Category Archives: Beaches

Romulo Island (Hundred Islands, Alaminos City, Pangasinan)

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Come morning, we checked out at Texas Inn and proceeded to Brgy. Lucap, the gateway to the Hundred Islands National Park.  The port was already packed with local and foreign tourists, it being the Holy Week break.  Our plan was to go island hopping and then stay overnight at one of the islands.  Just a few days earlier, on March 19, the management of the Hundred Islands  was turned over by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) to the Alaminos City government. 

Hundred islands National Park

Before, anything else, we had lunch at the port and then decided on what to bring (camping equipment, swimming attire, sleeping bags, packed food, etc.), leaving the rest of our stuff inside our parked car.We then negotiated with some boatmen for a motorized boat to take us island hopping and settled on the price of PhP1,200.  Lastly, we had to choose from 127 islands and islets that make up this 1,844-hectare national park.  As we prefer beaches, choosing was easy as most of the islands are granite and scrub-covered and heavily-undercut at the base.  Only a number have sandy beaches.

On our way

The plan was to go first to Romulo Island, where we can go swimming, then  transfer to Martha Island where we were to stay overnight.  We left the port on our chartered motorized boat a little past 2 PM and soon made landfall at Romulo Island by 3 PM.  The island was packed with tourists sheltering on what little shade they can get on the island, mostly low shrubs and the undercut bases of the island.   We came prepared for this eventuality, setting up my tent on the white sand.  Our tent provided privacy as we changed into our swimming attire.  

Romulo Island.  Ours is the only tent on the beach
Vi beside our tent
A suited up Lulu ready for a swim

The island’s clear water was simply pristine and slope gradual.   Just across, Braganza Island seemed so near but experience told me that the short distance can be deceiving.  Besides, the current between the islands is notoriously strong.  Instead, we just lazed the afternoon away by swimming or snorkeling. Too bad, it wasn’t low tide yet.  A cave on the other side of the island is exposed and approachable during this time.

Maira-ira Beach (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte)

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After lunch at the resort, we all decided to do some sightseeing and swimming.  From the highway, we turned into a 2-km. long dirt road.  Along the way, we passed by the bell-shaped Timmangtang Rock and made a short stopover at nearby Bantay Abot (meaning “mountain with a hole”) Caves seen along the seacoast of Sitio Gaoa, Balaoi.

According to folklore, Timangtang Rock and Bantay Abot Caves are believed to be lovers, the former being the female and the later the male and are collectively termed as “Lover’s Rock.”

Timangtang Rock
Bantay Abot Cave

Upon arrival at the lovely Maira-ira Beach (also called Blue Lagoon), we stayed at a simple nipa picnic cottage. Hemmed in by hills around its perimeterand largely deserted, except for a few fishermen’s houses, it also has sparklingly white sand  and clear blue waters.  Though its sand was much finer than its better-known neighbor Saud White Beach, this beach has yet to become popular with the mainstream beach-combing crowd.

The crescent-shaped May-raira Beach

Just offshore, in Brgy. Balaoi, are the identical Dos Hermanas (Two Brothers) Islands.

According to folklore, two very close brothers one day went fishing at sea.  Unfortunately, they were met by a typhoon while at sea.  Vowing to be together even in death, they both drowned. To serve as an inspiration to others, the two islands were said to have appeared later.

Dos Hermanas

Saud White Beach (Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte)

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We arrived at  the touristy Saud White Beach, along clear, tranquil and palm-lined Bangui Bay by 6 PM.  The beach is home to a number of resorts and we were to stay 2 nights at the upscale Saud Beach Resort and Hotel.  We were the first to arrive at resort, the others arriving much later as they made a stopover at Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Burgos.  These were anxious moments as I couldn’t contact their Globe mobile phones.  The beach was definitely Smart country.   Upon their arrival, we all checked in at airconditioned rooms with bath, cable TV and fridge.

