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.

Summer Beach Bumming in Nasugbu on a Budget

Yeah I know! It's been a year since I updated this blog. I failed to keep my promise to update this once we're back from our Palawan tour. Anyway, I'm sharing here our overnight Nasugbu experience on a budget.

Last May, I was able to convince my hubby to drive us to Nasugbu for an overnight swimming. It was a Sunday and I didn't make any reservations. I only texted the resorts while we're on the road hopeful they'll return my message. Some did reply but they are charging more than my allotted budget for the room.

Before we left our home, I had a list of things to bring on my mind. I brought our rice cooker, cooking pan, plastic plates, spoons and forks, tumblers, "bigas", and some groceries and snacks. We also stopped by a carinderia near our house and I bought Tube Ice and Adobo since I don't have time to cook anymore then off we go for our road trip.

We took the Ternate-Nasugbu Road and I had no idea it was full of dangerous zig zags. I was scared but it was worth the trip when we arrived at the Kaybiang Tunnel, the Philippines' longest subterranean tunnel. We stopped over for a few minutes to take some photos and then headed off to Nasugbu.

Kaybiang Tunnel Entrance

Light at the end of the tunnel

From Kaybiang Tunnel, it was an hour drive to reach Apacible Boulevard in Nasugbu.

After we arrived in Apacible Blvd., we approached a trike driver who was offering Fortune Island Tour and asked if he can recommend a resort that fits our budget (Actually I said I was looking for a fan room that only costs P1000 or less). He took us to Wawawee Resort. They have a fan room that costs P1500 but Tatay Tony, the owner, saw our son and he said he thought of his grandkids, so he told us he would just give us the A/C room for the same price. He also told us we can use their cooking utensils and gas stove free of charge. So far that's the best deal we got but I opted to check out the other resorts first. Upon inquiring with 4 more, we decided to take Tatay Tony's offer since it's the cheapest. All the others offered us P2000 for the A/C Room and P1500 for the Fan Room. The trike driver (I forgot his name) helped us bring our things to the room and hubby gave him P50 but the caretaker of the resort told us that the trike driver will get 20% for referring us so tipping is not necessary. We checked in at 2PM so they said our check out time will be 2PM the next day.

Here's our small A/C Room

The room given to us has a small cable TV, a double bed and a mat which allows an extra person to sneak in.It also has it's own comfort room separate from the room.

While they were strolling the beach, I prepared our late Lunch. I don't have to cook our ulam anymore since I already bought Adobo, I only need to cook our rice. After eating, they went to swim while I stayed inside our room. I fetch them before sunset because I was planning to go to the nearby market to buy Liempo and Fish for our Dinner but we're so lucky because on the main road, just outside the resort, there is a BBQ stand. We just bought BBQs and it saved me the hassle of grilling. The two were already tired after swimming so we all went to bed early.

The following morning, we had the leftover BBQs last night and some coffee for Breakfast then we went to the beach.

Someone is really enjoying his day at the beach

I noticed that the beach was so different from what I've seen last year. I was surprised there were floating garbage everywhere and we had to walk a few meters until we found a better spot. We spent a few hours swimming while the sun is not that hot and just before noon, I went back to prepare our Lunch. We ran out of rice so I had to walk to the sari sari store along the main road to buy rice, Tuyo, Pancit Canton and tube ice. I fried the Tuyo and Meat Loaf, cooked the Pancit Canton using our rice cooker at that's what makes up our humble Lunch. After taking our Lunch, we just rested for a bit then we checked out and headed back home but this time we decided to take the Tagaytay Road instead as it's easier and less prone to accident.

Now, for our expenses, here it is:
Gas - 500
Ice and Adobo - 110
Snacks at Stopover - 60
Accommodation - 1500
Tip to Kuya Trike Driver - 50
BBQ - 85
Tube Ice - 20
Pancit Canton/Tuyo - 42
Cooking Oil - 5
Rice - 42
Toll Fee - 175

TOTAL: P2,589.00

Well, I'm pretty sure it will be less than that if our trip was planned but anyway, we all enjoyed even though there's just three of us.

