We all know that traveling to Baguio is quite difficult because of its long traveling hours especially when you are only commuting. But did you know that you can get to Baguio in just 4 HOURS plus you can experience a luxurious and comfort trip. Yay! Amazing, right?
Last October, my friends and I went to Baguio for 2 days and 1 night. And because we all knew that when the time that we will go back to Manila, we’re so damn tired. That’s why I booked to this deluxe bus from Genesis Bus Transport.
By the way, look where we stayed in Benguet. It’s only 30 minutes from Baguio. 🙂
Presenting Joy Bus: Executive Coach of Genesis Bus
ABOUT JOY BUS: EXECUTIVE COACH
Joy Bus is under Genesis Transport and started operating in August 2010. It is a wifi-equipped, 28-seater executive coach with comfort room initially catering nonstop transport to Baler, Aurora. In April 2012, Joy Bus opened new additional routes: Cubao-Baguio, Avenida-Baguio, NAIA-Baguio, and Pasay-Baguio.
Front view of Joy Bus
At first glance, you’ll notice that it’s just like an ordinary bus because of its look outside. But wait until you enter inside…
Here are some of the features and amenities of Joy Bus Executive Coach:
Spacious leg room – I super loved this because tall girls like me will definitely enjoyed this spacious leg room. Unlike in other ordinary buses, my feet hurts every time especially if you’re traveling for hours. So I highly commend this!
Bottled water holder – It also has a bottled water and a space for your other belongings.
Compartment – In case you have extra baggage, they have compartment wherein you can put your things. Just be careful! Because when Ian put my bag there, it had dusts all over. 🙁
Free snacks – By the way, may I remind you that there are no stopovers in Joy Bus that’s why you can get to Baguio-Manila (vice versa) within 4 hours. So in case these are not enough for you, kindly bring more food with you.
Yay for free snacks!
Free blanket – I’m super happy when they gave us blankets! Blanket is life for me. I don’t know, even if it’s hot, I still use blankets. It makes me comfortable. Hehe.
Look who’s enjoying her blanket! Plus, its color BLUE <3
Reclining chair -This is what you paid for, guys. The comfort and luxurious experience. Did you know that the whole trip, we’re just sleeping like a baby. So peaceful. HAHAHA. That’s comfortable this bus was!
Comfort room – Since there are no stopovers, they provided a common CR inside the bus. I didn’t had a chance to try their CR but one of my friend did. She said the CR was neat and clean. She just a bit worried because it’s hard to open the door. She thought she will be locked there forever. HAHA.
How much is the ticket?
720 php for deluxe
740 php for premiere
Note that they charge a minimal booking fee for 30 php per ticket.
Reserve your seat/s by choosing the date and destination of your trip. Choose the number of passenger/s.
Enter the name/s of the passenger/s and choose your seat/s. After that, you may check and view your itinerary.
Check and review the details also the terms and conditions. You can proceed now to the payment. Instructions will be given on the mode of payment chosen.
Once paid, send the proof of payment to payments@iwantseats.com.ph. Payments must be made within 48 hours before your reservation expires.
You will receive a confirmation e-mail with the voucher. Please print out your e-ticket.
Please go to the terminal 30 minutes before your scheduled trip. Show the e-ticket to the reservation officer and present a valid ID.
The reservation officer will issue a receipt. You are now ready to board.
We had a safe and comfortable trip with Joy Bus Executive Coach. I will highly recommend it to everyone especially for those who want to have a luxurious and less hassle trip.
One thing that I noticed was that they don’t have wifi?! I thought they have because of the posts that I’ve been reading but well, it’s fine. I just slept the whole trip instead. And that’s more than satisfying. LOL.
Contact Numbers
Landline: 7090803 / 4211425
Genesis Cubao Office:
Address: G/F Genesis Transport Building 704, EDSA corner New York St., Cubao, Quezon City
WHERE TO STAY IN BAGUIO?
Check out where we stayed in Benguet!!! Just click here.
Just a short story, we were supposed to visit here last Summer but unfortunately, they were fully-booked already so we just opt to visit La Union instead. Check our experience at Villa Marand in Bauang, La Union last May, 2018.
So when my sister told me that they finally booked a room in Casa Almarenzo, I reserved my weekend already to go with them. The reason why they booked a room was because they were celebrating their wedding anniversary. Yay! We’re so extra. LOL.
View from our room building
ABOUT CASA ALMARENZO
Casa Almarenzo Bed & Breakfast is a private getaway located along Patar Road. A small, quiet town located at the western tip of Pangasinan. All rooms have breathtaking sea views. You can have a romantic honeymoon here as they have deluxe rooms. Also perfect for family & company outings.
Here’s the view of the resort from the main road.
Now, let me tour you around the resort by sharing some pictures of us during our staycation!
FRONT DESK/LOBBY
You can also have your dinner or breakfast here. Aside from that, they also have welcome drinks. YAY!
Welcome drinks station
POOL AREA
It has 2 pools. The one is for kids and the other is for adults.
Some snaps while enjoying the pool! LOL
Pool at night.
ROOMS
First, let me introduce you to our main room which I loved! Look at that cute double deck! So inlove with this room.
Comfort roomDining area
And now, here’s our connecting room…
Mini kitchenBathtub
Both rooms have a veranda with a breathtaking view.
Veranda
The room has a complimentary bottled of water, coffee, and a can of biscuits.
ROOM BUILDINGS
Mini basketball court/Parking area
We had our dinner beside the pool. If you wish to cook your preferred food, just inform the staff.
We have complimentary breakfast for 4 so we availed it. Breakfast starts at 7:00 AM and ends at 9:00 AM. The servings were huge! We even had free desserts! YAY.
If you wish to have a side trip to Bolinao Lighthouse, Patar Beach, and Bolinao Falls, they have a shuttle van inside the resort. Just inquire at the front desk.
Shuttle Van
RATINGS
PLACE –
The resort is so minimalist. It has a white and blue color scheme. But it has colorful chairs around the pool area. That time, they didn’t used it because the chairs were made by wood and it was raining that time. The place is peaceful! Very perfect for chilling while looking at the view.