Saud White Beach

Pagudpud, called the “Paradise of the North,” is reputed to have the longest, continuous white sand beach in the country.  Though not as gently sloping as Boracay’s White Beach, Saud White Beach has offshore coral beds and, unlike Boracay, an occasionally moderate to high surf ideal for water sports activities such as surfing.  Beach volleyball is also a favorite activity here. Most of our stay, however, was spent picnicking, eating, siestas and swimming.

Saud Beach Resort & Hotel

During lunch the next day, we were reminded that we were in Marcos country as joining us at an adjoining table at the restaurant, as guests of town mayor and resort owner Reynolan Sales, were Ms. Irene Marcos-Araneta, her husband Greggy, their kids and their usual bevy of security men.

Saud Beach Resort & Hotel: Saud White Beach, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.  Manila booking office: 94 Katipunan Rd., White Plains, Quezon City.  Tel: (632) 921-2856 and (632) 928-9853.  E-mail: inquiries@saudbeachresort.com and reservations@saudbeachresort.com. Website: www.saudbeachresort.com.

Balicasag Island (Panglao, Bohol)

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Balicasag Island Dive Resort

Panglao Island’s deep waters are home to whales and dolphins that appear all year round, especially between the months of April and June.  Having arrived on the last week of May, we were hoping to do some dolphin watching of our own at nearby Balicasag Island which lies off Panglao Reef, 4 kms. southwest of Duljo Point.   Balicasag is also touted as the country’s second best diving spot.  The island’s north and northwest side has a narrow shelf, 10 to 50 m. wide and about 7 m. deep, ending in 2 excellent vertical walls that fall forever.   In fact, 80 to 90% of the tourists who visit Panglao come primarily for the Balicasag scuba diving.  The first recorded dive of the island on the island was done on May 6, 1984.   

On our way

To get to the island, I hired an outrigger boat.  Grace, my kids Jandy and Cheska and my brother-in-law Mark joined me and we all brought our swimming and snorkeling gear, suntan lotion and some packed lunch.  We left very early in the morning for the 10-km. (45-min.) boat ride to the island. However, throughout the boat tour, we failed to sight any dolphins or whales and so we contented ourselves with snorkeling its beautiful underwater scenery just off the shore. 

Balicasag Island

We later made a landfall at the other side of the flat, barren 21-hectare island which is ringed by a pristine sandy shell, coraline beach. The island’s name was derived from the Visayan words bali, meaning “change,” and kasa, meaning “noise,” in reference to the waves slapping the shore as the wind changes direction.  The island was declared as a lighthouse reservation as early as 29 October 1907.  Jandy and I went around the island in less than half an hour.  On the southwest side of the island is the 1.5-hectare, Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA)-managed Balicasag Island Diving Resort, established on April 6, 1987.  Right in front of the resort is a 3.44-hectare marine sanctuary declared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The resort has 10 native-style duplex cottages with bath and porch, plus a main restaurant pavilion with an adjacent alfresco dining area and bar.  It also has a dive shop offering dive courses.

Panglao Island (Bohol)

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Alona Beach

We all left Cebu City very early in the morning of May 24 via an Oceanjet fast ferry for Tagbilaran City, Bohol’s capital and route center.  Upon arrival at the city’s wharf, we motored, via taxi, to Panglao Island which is connected to the mainland via 2 bridges. The older Taytay Bridge, near the City Hall, goes to Panglao (18.1 kms. away) while the Gov. Jacinto Borja Bridge, located 2 kms. southeast, connects the city’s Bool District with Dauis (3.1 kms. away).  The flat 98.4 sq. km., coralline limestone Panglao Island is located south of the city.    

Lost Horizon Beach Resort

We booked ourselves at an airconditioned room with bath and cable TV at Lost Horizon Beach Resort along Alona Beach.  The resort also has fan-cooled rooms with bath or common bath, a restaurant, swimming pool and a bar.   Alona Beach is one of Panglao Island’s 4 beaches, all of them white sand.  The  other beaches are the 1.2-km. long, pretty shallow Doljo Beach (located between rocky promontories); Dumaluan Beach along the east coast; and Momo Beach on a quiet cove on the west side. 

