Let's Go to the Beach! Dreaming of my Fave Beach Places in the Philippines

It really feels odd to be grounded. Good thing when I took a break I was still able to visit Baguio and Bohol last December. Then the Taal Volcano erupted and I've been hiding at home eversince.

In true beach form many years ago. 

Photo by my friend Sasha Manuel.

2020 has been really difficult for all of us, but keeping positive and thinking happy thoughts keep me going. I've been thinking about the beautiful beaches I've been to the last couple of years. I finally found the photos from our place in Pasacao. The very first beach I visited in my life. I may have gone to many beaches, but my heart and my mermaid self belongs to Camangui.

Carbin Reef follows closely Camangui. It is part of the Sagay Marine Reserve. You can only visit it during the day and you need to bring your own food/drinks since there are no amenities in the reef. What I love best is the clear water and the many tiny fishes you end up swimming with. Between the reef and Sagay City the boat will also stop in an area of the marine sanctuary. You can get off the boat and experience having the fish clean you. It was ticklish!

I haven't been to many beaches in Mindanao, but Samal Island is one of my favorite beach places. We'd usually spend a day with friends there and enjoy the clear water. We normally end up ordering a lot of food from the resort restaurant. I remember spending a full day with my girl friends there before I married. I wish we could do that again.

Not far from home in Manila is Puerto Galera. The boat ride to Galera though is tough but negligible for me since I love going to Puerto. I went there a lot when I was in my 20s. My best friend and I would usually just on a whim and one of my most popular posts before was my guide on how to go to Puerto Galera. We never wake up early in Galera because we usually stay up late partying haha. The beach is amazing, but always be careful of riptides. I miss going to Puerto Galera.

Oh my I forgot to mention one more favorite beach place - Bohol! I super love the character of Panglao beaches. It has shells, starfish, beautiful stones very much like what we have in Camangui. I was just there again after Christmas and now wish we spent a few more days there.

I didn't mention Boracay because who doesn't love Boracay? I always make sure to visit Boracay every few years. I still have a lot of beaches in the Philippines I haven't visited, like Camiguin, Tiwi in Albay, Siargao, the pink sand beach in Zamboanga and I need to spend more time in the beaches in Ilocos, La Union, Batangas, Quezon etc. Oh my! So many places I want to explore. I'm sure in good time when the issues we are having today globally is over we can all travel and explore the world again.

What about you? What's your favorite beach place in the Philippines?

My Epic Guide to Puerto Galera

I made a post about Puerto Galera back in 2007 which generated a lot of interest, perhaps because I also included detailed costings for a one night trip there. I'm just being funny with the title okay? My friend was bugging me to update my post when I got back last Sunday evening from a weekend Puerto Galera getaway.

Jay, Miguel and I needed a weekend getaway. We've all been so busy since the year started and I thought a trip to the beach would do all of us good. I was bent on going even it was just going to be the three of us, but my dear friend, Chelle, and her 7-year old son, Josh, joined us. It was fun! We ended up sleeping a lot though haha!

Getting to Puerto Galera by Car


Batangas Pier is just about 103 kilometers back and forth from where we live (the same amount when we go to Tagaytay), so the drive was pretty easy. Just go through SLEX Southbound. Here's the toll fees:

Just go straight to the end of SLEX, exit at 50B and not at 50 (see photo below), but if you make a mistake don't worry because there's a path back to SLEX.

Anyway, at the end of SLEX you'll chance upon the Calamba exit where you'll have to pay PhP22.

And then surprise! You're actually inside the Star Tollway already. A few meters more and you'll chance upon the toll booth where you'll be given a card.

You are to exit at Batangas. Pay PhP60. After exiting just go straight to the other side of the rotonda. You'll see the Honda and Toyota dealers along the way too. Go up the flyover and then turn left, going straight will bring you straight to the water (hehehe). Follow the nice road, notice though that there's quite a number of humps.