But most of all, I observed that they put some Words of God/bible verses around the resort. So plus points for this!!!
The rooms were so cute! I loved how they designed it. It has a santorini vibe. The rooms were spacious too. The aircon worked well! The bed was comfy. Uggh.
RATES –
The rates are very reasonable! What you see is what you get. The rates include a complimentary breakfast too.
Upon entering the resort, some staff will assists you immediately. At their front desk, they have welcome drinks which you really need after the long drive. This is so refreshing!
They also offer “paluto”. You just have to inform them what do you want them to cook. Of course you have to pay them.
AMENITIES –
What I really loved about them was their breathtaking infinity pool. I’ve been wanting to try an infinity pool. The last time was way back 2016, in Bellevue Hotel in Bohol.
Since it’s perfect for groups, they have videoke and billiards at the roof deck. They have a mini basketball court just beside the parking area. They also have a hammock just beside the pool perfect for your IG feed. HEHE.
They also have water activities but unfortunately we didn’t tried it because of the bad weather. HUHU.
LOCATION –
You need to endure the 6-7 hours ride to get to this place. But I am assuring you, IT IS WORTH IT! The tiring ride will be paid off once you step inside the resort. It has a good sea view. It is beach front tho the sand is not that white and fine. But it’s only 15 mins to Patar White Beach. You can also do a side trip to Bolinao Lighthouse and Bolinao Falls!
How to get here?
You can ride straight to Bolinao buses in Cubao from Victory Liner and Five Star Transport. It will take at least 4-5 hours to reach Bolinao and 10-15 minutes to Casa Almarenzo Bed & Breakfast.
Before heading back to Manila, my cousin suggested a restaurant where we can have our lunch. We need to have a heavy meal because another long drive were waiting for us.
Sungayan Grill is a floating restaurant in Balingasay River. This river is known as one of the cleanest rivers in the Philippines. Also, this is the most recommended restaurant in Bolinao, Pangasinan. Why? Because it looks like the one in Bohol. The only difference is they don’t offer buffet.
View from one of the floating huts
DISCLAIMER: The water is color brown because of the bad weather when we went there but mostly, it is color green.
This is the floating restaurant in Loboc, Bohol. So beautiful, right?
Grilled Sungayan, Grilled Bangus, Grilled Liempo, Grilled Squid or Calamares, Steam Crabs, Steam Okra, Grilled Eggplant, Seaweeds Tomato, Green Mango, Padas (Bolinao Bagoong) Alamang, with free 1 platter of rice and 1 pitcher of iced tea
NOTE: Order all you need before your hut leaves because you might regret it like we did. HAHA. Our rice wasn’t enough so we just cry like a baby and just enjoy the remaining food. LOL.
The hut is getting pulled by a small boat. I commend the boatmen for being so professional. Even though it’s raining hard, they still dedicated to make their customers satisfied. Plus point for this!
Here are some shots of the other floating huts too.
RATINGS
FOOD –
They take their food into another level! Most of the food in their menu is seafood and grilled food. We got their Seafood Fiesta which is good for 10-12 pax and perfect for boodle fight! All of the food we got were yummy and fresh!
PRICE –
The price here are much cheaper than in Dampa Restaurant because we all know that Pangasinan are abundant in seafood, right? If you are in a group, I suggest to try their seafood fiesta!
Note that if you want to avail that floating huts, there is a 1,000 php fee.
SERVICE –
Since they serve the food fresh from the grill, the serving time of the food took us 20-30 mins, I guess? We’re all hungry that time so we’re not quite satisfied with their service. Hehe sorry, hungry pips eh. But I commend them for preparing the food well.
AMBIANCE –
When my cousin told me that we’ll be having our lunch here, I immediately imagined my first time in a floating resto, which is in Bohol! Ugggh, unfortunately, the water that time was brown because of the bad weather but the ambiance is kinda same in Bohol. You can never go wrong with a good view while having a boodle fight lunch with your family, right?
LOCATION –
From Manila, it will take 6 hours to get here. I highly suggest to take a visit here when you’re going to Bolinao. Not recommending to visit here for only a day unless you’re just near the area. The ride is really exhausting.
Just a 10-minute drive from Bauang Town, a friendly resort is found. My family had our summer getaway in La Union. My sister booked a dormitory room in Marand Resort and Spa that is good for 18 pax.
View from our room
Here are some of the details of the said resort.
THE RESORT
It has 2 pools where you can splash, refresh, and enjoy under the sun. All pools have slides where you can take a plunge, if you want. 🙂
The Big Pool
Take a splash in this big pool with the 12-ft and 24-ft slides.
The Kiddie Pool
Kids will surely enjoy swimming in this pool because it is up to 4 ft only. This is the main attraction for kids. Note that this pool will operate up to 5:00 PM only until further notice.
THE HOTEL
For your accommodation, you don’t need to bother as they have 27 fully furnished rooms with hot and cold shower, cabled TV, etc. If you want to be more relaxed, just avail their body massage service within your rooms until 9:00 PM.
Standard Room
Photo from their website
Room includes 1 double bed, with cold shower, fully air-conditioned, with 1 table and chair, free entrance good for 2, and a complimentary breakfast for 2 persons at Alonzo’s Bar & Restaurant.
Good for 2 persons
Free use of swimming pools
Extra person (additional of 500.00 per person)
Standard Family Room
Photo from their website
Room has 6 single beds, fully air-conditioned, with television, and cold shower.
Good for 6 persons
Free use of swimming pools
Extra person (additional of 500.00 per person)
Deluxe King Room
Photo from their website
Room is fully air-conditioned, with a king size bed; TV cable, hot and cold shower with closet, a personal refrigerator, and complimentary breakfast good for 2 at the Alonzo’s Bar & Restaurant.
Good for 2 persons
Free use of swimming pools
Extra person (additional of 500.00 per person)
Deluxe Twin Sharing/Queen Room
Photo from their website
Room is good for 2 persons with two (2) queen sized beds, fully air-conditioned, a cable television, a hot & cold shower, and a closet. Inclusive of complimentary breakfast for 2 persons at our Alonzo’s Bar & Restaurant.