At Trudie’s Place

The sand off these beaches, although not as fine as that in Boracay, is just as white.  A fact, known only by a few people, is that many white sand beaches on Mactan Island in neighboring Cebu are covered by sand imported from Bohol, including Panglao.  Alona Beach, on the southeast side, is the most beautiful, most popular and, tourist-wise, the most developed beach of the four on the island. This beach, located in Brgy. Tawala, is said to have been named after Alona Alegre, the bomba star of the 1970s whom people say romped naked here during a film shoot.  It has a number of small, individually-designed beach resorts, restaurants, beach bars and dive shops, all spread along the beach for about 1.5 kms..  This attractive, white sand beach is good for snorkeling.  It is, however, clogged with seaweed growing in knee-deep waters, especially between December and March.    

Lost Horizon Beach Resort: Brgy. Tawala, Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol.  Tel: (038) 502-9099 & 502-9088.  Cebu City booking office: fax: (032) 232-4893. Website: www.losthorizonresort-bohol.com.

Puno ng Pandil (Morong, Bataan)

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The next day, Saturday, was family day and what better way to spend than a day of swimming at the beach.  However, the nearby beach was heavily-crowded with Holy Week revelers and so we decided to look for our own secluded spot by hiring a motorized banca for this purpose.  The long stretch of black sand beach was lined with a number of beach resorts, notable of which are the upscale Strand and Waterfront Resort.

Puno ng Pandil

There are also a number of private beachfront residences.  Just when we thought we would never find our own private cove, we espied the picture-perfect and postcard-pretty scene of an unusually white sand beach backed up by a sugar loaf mountain.  Locally called Puno ng Pandil, we finally found our own private nook.  Here, we swam to our heart’s delight with the cool feel of the white sand beneath our feet.  It was truly something worth returning to.

Holy Week in Morong (Bataan)

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Napot Point

After our Dambana ng Kagitingan pilgrimage, it was back to my car again for the final drive to Morong. Along the final 23-km. stretch from Bagac to Morong, we passed the controversial Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, situated 18 m. above sea level at Napot Point.  Morong was the chosen site for this “white elephant,” which was supposed to be the first nuclear power plant in the country.

Begun in 1977, it was constructed by Westinghouse (allegedly under a “conspiracy of corruption”) and was expected to generate 620 MW of electricity when completed.  After much delays (construction was stopped in June 1979 due to the Three Mile Island incident in the U.S.), it was finally completed in 1985 at a cost of US$1.95 billion (its initial budget was US$1.1 billion).  However, cause-oriented groups staged a number of “No Nukes” rallies.

They protested its potential to life and property, and its being built on a major earthquake fault line.  The Chernobyl nuclear plant accident in the former Soviet Union in 1986 was the final nail in its coffin as Pres. Corazon Aquino ordered it mothballed that same year.  To this day, it has not been decided what to do with this overpriced but unsafe complex and the sophisticated equipment already installed there.  In the meantime, the country is left with the problem and an incurred US$2.2 billion debt.

Sunset at Morong

We finally reached Morong late in the afternoon and stayed at Vener’s house, located near the town’s Spanish-era church and a few hundred meters from the beach.  A soothing and well-deserved cool afternoon dip at the beach, augmented by a beautiful fiery sunset, relaxed our tired bodies. Early morning of the next day, Good Friday, provided an opportunity to observe, up close, the countrywide Holy Week ritual of self-flagellation.  I first encountered this shocking and bloody ritual when I was still living in Malibay (Pasay City).  Here in Morong it is called pagbubulyos.   This is performed mostly by men, both young and old, who wish to fulfill a panata (vow) of public atonement for one’s sins.  This panata is done for a minimum of 10 successive years and is reflected in the bulyos, a whip consisting of bamboo strips tied to sturdy cord.   Each strip represents one year of atonement, its number being reduced every succeeding year until he completes his panata.  Each strip should be secured properly.  If one is detached during his rounds, another strip (and another year) is added to his bulyos.

