pool, a swing, kiddie slides and a trampoline. Its perfect for parents who would like to bring their kids to this vacation. The kiddie station will keep them busy while mommy and daddy are relaxing as well. On the other side of the kiddie station is a huge infinity pool with the waterfalls, bridge, and mini bar. Its surrounded with coconut trees and chairs. I don't know why but there we were the only guests on the pool that afternoon. We felt so lucky for having the pool all for ourselves.

Swimming Pool in the afternoon

Swimming Pool by night time

"Kiddie Station"

After a while, we took a walk around the resort to check out its other amenities. Its a short walk since there isn't much to see. There's a jogging path at the boardwalk with several sheds where you can just hang out and relax. Beyond the boardwalk is a basketball court and a mini stadium. There's also a badminton court near the pool area but I have no idea if they provide sports equipments for guests. We weren't able to visit The Cliffs Golf and Beach Club where, from what i've heard, you'll a golf course and a beach. Both weren't very appealing so we just decided to stay at the pool. 

mini-stadium 

View of the Resort

Green fields and the Boardwalk

Infinity Pool

There are 3 restaurant options in the resort but all of them have the same menu. Its just a matter of choosing the ambiance you like while eating. If you're having so much fun swimming at the pool and never ever wanna leave, you may request for a menu and have them served at the Pool Bar. If you want a more intimate dining experience, then the Olive Restaurant is your best choice. It claims to be the only fine dining restaurant in Ilocos Region and North Luzon. They also offer a dinner buffet for Php700 per person. But the food choices are very limited and plain so we decided to pass. On the other side of the hotel lobby is the Patio Santorini, our restaurant of choice. Its actually a bar with a live band to entertain the guests. There are additional food choices that are a bit cheaper than those offered in the original menu. 

Pool Bar

For our dinner, we ordered the Blue Cheese & Mozzarella Penne Pasta and the Seafood Medley which consists of shrimp, tuna, salmon and scallops served with mashed potato and vegetables. Whew! Both dishes are good for two persons but the waiters said its only good for one. As a consequence, we had a lot of leftovers. (Sayang!) But we enjoyed the food very much. We were so full already but I still wanted to order a cake because it was still my boyfriend's birthday then. The desserts are served with a choice of tea or coffee. Their black forest cake wasn't anything special, and so is the coffee. Our total bill for this meal was around Php1700++. 

The next day, we had a wake up call from the receptionist to remind us that the breakfast buffet is only until 10am. So we went to the Olive Restaurant and found it half full with hotel guests. The food was surprisingly good, the beef tapas were my favorite. I especially liked the drinks station because they serve cold chocolate milk and watermelon juice. I tried a little bit of everything. We also met the head chef when he visited the restaurant, probably checking the food trays that weren't eaten. Shortly after, we checked out of our room and collected the remains of our deposit. 

Overall, it was a great experience. The resort is easy to locate, rooms look good, food is delicious, pool is huge and most importantly, its not crowded! Though I must admit that I expected a lot more from this resort. But then again, its not really that expensive and based on the constructions everywhere, its still under development stage. It would probably look a lot better once its completed. I'd recommend this place to families, friends or couples who are visiting La Union. Its a great alternative for those who are not into surfing or for those who just want to relax. The beautiful Santorini of the North has made its mark as a must-see place on this side of the country. 

Thunderbird Resorts - Poro Point 
Poro Point Freeport Zone, San Fernando City, La Union, Philippines
http://www.thunderbird-asia.com/resorts/poro-point

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Thunderbird Resorts | Poro Point | Touchdown

Upon arriving at Thunderbird Resorts Poro Point, we were welcomed by the beautiful white structures and luscious green field. We paused for a moment to let the wonderful sight sink in. But that was a very brief pause because we were already very excited to see everything the resort has to offer. 

There are lots of free parking near the main building. There aren't many guests then but i think all that parking space is enough even if the hotel rooms are fully booked. The fact that its just beside the hotel rooms is very convenient too. We were able to sneak-in our own snacks and drinks easily. 

You'll immediately feel the greek vibe once you enter the hotel lobby. They have modern furnitures that might look familiar if you saw the movie "No Other Woman".  The signature painting inside the blue dome looks a lot better in real life than in pictures. There's also an office room that showcases the Athena Villas for sale within the resort.

Our hotel booking was made through Sulit Travel and Tours. All we had to do was give our desired travel dates to them and everything was set. When we arrived at the reception, they immediately confirmed our reservation, made us fill up some papers and then they gave us a key to our room. They also asked for a deposit of Php2000. Then we were given our welcome drinks that had a weird ginger and pandan taste. Definitely not my favorite drink. I was hoping they'd offer us a tour around the resort but they didn't. :( 

The initial room that they gave us is on the first floor of the North Wing, the one nearest to the reception area. I was glad that they gave us that room because I won't have to walk a lot. (Did I mention how much I hate walking?) We were starting to settle down when we realized that the room didn't have a refrigerator (and I really needed that for the drinks that we sneaked in.) So I immediately called the receptionist and in minutes we were assigned to a new room on the 2nd floor. The second room looked exactly the same as the first one except for the paintings on the walls, and of course, this one had a refrigerator. I was glad we were transferred to this room because it has a better view. 

The room is OK. We requested for a queen bed but they gave us a twin bed instead. My favorite part of the room is the balcony where you'll find a fantastic view of the garden and the ocean. There's a garden set by the balcony where you can sit and relax while enjoying the view. There's a 42-inch LCD TV with surround system and cable TV. The Wi-Fi connection is pretty decent for a hotel, just enough for Facebook and internet browsing. The room lighting is complicated as usual. There are lamps and switches everywhere. I'm really not a fan of those. The bathroom is huge. I personally like the huge mirrors and the VMV bath toiletries. There's also a large basket of bath essentials available. You don't need to bring anything else. Once our bags were settled in, we headed down the pool for an afternoon relaxation. 

More details on the resort amenities on my next post. :) 

Thunderbird Resorts - Poro Point 
Poro Point Freeport Zone, San Fernando City, La Union, Philippines
http://www.thunderbird-asia.com/resorts/poro-point

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