Click here to visit Wawawee's Beach Resort
*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own

Weekend in Nasugbu

Since everyone agreed to Nasugbu, I searched online for resorts and one of my colleagues, Ron suggested Berna Beach and L Caraz. We checked out their websites and the following day, I inquired for their rates. Berna Beach is a bit pricey so I contacted L Caraz. I talked to the owner and he suggested that I rent their private house (it has a private pool and costs P8000 good for 20 pax) but when he checked the bookings, the private house was already reserved on the day of our outing so I opted for their Family Units instead. A Family Unit costs P5000 and is good for 12 pax. It has 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area and a living room. We're 24 so I reserved 2 units. After securing the resort, I had to search for a van. Luckily, Hubby's officemate has a van available for rent. For just P6000 for 2 days (plus P1500 fuel and P350 toll fee), we're able to get a good deal.

On the day of our outing, we left Cubao at 12 in the afternoon. The supposedly 2-hr travel became 4 1/2 because of the traffic in C5 and Alabang.

When we arrived, the girls and boys splitted up. Boys stayed in Family Unit 1 and the girls in Family Unit 2. We requested for extra matresses since each room only has 1 bed. Since the place is huge, each room can fit an extra matress and the living area can fit 2 more. The charge for each matress is P200 but they offered us a discount so we're able to get the matresses for just P100 each.

Just outside the resort, we bought charcoals, ice and filtered water and it's very convenient because we can just go out and buy there if we run out of supplies.

A picture of Hubby and our son taken by Martin from his iPhone

After dinner was prepared, everyone gathered at the common area of Family Unit 1. The common area is huge that we all were able to eat inside.

In the morning, after having our breakfast, we headed off to the beach. We noticed that the nearby resort was jam packed. The cottages are full of guests but it's a good thing that at L Caraz, we're the only ones swimming.

By 10AM, we're all packed up and at  exactly 11AM, we headed off to Manila. I think it was already 12:30PM when we reached the boundary of Tagaytay and Batangas and we had a stop over to have lunch at Betchay's Bulaluhan and another stop over in Collette's Sta. Rosa Road to buy pasalubongs. We're supposed to go to Rowena's but it's crowded and we're all tired so we just decided to go to Collette's instead.

We arrived in Manila at almost 5PM already because of the traffic but we all enjoyed and everyone's looking forward to our next outing.

Each of us only shed out P1120 (P700 for the food and P420 for the van) for that fun and exciting weekend getaway.

L Caraz Beach Resort
Apacible Blvd., Nasugbu, Batangas
+63 9178418281
+63 9228110629
+63 9103088895

Hidden Paradise in Batangas - Burot Beach April 2015

I was here last April 11 to camp with my friends and I have a lot of things to say about the place.

First things first, Here's the breakdown of my expenses:

The total figure was the amount my Hubby and I spent for an overnight stay.

Now, How did we travel to Burot Beach? There are different ways to get there. You can either travel directly to Calatagan by bus or van or travel to Tagaytay then Calatagan which is what we did and for me, it's the most exhausting way to get there. From Cubao, we rode a San Agustin bus bound to Tagaytay. The bus took off at 8:15AM and for two hours, we're stuck in Cavite due to the heavy traffic. We arrived at Tagaytay Crossing at around 11:05AM and we waited for a few minutes before we're able to catch an ordinary Celyrose bus bound for Calatagan. Our travel from Tagaytay to Calatagan Market took another two hours. Riding an ordinary bus for that long is very inconvenient especially that the bus is full.

Finally, when we arrived at the Calatagan Market, Dominic, a young tricycle driver, approached us to ask if we need a ride to Burot as he can assist us in getting there. We bought charcoals, rice, and beers from the market first and went on to our final destination. When we reached the guardhouse, we paid P20 and were given a trash bag and a reminder sheet. And when we finally reached the beach, the caretaker approached us and we paid him for the entrance fee and tent pitching. The first thing I thought when I saw the place was that it was so overrated. Or maybe because it's already 2015 and so many people have already read about it on the internet that's why it's already crowded. There's not much to see but a lot of people swimming, grilling and eating with their tents pitched all over the small beach.

We found a spot under the tree to pitch our tent and after preparing our food for late lunch, One of my friends bought refilled water from a nearby store. He paid P260 for it (P200 as deposit for the container and P60 for the refilled water). I went to the comfort room to pee but it's clogged and so filthy.

