Calvin’s Hub

We went to White Beach at Puerto Galera last June 7 for three days of post-summer vacation. There’s 10 of us and I think it was a perfect time. It’s not peak season so the room rates are low and the place is not overly crowded. The weather was still hot and sunny so it was a good time for a weekend at the beach.

It’s nice to go back to Puerto Galera

White Beach is where the crowds and parties are so if you’re planning for something intimate or serene, better go to Sabang which is another part of Puerto Galera.

GOING TO PUERTO GALERA

We met up at Wendy’s in Buendia corner Taft around 6 AM. After a quick breakfast and doing some last minute shopping at the nearby 7-11, we boarded an RRCG bus going to Batangas Pier in front of Wendy’s. We encountered the usual traffic along the way and arrived at the pier after 2 hours.

You can opt to ride the bus at the terminal but it might take a long time for it to become full. Better ask the conductor or driver first if they are going to wait to fill the bus up.

Beautiful day to go to the beach

At the pier, there are plenty of people asking us to ride their boat. We bought a round-trip ticket on the Father and Sons Line and after paying for other fees and waiting at the terminal for a few minutes, we are asked to board the boat. Since the boat is huge and they offer coffee and bread, it took a very long time (1 hour wait) before we got moving. The boat ride to White Beach took about 1 and a half hour.

If you’re going to bring lots of beer or alcoholic beverages, don’t put them all in one bag to avoid the hassle of explaining.

Ask the seating capacity first of the boat you’re planning to take. Choose a smaller boat, it’s speedy and you only have to wait for a few minutes before it leaves.

WHITE BEACH

Finally after the boat trip we arrived at White Beach at around 12 noon. Good thing the crowd is manageable since there are lots of boats anchored on the beach so the swimming area is quite limited.

Not so crowded

The beach is made of white sand but it is not that fine. The water is so refreshingly cool but steeps quickly so non-swimmers beware.

BASILICO LODGE

We headed straight to Basilico Lodge where we were booked in advance.

The facade of Basilico Lodge

Here’s what the room looks like

Basilico Lodge has two floors with 6 air-conditioned rooms per floor. The rooms has two double beds so it can accommodate 4 people. It has its own cable TV and toilet as well. The rooms and toilet are not that wonderful but they’re serviceable. It’s one of the cheapest in the area too that is located near the beach.

A reader by name of Pola recommends White Beach Resort where they stayed during their vacation. If you want to contact the place, here are the numbers: 09175620886 | 09165340484 | 09169049324 | 09103548330. Thanks for the tip Pola.

WHAT TO EAT

There are lots of food establishments around the area. Even in June, it is sometimes hard to get seats for a group of 10. What more during summer.

White Beach at night

Anyway, most of the establishments serve the same grilled foods. Pork and Chicken Kebabs, grilled squid, hotdogs, pork belly, pork barbeque. You will really get sick of grilled food when you’re eating it for 3 days. These are the cheap foods but be wary of flies. There are lots of them where the food are.

They also do serve different types of cuisine but are priced a little bit more than the grilled ones. If you’re not a fan of such foods, there’s a Tia Maria restaurant smack in the middle of the resorts that serves ribs, burgers, fries, tacos, etc.

Sodas are pricey so better order a big one for the group. Afterwards, save the bottle and bring it to the water refilling station and refill it for Php10.

For dessert, you can buy shakes care of Fruitas, have green mangoes with bagoong, dirty ice cream, halo halo or scramble (flavored crush ice with sago, mini marshmallows, chocolate syrup, and sweet milk powder).

WHAT TO DO

There are lots of things to do in White Beach aside from swimming. There are tons of souvenir shops you can go to. Eat a myriad of cheap foods. Ride a jetski or a banana boat. Play volleyball. There are also locals offering to braid your hair or to massage you. There are some henna parlors as well.

Banana boats anyone?

We went snorkeling early the following morning. We were able to haggle the price per head down to P160 including the vest, mask and snorkel. We were brought to the Coral Garden which is about 20 minutes away from White Beach. The place is kinda nice with lots of corals and small fishes.

Ask the boatman to bring some spare bread before you leave so you could attract lots of fishes. You can also rent some aqua shoes for Php50 per pair so you could go to the more shallow areas in the Coral Garden.

On the private beach where the water is calm

After a couple of hours, we were brought to this private little island/sandbar where we took some pictures.

The vacation was really a blast. Spending time at the beach while having fun with your friends is really a great way to spend a long weekend after a toxic week from the office.

EXPENSE BREAKDOWN

Overall we only spent around Php2,500 per head. The trick is to order food for the group instead of individually. Here’s the expense breakdown:

• Bus from Buendia to Batangas Pier – Php172 one way
• Boat ride – Php390 round trip
• Lodging – Php1500 per room for four per night (Php375 per head per night)
• Snorkeling – Php160 per head
• Food – Allot Php150 per meal 3 times a day. This includes cheap snacks.

The fare listed might change due to the constant increase of fuel price. Hope you find this post helpful in planning your own trip to Puerto Galera.

Thanks to Migs and Kate for some of the pics.

You might also be interested in:

• We’re going to Puerto Galera
• Calaguas Weekend Beach Fun Part 2 – The Beach
• Next destination, Davao? or Vietnam/Cambodia?
• Calaguas Weekend Beach Fun Part 1 – The Plan

Filed under: Travel