Strolling Around: "It's Worth Your Trip" - Punta Verde Resort

Strolling Around: "It's Worth Your Trip" - Punta Verde Resort: “It’s worth your trip.” This was the signage we saw when we were a few distance closer to Punta Verde Resort – a resort in Lobo, Bat...

"It's Worth Your Trip" - Punta Verde Resort

“It’s worth your trip.”

This was the signage we saw when we were a few distance closer to Punta Verde Resort – a resort in Lobo, Batangas that is an eight-hour drive via public transportation from Manila. Such a long travel, hence the signage, perhaps? I must agree with what the signage says.

It was summer and I wanted to spend my weekend at a beach resort, until I found Punta Verde and its infinity pool, as well as the entire view that it offers, was so inviting. And so I started making my itinerary.

We left Manila before 8 a.m. and arrived at the resort before 3 p.m. We were supposed to have a more adventurous type of accommodation, but it turned out that we’re the only ones who booked for a slot in the camp site. Had we decided to stay there, it would require us to take a long walk going to the pool area and that would also mean walking in the dark. Good thing they were kind enough to “upgrade” our accommodation for free. Our stay became more comfortable.

No time to waste and so I maximized the remaining time of the day to swim and enjoy the view in front of me. After dinner, we just explored the place and had some quality time.

Morning came. As much as I wanted to stay, we had to leave and prepare for another 8-hour trip back to Manila. But before that, I wouldn’t miss having a cup of my morning coffee while looking at the crystal blue sea. We didn’t have any more time to swim, but at least we got to see the other areas of Punta Verde. It feels good when you get the chance to take a walk in a place that’s not crowded.

An overnight stay at Punta Verde will do, but staying for another night is recommended (we would have stayed for two nights if it wasn't just for our work schedule). The guests can take a stroll, play billiard, go on food trip, or simply enjoy a quiet moment.

Some helpful tips / guide should you want to visit the place via public transportation:

I found this on their website, but it may not be that accurate. At Batangas Grand Terminal, the barkers were a bit helpful in giving us direction as to where to get off to take another jeepney ride bound to SM Batangas. 

From SM Batangas PUJ terminal, there are jeepneys bound for Batangas-Lobo terminal, but this one's quite a challenge. Commuters wouldn't see a terminal unless they take that street near a church and walk straight ahead until they find a jeepney waiting for passengers. That jeepney ride takes about an hour and a half before you reach Lobo town proper.

From Lobo town proper, it's quite difficult to hail for a tricycle that will take us to Punta Verde. We took a tricycle that brought us to another tricycle terminal. The drivers would charge Php 50 pesos per head and are willing to wait for hours until they get all the five passengers needed. We couldn't wait anymore so we paid Php 250 for another long, rough trip to Punta Verde resort.

As per food budget, Php 400 will get 2-3 people a decent meal. Food serving is big enough to feed 3-4 people actually, depends on how hungry each person is (LOL). In our case, our breakfast was part of our accommodation - free-flowing (unli) coffee included <3

Calaguas Island (on My 34th)

Going to Calaguas Island in Camarines Norte is a 10-hour ride via private vehicle plus a 2-hour boat ride. Having this tour package (I was a solo joiner of this trip) – complete with meals, tent accommodation, and roundtrip transfer was a good option. Doing this on DIY just for a weekend trip doesn’t appear fun and convenient on my end.

It’s my birth month and celebrating my 34^th at home by doing nothing and having the traditional basic “birthday food” for dinner didn’t sound fun and interesting at all. Armed with my wi-fi and mobile phone, I first checked my Facebook for inspiration to come up with nice birthday ideas. Solo birthday celebration was not my option for this year. I like to be with other people but still able to have some me-time moment at the same time. Then it just showed on my newsfeed:  Calaguas Island Tour for singles. On my exact birth date. Pickup location was convenient as it’s just a few steps away from my office building. And the fee suited my budget. And so I said, “See you, Calaguas Island soon!”

