Showing posts with label burot beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label burot beach. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

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.

Monday, March 10, 2014

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