Laiya, Batangas

I think Batangas is really full of wonders. It's one of the destinations near Manila where you can hike the mountains or enjoy the beach.

This is the first time that I get to celebrate my birthday alone. My boss will be in Laguna for a meeting and my housemate is in Cebu for work. So technically, I'm alone in the office and still alone when I get home. I think that's sad for a birthday celebration right? So as not to succumb from the away-from-my-family-on-my-special-day feeling, I decided to travel. And since I've been sea deprived for the past months, the beach is the top destination. But where?

I had to browse my bucket list of travel destinations  before I decided. Since this is going to be a solo travel and I'm on a budget, Laiya, Batangas was on top of the list. I looked up for the resorts in Laiya and only Acuaverde was friendly enough to entertain my inquiry.

Again, budget first! (Sorry, this is the first thing I look into when traveling. Haha)

Taxi (Home to Terminal)                   -    Php 98
Bus (Manila to Batangas)                  -    Php 106
Bus (Batangas to San Juan)               -    Php 54
Trike (Bus Stop to Jeep Terminal)    -    Php 20
Jeep (Terminal to Resort)                  -    Php 40
Resort Day Use                                  -    Php 1,100
Trike (Resort to Laiya Terminal)      -    Php 50
Jeep (Laiya to San Juan)                    -    Php 35
Bus (San Juan - Manila)                    -     Php 164
Taxi (Terminal - Home)                    -   Php 98
Total                                                     Php 1765

The Trip

I took the 6:30 am bus to Batangas. I forgot the place where I disembarked but it is where buses pass by going to San Juan. I arrived there around 8:30am. I waited until 9 am before a bus going to San Juan passed by. It was another hour and a half before we reached San Juan. From the bus terminal, I rode a tricycle going to the jeepney terminal. Then it was another 40 minutes going to the resort. All in all, the travel is around 5 hours.

I think Acua Verde was a good choice. It's Day Use costs 1,050 which already included welcome drinks, buffet lunch and PM Snacks. The staff were very friendly. They have this parasols by the beach that are really enticing. I think it is a good idea because it's private, relaxing and with a really good view.

Upon arrival, I did some minor editing to my research paper which is due that week. The place was very conducive for thinking. Haha The lunch buffet was good but don't expect anything grand. The resort is very homey because of the trees all over the place. I find this resort really great.

It was very hot after lunch. I was about to give up on the thought that I will be able to catch the 4pm trip back to the city because I still haven't enjoyed the beach. Luckily, the clouds covered the sun so it wasn't too hot for a dip.

Last trip going back to the town is 4pm. From the resort, you have to ride a tricycle going to Laiya Jeepney Terminal (Php 50). Then the jeepney fare is Php 35. In case you missed the jeep, you can hire a tricycle for Php 300- Php 350. Since I didn't want to pay that amount, I decided to leave the resort before 4pm. If I take the trike, the fare is more expensive compared to my bus ride to Manila. Haha Then its another long trip going back to the Metro.

There goes my 25th birthday celebration!