Good for 2 persons
Free use of swimming pools
Extra person (additional of 500.00 per person)
Deluxe Family Room
Photo from their website
Room is fully air-conditioned with 2 queen size beds and 1 king sized bed, a cable television, hot and cold shower, and equipped with a safety deposit box and a personal refrigerator. It comes with a complimentary breakfast good for 4 at Alonzo’s Bar & Restaurant.
Good for 4 persons
Free use of swimming pools
Extra Person (additional of 500.00 per person)
Dormitory Room
Photo from their website
If you are on a large group (18 persons), then this room is perfect for you. It has 9 double deck beds, fully air-conditioned, supplied with television, and cold shower.
Good for 18 persons
Free use of swimming pools
Here are some pictures of our Dormitory Room:
FACILITIES
If you want to try other things, just went to their playground instead. Don’t worry, it’s for FREE.
Or if you want, just take pictures around the resort.
OTHERS
They are also catering special events like birthdays, weddings, debut, team buildings, etc.
You can also be a member of Club Marand, where you can take advantage of their best health and wellness deal ever. It is ideal for those people who want to enjoy fitness, an outdoor lifestyle, and appreciate value for money.
Still looking for a perfect beach getaway this summer? Let me show you how we (me & high school friends) enjoyed our summer outing this year in a private resort in Pangasinan. Yay!
Meet HSF. My high school family. <3
ABOUT
Villa Balinmanok is composed of 3 private beach resorts and owned by a family. Since it’s a private resort, you will feel safe and secure. You can exclusively own the entire resort because it’s not popular than any other beaches nearby. The sand and the beach are the bomb! The sand is fine and white. The beach has clear water. I think it is a combination of Calaguas and Burot Beach (tho I didn’t go there yet LOL) because of the less noise and crowd. ENTRANCE FEE: 70 php only. For 4 years old and below, it it FREE. Yay!
WHERE TO STAY?
Because it has 3 private beach resorts, they have a wide variety of accommodations.
Options:
Nipa Huts
Open Cottages
Airconditioned Rooms
Nonairconditioned Rooms
Tent
RECUDO 1
Rates: The big house is 15,000 php/overnight.
Photo not mine
RECUDO 2
Rates: Ranges from 3,500 to 7,000 php/overnight.
This is the farthest part of Villa Balinmanok which make it more secluded. This has the most beautiful shoreline among the three resorts.
Exactly our accommodation (photo not mine)
This was exactly our accommodation for 2 days. We got it for 3,500 php, good for 8 people. Additional 200 php per head if excess in 8 people.
The room has:
4 beds (with pillows and blankets)
a TV (I was shookt! LOL)
1 electric fan only 🙁
A mini bar outside the room (plus point for this)
BAGBAG
Rates: Starts at 1,500 php/overnight.
Photo not mine
For the CR, they have a total of 4 common bathrooms and shower rooms. They have separate common bathrooms for boys and girls and for guests in nonairconditioned accommodations including for those who opted to stay in tents.
ISLAND HOPPING
We also did island hopping. We went to Colibra Island and Crocodile Island, but because of the high tide we didn’t stay in Crocodile Island. We got it for 1,500 php per boat, good for 6-8 people.
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
Free kitchen utensils (from kawali to plates).
Electricity is 24/7. Yay!
Signal is not that strong, FYI.
No WIFI available.
No mosquitos (only flies).
No corkage fee.
You can play basketball and volleyball around the area. Plus point for this!
Make sure to bring all your needs because it is far from any convenience store or market.
But they have a mini sari-sari store inside the resort. Please take note that the price are much higher here.
How to get here?
by Public Transportation Take a bus bound to Alaminos; you may either take Victory Liner or Five Star. Travel time is around more than 6 hours. In Alaminos City, take a bus bound to Sta. Cruz, Zambales and ask the driver/conductor to drop you off at Dasol, Pangasinan. Travel time from Alaminos to Dasol is approximately around 45 minutes. Once you reach Dasol Highway, you may hire a tricycle. The tricycle ride would take more than an hour. Make sure to get the tricycle driver’s contact number to schedule your pick up after your stay, Villa Balinmanok is far from the city.
by Private Vehicle From Manila, take EDSA and drive all the way to Balintawak Exit. Take NLEX, then SCTEX. Once you reach Tarlac, take the road going northwest to Alaminos via Camiling. Before reaching Alaminos town proper, take the short diversion road to Mabini then Burgos. At this point of time, use WAZE. Look for the road leading to Villa Balinmanok. It is actually around 32 kms from the main road. This long and winding road is a combination of 90% newly-paved road and 10% rough road. Travel time from Balintawak Exit to Balinmanok Beach is more or less 6 hours.
My work and stress became my bestfriends for the past few weeks when suddenly a friend of mine posted that she’s selling her daytour pass from Ten Cents to Heaven that she got from a contest. Apparently, I became interested and without any hesitation, I bought it even though it’s day tour only. Com’on! This is already a big break for me. LOL.
Our daytour pass includes entrance fee for two, free access to swimming pool, and hanging bridge. Btw, got it for only P250. Such a good steal, right? HAHA.
This 30-hectare stretch is located at Sitio Mayagay II, Barangay Cuyambay, Tanay, Rizal. Either you are looking for a day escape or planning to go overnight, this is the perfect place for you. I think this place have it all. From the scenic and gorgeous view, outdoor activities, cute and chic lodgings, swimming pool, onsite resto bar, etc.
This is perfect for team buildings, reunions, celebrations, or even corporate events and meetings. Even a wedding or any special event will do!
VICINITY MAP
From their website
SCENIC AND GORGEOUS VIEW
Imagine yourself waking up to these view with a cold weather, take note. LOL.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Perfect for team buildings, reunions, etc. You can also have a fish spa if you just want to relax.
