Puerto Galera during the Low Season 2016 Part 2: Finding a Good Accommodation

There will be 10 of us travelling, 8 adults and 2 kids and I was thinking of staying either in White Beach or Aninuan Beach. Kids will enjoy it in Aninuan Beach because they will have the beach to themselves but the adults will like it in White Beach because of so many things to see. So, what I did after reading reviews and forums is I texted the resorts that matched my criteria:
-Affordable
-Clean bathroom
-Large room
-Near the beach (at least beachfront or just a few minutes walk to the beach)

*TIP: Contacting the resort directly gives you the opportunity to haggle and most of the time they offer cheaper rates than online booking sites

Here are the resorts I took into consideration:

WHITE BEACH
Palangga's Beach Resort (Contact No.: 09989798660)
-I saw them in Agoda. They have a good rating and they offer the lowest rate for an A/C Family Room for just P2,375 (tax included) but when I texted them to inquire, they just told me to check out Agoda so I just immediately cross them out on my list. They're the least accommodating and I thought that time what if their customer doesn't have access to the internet? so there's no other way to make reservations I guess.

Villa del Car (Contact No.: 09993068046)
-I learned about Villa del Car when I read a blog post about it. It's not beach front but just a 5-min walk. They have cooking utensils and gas stove available for guests who want to cook and they offered the family room (good for 8 pax) for just P3000. 

VM Resort (Contact No.: 09175234945)
-This is our go-to resort whenever we stay in Puerto Galera. They're just a few steps away from the beach. Their rate through Agoda is P1900 (tax included) for a Quad Room, but you can have the room for as low as P1250 when you book with them directly. I texted them twice but got no reply.

Sea Jewel Resort (Contact No.: 09328392280)
-This is located right after VM Resort and they have one of the cleanest rooms in Puerto Galera. I inquired about their rate and their quotations are:
Deluxe Twin Room P1900
Deluxe Quad Room P2500
Deluxe Family Room (for 6-8 pax) P4000
As much as I want to stay here, their rates are higher compared to other resorts plus the fact that their Family Room only has 3 double beds so I was thinking it will be uncomfortable for the 10 of us to squeeze ourselves in.

Bangera Inn (Contact No.: 09267064051)
-What I liked about this place is their Mediterranean decors, the clean rooms and bathrooms (as posted on their Facebook), and their high review score. Unfortunately, their Family Room rate is also at P4000. 

Livio's Lodging House (Contact No.: 09293709727)
-Livio's Lodging House has a high rating on Facebook probably because of their clean rooms and cheap price. I texted them and they are accommodating. They offered their Fan Quad Room for P1000 (P600 for 2 pax then P200 for extra person). But since we'll be needing 2 rooms, they offered us 2 fan rooms for just P1500. A/C Rooms cost P1500 for 2 pax plus P300 for extra person. Their rooms have a kitchenette and aref. They're located along the main road but just a few minutes walk to the beach.

Agbing Beach Resort (Contact No.: 09202394571)
-They have a good rating in Agoda. They offered the Apartment type accommodation for P3500. It has 1 small bedroom that fits 2 double bed, a living room, a dining area, a balcony, and a toilet and bath, and they would provide 2 extra matresses free of charge. If we want an apartment with a kitchen, that would be P4000 but they suggested we get 2 Deluxe Rooms instead so that we can have a spacious room a separate toilet and bath each room. Their regular rate for the Deluxe Room is P2000 for Low Season but they offered us 2 rooms for just P3500. The offer was tempting but I still asked them if they can give us the 2 Deluxe Rooms for P3000. They immediately agreed but told us that each room is strictly for 4 adults only. They also offered us extra matress for our kids for P350 with pillows and sheets.

ANINUAN BEACH
Sunny Beach Resort (through Agoda.com)
-They have an 8.1 rating in Agoda, they offer free breakfast for their guests, they have a pool and they offer their Quad Room for just P2000 per night (in Agoda). P4000 with free breakfast is a pretty good deal. But there's just one thing that makes me hesitant. It's in Aninuan Beach and we have to take a tricycle if we want to go to White Beach.

So, after days of reading reviews and blog posts, and negotiating with resorts, I finally decided on reserving with Agbing Beach Resort. I liked that they're easy to deal with and they have taken into consideration the convenience of their guests.

Puerto Galera during the Low Season 2016 Part 1: Going to Puerto Galera - Bus Fares, Boat Rates and other Fees

My Hubby and my Brother-in-law wants to surprise my Mother-in-law on her birthday and they decided on taking her and the whole family to Puerto Galera. I, being a cheapskate, was the one assigned to do the planning and budgeting.

I remember we almost got scammed last year when a fixer approached us and told us he will negotiate with the ticket seller and have our 3 yr. old son waived of the boat fare. After handing us our tickets, we gave him a tip but he asked for half of the supposed boat fare he was able to negotiate. When he started shouting at the entrance of the terminal, we immediately went inside. He was trying to deceive us when in fact 3yrs. old and below are free to ride the ferry. It's a lesson learned and from then on, I will just buy the tickets myself. Anyway, there are staffs from the different shipping lines who will assist you.

So now, the first thing I have to do is check the latest fares. As posted on Jam Liner's Facebook page, their latest fare from Cubao-Batangas Pier is P175. Minolo Shipping Lines reply to my text message is that their fare is the same at P500/roundtrip Batangas Pier-White Beach. Round trip tickets are cheaper by P50 than 2 one-way ticket. Kids 3 yrs. old and below are free of charge. Apart from the bus fare and boat fare, there is still a P30 Terminal Fee and a P50 Environmental User Fee that needs to paid at the terminal. Kids 3ft and below are exempted from the Terminal Fee, and Senior Citizens and students have discounts. For the Environmental User Fee, kids 12 yrs. old and below are exempted and Senior Citizens have discounts as well. I read in a blog post that you can ask for a discount if you're coming in group of 5 or more, so I guess I will do that when we get there.

So, here's a rough estimate of the fare going to Puerto Galera:

Bus Fare (Cubao - Batangas Pier - Cubao) - 350
Ferry (Batangas Pier - White Beach - Batangas Pier) - 500
Environmental User Fee - 50
Terminal Fee - 30
White Beach Exit Fee - 10

TOTAL FARE EXPENSE PER PERSON: P940