DATE OF TRAVEL: April 22-24, 2013
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
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| (A) Manila to (B) Batangas Port to (C) Muelle Pier, Puerto Galera |
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| (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”.
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| 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.
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| White Beach |
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| 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.
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| 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:
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Rate
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Manila to Coco Beach
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810php/person/way
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Berberabe Port (Batangas) to
Coco Beach
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405php/person/way
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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
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Cost (PHP)
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Remarks
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Toll Fee
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306
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Includes SLEX, connecting
road to STAR, STAR
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Gas
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1000
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Roundtrip
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Parking Fee
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560
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Rate is 155 for 24hrs, and 6php/hr
for the succeeding hours.
*DO NOT lose your parking
ticket! Lost ticket cost an additional 230php
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Boat tickets to Muelle Pier (roundtrip)
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460/pax
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Children <5yo = Free;
Children >5yo = 400
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Environmental Fee
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50/pax
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Children = Free
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Terminal Fee (Batangas Port)
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30/pax
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Terminal Fee (Muelle Pier)
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10/pax
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Boat Muelle Pier to Coco Beach (roundtrip)
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500/boat
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Rate is 250/boat/way
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Boat for Island hopping tour
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1800/boat
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Coral Garden, White Beach,
etc
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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.
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Cost/Group
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Cost/Pax
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Remarks
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Accommodation
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~32,000
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|
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
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Transport
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~9500
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|
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Tour
a.
Boat
b.
Snorkeling Gear
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1800
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|
|
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250
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Mask = 150; Booties = 100
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Activities
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|
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a.
Banana Boat
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250
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Done in Coco Beach; minimum 4pax
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b.
Waterski
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620
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Done in Coco Beach; 15minutes
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Food and Drinks
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a.
Lunch at Muelle Pier
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3000
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*I highly discourage eating at restaurants along the
Muelle pier. Not only was the food overpriced, it was inedible and service
was non-existent
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b.
Dinner at Coco Beach (Day 1)
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1800
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|
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c.
Dinner at Coco Beach (Day 2)
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1600
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d.
Cocktails
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1450
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Happy hour from 4-5pm in Coco Beach
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HELPFUL LINKS
RELATED POSTS
Puerto Galera: Coco Beach Island Resort
Puerto Galera: Trip Highlights
