Bagasbas Beach

For the Holy Week, my parents, brother and I went home to my father's hometown in Talisay, Camarines Norte. Aside from catching up with family and relatives and following our usual religious tradition of going to Mass and participating in the Holy Week processions, going to the beach was at the top of our must-do list.

Bagasbas Beach is the main beach destination in the Camarines Norte province. The long stretch of fine grey sand faces the Pacific Ocean, so you can expect decent size waves here. Thus, it has gained a bit of popularity with local and international surfers. There are a few shops here now where you can get surfing lessons and also rent equipment for skim boarding and kite boarding.

Everyone else also thought of hitting the beach early in the morning!

Hmmm...

One of the best things about Bagasbas Beach is that it is very clean and waste-free despite its being a public beach. I even think it looks much cleaner and well-maintained than it did in the 80s/90s. Here, you see a number of people walking along the beach regularly picking up trash and cleaning. They have also provided a clean (of course) shower area now! Galing!

Very clean beach

We always bring packed lunch when going to Bagasbas and then just rent a cottage, since we usually come here in a very big group. Also, there are grills beside some cottages so you can cook your own food. But if preparing and cooking your food is not your thing, there are a lot of affordable food choices along their promenade. Some stores/eateries have been here since I was little but the strip has grown to have other restaurants as well.

Beach cottages for rent

Great day for kite flying

I will always have fond memories of Bagasbas Beach because it's part of my happy childhood. I'm glad that the people of Daet are very much active in keeping their beloved beach clean and safe for everyone!

Weekend Getaway: Virgin Beach Resort

If you're looking for a quick beach getaway, why not drive down to Laiya, San Juan, Batangas and check in to Virgin Beach Resort?

Location
From Manila, Laiya is just about two-three hours away. So if you don't have enough vacation time and badly need to escape from the city, this is the perfect choice. And once you get a glimpse of their white sand beach, you'll feel the stress melt away!

Customer Service
I give the staff of Virgin Beach Resort a solid 5-star vote for the excellent customer service! After checking in, you get a personal guide to your cabana. Then, when meal time nears, a staff member gives you a rundown of the menu and gets your order ahead of time. And all throughout the day, they check in on you (in a non-intrusive manner) from time to make sure you have everything you need. What a way to relax!

Pathway

Our home for the weekend

Facilities / accommodation

One of the bamboo cabanas

The resort is very clean and well-maintained as you see their staff regularly cleaning up the beach. Our bamboo cabana was also very tidy and I love love love their sheets and pillows! I even slept soundly through the night (Side story: a bird flew in our room in the middle of the night and I was the only one who didn't notice. To think I was sleeping right next to the window!) We didn't get an air-conditioned room but just as well because the room was airy and the sea breeze was enough ventilation, although an electric fan was provided too.

Other provisions: electric kettle, 3-in-1 coffee, towels, shampoo and soap. There was also regular supply of toilet paper =) Nice!

If you want to sleep nearer to the beach front, they also have canopied bamboo beds, which I think is perfect for afternoon naps and they also come with curtains for more privacy at night =)

Food
I was expecting a buffet but we were told that since there were less than 40 guests that time. then we'd only have a la carte. Food was good and servings were big enough but I can't recall right now a specific dish that stood out. Except for their turon! Yum yum!

Price
Price was reasonable enough especially for a big group like ours. We got a cabana good for 6, which costs Php6,000 per night so that's Php1,000 each. And since they require you to eat inside the resort, you have to pay an additional Php1,600 per person which is already good for lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day. If we had the buffet, then this is definitely sulit. However, if you are in a tight budget this could be a bit steep compared to buying food in the market and cooking your own meals. But as I've said, with the excellent customer service, our stay there was worth every penny.

Happy tanned faces!

Check out their website and start your summer getaway now!

