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

Camp Holiday

It's my family's first time in Davao so I have to make sure that everyone would enjoy the place. I checked Agoda for a hotel we can stay that would suit our budget but won't compromise cleanliness and convenience and I ended up booking in Camp Holiday.

The hotel is well-maintained and the staffs are friendly. It is also conveniently located beside the port. Right outside the hotel is a 24/7 convenience store that has everything you need, toiletries, snacks, liquors, even paper plates and styrocups. There are also sari sari stores, fruit stands and some carinderias outside the hotel.

Camp Holiday - view from the outside

24/7 convenience store right outside Camp Holiday

The room has a homey feeling and my daughters said they were able to get a good sleep. The comfort room is well kept and I was happy that what I saw on the pictures are the same as what's on the actual room.

They have two pools, a kiddie pool and an infinity pool, which are exclusive for hotel guests. Both pools are well-maintained and since we arrived on Thursday, we're able to have the infinity pool to ourselves.

Camp Holiday's Infinity Pool exclusive for checked-in guests

In the evening, we ordered our Dinner from their restobar. They have a limited set of menu and it took 20 minutes before our orders were served and although it's not a big deal for us, I think they can still improve it. 

Restobar at night

View from the deck

The thing I least like about the place is their beach because it's rocky and shallow. The kids just enjoyed playing in the sand but apart from that, you can't really do much.

View of infinity pool and the beach

Overall, we enjoyed our stay in Camp Holiday because of the cleanliness and exclusivity.


Their Day Tour Fee as of March 2014 is P80/Adult and P50/Child and they have an ongoing promo of P2150/overnight stay with breakfast for 2

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