Last year, for my husband's birthday, we decided to celebrate it in Puerto Gallera. It would be our first time then to go in visit the place, so we were super excited. Since my husband is super busy with his work, we only had an overnight stay.
ADVICE: Do a research on the place you are going to Actually, I would say its a mandatory thing to do prior to going to any place you are not familiar with. Internet researches and close friends' opinions had me having a pretty high expectation about the place.
Puerto Gallera, in case you have not yet been there (and I believe you are the only 1 na lang! LOL), is a small paradise beach here in the Philippines... paradise talaga! hehehe It is so beautiful that I believe its Boracay's "more affordable" version LOL. I live in the southern area of Metro Manila, so its much closer to be here than in Boracay LOL.
GOING THERE: Batangas City Pier Port is the terminal place for Puerto Gallera. I'm not quite sure how to go via public transportation to Batangas City Pier Port since we just drove there. Based on google research, some say there are buses in Buendia or Taft that will bring you to the port. Please just google for prices and bus schedules.
Going to Batangas City Port via car: Just drive until the end of SLEX, which is Calamba, Laguna. Exit to Batangas City, this exit is the 2nd to the last exit. Then go straight ahead until you reach Batangas Star toll, which would be on your right side. Once you have payed for the toll, you just go until you have reached the end of the highway again, Batangas City exit.
During our time, Batangas Star toll has not yet been completed, so we had to go thru some other cities inside Batangas, like Lipa and Ibaan. But now, a year after we went, Batangas highway has been fixed and the travel time is a lot faster pa.
Once you are in Batangas City Pier Port, dapat masanay na kayo sa stalkers! Vendors will stalk you like leeches sucking the blood out of your body! We went to park our car in the port itself, P10/hr is the basic rate, they said.
Once inside, I made a first timer mistake which is to ride any boat that promises to bring you to White Beach. We arrived 8am, and since we were so excited to be in Puerto Gallera, I agreed to ride the first boat that will be leaving that time, Golden Falcon. Though I asked the guy in charged three times if they will bring us directly to White Beach, and each time, I got an astounding & sworn to the gods answer of yes! So trustful and ignorant then, we bought tickets from them. P160/person for a 1 way trip.We were in the middle of the sea when we were old that we will be dropped off in another location and must ride a jeep to get to White Beach.
ADVICE: Unless its a holiday or peak season, except for Brian Shipping Lines and Villa Natividad, no other boats will bring you directly to White Beach.
WHITE BEACH RESORT: A reasonable and practical place to stay in White Beach. We got a room for P1000/night, it has 2 double beds, tv, ref, and most importantly (for me anyway), the aircon is working! Bathroom was too small for comfort, but at least, it was clean. Im pretty sure there are other cheap places to stay in PG.Kindly again, be Google's friend and search for those.
PLACE: As I have mentioned, Puerto Gallera is a paradise! During the time we went, there were only a handful of tourists. I felt like we had the island all to ourselves. Local residents are very friendly, thugh have the tendency to stick to you like glue when selling some items to you.
There are a lot to do in this place. Snorkeling (P1000/1-6 person), Island Hopping (P2500), Banana boat, kayaking, etc. They offered parasailing too but didn't see anyone doing it . We decided to do snorkel and some island hopping. Some boat people offered us this service for P1800, but my husband, the haggler, was able to lower the price to P1000. We rode a bangka by "3 Brothers" which had staff that are very friendly, informative and do not expect a high tip. They took us to another island and we rented another smaller boat that will "pull" us while we snorkel. P1000 is good for 3 hours and maximum of 6 persons.
FOOD: There are several restaurants located around PG. Some cheap, some not. One of my husband's greatest pet peeve about eating out with me is my tendency to be, uhm, a frustrated food critic (cough cough) at times. Majority of the time, I am particularly choosy about where we dine. I care a lot about ambiance and food preparation. We normally find ourselves dining more in fancier restaurants before of my "particularly choosy" attitude. Anyhow going to back meals in Puerto Gallera, food in the area normally cost about P100- 200 per person. There are plenty of restaurant options in White Beach.
ADVICE: Try Mindoro Sling drink here in the island. Its basically a punch (rum & juice) with some apple tidbits. It is the best way to drink and be merry here LOL!
I enjoyed my stay Puerto Gallera! Normally, when long weekends and holidays approach, because of its distance and cost, Puerto Gallera has become my first option for a quick get-away from the city spot.
ADVICE: If you have not been in Puerto Gallera... GO!
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