So my family and I decided to go on an adventure for the first time ever. Instead of having a staycation somewhere in Tagaytay or in Manila — the usual places where we go for a quick relaxation — we chose to pack our bags and celebrate our Iona’s birthday in Puerto Galera. We all had a wonderful time, except for my husband who’s not a fan of traveling by sea during high tide. LOL
All aboard! Here we come, Puerto Galera!
We left Bulacan at 5:00 AM and reached Alp’s Terminal in Cubao at 5:30 AM. There weren’t so many passengers at that time, which was great because we were able to take the front seats. We took the bus headed for the Batangas City Pier and paid around Php 175 per adult. I could be wrong with the exact fare because I’m writing this months after our trip. LOL The bus left the terminal around 6:30 AM and that gave us time to grab hotdogs from a nearby 7/11 before hitting the road. And man, it was quite a long ride! My kids tried their best to stay awake during the bus ride. But after a few minutes of watching Youtube on their iPads, they decided to just go to sleep. LOL 😂
We arrived at the Batangas City Pier around 9:30 AM. There were so many people that were scurrying here and there which made me suddenly worry about losing my kids somewhere. So if you’ll be traveling with kids, make sure that you’re going to stay alert and hold onto them. 🙏
Anyway, reps from different shipping lines surrounded us the moment we stepped into the port area. My husband almost lost his patience because all these people were talking so fast, bargaining and encouraging us to choose to ride their boats. I had to butt in and tell them to please talk one at a time because I already saw my husband’s face turn red. HAHAHA
In the end, we chose Minolo Shipping Lines. We paid Php 600 per head for a two-way trip to Talipanan Beach, where our resort is located. We left the port around 10:30 AM and we were so grateful that the weather was great. The sea was peaceful, making us enjoy the scenery on our way to the island.
Checking In At Sunny Beach Resort
We reached Puerto Galera around 12:00 noon. The motor boat stopped by White Beach to let the majority of the passengers hop off and then they took us to Talipanan Beach. It’s only past noon when we arrived at Sunny Beach Resort and we were quite satisfied because the place was absolutely lovely! Most hotels and resorts do not allow early check-ins during peak season, right? But fortunately, the receptionist was accommodating and allowed us to settle in even if we’re more than an hour early. 💙
After unpacking, we realized we were starving already so we headed to the resort’s restaurant and had a wonderful lunch. The food wasn’t that cheap but what’s important was the fact that they were delicious. We ordered Chicken Tinola, Breaded Porkchop, Lumpiang Shanghai and of course, our all-time favorite, Crispy Pata.
Can you guess what happened next? Of course! Our best friend didn’t pass up the chance to chug a bottle of ice-cold beer. LOL 😜
We went back to our room and took a nap because it was really hot outside. By 3:30 PM, we let the kids change into their swimsuits and head to the pool for an early afternoon dip. The pool was clean! That’s what I love about it. Also, the water wasn’t too warm and wasn’t too cold neither so it was 100% refreshing for both adults and kids.
At 5:00 PM, we headed back to the restaurant and alas! It’s happy hour — my favorite time of the day! LOL I ordered two sets of frozen margarita because there’s no way I would pass up on happy hour. Hahaha Along with our drinks, we also ordered some chicken wings and pizza. Yummmm! 😋
Want to know more about Sunny Beach Resort, Puerto Galera? Click the link.
A Tour We’ll Never Forget
The following morning, we chowed down on our delish breakfast sets, drank our coffee and started planning for our day. I was having a hard time deciding whether we should stay at the resort or go some place else. And as if she read my mind, the resort’s receptionist offered us a tour package. The itinerary included fish feeding, and trips to see the Giant Clam, Puerto Galera’s Sandbar, and the Underwater Cave. We said yes because the tour package was affordable, priced at only Php 800 per head.
We rode a multicab to the Sandbar which was quite terrifying and exciting at the same time. I wasn’t sure if we’re just not used to riding a multicab along a steep mountainside or if Manong was just driving a tad too fast. LOL My kids felt like throwing up so we had to tell our driver to slow down a bit and we were all glad that he obliged.
So our first stop for the day: the Puerto Galera Sandbar. There’s nothing much to do there except take pictures of the gorgeous scenery and eat at the restaurant. Of course, we had a quick snack because when you’re with kids, you’d do everything to keep them full so that they wouldn’t throw a fit. Ha!
After a few minutes, our small boats arrived and once again, we trod the waters to go to the Puerto Galera Underwater Cave. Here’s one lesson that my husband and I learned. If you’re with kids, ditch the Underwater Cave. LOL Now don’t get me wrong. It was thrilling to go up that steep trail, go down to into the cave and have a cool photo of yourself taken while peeking from a small opening. However, you’ll surely get distressed if you’re a parent of grade schoolers who aren’t physically built for the activity. One wrong move and you’ll plummet down to grave disaster. 😱
You see, the shallow waters surrounding the cave are teeming with sharp rock formations underneath. You won’t get out of the water without any broken bone or injury in case you fall down. Anyhoo, what matters is that nothing bad happened to anyone of us. Yey! Here are some cool photos we took.
After the inevitable photo opp, we hopped into our boats again to see some fish and the Giant Clam. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an underwater camera so we weren’t able to take pictures of the amazing ecosystem under Puerto Galera’s magnificent sheet of blue waters.
At around 3:30 PM, we asked our driver to drop us off at White Beach so we could watch some serious fire dancing and enjoy the nightlife there. If you’re going to ask me how that went, there’s just one word to describe it: FUN!
The kids enjoyed playing on the beach and swimming, of course. We also tried a lot of different restaurants. We listened to live music and enjoyed bottles of ice-cold beer to boot. The boys had their Henna tattoos done and for the sake of fun, I teased them all night about it. Why? Well, I have a permanent tattoo on my arm. Now who’s the tough one, ey? Finally, the kids were all mesmerized by the fire dancers. 😍
Last Day To Swim, Swim and Swim!
On our third day, we decided to stay at the resort and just enjoy the rest of the morning swimming. We took more pictures, walked along the beach and collected seashells and stones. Obviously, there was a lot of eating that took place — the Serapio family’s ultimate hobby. 🤣
By 12 noon, we checked out and rode the motor boat back to Batangas City Pier. That time, the waves were so strong, one of our boat’s propellers broke (according to the captain). The waves were literally rocking our ride which terrified everyone. A couple of passengers freaked out and started panicking. Another one threw up in front of my kids. My husband was anxious than ever before and my son was singing loudly to sort of overcome his fear. Fortunately, with prayers and coping mechanisms, none of us had a nervous breakdown. LOL 😂
I guess, the biggest downer of this adventure was our trip home. We had to endure hours of heavy traffic along the South Luzon Expressway and EDSA. By 7:00 PM, we were back home, safe and sound. There’s no doubt that it was a memorable 3-day experience for our family. But in the end, there was nothing more gratifying than lying down on our own beds and cuddling our own pillows. 💙💙💙
