Way back 2015, I've been bugging Jem to have a camping trip to one of the beaches near Manila. He finally gave in when we learned that two of our friends, JR and France (see Tagaytay trip 1), went to Burot Beach and spent the night there with only a tent and quite a cheap budget (Jem's a big frugal).
So before summer ended, we planned our trip to Burot Beach located in Calatagan, Batangas.
Calatagan, Batangas
Unfortunately though, after travelling from Cubao to Coastal Terminal and missing the bus bound directly to Calatagan, and having to travel for almost 5-6 hours with 2-3 transfers, we were informed that Burot Beach was already closed to the public since June of 2016.
Devastated and exhausted from the long trip and the enormous amount of things we brought (I'll show you guys later on), we were out of sorts as to what will be our next plan. Thankfully, a kind tricycle driver (forgot his name, sorry) offered to take us to one of his friend's resort which was just a short drive from the town proper. I honestly have to tell though, people in the province have a different sense of distance than from those in Manila. The short ride took almost 30 minutes from the town proper!
Camp site! :D
Upon arriving, we were told that we could set up camp anywhere but the owner/caretaker suggested that we camp under one of their trees. We were the only people in the resort and even though it was quite small, the water supply is great and the caretaker (we also forgot his name, I'm really sorry!!!) was very accommodating.
Like I previously said, we brought a lot of stuff with us because Jem insisted! Before the trip we went on a shopping spree for things he thought we should bring. We bought the chairs at Lazada and the ice cooler at Daily Supermarket. The tent was borrowed from one of my colleague, thankfully we didn't have to spend for that!
Since the resort was pretty hard to reach, we didn't get the time to drop off of its entrance to actually get its name. But we did pass by the more luxurious ones like Playa and the sorts before we got here.
Division of the two resorts
Aside from the cheap accommodation (given that we had our own tent) and the very accommodating caretaker, we were surprised to see the beauty of the place. We didn't really expect much since we were so looking forward to staying in Burot but we were in for a surprise!
When we arrived, a boatman offered to take us to some island with a sandbar but since the place already had its own (yes! it has its own sandbars dotted with starfishes!), we refused. Another reason for refusing is because we didn't really had that much money HAHA.
After eating some bread for lunch, we decided to stroll around the beach to check out what else it offers. We also brought our own snorkeling gear so the experience was really something!
Although the place was littered with seaweeds, you can walk towards the other end of the beach (where other resorts were located) and enjoy the powdery-sand. The tides are really low here even if you walk meters away from the shore, so the place is definitely good for the kids. Just a tip though, we suggest you wear aqua shoes because there are a lot of corals in some area. If you're a little paranoid with stuff touching your legs/feet (like me), then I suggest you suck it up cause there are definitely plenty of sea grasses in this area.
Floating sea grasses everywhere!
By late afternoon, the place gets really dried up and the shore extends to the sea! We actually witnessed a dog running excitedly around the place!
Super low tide, Jem is walking bare-footed to experience the fineness of the sand :)
Talikogenic
When evening came, we went back to camp to rest and chill for a bit. Even though I kept on whining to Jem that we brought a lot of stuff, I actually liked it since the ice box kept the beer he brought really cold!
Probably the only romantic shot we have
Some random pictures we took while watching the sunset <3
Sandbar and sea grasses!!! This is the lowest tide.
Sandbar <3
Nagmmoment si kuya
Spending the night inside the tent while it was raining cats and dogs outside was kinda scary but it was another highlight of our trip!
By morning, after having our breakfast (we brought along all the food that we needed, no rice only bread haha), we decided to have another stroll before heading back to Manila.
After a quick dip, we washed up and pack our stuff. We had an earlier arrangement with the caretaker to take us to the bus terminal the day before so getting out of the resort was no hassle, really.
We were dropped off at the only bus terminal in Calatagan (which is where we were supposed to be dropped off if we didn't miss its schedule!) and said goodbye to Batangas for the time being.
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