I’ve only been to Puerto Galera twice…but twice within the same year. And there’s no stopping me from booking another trip. It takes a short trip to Batangas and an hour boat ride to dive into the beautiful beaches of Puerto Galera.

On my first time there, we stayed at Sunny Beach Resort. Its a good location since it’s near different food establishments. To name one, there’s the famous Luca which serves Italian food and to die for crepes. On the way to Luca we passed by a resort that serves Chinese cuisine, another which serves delicious grilled squid and a monster sized pizza that took us three days to finish.

Right beside our resort, there’s a small store that sells all the things you forgot to bring. They even granted our craving for fishballs. There wasn’t a day during our stay where we didn’t visit this store because we always kind of craved for something.

We took a tour to a Mangyan community being supported by Ayala Corporation. We walked around with the social worker who showed us their library and explained that the people they sell beautiful handmade products to support their families.

Another highlight of our stay was the boat tour. It takes about half a day of going around riding a big boat the. Transferring to smaller ones so we can hold on to the boats while experiencing the wonders of the undersea. Make sure you book certified boatmen because as you know, safety first. Our boatmen had snorkels and goggles provided but if your laway conscious, no one is stopping you from. Bringing your own.

Here’s a video of our first visit with shots I took of the boat tour using GoPro Hero 4 SE and some photos were taken using Fujifilm XA2 (it’s a pretty good mirrorless camera, I just really suck at photography)

Our second time in Puerto Galera is a bit more chill as we didn’t take any tours but just really enjoyed the beach. We rode the fast craft from Batangas port and was there in less than an hour. Our hotel had a van that got us from the port to the hotel. This time we stayed at Tamaraw Beach Resort. It’s a thirty minute walk from the white beach but you can really see the difference between the two areas. If you really want a quiet stay, then you definitely want to book a hotel around Tamaraw beach. The only down side is you really can’t find any restaurants aside from the one at the hotel. But they have units with a kitchen if you’re staying with family. You can also choose to ride the roro (roll on- roll off) ships so you can bring your car with you.

Here are highlights of our second stay. These shots were taken using Huawei Mate 20 Pro

https://youtu.be/oF0oufLobik

Overall, I will definitely go back here, maybe with friends so we can do more exploring. Its perfect for a long weekend get away if you don’t mind the boat ride.

Traveller Tips:

1. Research. Many people say stay far from Sabang beach area if you hate the crowd. If you’re in for water sports activities go for white beach but if you just want a quiet place for relaxing, definitely Tamaraw area.
2. Bring cash. It’s a pain to look for banks so if you’re coming from manila, withdraw extra cash or have your money exchanged already.
3. Book tours in advance. Its always nice to have a plan.

See you in Puerto Galera!

Ayat,

Wander Woman