Sunday, April 28, 2013

Puerto Galera: Trip Highlights


Puerto Galera was surprisingly fun and awesome! It’s so convenient and cheap, with less than 1000php you can already escape the chaos of the city. Add to that the plethora of activities that can keep everyone occupied especially the kids. I am definitely putting this in my favorite places, although my list can’t be trusted since I really am not that hard to please (read.. mababaw ang kaligayahan). Give me beach and a sunshiny weather, and I’m a happy beach bummer. Speaking of lists, I give you once again a list of our trip highlights:  

1. Coco Beach Resort
Froi and I are so used to staying at budget accommodations that our stay at Coco Beach Resort was such a treat. Thanks to my sister whom we forced into paying for everything..haha. It may not spell luxury, but we love its rustic and tropical ambiance. We will definitely come back to this place, sobrang bitin yung 3 days. You can read more about this resort HERE.





2. Island Hopping Tour
Our island hopping trip was another wonderful surprise. We chartered a boat to take us to Coral gardens, Haligi Beach, and White Beach.

Coral Gardens
Snorkeling in coral gardens was amazing. So far, my top 3 favorite snorkeling sites in the Philippines are:
1.     Apo Island Marine Park, Dumaguete
2.     Coral Gardens, Puerto Galera
3.     Coral Gardens, Coron
I have yet to see Apo Reef in Mindoro. Care to share your favorite snorkeling sites in the Philippines?
There are touts here who will do their best to persuade you to go snorkeling while being pulled by a small boat. They can be very persistent. If you decide to avail of this, it cost 300/pax. But try haggling, they were lowering down their rate to 100/pax just to convince us. Bring booties, fins, and your own mask and snorkel.

Haligi Beach
Haligi beach is another one of the many coves in the island. Nothing spectacular, but a good stop over nonetheless.


White Beach
 I had always shied away from White Beach thinking that it was too crowded, loud and a party place, with trash scattered everywhere, and boy was I surprised. People were flocking to this place for a reason, it was beautiful with its azure waters and white sand. If you want to escape the crowd, come here on a weekday to fully enjoy an escape from the summer heat of the city.




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Puerto Galera: Coco Beach Island Resort



I can’t fully stress how much we enjoyed our stay in this resort. Coco Beach Resort is a sprawling 10-hectare beach resort dotted with traditional nipa huts, ran by the friendliest and most hospitable staff, and a service family who pampers and caters to your every whim. It was rustic, eco-friendly, and charming.. our definition of tropical paradise!




We stayed in 2 deluxe rooms and the 180 steps going up to our rooms was quite a challenge (note to self: need to get back in shape!) but our views upon waking was worth it. We had fan rooms which can be a bit warm if you prefer cozying up in your room during the day. But if you are out most of the day, I'm sure it will not be an issue for you.  


It’s a perfect get-away for families with kids as well for honeymooners on a budget. You can pack a lot of activities in a day or you can simply zone out in one of their hammocks. There’s something for everyone: swimming pools and playground for the kids, water sports for the adrenalin junkies, hammocks and beach cabanas for the couples and the “lolas” like me. They were advertising 101 activities that can be done in the resort and we only sampled a few of those activities since we were satisfied with simply doing nothing=)


And because I love making lists, let me give you a rundown of the things we love about the resort.

1.     Happy hour - From 4-5pm, cocktail drinks are buy 1 take 1 and the bartenders don’t scrimp on the taste and the alcohol! We especially love the tequila sour. 


2.     Silent Pool - How should sunsets be enjoyed? It’s pretty simple: swimming in a Jacuzzi, on top of a hill, while sipping your favorite cocktail, surrounded by your favorite people in the world. Life is indeed a beach =)


3.     Good Food and Hearty Breakfasts - We also love their buffet breakfasts! I love breads (which is probably why I have a mala-pandesal cheeks.. hehe) and I love their bread station especially the freshly baked raisin bread. We’ve sampled most of the dishes in their menu and we were satisfied with happy tummies. Compared to a few of the restaurants we’ve tried in Puerto Galera, their food was by far the best we’ve had. They also have a band that serenades you while having dinner.



4.  Water sports - We tried their waterskiing and banana boat and had a blast. We found it very convenient that these water sports were available in the resort. The rates for waterskiing and banana boat were 620php and 250php/pax respectively.


5.     Coco Divers, Snorkeling, Turtle Feeding - We weren’t able to try their dive services, but next time we come back, we will surely dive with them. For snorkeling, the reef in front of the resort had been destroyed, but they have free boat rides to other good snorkeling sites in the island. There are also boats outside the resort (near the coco beach signage) that can be chartered for island hopping tours.


We had a great time here and we can't wait to go back. You should try this resort too, or you can just come here for a day tour. Their rate for day tours is 500php and is consumable. You can visit their website for more information. 

http://www.cocobeach.com/
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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Puerto Galera: Trip Planning


DATE OF TRAVEL: April 22-24, 2013
PLANNING YOUR TRIP

(A) Manila to (B) Batangas Port to (C) Muelle Pier, Puerto Galera
(A) Muelle Pier, Puerto Galera; (B) Coco Beach Resort; (C) White Beach
Before the existence of Low Cost Carriers (LCC) and affordable air travels, Puerto Galera was everyone’s go to place when they want a quick get-away near Manila. When I fell in-love with traveling, Puerto Galera was never on my travel list because I had this notion that it was a crowded party place and since I’m a certified “lola”, Mindoro sling and bad hangovers were no longer my idea of a beach experience. It was only when I started diving that I realized there is more to Puerto Galera than being dubbed as “poor man’s Boracay”.

