Patar Beach at dusk, calm turquoise water along a long curve of golden sand, with the sky over the West Philippine Sea turning rose and amber.

a beautiful escape

About the area

Veue Beach Cabins sits at the western tip of the Bolinao peninsula, surrounded by some of the more interesting things to see in Northern Luzon. Caves, waterfalls, a 1903 lighthouse, mangroves, an old stone church, and over a hundred islands, most of them an easy drive from the cabin.

Most attractions are easy to visit on your own, just drive there using Google Maps or Waze and pay the small entrance fee at the gate. Browse the gallery below for the ones worth your time, with descriptions and map links on each.

Staying at Veue? See our cabins or reserve your stay .

Patar & Bolinao

Where to go, what to see

Drive-time order, closest first. Click any photo for the full description and a Google Maps link.

A close view of golden Patar sand under clear shallow water, with small ripples picking up the light.

Golden Sand & Crystal Clear Water

The sand has its own colour, you have to step on it.

Bolinao Falls 1, the larger waterfall, dropping over a high cliff into a deep, dark basin.

Bolinao Falls 1

The bigger of the twins, with a ledge for jumpers.

An aerial view of Hundred Islands National Park, dozens of small green-topped limestone islets scattered across pale turquoise water.

Hundred Islands National Park

The day trip, 124 limestone islands an hour east.

A long bamboo raft restaurant on the Balingasay River, surrounded by green mangroves on both banks.

Balingasay River

A slow bamboo-raft lunch up one of the cleanest rivers in the country.

A long, empty stretch of Patar shoreline at low tide, the wet sand reflecting the sky.

Explore the Shoreline

An early morning walk along a long, clear stretch.

The Cape Bolinao Lighthouse, a tall white masonry tower standing on the high ground above Patar, with the sea behind it.

Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

Built in 1903, the second-tallest tower in the country.

The mouth of one of the Bolinao caves, with shallow spring water lit by daylight filtering through the opening.

Caves of Bolinao

Three spring-fed caves on the road back from Patar.

A guest mid-air cliff-jumping from a limestone ledge into the deep blue water off Polipol Island, Bani.

Polipol Island

Cliff jumping into deep water off a small limestone island in Bani.

A wide cascade of Bolinao Falls 2 spilling over a rock face into a clear, shallow basin surrounded by green forest.

Bolinao Falls 2

A wide, quiet cascade that runs all year.

Swimmers floating in the clear, cool pool at the base of Bolinao Falls.

Swimming in Bolinao Falls

Cool spring water at the base of the falls.

The dark-stone facade of Saint James the Great Parish Church in Bolinao, with its bell tower set against a bright sky.

Bolinao Church

Saint James the Great, built in 1609 of black coral stone.

A wide view of the Bolinao Public Market, with fresh fish on ice in the front and labelled fruit stands behind, including bangus, mango, watermelon, and banana.

Wet Market

Fresh catch from the gulf, dried fish and binungey for pasalubong.

A cluster of giant clams resting on the sea floor at the Silaki Island ocean nursery in Bolinao, their fluted mantles a vivid blue and green.

UP Marine Science Institute

The giant clam ocean nursery on Silaki Island.

A wide sunset over the West Philippine Sea seen from the Patar shoreline, the sky in long bands of pink and amber.

Bolinao Sunsets

Day after day, the show is right outside your cabin.

Limestone rock formations exposed at low tide along Patar Beach, with dramatic shapes left behind by the retreating sea.

Rock Formations

Limestone shapes the tide reveals from September on.

Calm, clear water lapping against the golden sand of Patar Beach, with the West Philippine Sea stretching to the horizon.

Beach Swimming

Long stretches of golden sand and calm water.

Small waves rolling onto the shore at Patar Beach, the sound and motion the central feature of the scene.

Relaxing Waves

The sound at the front of the property is the sea.

A pair of low chairs in the shade at the edge of Patar Beach, set up for an afternoon of doing nothing.

Hangout by the Beach

Doing nothing well, with a chair ready in the shade.

A small, empty cove with pale sand and clear water, the kind of beach you reach by walking or by boat.

Secluded Beaches

Smaller coves further along the coast, easy to walk to.

The Zambales mountain range seen from the road into Patar, low green ridges against a hazy sky.

Zambales Mountains

The range that frames the drive from Manila, on the coast road.

An open road winding north through fields and palm groves on the way to Patar Beach.

Road Trip

Five to six hours from Manila, and the drive is part of it.

A quiet backroad in Bolinao threading between coconut palms and low farmland, the kind of road you take on a bike.

Trails and Backroads

Quiet, shaded loops through the farms behind the property.

A wide view of the Pangasinan coastline, sand and surf reaching to the horizon.

Explore Pangasinan

The short version of a longer guide. Ask MJ for the PDF.