Hanging Bridge
Rappelling, Free Fall, and Rock Wall Climbing
Shooting Range
Team Building Area
Fish Spa
SWIMMING POOLS
Dipping in the pool with a beautiful view and a cold weather. Would you take the challenge? Because we didn’t. LOL. So cold! Brr.
CHAPEL
Also perfect for weddings! Such a beautiful ambiance.
RESTO BAR
And of course, if you will have your wedding here, you can also do the reception here. The food were so good. My picks were the turones and dynamite! A must! Don’t worry, the price is very affordable and reasonable!
MENU
OTHERS
And super cute lodgings. Very instagrammable place!
ACCOMMODATIONS
Glass house
For families traveling together or for business travelers needing to conduct private meetings, Glasshouse Accommodation offer the facilities to satisfy the discerning guests.
Big house
These rooms are ideal for guests who would like to enjoy and experience the natural breeze of Tanay, Rizal. It is equipped with its own receiving area, ideal for group outings or romantic getaways.
Cabanas
Situated near the pool area, is their Cabanas, which are small huts made out of bamboo and wood. It is ideal for relaxing during the afternoon or for camping overnight that has a sight of the Sierra Madre mountain ranges and Laguna de Bay.
Tents
Campsite is located near the Team building Area and under large shady trees equipped with water and electricity. This is ideal for guests who would like to spend a night out in the great outdoors and experience all the things that mother nature has to offer.
RATES
Ten Cents to Heaven charges a general admission fee of P300/head for adults and P200 for kids for day tour. This includes a choice of any one of the activities plus use of hanging bridge. Other rates are as follows:
HOW TO GO THERE?
From their website
PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION
Route 1: via Marcos Highway
Course through Marcos Highway. You will pass through Masinag, Cogeo, Boso-Boso Resort, Foremost Farms, Palo Alto, Garden Cottages, and Brgy. Cuyambay. Ten Cents to Heaven will be on your right.
Route 2: via Sampaloc in Tanay
Take Sampaloc Road. You will pass by the street to Daranak Falls. Go straight until you arrive at a junction. Turn left. Follow this scenic road. It’ll be a 45 mins to an hour ride. You will pass by Sierra Madre resort on your right. Ten Cents to Heaven will be on your left.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Route 1: via Cogeo
Ride a van or jeepney going to Padilla/Cogeo Gate 2. Get off at Gate 2 and from here take a jeep bound to Sampaloc in Tanay. It’ll be the same route as Route 1 in private transportation. Get off at at Ten Cents to Heaven.
Route 2: via Tanay
Take a jeepney to Tanay town proper. In the Tanay Public Market, there are jeepneys that go directly to Cuyambay. If there are no jeeps available, you can take a Jeep to Sampaloc, get off at the junction and take another jeep bound for Cogeo. Or you can hire a tricycle to take you to Ten Cents to Heaven Tricycle fare is 500 one way but can be haggled down to 350. Alternatively, you can hire a tricycle up to the Sampaloc junction. There are jeepneys going to Cogeo that’ll pass by Ten Cents to Heaven.
NOTE: In Tanay Public Market, trips to Cuyambay are available as early as 5AM and as late as 5PM. Jeeps to Sampaloc are available up until 10PM. Jeeps and vehicles are rare once you get to Cuyambay. You could spend up to an hour waiting for a jeepney. Plus, jeeps are often filled to the roof when they pass by here. So please take note of this.
We booked a flight to Kalibo for our anniversary. The original plan was to visit Boracay only but because I went there two times already, we decided to visit Antique too. Just a 2-hour drive from Kalibo.
How to get there?
By air:
The nearest airports are Caticlan, Kalibo, Roxas, and Iloilo with dozens of daily flights both domestic and international. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, AirAsia, and Tiger Airways are offering flights from major cities in the country. Example: Manila, Cebu, and Clark.
By land and sea:
From Cubao to Batangas port is approximately 4 hours depending on the traffic and another 9 hours of ferry ride from Batangas to Caticlan. Boats are traveling from parts of the country to Caticlan. From Mindoro, Romblon, Bacolod, Cagayan De Oro, Puerto Princesa, Cebu City. Please check:
While I am doing our itinerary, Ian had second thoughts about visiting Antique because of the creepy stories there. But after this trip, he’s the one who fell in love more in Antique. LOL. He also told me that he enjoyed Antique more than Boracay because of the relaxing ambiance and peace there unlike in Boracay, too many people on the beach. But don’t get us wrong, we enjoyed Boracay too. The beach is amazing. There’s no question about that. We did parasailing there and that’s the highlight of our trip to the island.
Because we have four exciting days to enjoy, we decided to visit these places respectively:
Day 1: Mararison Island, Culasi, Antique
Day 2: Boracay Island, Aklan
Day 3: Tibiao, Antique
Day 4: Flight back to Manila
Our trip to Culasi and Tibiao was separated because we already booked our hotel accommodation in Boracay so we can’t cancel it anymore. Three months before our trip, I am searching for a reliable tour guide throughout our trip. At first, we want it DIY but as time goes by, I saw a post on DIY Travel Philippines about a trusted and recommended tour guide in Antique. So I went to visit this person’s FB account and messaged him. And then, we met Kuya Carlito Amar.
ABOUT ANTIQUE
This is in the Western Region in the Philippines. The capital of Antique is San Jose, the most populous town. The local dialect use there is Kinaray-a. They can speak and understand English and Filipino, too. The word karay-a comes from the word iraya which means “mountain dwellers”.
MODE OF TRANSPORTATION
In Antique, there are only motorbikes, tricycles, vans, and buses.
TOUR PACKAGE
So our tour package cost 2,195 PHP each for Tibiao & Mararison Island. This includes:
Environmental fee
Accommodation in Tibiao & Mararison Island
Kawa hot bath
Tour in Tibiao
Tour guide in Mararison Island
Boat transportation
Except FOOD! 🙂
As per Kuya Carlito, he requires 10% DP for securing the reservation. You can send money through any remittance center.
FB Account: Carlito Amar
Contact number: 09264252926
Me and Kuya Carlito.