Parking Your Car

If you want to park at the open space then enter Gate 1 of the Port. Turn left and you'll go through Gate 2 to get to the open parking space. But if you want to park at the covered parking, turn left "to the Poblacion" road just before you reach Gate 1. Go straight and then turn right where the jeepneys go. That's where you'll see the building that has the sign "Province of Batangas", that's the covered parking.

Make sure to get the slip of paper from the guard/staff. It's your "car ticket" and you need to present this when you leave. Exit the covered parking and walk to the pier.

Getting a Ticket to White Beach 

Do not follow what the touts tell you. They are soooo makulit! We ended up taking FSL and we weren't happy about it because the one hour ride took 3 hours with a stopover at Sabang (GRRRRRR!). So DO NOT TAKE Father & Sons Line. The roundtrip ticket cost PhP450. Make sure you have yourself listed in the manifesto for the ride back to Batangas a few hours before you leave (or better do it when you get there).

Best to sit on the right side of the ship captain because they usually close the curtains on the left side midway due to strong waves. Dress to get wet because the ride to and from Galera is like an hour on the Rio Grande at Enchanted Kingdom.

BTW, the fast craft is only available during peak season, so if you get dizzy easily don't go to Puerto Galera before then because you have no choice on what type of boat to get.

Getting a Room

Room rental cost at least PhP1,000 during off peak season and you don't really need to make a reservation. You'll get offers when you get off the boat. We stayed at White Beach Lodge and Restaurant which is on the right side of White Beach and a bit away from all the noise. We got a standard room with 3 beds, aircon and cable TV. It cost us PhP2,000 (approx. PhP400/head). Some of the rooms beside us even had a gas range and grill where you can cook your own meal.

Food! Burp.

Speaking of food. Food at Puerto Galera is pretty much standard and inexpensive. The menu in each restaurant is pretty much the same - liempo, kebab, hotdogs, spaghetti, breaded pork/chicken, seafood, sinigang etc. The most expensive restos are the ones in the middle, so best to eat either on the left or right side. You can safely budget PhP150-250 per meal depending on your appetite (we're matakaw so we budgeted PhP250 each). You can easily buy merienda from the vendors, like corn, green mango, taho etc., approximately PhP20.

What You Can Do at Puerto Galera

There's a lot you can do in Puerto Galera. You can ask your resort or any vendor about island tours, but we were there basically for the following: eat, sleep, get a massage and swim. You can get a massage by the seashore (they don't allow it in rooms). Just sit or walk around and someone will likely offer you a massage. I always get one when I go to Puerto Galera since it's just PhP200. The massage is pretty standard, but you can choose to have a full body massage or just your back/arms or legs. My friend got a twin massage for the price of one,  hati daw sila sa bayad niya haha. Just tell the manang whether you want it hard or not.

You can also try the banana boat.

Or get a henna tattoo.

Or get your hair braided.

At night there's fire dancers, belly dancers and other sorts of entertainment provided by local entertainers (mostly cross dressers). In my younger years my friends would stay up all night and drink as much Mindoro Sling as we could. It's their special drink and best drank when you are in Puerto Galera.

Oh and don't forget to buy some pasalubong. Friendship/thread bracelets are cheaper to buy at stores (3 for PhP10) than from vendors and I think you can get a bundle for just PhP15 (Sweetie did). There's also lots of necklaces and bracelets in different materials (stone, hematite, pearls, coconut, wood, shells etc.). And the usual magnets, keychains, sandals, slippers, tshirts and shorts.

Anyway, what are you waiting for? Just gather three of your friends and enjoy a weekend getaway at Puerto Galera. Here's my cost guide:

Gas - approx. PhP500
Toll fees - PhP144 (from Nichols) + PhP22 + 60 times 2 = PhP452
Parking - PhP10/hour. We paid PhP290.
Boat ticket - PhP450 two-way
Room rental - PhP300 per head for a group of 4 if you get a PhP1,200 room with 2 beds
Food - PhP150-250 per meal depending on your appetite
Massage - PhP200
Hair braid - PhP200
Tshirt - PhP90-140
Sandos - PhP75 and up
Bracelets - PhP3 and up

So for a group of 4 and just basic stuff (transpo, room, food) it's safe to say that it'll cost you PhP1,500 each. Not bad for a weekend getaway.

