Monthly Archives: April 2007

Villa Carlos Resort (Boac, Marinduque)

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Once on terra firma, we boarded a jeepney at Balanacan Pier for Boac, the provincial capital, all the while hoping that there would be accommodations available at this unholy hour when everyone was supposed to be asleep. As I feared, there were none available at the town proper, it being the holiday season.  Soon all the passengers had alighted from the jeepney save for us.   

Villa Carlos Resort

Our jeepney driver suggested a beach resort and dropped us off at Villa Carlos Resort where the caretaker allowed us to pitch tents by the beach.  It was now 1:30 AM.  Jandy, Verner, Jowel and Yor slept inside the tents while Cheska and I slept out in the open, on benches at a nipa and bamboo picnic shed.

Our suite

Come morning, I had a chat with the affable resort owner, Ms. Emily Ignacio-Alaan.   Fortune smiled at us that early morning as Ms. Alaan allowed us to use, after a guest canceled their booking at the last moment, an airconditioned suite with 3 king-size beds, a small TV, compartmentalized bathroom (shower and water closet had separate compartments with the lavatory between both) and, best of all, a private balcony (with a round marble table and monobloc chairs) overlooking the sea.

The dining hall

The room was rented out for PhP1,600 a night, way over our spartan budget, but Ms. Alaan agreed to halve the cost provided we didn’t use the room airconditioner.  This suited us fine, as the cool evening breeze negated the use of airconditioning.  The resort also had a restaurant and a videoke (which gladdened Jowel).   A covered badminton court was still being built during our stay.

Cheska sunbathing by the balcony
People frolicking at Ihatub Beach

The suite’s balcony was perfect for viewing the gathering of tuba (coconut wine) in the morning, people frolicking along  the black sand Ihatub Beach in the afternoon and, come dusk, a beautiful sunset.  Cheska, Vener and Yor opted to sleep here, the balcony being cooled by the sea breeze in the evening.  With our accommodation worries out of the way, we could now explore, using the resort as our base, this beautiful-island province in detail.

In 2007, management of the resort changed hands and the resort was renamed Villa sa Aplaya Beach Resort.  It now has 11 airconditioned rooms with bath, 21″ cable TV and refrigerator plus, aside from the abovementioned facilities, a 25-pax conference room.  The badminton court is now operational.

The beautiful sunset at the resort
Villa sa Aplaya Beach Resort: Brgy. Ihatub, Boac, Marinduque.  Tel: (042) 332-1881 to 82.

Taking Chances in Marinduque

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Holy Week was again around the corner, and I was again browsing my bucket list of must-see places to visit.  Tired of mainland Luzon, I opted for some island-hopping and decided on Marinduque Island to witnessed its trademark Moriones Festival which happens only during Holy Week.  For company, I brought along my kids Jandy and Cheska, plus Jandy’s Jesu-Mariae School teachers (and my friends) Mr. Jowel Fatlaunag and Ms. Veneriza “Vener” Trillo with her son Yor.  For the short-haul drive to Lucena City (Quezon), the gateway to the island, I used my 2003 Toyota Revo.  Though not enough to accommodate all six of us, I still brought along my 2-pax tent and camping equipment (portable stove, sleeping bags, etc.).  Vener also brought along a similar tent.

Balanacan Pier in Mompog

I met up with Jowel, Vener and Yor at Jesu-Mariae School and we all left Manila by 4:30 PM, Wednesday.  The trip took longer than the usual 3 hours, with traffic delays, toilet breaks and a stopover at a gas station for dinner (packed by Vener).  We arrived at Lucena City’s Dalahican Port by 9 PM. I was thinking of staying overnight at the city and leave for Marinduque in the morning but the sight of a long queue for ferry tickets made me change my mind, so we decided to take a chance by taking the 10 PM Blue Waters fast ferry to Balanacan Port (Mompog).  After securely parking the Revo at the pier, we all boarded our ferry.  It being a holiday, the ferry was packed with travelers, from the deck all the way to the pilot’s cabin where we stayed,  sitting on monobloc chairs.  Being overloaded, the crossing took much longer.  Coupled with this, the sea during that time was rough and waves made the boat sway left and right, at one time making me fall off my chair and almost out the cabin door and into the sea.  I was lucky enough to hang on for dear life.  After this rough, wave-tossed crossing, we all made it to Balanacan Pier by 12:30 AM.