Before the actual flagellation, the flagellant’s back is prepared by beating with stick and paddles until swollen and numb.  Numerous small cuts on the back are then made with razors, with vinegar or salt sometimes applied to the cuts.   Only then is the raw back whipped continuously by the bulyos.  The flagellants, most with heads covered, walk barefoot along the town’s streets, stopping by the church to pray, then continuing on until they reach the sea where a healing noontime dip awaits them.

Anilao: Arthur’s Place Dive Resort (Mabini, Batangas)

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A chilling, foggy morning greeted me when I woke up.  It was already sunrise but the sun was obscured by the clouds.  We soon had breakfast prepared, packed our gear and waited for our “porter” and guide to arrive.  In the meantime we posed, as mountain conquerors would do, behind our cameras.  Our guides soon arrived and similarly unburdened, we easily proceeded down the mountain and back to our starting point.  After refreshing drinks at the store, it was back to our car for the now downhill, but nevertheless still treacherous, drive down the zigzag road.   The guys hiked down to their car further down the road.

Arthur’s Place

We decided to all meet at Arthur’s Place to savor what Anilao has to offer underwater.  The beach here was a relatively shallow.  Offshore is a dive site aptly named Arthur’s Place, gradually sloping from five to 21 meters with plenty of reef fish, small coral heads, soft corals, feather stars, hydroids, anemones and sponges.  The resort, opened in 1984 (with two rooms) by the late Arthur Abrigonda was, together with Aqua Tropical Sports (opened in 1967) and Aquaventure Reef Club, the first to open resorts in the area.  It now has 12 rooms with bath (two of them airconditioned), a restaurant, dive shop, picnic tables, shower rooms and offers two boats for diving trips.

None of us went diving (although Cecil was a trained diver) but we indulged in the next best thing by going snorkeling.  Even near the shore, the fish and coral life along the reef was quite good.  I’ve tried diving once (in Club Paradise in Palawan) a long time ago.  Anilao is sure worth the second try with its coral slopes or steps of small drop-offs, shallow coral gardens among sandy patches, profuse small fish life and numerous crinoids and nudibranches.  Some marine sanctuaries have been set up.  Diving is good all year round but the best season is from November to May.

Arthur’s Place Dive Resort: Anilao, Mabini, Batangas. Mobile numbers (Ms. Estelita M. Abrigonda): (0919) 716-7973 and (0919) 312-3938.  E-mail: arthursplace_ph@yahoo.com.  Website: www.arthurs-place.com.

The Balsas of Matabungkay (Lian, Batangas)

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Matabungkay Beach Resort & Hotel

I was invited to join a media familiarization tour of Matabungkay Beach Resort & Hotel in Lian, Batangas on March 23-24, the weekend preceding Holy Week.  Our assembly area was the Department of Tourism (DOT) Bldg. near Rizal Park.  I left my car at my wife’s office at Gil Puyat Ave, took a fully-packed LRT train, overshot my designated stop which was U.N. Ave. and dropped off instead at Central Station where I decided to just walk, for the exercise, back to the DOT.   I arrived at the DOT cafeteria, huffing and puffing and drenched as a newborn kitten, just in time for breakfast.

Check out “Resort Review: Matabungkay Beach Resort & Hotel“

Joining me at the breakfast table were some of the Who’s Who in travel journalism: Mr. Randy V. Urlanda of Panorama, Mr. Frank A. Evaristo of Manila Bulletin, TODAY veteran photographer Mr. Manny Goloyugo, Ms. Arlene Dabu-Foz of Manila Bulletin, Mr. Romark Mayuga of Manila Times, Ms. Claudeth E. Molon of TODAY, Ms. Lala Rimando of Newsbreak Magazine, Ms. Ruby Gonzalez of Travel Weekly East, Ms. Maggie De Pano of Business World Online, Mr. Michael David C. Tan of What’s On & Expat and Mr. Melvin S. Magtaus and Mr. Dennis Lapan of Lifestyle Asia.