*Rates though may be higher during peak season.

White Beach Lodge and Restaurant
c/o Carmelita Magbuhos 0927-3163602
or Estela Candava 0920-5545067
ecandaval19@yahoo.com
(Aling Lydia just brought me there from the boat so I never met the manager. At the resort, just look for Jane).

The Best Diet of All

For some strange reason I always gain weight towards the end of February. Last year I gained 7 pounds when I went to Jakarta and Singapore because when you eat at McDonald's the smallest softdrink size is already our largest! And the same thing happened this year, so I really looked like a siopao when I went to Puerto Galera early this month.

Anyway, right after gaining so much weight is Ash Wednesday and me and my Mom go on Lenten fasting. No Coke! Believe me, I think we should be a major stockholder already because of our softdrinks consumption. Anyway, since I was a kid we'd try our best not to drink Coke for 40 days. The first 2 weeks is usually the hardest. Withdrawal!

My metabolism used to be so fast! I was just 85 pounds when I graduated and now, um, er... never mind. Anyhoo, I realized that the best diet I've put myself into is - no softdrinks! And I've influenced some of my friends with Winnie the Pooh tummies not to drink softdrinks anymore. And it's working! Oh! And complement this diet with less rice, you'll be ready for the beach in no time.

Bloggers Raid Puerto Galera

It was yet another adventure. A few weeks ago I posted an invitation for a short vacay in Puerto Galera. Early morning Saturday we met up at Petron South Super Highway and pushed forward to the Batangas Pier while munching on Jollibee burger type pancake with longganisa-egg-and cheese. Weird? Try it, it's good especially with ketchup (sorry Rico, I'm a ketchup person).

We felt like celebrities being adulated by crazed fans. It was just a feeling... more like being annoyed by pesky shipping line salespeople. Marc even got tapped on the head. The fastcraft wasn't available and we were forced to take a bangka to White Beach. The ride was okay, the long wait before leaving the pier wasn't.

Arrived at White Beach around noon and we had quite a hard time finding 3 rooms in one resort. Abe took up the cudgels of finding the rooms. He got the 3 rooms that were beside each other, but the warm, fuzzy feeling was soon exchanged with fear because he realized his camera bag (with his really expensive camera and filters) was missing. We were all quiet for a few minutes worried that he might have lost PhP100K worth of his gadgets. Good thing he found it in one of the resorts we were checking out. Whew!

After lunch we proceeded to the resort... until Abe realized he forgot where it was. We were all joking that he must've cleared his cache and lost all the cookies. Lucky day it was, the person who helped him find the room suddenly popped out of nowhere. Since it was too hot we settled in our rooms for a nap and then spent the rest of the afternoon by the seashore getting massages and taking photos. It unfortunately rained and we had to proceed back to the room (Marc's balat Sharms said).

After dinner I met up with an old friend and got lost. I never thought finding your friends in Galera would be so difficult. Smart's signal was bad (and most of the bloggers had Smart phones), so I had to wait for someone to call me and tell me where they were. I think we went around at least thrice before we found them in front of one of the sowsi hotels. The mindoro sling looked like it was working wonders. Everyone looked buzzed, but they were all talking about blogging! Aaaargghhh...

We just chilled the next day by the beach and had a bikini photo shoot (sorry it won't be posted!). Tried to get a tan, but then one day isn't enough. I didn't take any photos! I did bring my idiot cam, but with Jayvee, Sasha and Abe and their Canon toys who needs to take photos? Check out their blogs for the fab photos they took. (Photos posted here were taken by Abe).