By 3PM, we all decided to swim until past 5PM. After that we waited in line for hours just to take a shower and we've not even lasted for ten minutes inside the shower room because it's really, really dirty. I've read blogs about Burot Beach so I was aware that the facilities there are basic but I didn't know that when they say basic, they mean disgusting.

After we had our dinner, we went inside our tents to rest but the group just beside us is so loud that we're not able to sleep well.

The following morning, I woke up early and saw that there are vendors roaming around selling Puto, Pan de Sal, and even freshly caught Tilapias. We took our breakfast quickly and texted Dominic to pick us up at 9:30AM since he said that the next van to head off to Pasay is scheduled at 10AM. While on our way to the terminal, Dominic was asking us about how the place was and if we have plans of visiting again. We mentioned about the comfort room and he advised us to take a shower in the public rest room of Calatagan Market instead. There is a fee of P5 but the place is clean. Maybe next time that's what we'll do, or maybe, there;s no more next time for Burot Beach.

Over all, I was not impressed with the place and I don't have plans of going back. For an entrance fee of P130 and fare of P500+, I could have gone somewhere better.

Casa Astillero in Calatagan

Last April 5, our team went to Calatagan for our much awaited team outing or what we call our "Anarchy Day". We left Manila at 11AM and arrived at Mahogany Market at 1PM. We stopped by to have our lunch and to buy our food for dinner. We left Tagaytay at 2:30PM and at exactly 4PM, we're already in Casa Astillero.

When we arrived, Sir Romy approached us and I gave him the details of our reservation. He immediately escorted us to the places available for tent pitching. We chose the vacant spot in between the kubo and the a/c rooms.

I was so disappointed to see that the place was crowded. I never expected that much people even though it's weekend since I thought they're only accepting reservations to control the number of guests. There are tents and videokes everywhere and the place is small that it looks like a chaos.

We immediately pitched our tents and unpacked our stuffs on the table provided to us. I believed I paid for a table under the tree but all the tables under the tree were occupied already so they just placed a table right outside our tents. I also paid for a grilling station with mini kitchen but instead got a portable griller. I told Sir Romy that the portable griller is cheaper but he said they just cost the same. Then when I checked out the grilling station, it's free to use for guests. I also asked where we can charge our cellphones, he just said we can use any power outlet. But how can that be possible if all the tables where the power outlets were placed are occupied? Talk about chaos and disappointment.

A few minutes later, my office mate Ron and his wife arrived. They're from Cavite so they thought it would be more convenient to just ride a bus going to Calatagan directly from their place but their fare cost more than when you'll be coming from Pasay. They paid 400 for the fare to Calatagan Market then 150 for the tricycle to Casa Astillero. Not really what I've been expecting.

So, since everyone's at the resort already, the girls started to prepare for dinner. I cooked Calamares while the others prepared the ensalada. The boys grilled the Liempo and Bangus. I forgot to buy water for drinking luckily, just right outside the resort, there are stores selling purified water (P30/5 liters), softdrinks (P70/1.5L), and ice but they always run out of stock.

After cooking, Some of us took a nap. When i woke up it was already past 9 but the videokes are still on full volume so I did not hesitate to sleep anymore. After we're done eating, we asked the caretaker to prepare our bonfire then we went off to the beach for our drinking session. 

The next morning, there were vendors roaming the area selling fresh seafoods at cheap price. I also noticed a guy in a motorbike selling hot pandesals. I checked out the beach. Still at low tide. The sun's up and the view of the beach from afar is superb but the water is so shallow that even at 100m away from the shore, it's still at knee level. 

Beach during low tide

It spoiled our day so we just prepared our Brunch and after we ate, everyone's off to the shower room. There's a long queue over the ladies' shower room and there are only two shower rooms so I think the management should work on having additional shower rooms to accommodate the increasing number of guests.

Our travel back to Manila only took 3 hours. Well, that's the fastest we can go since the road from Tagaytay to Calatagan is narrow.

To summarize, the place clean and well-maintained but the management needs to improve on their service. They should put limit to the number of guests and they should assign a table or cottage number to the guests so that guests arriving in the late afternoon will still get a good and decent spot. The resort is recommended only during off-peak season because the place is nice but was spoiled by the heavy crowd and disorganized management.