Since we got to Kalibo Airport at 12:00 NN, we first had our lunch at Bagobos Resto Grill. For as low as 80 pesos, you are good to go! It is located just outside the Airport. There are other carinderias around the vicinity.
After eating, we went ahead to Ceres Bus Terminal to Culasi. The bus left at the terminal around 2:00 PM so the itinerary got lost already. LOL. We reached Culasi around 4:30 PM and from Culasi Terminal, we met Kuya Carlito and started the tour.
MARARISON ISLAND
Day 1
Around 4:30 PM, we went straight to Culasi Port. By boat, we went to Mararison Island. The boat ride to the island is only 10 to 15 minutes from the port.
Culasi Port. *view from the boat*
We arrived at Mararison Island at exactly 5:00 PM. We first registered our names at the registration booth. After that, we went to our accommodation which happened to be the house of the sister of the barangay captain on the island. We were lucky indeed!
We owned the house! Yep! We just gave an extra 200 PHP for the generator because the electricity runs only from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
What even made this house more relaxing? Every corner of the house has bible verses! Even in the bathroom! AHA! Look at this sample.
Matthew 21:22
We left our bags in the room. Then we went out to explore the island and wait for the sunset.
The island is amazing. Very breathtaking!!! Plus it also has the perfect sunset! Ugh, we’re so blessed to experience the sunset here! <3
We went back to our accommodation to rest for a while and get ready for dinner. By the way, the house is just near to the beach. Just a minute walk. For our dinner, we just told Ate Maribel Dayo (the owner of the house) to cooked something for us. Of course, we pay her.
With Ate Maribel *outside of their house*
Contact: 09304599265
Around 7:00 PM, Kuya Carlito said that the dinner is ready. And what’s for dinner? Sinigang na Isda & Fried Fish! My favorite! And surprisingly, the food was so delicious!!! Sadly, I don’t have a pic of it. But yeah, it was good, really good.
So after eating, we just watched TV, freshen up, and get ready for sleep *we really needed because day 1 was really tiring*. Excited for tomorrow because we will have a morning trek. Yay!
Day 2
We woke up around 5:30 AM, I guess? Kuya Carlito slept around the sala but unfortunately, he’s still asleep when we woke up so we just had our breakfast first at our room and get ready for the trek.
Around 6:30 AM, Ate Maribel introduced Ate Inday (our tour guide). I definitely recommend her if you’re going for a trek because she’s not boring *hehe*.
Stolen shot of Ate Inday hehe
The trek lasted for only an hour. *Though I think it was slower than the usual hehe.* I was happy because I finished it! HAHA. I was about to quit when we were about to reach the summit but Ian pushed me, so yeah! I still made it! LOL.
Stolen shot of me. Look how slow I am guys!
While trekking, Ate Inday introduced us to the famous plant here in Mararison Island. It is called Pitcher Plant because obviously, it looks like a pitcher.
The Pitcher Plant
NOTE: Guys, don’t you dare pick it! Taking pictures/videos are only allowed! 🙂
I was move when we saw students along the trek going to school. Yes, the students walked for hours to get to school. There is only one school on the island. The secondary schools are located in the city proper (Culasi) that needed boat ride.
And at last! We made it to the summit. Ugh, guys! The view is amazing! I thanked God for His wonderful creations! Sharing some pictures of us at the summit.
After we went back to our room, we prepared our things and took a bath. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an opportunity to swim because we ran out of time. Huhu. Around 10:00 AM, we left the beautiful island. We promised ourselves that we will go back here because it is really beautiful! Yaaaaaaas!
We stayed at Boracay Backpackers. Guys, this hotel is very affordable and I recommend it to all. The staff were very accommodating! We got our room for only 1,300 PHP for one night with FREE breakfast! Good deal, right? We grab this from Traveloka. Plus, the hotel is just a minute walk to the beach! AHA!
My bad that I didn’t have a pic from the hotel but go try it guys! We had a good stay there. We arrived at Boracay around 3:00 PM. After checking in, we just rest for a while and freshen up. After that, we explore the island and got some refreshing drinks. Of course, don’t forget to try Jonah’s Fruitshake and Snackbar.
Mango Banana for only 140 php each.
We got to experience the sunset in Boracay, too. What an amazing experience! Boracay sunset, I will never get tired of you! Ugh.
After that, we just had our dinner and got back to our hotel and rest.
We woke up early morning to have our free breakfast from the hotel. After that, we were ready for an adventure! Yaaas! We will go parasailing!!! We got it for only 1,200 PHP each.
Contact number: 09153163202
After that, we got back to our hotel and get ready for check out! We will go back to Antique. This time, in Tibiao! Yay.
TIBIAO
Day 1
Welcome to Brgy. Importante
We arrived at Barangay Importante around 4:00 PM already. From there, we met Kuya Carlito again. Hehe. He will drop us in La Escapo Lodge, our accommodation in Tibiao.
We registered first before going to La Escapo. We didn’t pay anything because it was already included in our tour package from Kuya Carlito. We arrived at La Escapo around 5:00 PM and first, we put our bags in our kubo and explore the place.
We were so excited to try the famous Kawa Hot Bath so we went down where the Kawa is located to check. Hehe.
The view is the Tibiao River. What a nice view we had. This view made us more excited. Hehe.
The electricity runs regularly. No need for a generator. Hehe. What made this accommodation more relaxing? You can hear the river flows. Ugh, that’s very relaxing!
After exploring, we went back to our room and get ready for dinner. They have a menu inside so you can order. We had adobo, grilled liempo, and iced tea for only 240 PHP. The food were good! Again, I didn’t have a picture of it but they cooked well! Very good for that! After having our dinner, we just freshen up and get ready ourselves to sleep.
Day 2
After breakfast, while the boy prepares our kawa, we took more pictures of the place.
We even went down to take some pictures with the Tibiao River. Hehe. The water is so freaking cold! Waaaa. As in!
The long wait is over. We finally tried the famous Kawa Hot Bath! It felt good and relaxing. The happiest part is we can stay as long as we want to because there are no other people in the place.