We took the last boat ride back to Batangas. It was packed, but the nice sunset and the full moon made up for the discomfort. We had two stop-overs. One at Petron at the Star Tollway for a bladder break and then dinner at Cafe Via Mare at Total SSH. And then we bid our goodbyes and went home.

Thanks to Jomar and Jay for being my wireless chaperones. Haha.

Here are photos from the weekend (click on my photo).

2007 March 3 & 4 Puerto Galera

Next stop: Davao! My sched is here.

Postscript: Updated costing (here it is Annalea)

Gas (Manila-Batangas-Manila) - Rico loaded up about PhP1,000
Batangas Pier Parking Fee - PhP200 for 24 hours + PhP10 for every additional hour
Tollway Fees - PhP200 max.
Bangka to White Beach - PhP340 two-way (for group of 10, PhP280 coz you get 1 additional free ticket)
Room - PhP1,500 for 4 people
Food - PhP150 max per meal
Massage - PhP200
Mindoro Sling - approx. PhP300/pitcher

I didn't buy anything, just food. I must've spent about PhP1,600 only coz Rico paid for the gas (thanks Rico!!!).

Galera, Tuloy Po Tayo!

Notice how hot it's been lately? Just means one thing! It's time to head for the beach!

For those who want to come we're meeting up on March 3, Saturday at the following venues:

South People: 5 a.m. BF McDo,

North People: 5:45 a.m. Petron Station, South Super Highway (the one near the Southwoods exit)

Check here for the itinerary. Also check Sasha' s blog.

Tayo na sa Puerto Galera!

I was chatting one lonesome evening with Jayvee and I found out that he hasn't been to Puerto Galera. I love going to the beach, so then and there we planned on rounding up some friends, bloggers and whoever to go visit Puerto Galera. I'm taking the initiative to blog about it coz I don't want Jayvee to use the blog title he proposed.

When
March 3-4, 2007, Saturday and Sunday

How to Get There
If you're bringing car, just drive up to Batangas Pier and park your car there. I think overnight parking is around PhP200.

If you're commuting, take the bus to Batangas Pier at Alabang. Better yet let's all meet up at Jollibee (beside the bus/FX/jeep terminal) in Alabang at 5:30 a.m. and go together.

At the Batangas Pier take the ferry to White Beach. That takes about an hour.

Then, you're there!

Accommodations

We're planning to make some sort of reservation depending on how many are coming. Four to six people can sleep comfortably in the barkada rooms.

Recommended Itinerary

March 3, 2007
5:30 a.m. Meet up at Jollibee Alabang
5:45 a.m. Board bus to Batangas Pier
7:45ish a.m. Arrive at Batangas Pier
8:30ish a.m. Board ferry to White Beach
9:30ish a.m. Arrive at White Beach (buy your ferry tickets upon disembarking)
10 a.m. Hit the beach
12 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Henna tattoo
2:00 p.m. Siesta
3:00 p.m. Massage by the seashore/swimming/banana boat etc.
6:30 p.m. Prepare for dinner/watch TV/get some rest
8:00 p.m. Dinner/Gimmick
to sawa

March 4, 2007

7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:00 a.m. Beach!
12 p.m. Lunch
1 p.m. Head home

How Much it Costs

This is what I spent the last time I went (March 2006), so it might've gone up 10 to 20%:

Taxi to bus - 100 (from Paranaque)
Bus to Pier - 120
Fastcraft to White Beach - 180
Terminal Fee - 10
Room - 500 (PhP1,500 total; I had 2 friends with me but 5 people would fit in the room)
Food - 150 per meal (You'll survive with spending PhP50 to 80, but I eat a lot eh)
Massage - 150 or 200 (don't really remember)
Pasalubong - 100 per t-shirt, 5 per bracelet
Fastcraft to Batangas - 180
Bus to Manila - 120
Taxi to home - 100

That's approximately PhP2k per person with 3 to 4 people in a room.

Please confirm if you wanna join by leaving a comment here or in Jayvee's blog.