The boat ride to Calaguas at first is not really that inviting as the water at the port doesn’t appear to be that clear (see photo for your reference). But as your boat starts to go further, the color of the water becomes a cleaner version of sea green and eventually, calming crystal blue sea water will start to greet you.

I welcomed my 34^th in Calaguas Island (though at 12mn, I was still in the van). The place wasn’t crowded. I found some quiet time despite the laughter and excitement of my fellow guests around me. At around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, we went to the nearby island called Balagbag Island. I found it a bit rocky and not an ideal place for swimming, but others managed to swim anyway. To fully enjoy the place, you need to do baby climbs for around 5 minutes and allow the view to leave you amazed.

At night, I was surprised and grateful at the gesture of my chosen tour agency. Four guests, including me were celebrating our birthdays in February and they managed to do ninja moves at the port to buy us our birthday cake (with a candle).




ctto (Zetodeals, Benj S.)

The next morning, we headed to Pinagkastilyuhang Buhangin (Sand Bar). There isn’t much to do in this place, but it’s an ideal one for at least a 30-minute clear-my-mind type of walk.

Calaguas Island Trip costs me around Php 3,000, compulsory travel insurance included.

Our itinerary and my personal expenses:

Tour Package: c/o Zetodeals

Friday

  9:00 pm – call time in Ortigas CBD

11:00 pm – off to Vinzons Port (with a couple of stopovers for bio and coffee/cup noodle / yosi
                   break)

Saturday

 7:00  am – breakfast at Jollibee in Daet

  8:30 am – ETA Vinzons Port (guests are advised to buy huge plastic bags for your backup)

11:00 am – ETA Calaguas Island

  4:00 pm – off to Balagbag Island

 5:00 pm – time to leave Balagbag Island

Sunday

  6:30 am – trek time

  7:00 am – breakfast, break camp

  8:00 am – ETD Calaguas Island; off to Pinagkastilyuhan Sand Bar

10:00 am – ETD Sand Bar

 12:00 nn – ETA Vinzons Port, Shower time, prep time back to Manila

12:00 mn – ETA Ortigas CBD

Expenses:

2,988 – tour package fee

     75 – compulsory travel insurance

     80 – est. Jollibee breakfast

     50 – est. small bottle of water and a pack of bread for baon

     25 – stopover (5 pesos for using the rest room, 20 pesos for a cup of 3-in-1 coffee)

     20 – huge plastic bag for my stuff (treat this as requirement especially if you have more than just a backpack)

        0 – lunch, dinner on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday (included in the package)

      25 – entrance fee Balagbag Island

      90 – entrance fee, environmental fee Sand Bar

    100 – 2 ref magnets (I haggled) for souvenir bought in the island

    150 – est. lunch at Alvino’s in Daet

     120 – dinner at Daph’s Seafood resto

     300 – est. pasalubong bought from Jannah (I am kuripot when it comes to pasalubong)

      50 – every time you pee and take a shower, you have to pay 5 and 10 pesos respectively, except at  the port – shower costs 20 pesos)

Total: Php 4,000 +

Thanks again, Zetodeals (esp. Benj S) for the simple birthday treat. 

You may check their FB page should you be interested in Singles Tour. They have frequent trips to Sagada and Calaguas. Some of your soon-to-be fellow guests may already be Zetodeals suki. They’re the tour agency I find convenient so far if you work or live around Ortigas area. (not a paid advertisement, btw)

Berlonggo Island, Batangas

*January 2018

A family-owned, private island in Batangas, Berlonggo’s rocky feature, together with some of the ruined bahay-na-bato and big statues that proudly stand on their respective area will definitely draw people’s curiosity to check what this ancient-like island has to offer. As per our personal experience, an overnight stay was not enough to savor the tranquillity of the place. The scent of the chilly sea-salted air has this calming effect that relaxes our exhausted mood from work.