Bucket list checked!
I’ll be honest, I don’t wanna leave the kawa because it was freaking good! Huhuhu. But we need to prepare our things because you know, flight back to Manila. 🙁
We just took a bath and had our lunch. We had chicken inasal with 4 rice (hehe) for lunch for only 190 PHP. Before saying goodbye to Antique, Kuya Carlito took us to some wonderful places in Tibiao.
After that, we headed straight to Brgy. Importante to wait for a bus going to Kalibo. Huhu. Mixed emotions but the memories and experiences we had were one for the books! Yup. Excited for more travels like these!
Look! What a wonderful view while we were in the plane going back to Manila.
Sunset
We arrived in Manila around 7:00 PM and went home at 10:00 PM. Huhu I’m really back in Manila! Traffic ugh. So I just freshen up and had a much-needed rest because you know, back to work again. Hehe.
Last December 2017, I went on my first out-of-the-country trip with the whole family in the The Lion City… Singapore! Yay! So I’m going to post here a short list of places to visit, things to do, and where to eat.
Singapore is considered to be one of the richest, safest, and cleanest country in the world. This sovereign city-state and island country is located in Southeast Asia.
Here’s the list of the places we visited in Singapore:
Known as the best airport in the world. Now I know why! It’s really different from the airports in the Philippines. Hehe. Also one of the largest transportation hubs in Southeast Asia. This airport offers visitors a variety of attractions spread across its four terminals.
Marina Bay Sands
Location: 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore
This is one of the famous attractions here in Singapore because of its infinity pool at the top of this luxury hotel. Opened last 2010, listed as the world’s most expensive casino.
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Location: 2 Bayfront Avenue, Marina Bay Sands
Opening hours: 10:30 AM – 11:30 PM daily
This mall is located inside the Marina Bay Sands. Has different stalls of luxury brands from across the world. From high-end restaurants, cafes, bars, and fun attractions.
Merlion Park
Location: One Fullerton, Singapore
Singapore’s major landmark and tourist attraction near the Central Business District. Created on year 2002, Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion’s head and the body of a fish that is widely used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore.
Opening hours: 8:30 AM – 10:30 PM daily (10:15 PM – last entry)
The giant Ferris wheel in Singapore stands at 165 meters, with a diameter of 150 meters, making it as the tallest Giant Observation Wheel in the world. In year 2008, they were officially opened along Raffles Avenue, where the wheel stood – literally and figuratively.
Ticket prices:
Adult Ticket 33 SGD, Senior Ticket 24 SGD (Above 60 years old), Child Ticket 21 SGD (3 to 12 years old). Click here to enjoy 10% discount, call (65) 6333 3311 for details.
A nature park that is 101 hectares of reclaimed land in central Singapore, next to the Marina Reservoir. The park consists of three waterfront gardens: Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden, and Bay Central Garden. Did you know that this is part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a “Garden City” to a “City in a Garden”.
OUTDOOR GARDENS opens from 5:00 AM – 2:00 AM daily with free admission.
A theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island. This theme park features 24 rides, shows, and attractions in seven themed zones. The park opened last 2010. This is said to be the second Universal Studio in Asia (Japan being the first) and the first in Southeast Asia.
Ticket prices:
The theme park offers very reasonable rates, ranging from 74 SGD for a one-day adult pass to 118 SGD for a two-day adult pass. Children and seniors can also enjoy a discounted rate (all prices are in Singapore dollars). Refer to table below for entrance fees. For booking, refer to Booking Universal Studios Tickets Online.
One-Day Pass
Annual Pass
Adult (aged 13 to 59)
76 SGD
188 SGD
Child (aged 4 to 12)
56 SGD
158 SGD
Senior (aged 60 and above)
38 SGD
158 SGD
Haji Lane
Location: Haji Lane, Singapore
The vibe and picturesque sights are usually enough to make for an enjoyable time there. The place is really Instagram-worthy. Filled with different shops, local eateries, and shisha bars. With it’s mural paintings, this is the perfect place to take your OOTD’s.
Orchard Road
Location: Orchard Road, Singapore
This 2.2 kilometer-long boulevard retail and entertainment hub in the central region is known as the premiere shopping destination in Singapore. There are 22 markets and six commercial centers in this area, and all are splendid, crowded, and you can not miss.
Bugis Street
Location: 3 New Bugis Street, Singapore
Opening hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM daily
This is one of the biggest, cheapest, and probably hottest places to shop in Singapore. This is the center of Singapore and found just next to the new malls at Bugis MRT Station. If you’re looking for some souvenirs, accessories, clothes, electronics, housewares, and cosmetics, this is the place to be. Almost everything of they are selling is as low as 1 SGD!
You can also find here the famous ice cream, the one dollar ice cream. But sad to say, it’s 1.25 SGD already.
Chijmes
Location: 30 Victoria Street, Singapore
Opening hours: 8:00 AM – 3:00 AM Monday to Friday; 8:30 AM – 4:00 AM Saturday & Sunday
This is a historic building complex in Singapore which began life as a Catholic convent known as the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and convent quarters known as Caldwell House. There was a wedding event when we went there. Such a lovely place!
Clarke Quay
Location: 3 River Valley Rd, Singapore
Opening hours: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM daily
This is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay. It has unusual design which covered by a huge umbrellas which protect all the restaurants and bars from the rain and it is also air-conditioned.
Opening hours: 5:00 PM – 2:00 AM Monday to Thursday; 5:00 PM – 3:00 AM Friday & Saturday; 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM Sunday
Photo not mine. CTTO
Makansutra celebrate the diverse food culture that they have in Singapore. Taste a variety of local street and hawker food. An asian food stalls offered along a sizable pedestrian street with ample seating. They hail from the Old Satay Club at Queen Elizabeth Walk and for over 40 years, this family-run business has been insistent in making satay the traditional handmade way. It has also a good view of Marina Bay Sands.
I was looking for a perfect place to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday. Luckily, I found this hidden sanctuary near Manila. Literally a great place if you’re a nature lover whose in need of some relaxation and an adventure junkie because of their land and water activities.