Mahogany Market in Tagaytay

We had our lunch in Mahogany Market and I had to buy meat and other stuffs before heading off to Calatagan for our team outing. It was already 1 in the afternoon when we arrived but the place is still full of people eating at the carinderias. We really don't have any specific carinderia in mind and we're all starving so we just sit down to what's nearest to us. There were bunch of bananas on the table and the waiter said it's free and unlimited. I believe they also offer unlimited barako coffee but I guess we're not offered that anymore since it's already Lunch time. I immediately asked for two orders of Bulalo (P350/order), two orders of Tawilis (P300/order), rice and softdrinks and in 10 minutes, food were already in front of us. There's not really any better place to have Bulalo than in Tagaytay. Leslie's Bulalo is also delicious but a bit pricey so, if you want to eat cheap, then Mahogany Market is the place to be.

At Mahogany Market

They have Crispy Pata too!

After eating, they went to the parking area while I went to buy some food for our outing. Liempo there is at P200/kilo which I think is a bit higher than the usual price because in Pasig Market, I believe it's just P190/kilo. Then I went on to buy Bangus at P140/kilo and Squid for Calamares at P260/kilo. On the other side of the market is the Fruits and Vegetables Section. I went on to buy Indian Mangoes and Shrimp Paste (Bagoong) then I went to the Rice Section to buy 5 kilos of Angelica Rice, which we're only able to consume about half of it. At the back part of the market, there is a stall selling ice, and a small grocery store where we bought softdrinks and booze.

The market has everything we needed for our outing. After we're done eating and buying groceries, we're back on the road for our final destination.

P1000-Budget Beach Getaway Challenge

I scoured the net these past few days to see where we can have our summer outing. One of our options was Punta de Fabian since it's very near the metro and the place is beautiful but when I checked the resort's rates, it's not within our budget. We're ten in our group and our target is P1000/head for the transportation + overnight stay so it's really challenging to get a place out of Manila that will suit our budget. I listed down suggestions from my team mates. Munting Buhangin in Nasugbu was suggested but I read some bad reviews about the place. It's not as clean now as it used to be. I googled "Cheap Batangas Beach" and so Burot Beach showed up on the Search Result. It's a beach in Calatagan, Batangas recently bought by Mr. Henry Sy. The pictures are very promising. When I checked the entrance fee, it's only P100 for an overnight stay. Pro's are there are no corkage fees for food, Table rental is just around P300, plus you can park your car near the beach. The only problem is there is no decent restroom or shower room. So, I searched again for an affordable beach in Calatagan, and so, Calatagan Peninsula Resort and Casa Astillero showed up. Both resorts have affordable accomodation.

For Calatagan Peninsula Resort, their airconditioned family room for 8-10pax with private shower and restroom is at P4000 plus the use of griller and other amenities are free. They also don't charge entrance fees.

For Casa Astillero, entrance fee is P100/pax for an overnight stay. And they allow tent pitching but the price depends on the size of the tent. For a tent that can accomodate 2-4pax, the charge is P200; for a tent that can accomodate 5-9pax it's at P400 and a tent that can accomodate 10-15pax, it's at P600. They have 4 public concrete shower rooms and restrooms for those who will not avail of rooms. And the good thing about Casa Astillero is they don't accept walk-ins so you can be sure that the resort will not get crowded.

I texted the contact person of Calatagan peninsula Resort and Casa Astillero and I got an immediate reply from Pam of Casa Astillero. She immediately sent me a quotation for our group but she said it can be adjusted depending on our budget. The next day, I messaged Jessie on FB, the contact person for Calatagan Peninsula Resort but he said that the resort is non-operational anymore. And so, we ended up reserving in Casa Astillero. I just sent Pam the list of amenities we'll be needing and she acknowledged through email. I find her very accomodating even if you're just inquiring.

So now, I'm glad I was able to get a resort that would fit in our limited budget.

Here's the list of what we availed in Casa Astillero:
(This is for 10pax)
10 Entrance Fee - 1000
2 Tent Placing for 2-4pax - 400
1 Tent Placing for 5-9pax - 400
1 Bonfire - 200
1 Grill Station (with Mini Kitchen) - 400
1 Open Cottage under the tree - 800

TOTAL: 3200

So, for P10,000 budget, here's my plan:
Gas + Toll fee - 3000
Beach Accomodation - 3200
Food (Day 1 Meryenda/Dinner; Day 2 Brunch)- 3800

and here is our actual experience in Casa Astillero