Weekend Getaway: Avilon Zoo

There are days when you just need to get away and take a break from the daily grind of work. But sometimes you don't have enough time (or budget) to go for an out of town trip. You just have to be creative and look for alternative places where you can relax and have fun.

So one summer day, we decided to get away from the concrete jungle and went for something close to an actual one: the Avilon Zoo!

Even if it was a very hot day and we had to travel for about an hour or so to get to Montalban, it was definitely relaxing taking in the green scenery and hanging out with the animals. Spending the day laughing with fellow bisaya friends made it even better!

Weekend Getaway: Corregidor Island

Shalu messaged me one morning about a Deal Grocer deal for a Corregidor Island day tour and asked me if I wanted to go. Of course I said yes! Not only am I super ready for any kind of trip but I have always wanted to go to Corregidor. To those unfamiliar with the island, Corregidor had been an integral part of our history especially during WW2 but, yes, it's more famous for 'ghost stories'. Anyway, the deal we got from Sun Cruises was worth Php1,100 (that's probably half the regular price) which included round trip ferry ride, a guided tour of the island aboard a tram and buffet lunch. Super sulit!

On the day of the trip, we went to Sun Cruises terminal at the CCP Complex, behind the Folk Arts Theater. Registration is at 7am, and the ferry leaves for Corregidor at 8am. That day, a typhoon was in the country so  the ride was a bit bumpy. Mid-trip, I already felt a bit queasy, moreso when the crew began handing out barf bags and everyone around us started getting seasick. But I got cured by a bit of sea air, a couple of Mentos and a lot of staring into the horizon. After 2 hours, Corregidor Island!

Such a welcome sight after 2 hours of choppy waters!

Check out our swanky ride!

Our nameless guide

We were assigned to Bus #1 and were welcomed by our guide for the day. As mentioned before, I am a bit wary of guided tours no thanks to my HK and Nagsasa Cove trips, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that our guide's totally cool! She speaks well (she was forced to speak mostly in English as we had a foreigner onboard, nosebleed daw haha!) and obviously knows her stuff. She even managed to entertain us  by throwing in witty jokes here and there. For the life of me, I just can't remember her name!

Anyway, our first stop was the Lights & Sounds Show inside the Malinta tunnel. The show wasn't part of our tour package so we had to shell out Php150.

The show consisted of audio and video presentation, as well as installations depicting memorable events during the Japanese war, where the Malinta tunnel played a crucial role. We had to walk from one part of the tunnel to the next, as the narrator takes us to different moments in history.

Guarded entrance

Took a pic, just in case we get lost inside the tunnel.

There IS a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

After the show, we went to the Lorcha Dock where Gen. Douglas McArthur exited the Malinta Tunnel to head on to Australia. Although there's a sign reading 'I Shall Return', he didn't really utter those words here in Corregidor.

After an hour of buffet lunch at the Corregidor Inn, we were off to seeing the rest of the island. First stop was one of the most famous ruins in the island, the Middleside Barracks.

Then we were brought to a series of Batteries - Battery Way, Battery Hearn and Battery Grubbs - where the major artillery batteries, which were used to defend the island, can be found.

Next destination was the Mile-Long Barracks, which was the longest military barracks. It's actually a misnomer because the whole thing is less than a mile long. =)

We were then off to the Pacific War Memorial...

  

... the Spanish Lighthouse, Filipino Heroes Memorial, and finally the Japanese Garden of Peace.

The Spanish Lighthouse

Aside from the entertaining history lesson, I loved riding around the island. It's clean, well-maintained and I loved the fresh breeze. Although there was a bit of drizzling, the cold weather somehow set the relaxing mood and made the entire trip more enjoyable. All in all, it was a day well-spent! I would love to go back and next time try their overnight trip with a night tour of the Malinta Tunnel. Ngee, hehe!

Total cost for the trip: Php1,610

* Price for the tour -             Php1,100
* Lights and Sounds Show - Php150
* Yellow Cab dinner -          Php160
* Taxicab fare going home -  Php200