What really catches my attention is their Glamping with a Twist accommodation. With this, your tent will be put inside a raft located in the river. What a wonderful and one-of-a-kind experience, indeed.
PLACE
This place is truly a gem! You will experience nature and adventure in one. The place is really big. Actually, I didn’t have enough time to explore the whole area because we lacked out of time. Daytour problems hehe. Upon entering the place, one of the staff will accommodate you immediately and will assists you all throughout your stay. When we went there, some of the facilities we’re still under construction like the floating pool.
For the accommodation, they have:
Glass Villa
Glass Tree House
Glass Cottage
Regular Glamping
Glamping with a Twist
Day & Night Kubo Cottage
Available in daytour, night tour, and overnight.
PS: Glamping with a twist area is a bit isolated to the main area of the resort. But don’t worry, one of the staff will leave his/her number for you to reach him/her in case you need further assistance.
PRICE AND SERVICE
As I inquire, it took me days before I got a reply from them. After confirming my booking, they required us to deposit 50% of the package we got to their account to secure our reservation.
For the rates, I was quite surprised with their pricing scheme because for a Daytour package (11 hours), it’s really expensive. But we still decided to give it a try and we’re happy that we did. It was worth it.
Services offered:
Accommodation
Team building
Prenup
Debut celebration
Water and land activities
PS: We availed the Glamping with a Twist Daytour (7:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
In our case, we were allowed to bring food. NO CORKAGE FEE.
They have a restaurant inside. You can pre-order your meals before going to the place.
Perfect for company outings, prenups, photoshoots, and even a perfect place to have your honeymoon.
They also have a river cruise tour.
TIPS
Their swimming pool is surprisingly deep. HAHAHA.
They observe pool dress code. But when we got there, the rules weren’t enforced strictly.
Don’t try kayaking at noon (like we did). It will burn your skin. LOL.
Be careful when you try the Floating Bridge challenge. I got a wound after because the bridge was destroyed that time. LOL.
Be sure to go to the CR before 5:00 PM to avoid long lines. (If you availed a day tour package only.)
LOCATION
Brgy. Talacsan, San Rafael, Bulacan
How to go there?
Take the Baliuag bus in Cubao (75 php per way) and alight at Baliuag town proper. Then ride a tricycle that will take you to the resort. (150 php per tricycle)
I want my first travel blog to be really special… So I will share to all of you my one-of-a-kind and wonderful trip last summer in the beautiful island of Jomalig.
The island is not as popular like Boracay, El Nido, and other known beaches here in the Philippines. This unspoiled island is located in Quezon. A separated island and far from Quezon. It’s also located near Balesin Island, which is still a dream to me because it’s exclusive to members only (sigh). So why not go to Jomalig instead, right? But as of now, this has become one of the most tourist spot destination here in PH. I actually knew Jomalig thru the Facebook page “DIY Travel Philippines”. This page is really a heaven-sent! It helps you to travel every corner in the country without being broke. Yes!! They will help and give you tips to travel with an affordable but yet enjoyable and memorable trip. So I suggest everyone here to join this page to have an easy peasy travel. 😉
Jomalig as seen on the map.
At first, we’re kinda hesitant to go because travelling here is not that easy as 1 2 3. Wanna know why? You have to travel about 6 hours in boat before you reach the island aside from the 4-hour travel to Quezon if you’re coming from Manila. Yes, 6 long hours. That’s normal because you will pass through the Pacific Ocean. Yes, you’ll be travelling in the middle of the ocean. It can actually take long more hours if the weather is not cooperating. But because YOLO, we challenged ourselves and give it a go.
Aside from being underrated and unspoiled, what catches my attention here is their golden sand. Upon seeing those pics makes me wanna go already at that moment. So in less than a month, we planned everything to make sure that this trip will be a successful one. It’s also our first summer trip as a couple so mixed emotions everywhere. I will put here our itinerary so you can have ideas if you ever plan to go here.
Selfeet at the golden sand.
The road to Jomalig
So we decided to enjoy the island for 2 days and 1 night only (because both of us have Saturday work, we just filed our VL and got back to Manila on Sunday night 😪). But we make sure that we have enough time to explore the island and make the long journey worth it. So I researched everything: the budget and all the things we need, the places to go, and many more.
We left Manila at 11 PM, Friday night so we’ll be in Quezon by 4 AM the next day. The terminal is located in Sampaloc, Manila near Arellano University. There are two options: ride a private van or a public bus. The van is located behind the Bus Terminal which is the Raymond Transportation. We rode a van to reach Quezon in just a short period of time (3-4 hours) while in bus, the travel time is 5-6 hours. However, the rate in bus is much cheaper than van. I will list down the budget and breakdown everything later on.
We got to Real Port (Ungos Port) as early as 3 AM. So we’re just waiting to the passenger boat that will be heading us to Jomalig. To make this trip less hassle, we had a contact person that will assist us as we reach the island. We found Ate Lyra (09287985691). I recommend her to be your contact person in case you’re planning to go here. She arranged everything: from the passenger boat we’ll ride, the room where we gonna stay, our island hopping adventure via Habal-habal, and even the food we’ll gonna eat. Almost everything. So thankful that I met her and got a less hassle trip. 😊
We got to the passenger boat as early as 4 AM because there’s many people already waiting in the port. The passenger boat is quite big. It can accommodate 60-100 people, I guess. It’s actually a cargo that’s exporting goods (like fish, drinks, and other necessities) to Jomalig. If you want to sleep, go to the upper deck of the boat. We went to the upper deck since we’re really sleepy that time. The boat usually leaves at 10 AM but in our case, we left at exactly 6 AM because the boat is already full that time (I think because it’s summer season).
Sunrise at Ungos Port. What a wonderful view. Taken exactly at 5:56 AM.