Photo from www.philippines-dive.com
Puerto Galera is a top-notch diving destination with Verde Island holding the title as the best dive spot. Verde island is still on my dive wish list, and I am constantly imagining the schools of barracuda, giant trevally, and tuna playing in its current. Froi had logged dives in the other sites such as Canyons, Monkey Wreck, Alma Jane, and Hole in the Wall and he says he enjoyed the experience of drift diving more than the schools of pelagic fish.  

There are numerous snorkeling sites in the island as well. I would include Coral Garden in my top 3 best snorkeling sites in the Philippines, along with Apo Island Marine Park in Dumaguete, and the Coral Garden in Coron. If you are a diver, it is best to situate yourself in Sabang beach since most of the dive spots are 5-20minute away from there.

White Beach
White Beach
If you are more of the party crowd, then White Beach with its long stretch of white sand and azure waters would be your ideal location. I have conjured an image of Puerto Galera with large crowd similar to being in Divisoria hence I was pleasantly surprised that White Beach on a WEEKDAY was actually stunning. Had I known it was this beautiful, I would have come here sooner. If you prefer lounging on the beach sans the crowd, I would highly recommend staying in White Beach on a weekday.

Coco Beach Resort
If you are a “lola” like me, or traveling with your family, or are honeymooners, there are numerous resorts sprawled in the island as well. We stayed at Coco Beach Island Resort and had the best time. They have everything in this resort. They have a dive shop (Coco Divers) as well as pools and playground where kids can play around. Another resort I was eyeing, while searching for a secluded accommodation, was Buri resort and spa. But this caters more to honeymooners.

GETTING THERE
Private Charter (Coco Beach Resort)
If you will be staying at Coco Beach Resort, they offer the Coco Express, a combined shuttle van and boat from Manila to the resort’s doorstep. As of writing (April 2013) their rate is as follows:



Rate
Manila to Coco Beach
810php/person/way
Berberabe Port (Batangas) to Coco Beach
405php/person/way


Public Transport (Private Car from Manila)
Aileen has a well written and straightforward guide in getting to Puerto Galera. We simply followed her instructions.

Manila to Batangas Port
Travel time: 2 ½ - 3 hours
1.     Take SLEX and upon reaching the end of SLEX, DO NOT TAKE the Calamba Exit. Go straight ahead until you reach the STAR tollway.
2.     Take the STAR tollway and exit at Batangas City Toll Plaza
3.     Upon exiting, you will see a roundabout and it’s approximately 5-10 minute drive from the roundabout going to the port. Take the street straight across where you will pass by Toyota Car Dealer on your left. Follow the road towards the port area, over the flyover, then take a left to reach Gate 1.
4.     Upon reaching Gate 1, take a left to Gate 2 until you reach the Park and Sail where you can park your car.

Batangas Port to Puerto Galera (Muelle Pier)
There are 3 boat operators servicing this route, but we chose the Minolo Shipping Lines because of good feedback as well as regular schedules to Muelle Pier.
Travel time: 1.15 hours
1.     Proceed to Terminal III and go to the MInolo Shipping Lines Booth. Roundtrip tickets are cheaper compared to one way fare.
2.     Proceed to pay the Environmental Fee.
3.     Proceed to pay the Terminal Fee at the terminal ticket counter.
4.     Exit at Gate 2B.

Puerto Galera (Muelle Pier) to Coco Beach Island Resort
If you took the Minolo Shipping Lines, their first drop off point is Muelle Pier before proceeding to White Beach. Once you’ve been dropped off, walk to your left to reach the jetty. From there you can hire a boat to take you to Coco Beach (250/boat/way, 15 minutes) or to other nearby island resorts. Our boatman, Mang Efren (boat name – Marites), was also our contact person for our island hopping tour. He was very nice and gave us a good rate for the tour (1800php), but unfortunately does not own a cell phone.

Breakdown Transport Cost

Cost (PHP)
Remarks
Toll Fee
306
Includes SLEX, connecting road to STAR, STAR
Gas
1000
Roundtrip
Parking Fee
560
Rate is 155 for 24hrs, and 6php/hr for the succeeding hours.
*DO NOT lose your parking ticket! Lost ticket cost an additional 230php
Boat tickets to Muelle Pier (roundtrip)
460/pax
Children <5yo = Free; Children >5yo = 400
Environmental Fee
50/pax
Children = Free
Terminal Fee (Batangas Port)
30/pax

Terminal Fee (Muelle Pier)
10/pax

Boat Muelle Pier to Coco Beach (roundtrip)
500/boat
Rate is 250/boat/way
Boat for Island hopping tour
1800/boat
Coral Garden, White Beach, etc

HOW MUCH WE SPENT
This trip was an annual get-away with our families and we were travelling with 8 adults and 2 kids in tow.


Cost/Group
Cost/Pax
Remarks
Accommodation
~32,000

3D2N; broken down as follows:
2 Deluxe Rooms (accommodates 2pax/room) = 16K
Addt’l Adult Pax (1.5K x 4pax x 2 Nights) = 12K
Addtl Kids (1k x 2kids x 2 Nights) = 4k
*Includes Breakfast buffet
Transport
~9500


Tour
a.     Boat
b.     Snorkeling Gear

1800



250
Mask = 150; Booties = 100
Activities



a.     Banana Boat

250
Done in Coco Beach; minimum 4pax
b.     Waterski

620
Done in Coco Beach; 15minutes
Food and Drinks



a.     Lunch at Muelle Pier
3000

*I highly discourage eating at restaurants along the Muelle pier. Not only was the food overpriced, it was inedible and service was non-existent
b.     Dinner at Coco Beach (Day 1)
1800


c.     Dinner at Coco Beach (Day 2)
1600


d.     Cocktails
1450

Happy hour from 4-5pm in Coco Beach

HELPFUL LINKS

RELATED POSTS
Puerto Galera: Coco Beach Island Resort
Puerto Galera: Trip Highlights