Puerto Galera: A Cheap Beach Destination
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
- Touring Sorsogon Without a Car Part 4: From Donsol to Rizal Beach Resort in Gubat
- Touring Bohol Part 3: Alona or Dumaluan Beach?
- The Beach Hut sun block that gave us a sunburn
Filed under: Travel
white beach is the more popular choice. mas maraming places to stay which means rates are cheaper. not familiar with tamaraw falls pero ok na yung white beach for group of friends.
thanks! by the way, what hotel/inn/lodge would you recommend that is affordable for a group of 8-10 people?
yikes, I’m not familiar with the rates of other places there. hindi naman talaga kami nag-inquire. Try mo 09286852268 and look for Del. Sa natividad hotel sila which in the middle of white beach kaya ok na location.
me and my hubby are planning to go der on march 6-8 if possible we’ll be at wyt beach fri 9am and leave sunday before 12pm… how much will i allot for a 3days 2nyts stay just for the lodging only? and how much is the bus fare from cubao to batangas pier and boat fare as well.tnx
Pola, hindi ako sure during peak season pero to be on the safe side i’m guessing P2,500 per night sa lodging. If you want you could text 09286852268 and look for Del who takes care of Natividad hotel. they have their own boat so tanong mo na rin kung magkano yung boat trip nila and what time umaalis sa umaga.
as for the bus, alam ko lang is from buendia eh which was P172 last year. Siguro aabot ng almost P200 one way per head.
natuloy kmi nung jan 30 and we had fun! super bonding moments.. we met new friends.. kagimikan n rin nmin ung mga nmeet nmin dun..
pde nmn magdala ng drinks kahit mkita ng guard.. wala cla pake..
ung sa bus, 166 ung binayad nmin from buendia, jam transit..
also mas ok pla kng dun na kukuha ng room, meron kc mga nag-ooffer dun n buong house na..
nagpalit n nga pla ng president dun kaya ung mga massage and others ay fix price na,, hindi na pdeng ibaba.. pati mga souvenirs..
calvin: nice glad you guys had fun! thanks sa additional info din!
i read your comment on your trip to galera and we’ve been looking for a place to stay. You mentioned there were people offering houses to stay at… would you happen to have contact details regarding these homes? I think it’d be a lot more cheaper than getting 3 separate rooms in an apartelle/lodge/resort.
Anyway, I’d appreciate it if you sent your reply to my email since i dont have an account here.
Thanks in advance
JP
hello po..
we’re planning to go in puerto dis coming april can u gve me some room n affordble. ung mura lng po.. mybe group of 8-10. tnx
hi maricel, we’ll be der dis coming march 6… i’ll keep u posted…=)
alam ko lang number dun si for the natividad resort. 09286852268 look for del.
hi ms pola me and my gf wer going to puerto galera dis coming march 25 i guess can u give me afforadale room for 3 days 2 nights only pls thats best for our honey moon ^_^
alryt… no problem…
gud pm where planning to go to galera sa 27 march any recommendation…tnx
calvin: hi kelly, sorry I haven’t got any chance to talk to someone there for awhile. you might as well call Natividad cause yun lang ang alam kong number 09286852268. Hehehe. better do it early unless you want to take the chance of finding a place only when you get there.
can u please give me the contact person of Basilico Lodge… Thanks!
calvin: sorry i didn’t get the number for basilico lodge. Nag walk-in lang kami when we stayed there. Ok lang since it’s not peak season at that time.
we’ve been der last march 13-20 2009
here’s d breakdwn of expnses:
bus from cubao – batangas pier (jam liner) 350.00 2-way
boat from btangas pier – wyt beach 450.00 2-way (@pier terminal) or 400.00 2-way (@jam bus terminal)
room wyt beach hotel/resort 3days2nyts 2000 2-5pax
banana boat 200 per head
boating/snorkling/island hopping 1500 up to 8pax
(small boat for snorkling 200 per head)
kayak – 200 per head (up to 3 pax)
scuba diving 2800
parasailing 2000(2pax) or 1500 (1person)
mindoro sling 150-330
magic mashroom 600-1500
hash/kar 300-above
yosi 50
weed not available
kebab chken/pork w/rice 100
hot choco 45.00
ei pola maraming slamat. makakatulong ito sa ibang mga readers. astig ka talaga
hehe anytng for this site… =) it helped me too so i posted some info nrin…
i recommend white beach resort and white beach hotel… ok ung mga rooms maluwag , khit ung labas maluwag den kya d nkakastress… unlyk ung ibang hotel masikip ung labas nakakairita.. at mura ung room rent .=)
here’s d nos… 09175620886/ 09165340484/ 09169049324/ 09103548330
Hi calvin! baka meron ka dyan number ng basilico lodge? tinatawagan ko kasi yung nakapost na number on the net wrong nummber daw. we’re planning to go there last week of april. kaya naghahanap hanap na ko ng place. tnx.
Naku jhay yan ang wala ako. pasensya na. punta na lang kayo doon ng maaga. hehehe.
uhmmm guys..im planning to go to puerto dis coming may 14..meron bang rooms dun nha worth 1500 a night??ung kaysa ung four pips..mgkanuh bha dpat iprepare nming cash..per person ahhh..thanks..