The entire ride, we were just sleeping so we didn’t have any pics from the boat and the view of the Pacific Ocean. We just woke up when one of the staff in the boat brought us our food. Yes, the boat ride includes a free meal. Our meal that day was adobo and the taste was good. After that, we just appreciate the clear water and the wonderful waves. That time, we can already cite an island and I think that’s the Jomalig Island. After the 6-hour ride, we finally arrived at the island exactly at 12 noon. So beautiful!!! I want to dive already. Loljk 😝
The Salibungot Beach at Jomalig. Look at the golden sand. So inviting!
Upon arriving at the island, we received a warm welcome by the locals and of course, Ate Lyra. She brought us to our “kubo” that we’ll be staying for one night. The room is good for 3-5 people. The room has banig, blanket, and pillows. If camping is your thing, you can pitch your tent for free or rent from the locals if you don’t have one. Camping is allowed only in Salibungot beach. One thing, the electricity runs from 6 PM to 1 AM only, it’s supplied by generators from NAPOCOR. So make sure to charged your cell phones and powerbanks by that time frame. As of now, many locals offering homestay. About the rest rooms, in our kubo, we have our own cr. But in case you are just pitching tents, you can ask locals, they also offering their rest rooms too. Don’t hesitate to ask, they are very kind and nice. But of course, you have to pay for it.
Our humble home in the island. Probinsya feels.
After fixing our things and rest a little bit, we quickly roamed at the beach already. We didn’t actually take our lunch even though we’re hungry. Our mantra that time was “every second counts”. First, we just took unlimited pictures from the beach. Thankful that I have a boyfriend/photographer too. Lol. I have wonderful pictures in Jomalig. Every corner was just so picturesque.
Playing around with the Jomalig kids.
After roaming the Salibungot beach, we finally decided to take a shower and finally rest. It wasn’t an easy trip. Imagine travelling for almost 10 hours! But it doesn’t matter, it’s all worth it! As we went back to our kubo, Ate Lyra already cooked our food for dinner. Very accommodating, right? We also had a creepy experienced in the island. A short, mild earthquake happened while we were eating our dinner outside. We were so nervous that time, imagine we are in the middle of an ocean and had an earthquake, creepy. After that, we just got ready ourselves to sleep early because tomorrow is another busy day for us. We will have an island hopping via Habal-habal. It is a motorcycle that is commonly used in provinces here in the Philippines.
Fresh calamares for our dinner. Yum!
We woke up at 4 AM the next day. Yes, island hopping at 4 AM. We need to start early so we can finish and reach the passenger boat trip to Real by 9 AM. You can do island hopping by boat too. But since we want to try something new, we tried the Habal-habal. I suggest you do the island hopping via Habal-habal to see more beauty of this island. Jomalig isn’t just about the beach, it has also breathtaking views. From the long palm trees, greeny grass, fresh air, and what most tourists says, mala-Batanes kind of view. So what are you waiting for? Pack your things and go to Jomalig and see what it offers!
Sunrise at Jomalig. Shot from my SJCAM 4000. No filter.
Sharing some pictures during our island hopping in Jomalig. All pictures are raw so you can see the real beauty of the island.
Salibungot beach with the golden sand.Clear water in Salibungot beach.Little Boracay of Jomalig.Kanaway beach.Pacific Ocean as my background.Ian loving the place. Look at that smile. So priceless.Kanaway beach.Stolen shot.
Other side of Jomalig. The greenery side.
We went back to our kubo around 8:30 AM. We quickly had our brunch as Ate Lyra prepared it for us already and also had a quick shower because the passenger boat was already at the shore and waiting for the passengers to go inside. We quickly packed our things and hurrily get into the boat. We didn’t had a chance to take a picture with Ate Lyra (sigh) but we already thanked her for being accommodating to us. We got inside the boat around 9:30 AM. The expected time of departure was 10 AM but unfortunately, we left the island at 12 noon because of some reasons. All the people inside were so disappointed but we had no choice so another long 6 hours at the Pacific Ocean. Sigh 😪
Selfie while waiting for the boat to depart. Sun-kissed skin.
We arrived at the Real Port at 6 PM, but another problem happened. There were no available van and buses bound to Manila. So we need to ride a tricycle first going to the terminal at Infanta to catch the bus bound to Manila. We left Quezon around 6:45 PM. Finally, we arrived at Manila around 11 PM and got home around 12 midnight. I was really tired, sleepy, and exhausted but the memorable and unforgettable experiences I had in Jomalig was worth it. Especially when you are with the person you love. Definitely one for the books! ❤️
Panorama shot of Salibungot beach.
Our itinerary for 2 days 1 night:
Day 0
11 PM – Arrival at Legarda (Sampaloc, Manila); to Ungos Port
Day 1
3 AM – Arrival at Ungos Port; waiting for the passenger boat
6 AM – Going to Jomalig; you can have your lunch in the boat since it has a free meal already
4 AM – Woke up; getting ready for island hopping via habal-habal
9 AM – Back to kubo; quick brunch; wash up; getting ready to leave the island
12 NN – Left Jomalig Island
6 PM – Arrival at Ungos Port; bus to Manila
11 PM – Manila bound
💰 Expenses (per pax) 💰
Van – 220 (one way) Bus – 205 (one way)
Balsa – 10 (will pass you to the passenger boat)
Boat – 350 with food (one way)
Room/kubo – 500 per night (Ate Lyra, 09287985691)
Fees – 220
Island hopping via habal-habal – 600 (negotiable)
Food – sorry I forgot how much we spent; courtesy of Ate Lyra
Estimated budget: 3,000 pesos
💡 USEFUL TIPS/INFO 💡
Electricity runs only from 5:00 PM to 1:00 AM only. Make sure your gadgets are fully-charged. Bring powerbanks and extra batteries.
Globe and Smart have signals on the island.
Waterproof your things. Use dry bag for your gadgets.
Bring enough food. The food in Jomalig is quite expensive due to the location.
The best time to visit Jomalig is during summer season (March, April, and May) because the waves are relatively calm.
Pitching tents in Salibungot beach is free.
Expect delays in travel time. There’s no strict schedule for boat departures and arrivals. Sometimes, they have to wait for other passengers before leaving the port just like in our case.
