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Puerto Galera Oriental Mindoro
Puerto Galera, Philippines
DESTINATION
PUERTO GALERA, ORIENTAL MINDORO
Puerto Galera is a soothing vision of shimmering seas surrounded by lush mountains. It is considered one of the most beautiful and developed beach resort community in the country.
So So What's The Plan?
After a couple of changes in our plans, my friends and I finally decided to stick to our original plan which is to celebrate our Summer vacation in White Beach, Puerto Galera. We were only six in the group and we are all first timers in Puerto Galera. The date was April 13-14, 2013, Saturday to Sunday.
PREPARATIONs:
We had no hotel and ferry ticket reservation so I can say that this was a sort of on the spot outing. The only preparation we had was the setting of the call time and buying chips and drinks to serve as our snacks during a long trip" We also packed our things enough for one overnight outing including my snorkeling gears and aqua shoes. We also read some blogs first to gather information on where to stay, where to eat, the activities and etc.
How to get There?
From Quezon City to Batangas Port- 2 Hours Travel
⦿ Batangas Port to White Beach, Puerto Galera-2 hours travel time (Father and Son Ferry ride, 500 pesos back and forth)
BATANGAS PORT TO WHITE BEACH
We reached Batangas Port at around 6:10 AM, after reading a couple of blogs, we knew we only had two options: Father and Sons Shipping Lines (FSL) and Minolo Shipping Lines (MSL). We also had already anticipated fixers/barkers who would like to assist us in booking ticket for Puerto Galera. We politely refused Manong from FSL's offer and told him that we do not have budget for his tip (we really intended to spend as little as possible for this outing). But he assured us that it's okay and his job is just to bring passengers to FSL, maybe that's where his getting his commission, and so we agreed. He was the one who lined up to pay in the cashier, but one of us was beside him to be safe. We paid the same amount as the other's who paid personally without fixer's assistance (Php 500 round trip ticket), so we were sure that we were not charged by Manong. I momentarily became paranoid when he told us to wait and suddenly ran to the other side and disappeared, he still had our Php 480! I nervously looked for him and eventually found him, turned out that "the other side" was the terminal fee cashier. P30 for terminal and P50 for environmental, not sure which was 30 and which was 50 really :-D). After getting our tickets, we lined up for the entrance, we did not pay Maong any tip because of his assurance a while ago, we just told him "God bless po"
FINDING A PLACE TO STAY
Our next mission was to find a place to stay. We decided not to book a room online because of the rates ranging from Php 3,500 to 4,800 for a capacity of 6. There were fixers in the FSL booth offering us a place to stay.One of the fixers gave us two options: first was on beach front for 3,000 pesos and the other was located in small alley a little far from the shore for 2,500 pesos. We chose the first one, casa manuel resort
HOLA PUERTO!!!
There are a thousand things one can do here. Landlubbers can pitch tents, light bonfires, play volleyball, toss a Frisbee, banana boat, go beach-hopping, watch the sunset, gaze at the stars, hike, go rock climbing, carom off on a motorcycle,
VIRGIN ISLAND:
The island was called Virgin Island simply because there was a Virgin Mary Statue in the location. You can do nothing except picture taking and appreciating the beauty of the sea. We spend only 10 minutes there.
NIGHT LIFE IN WHITE BEACH PUERTO GALERA:
The thing that Puerto Galera beated in Boracay I think was their fire dancers. Unlike Boracay whose good fire dancers are mostly inside tented bars which you have to spend some cash.
SNORKELLING, FISH FEEDING, ISLAND HOPPING:
For our Snorkelling / island hopping activity, we decided not to call Ate from yesterday after what happened to our Tammaraw Falls activity. The moment we reached the shore, we were done negotiating with the first fixer who approached us. The package costed 1500 pesos for 6-8 persons, not bad for 250 for each of us. We have to travel by tricycle to take us to the mini port where the boat that would take us was waiting. We paid an extra 50 pesos per tricycle; we took 2 tricycles so we would be comfortable during the trip unlike yesterday. Aling Rodora, the owner of the boat told us that her offer for the Tammaraw falls trip was only 1000 pesos and that we would be taken by a multicab. Now atleast we know who to call next time. She gave us bread for the fish feeding, 2 bags for 20 pesos.
You want to get back out on the water?
You can rent snorkel gear for P100/day or a kayak for P200 a day. Just out front of both resorts are fantastic snorkel sites with plenty of fish and coral to see. After lunch, you can rent a motorbike for less than P100/hour and go explore the area. There's Tamaraw falls where you can relax in the pools below the waterfall for just a few pesos. You can also go to White Beach or explore Sabang for free. While you're there, you've got plenty of options for things to do from renting jetskis and parasailing to fine dining and floating bars.
The sun may rest and set down but that doesn't mean it stops or ends the life in White Beach. As what I've experienced, it seems like nightfall is just the start point of a day in Puerto Galera. The night has been lighten up by the bars. The music makes the beach shore more alive. Each spots has its gimmick. Some offers cheaper price of drinks than the others, some of them have live shows (similar to comedy bars) but one of the attention grabber gimmicks is the poi dancing. Take note, poi dancers in White Beach is really skillful and packed with different tricks. It was very entertaining to watch!
Where to Eat?
If you're going to visit and party at Puerto Galera. I recommend to try the island's famous drink which they named "Mindoro Sling". It is an apple flavored cocktail drink with an extraordinary kick! Tip: During day-time, survey each bar/restaurant that served low priced "Mindoro Sling". Price varies on each bars so look for the cheapest one to save money. We spent 330 pesos/pitcher for this drink yet the next day, we saw another bar which sold it at 200 pesos. Shame! Our two pitchers of Mindoro Sling should have been three only if we saw it earlier.
To top it all off, the whole area is hopping with nightlife from free Fire Dancer Bakla show on White Beach to plenty of bars in Sabang. If you're looking for a quieter evening, you can hang out poolside at our Beach Resort or find a lovely restaurant at Muelle Pier to relax and spend the evening.
All in all, there's no reason a vacation has to be expensive. There are so many options here in Puerto Galera that you'd have a hard time squeezing it all into one week. To plan your Puerto Galera vacation, check our room rates and availability below.
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