Also present, as host, were Ms. Leona  DG. Nepomuceno and Ms. Camille Cua of the DOT.  Also joining us were Ms. Blessie Zarzuela of Adea Marketing, the TV crews from ABS-CBN (3) and RPN 9 (3) and 2 other DOT personnel.

We left the DOT at exactly 8:30 AM for the 3-hr. airconditioned coaster trip to Matabungay.  I sat at the lone bucket seat up front with its wide legroom suitable for my 5’-10” frame.   I had to buckle up though.  The long 105-km. trip via the Sta. Rosa Expressway was pleasantly uneventful until we reached the junction leading to Lian.  Here the coaster was bodily stopped by resident “commissioners” out to make a killing this early.   This scene was repeated  5 more times as we approached the town and our hotel, the last one a roadblock set up by the barangay soliciting donations for their fiesta.  What a damper!

Media participants by the Nestea swimming pool
A fleet of balsas

After arrival and check in at the resort, we had lunch and, after a short rest, we were all invited by Marissa to take a ride on one of the resort’s floating bamboo rafts (locally called balsa) where a merienda of pancit bihon and canned soft drinks awaited us.   Ideal in Matabungkay’s very shallow beach, the shore is lined with lots of these balsas.   They are navigated by long bamboo poles sometimes up to the edge of the drop-off and, once a suitable spot is chosen, anchored in place.  All rafts have shaded picnic tables and grills.  From the balsa, visitors could go swimming, snorkeling and, at the day’s end, sunset watching.

Even after the sun has set, a number of these lighted balsas are used to await fishermen and their much-awaited bountiful catch.   These balsas, in effect, have become a very important contributor to Lian’s tourism and livelihood economy.   As a tribute to this hardy and durable symbol of Matabungkay, Lian has decided to hold its first Balsa Festival this coming May 17-18.

The 2-day festival, proudly hosted by Matabungkay Beach Hotel & Resort, promises to be activity-packed.  Highlights are a Balsa Race and the Parade of Decorated Balsas.  Different sectors of Lian and the nearby towns will be invited to participate, 80 for the Balsa Race and 60-70 for the Parade of Decorated Balsas.  Students from the town’s different secondary and tertiary schools will also showcase their talents in dance and other production numbers.   The festival will be capped, on the evening of May 18, by band performances and a beach party.

Preparing for my trial dive

After the raft excursion, Marissa invited us to try our hand at scuba diving at the resort’s swimming pool.  I, plus  Blessie and Lala, took a crack at it.  The others begged off.   Mr. Jim Waite, the in-house dive instructor, gave us a brief overview on the  basics of diving and its equipment.  The much-awaited actual lesson followed and we were soon fitted with masks, snorkel, buoyancy compensator, tanks, weight belts and fins.   This being my second dive (my first was a trial dive in Club Paradise in Palawan), I was soon diving about at the pool’s floor like a fish within its element.

After a much-needed shower, a torchlit dinner was served along the beach.  Additional lighting was provided by a bonfire.   We were also joined by TV crews of ABS CBN and RPN 9 TV.  Immediately after that, we were again invited to a round of nighttime entertainment at Gotcha Club.  The girls monopolized the videoke while us guys contented ourselves with rounds and rounds of billiards and table tennis.  Still others just watched the girls sing to their heart’s content until the wee hours of the morning.

Press conference by the beach

The next day, after a sumptuous buffet breakfast at Caballero Café, we buckled down to serious business with a mini-conference held at the beach area.   Invited to the conference were Ms. Charlie Leviste-Antonio (the resort’s Vice-President for Operations), Mr. Jim Waite, Ms. Balangue, Mr. Violeta and the town’s Chief of Police.  Here we voiced our concerns (the “commissioner” episode, environmental issues, Holy Week security, etc.) and asked questions concerning the resort’s history, facilities and plans, the upcoming Balsa Festival, scuba diving opportunities and Fortune Island (a sister resort).

