A Quick Tour of Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

One of the tourist destinations of Bolinao is the Cape Bolinao Lighthouse. We made sure to visit the place after checking out since it is just a few meters away from the resort.

By the way, this is the third installment of our family summer getaway this year. If you haven’t read the first two, check it here and here.

The lighthouse can be seen from the resort as well. It was fascinating to watch it light up the night before while I was on the roof deck. It was my first time to see a real lighthouse and one that works, too.

The place is not very large. There were a couple of ruins beside the lighthouse and trees on one side. But it has a great view of the ocean.

The road going up to the lighthouse is a bit uphill. There’s a parking area, too, beside the entrance. And there are a few souvenir shops where you can buy trinkets and shirts for pasalubong. Make sure to bring a bottle of water with you when you go there as it gets very hot during midday.

Cape Bolinao Lighthouse

Cape Bolinao Lighthouse is one of the must-see attractions in the town of Bolinao, Pangasinan. This lighthouse is proudly standing for over ten decades atop the Punta Piedra Point. This magnificent construction is one of the five main lighthouses of the Philippines. It has played an important role in preventing accidents at sea for over a hundred years in an international marine passage to Hongkong, Japan, USA and other countries. (source)

Let me share a few photos that we got:

cape bolinao lighthouse overview — The short road going up to the lighthouse. Zaine was running downhill and he was going faster than he was used to. He’s got good control though but I was there in front of him to catch him. 🙂

Cape bolinao lighthouse view — The lighthouse up close

The winding stair was said to be old and rusty so the tower was closed to the public for safety reasons. That’s what I was told at the resort. True enough, the doors going in are closed and locked.

Cape Bolinao Lighthouse Ruins

There are ruins behind the lighthouse. It appeared to be a main house a long time ago. At the back of the main house, I think there is another smaller ruin but I totally forgot to take more photos.

Here are a few photos of the ruins behind the lighthouse that we got:

cape bolinao lighthouse ruins entrance — Steps leading inside the ruins. That’s Mama Nana and Mamita

cape bolinao lighthouse ruins entrance 2 — Another view of the steps of the ruins. That’s Zaine’s Mamita 🙂 (photo by Llana; posted with permission)

cape bolinao lighthouse ruins 2 — “Watchulookinat?” 😀

cape bolinao ruins 1 — “Hello! Come in!” 😀 (photo by Llana; posted with permission)

cape bolinao lighthouse ruins side — This was taken on one side of the ruins. (photo by Llana; posted with permission)

cape bolinao lighthouse ruins side 2 — Another angle of the side part 😀 (photo by Llana; posted with permission)

cape bolinao lighthouse ruins back — The back part of the ruins (photo by Llana; posted with permission)

cape bolinao lighthouse ruins back vents — This is what’s behind the ruins. Those things look like air vents. (photo by Llana; posted with permission)

cape bolinao lighthouse ruins side building — Here’s another small ruin at the side (photo by Llana; posted with permission)

A Quick Trip

Just as we were about to leave, we noticed that there were a lot more people coming to visit as well. Good thing we were a bit early and enjoyed the place with just a few visitors.

I was not able to take photos of the shops at the entrance but they have the typical souvenirs that you find in beach areas: keychains, ref magnets, shirts and other small items. These are being sold for very cheap prices already, too, so try to be reasonable when you try to haggle.

Like I said, it was a quick trip. We only stayed there for an hour tops. I only wish that there was a tour guide there or someone who could have provided more information about the ruins and the lighthouse in general. I think that would have made the trip more awesome.

While I was trying to find the history of the Cape Bolinao Lighthouse to share here, I found a great video of the place. Check it out (video reposted with permission from the owner):

Beautiful, isn’t it?

If you want to find out more about places to visit in Pangasinan, this site is quite helpful.

There you have it. Our family summer getaway for this year. What’s your summer getaway story? Share in the comments below. 🙂