Right in the middle of the island stands a 3-storey wooden house specifically built to shelter its visitors. It doesn’t have much except for a cot, a long table, and a couple of benches, but guests can “pitch” a tent on its first floor. The upper deck of this wooden house is where you can capture and admire the beauty of every angle of the island. It’s the best spot for a group of people to simply be together and talk. It’s also an ideal place for someone who wants to have me-time.

It’s cold at night, hence setting up a bonfire would be nice. The stars and the moon are the only source of light in the island at night, but we were provided with a light bulb for added lighting. It’s best to stay in the wooden house beyond 7 p.m.

This part of the island is where the guests would normally swim. Unlike the area fronting the wooden house, this place isn’t covered with sea weeds, but it’s surrounded by rocks of various sizes. Swimmers must take caution to avoid getting cuts and being dragged anywhere by the strong current. Bringing children to swim is still possible, but adults need to be at least a good swimmer and must walk with extra care. Stepping on rough rocks can’t be avoided before reaching the swimming area, which can go deeper than 5 feet. Non-swimmers must wear a life-vest and are not advised to go farther.

Since it is a family-owned island, most of the guests who come here are either the owners’ relatives or friends (the daughter of the co-owner of the island is my former co-teacher). We enjoyed our stay and in our next visit, I’ll bring a good book, pen and notebook, and set of songs to listen 

Free Ride to Marian Orchard and Shercon Resort and Ecology Park

We missed our chance to have Visita Iglesia last Holy Week, so my friend and I decided to visit a pilgrimage site before 2017 ends. Marian Orchard in Batangas and Regina Rica in Tanay caught her attention when we were browsing the net, but Marian Orchard became our top pick since we also thought about heading to Shercon Resort and Ecology Park which is only a few minutes to an hour drive away from Marian.

The initial plan was to take a bus and have an endless catching up, but my friend’s fiancé didn’t give up on telling us of his intention to join. No regrets that he did that. Commuting to Marian and Shercon the way we saw it doesn’t seem fun and convenient. Our trip via car was a breeze and hassle-free. The usual four-hour drive from Manila bus terminal to Batangas became an hour-drive!

At Marian, visitors are required to pay Php 50 and it says on the ticket: donation. I prefer calling it entrance fee, though.

Some of my favourite photos:

Took a not-so long, quiet walk alone. It’s a bit steep, perhaps the main reason why I only saw a very few people (no barkadas taking groufies) on my way down to the off limits/dead-end area.

At Shercon Resort:

Check-in time is at 2:00PM. We were there at 12:30. We chose to eat somewhere else and that somewhere else is 14-kilometer away according to the front-desk staff. Piece of advice: Make sure you had your lunch and you’re there around 2PM for check-in on a non-peak season.

Taking the public transportation to the resort is still workable, but you must have a lot of patience.

Manuel Cabin was crowded when we passed by the area. Having my friend’s bf with us was a blessing in disguise. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have called the resort to inform them about our reservation. The staff wouldn’t have the chance to double check their schedule and offered us a room in the Forestville Suites.





Forestville Suites:

Free Shuttle Ride For those who want to experience all the pool types in Shercon.

Forestville area’s not that cheap, but it’s already a good choice for a group of four who want to avoid a crowded pool. Pocket pools are located in the Forestville area, too.

It’s best to swim in the pocket pools in the morning. Guests would normally start exploring other pools after lunch, hence making the pool areas crowded.

Morning view from our room:

Pocket Pool. Take a closer look:

Me, my friend, and her fiancé 

(My) Budget for this trip:

Room (inclusive of dinner and breakfast) = Php 2,500

Time Allotted:

*Marian Orchard: An Hour
*Shercon: Overnight

Note: Food provided at Forestville's plated. Guests do not have any other choice but to eat whatever is going to be delivered to their room (or you may buy your own food). However, you can inform them in advance in case you have allergies.

Things to Expect:

* Not that strict with the attire
* Menu at Sam's Kitchen: Upon request
* Coffee for breakfast's in a shot glass-sized paper cup
* No HBO, Star Movies, Fox, channels (But I was happy with the Animal Planet channel)
* List of food and beverage on the menu's limited