Posing with our hosts

Immediately after the mini-conference some of us opted, it being Palm Sunday, for a mass (complete with the appropriate palms) held at the resort’s pavilion.  After a late lunch at Café Caballero, we packed up our stuff, had a photo session at the resort entrance and said goodbye to our gracious hosts, Ms. Leviste-Antonio, Ms. Balangue and Mr. Violeta.  We left the resort by 2:30 PM  and arrived in Manila by 6:30 PM, after a side trip to Calatagan and numerous stopovers at Tagaytay City for fruits, espasol, buko pie and mazapan sweets.

Matabungkay Beach Resort and Hotel: Brgy. Matabungkay, Lian, Batangas.  Manila office: Unit H, Garden Floor, LPL Towers, 112 Legaspi St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.  Tel: (632) 819-3080, (632) 752-5252 and (632) 751-6685.  Fax: (632) 817-1176.  E-mail: mrb@matabungkay.net or inquiry@matabungkay.net.  Website: www.matabungkay.net.

A Boat Tour Around Boracay Island

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After lunch at Sea Lovers Restaurant along White Beach, Grace, my kids Jandy and Cheska and I opted to do something we haven’t done before in Boracay – going around the island by pumpboat.  Getting a tour was no problem, there are lots of operators going around White Beach offering this service.  All we had to do was haggle for a low price.  This settled, we boarded our boat along White Beach and were soon on our way.

Crocodile Island

Just off the southeast coast of Boracay, we passed by rocky Crocodile Island, so named because of its crocodile shape from a distance.  It has no beaches but is said to be a good snorkeling area and a popular venue for scuba diving.

The entrance of Crystal Cove

After 20 mins., our boat dropped anchor at the white sand beach in front of the welcome arch of Boracay Crystal Cove atTigwati-an Island.  This 2-hectare, privately-owned island, formerly called Laurel Island, is located just off Tabon Point, east of Boracay.

Resting along the island’s circumferential path

To explore the island and its caves, we paid an entrance fee (P75 per adult and P30 per child).The island had a circumferential cement path and, during our tour, we encountered statues of mythical characters. The island’s chief attraction are its 2 caves.

Posing among statues of mythical characters

One is located on a hill top.  There is also a small, 8-m. long cave at the tip of the island which is liberally covered with yellow and orange polyps.  The kids and I were excited to enter it but Grace opted to stay behind and just wait for our return.  The cave has a natural shallow pool on the side of the beach where we swam through.

One of the island’s caves

Back at our boat, we proceeded directly up north, near Yapak, to our last destination – the 800-m. long, blissfully deserted Puka Shell Beach (also called Yapak Beach). This beach, the island’s second longest, covers half of the northern tip of the island and ends abruptly at Lapuz-Lapuz Cliffs on the island’s extreme northern point. This most primitive and rugged part of Boracay has yellow, less fine sand and a stronger surf and a more abrupt change of depth than at White Beach.  We were careful when we swam there.

The blissfully deserted Puka Shell Beach
This beach was made famous by its heishi and shiny white (sometimes dotted with brown) Puka shells (actually part of the core of a shell), said to be the best in the world due to its luster and whiteness. Also found in Bali (Indonesia) and Hawaii, these shells were collected and stringed into fashion necklaces and bracelets and other jewelry in the 1970s and 80s.  Elizabeth Taylor once appeared in celebrity circles wearing such a necklace.  They are now very rare and the collecting, selling and buying of these shells are now prohibited by law.  However, women still collect, make and sell these jewelry pieces.  The beach also has a fine view of Romblon’s Carabao Island.
 
Boracay Crystal Cove: Tabon Point, Brgy. Caticlan, Malay, Aklan, 5608.  Tel/Fax: (036) 288-7482. Mobile number: (0918) 911-8134.  E-mail: info@crystalcoveisland.net. Website: crystalcoveisland.net and crystalcoveisland.com.