Unplanned Road Trip to South of Metro in Search of "The Beach"

Truckload of Sugarcane along Nasugbu, Batangas

Finally, I'm back to writing on this blog.

It's been a dizzying 10 months as I had to adjust to new challenges of my job and did a lot of traveling. I'm back in Manila (and will be off again soon) and the last article about the South of Metro I wrote was in June 2011. Whew! Yes, that long.

I've been to a lot of places in almost a year and I saw it fit to kick-off my 2012 summer blog with something about our unplanned road trip to Batangas in time for my kids' summer vacation.

The goal was to look for new beach spot south of the metro. It shouldn't cost an arm and a leg but should have white sand, a pool, and a feel of exclusivity in a tropical forest setting.

We searched the Internet and Tripadvisor the night before our trip. I printed some maps and target spots then went to sleep.


We were up late (around 9am), prepared our stuff good for 2-3 days, and had breakfast at McDonalds near our village. We discussed our options of either taking the Sto. Tomas (towards Laiya) or Sta. Rosa (towards Nasugbu or Calatagan) exits. We called up 2 places in Laiya and reserved for 2 days just in case we won't be able to discover a new spot.

While at SLEX, we decided to exit at Sta. Rosa towards Tagaytay and even thought of going to Taal. The trip, being a Holy Monday, was easy going up to Tagaytay that we eventually decided to look for some places in Calatagan.

St. John the Baptist, Lian, Batangas

We passed by Lian and took some photos of the Shrine of St. John the Baptist. It was midday so it was scorching!

Still, the kids went down the car to take some pics.

It took us 2.5 hours to get to Calatagan. We heard from the locals that the Stilts was the best place in Calatagan.

Unfortunately, the sea was rough and the Stilts Beach Resort was fully booked.

Though we decided to look for Ronco beach which was in our map, we couldn't find it and ended up in a single-lane paved road which was really scary. This was way after Playa Calatagan. There were no structures on either side of the road and some farmers beside the road gave us questioning stares -- as if asking, "where the hell are these guys going?"

On the way back, we still gave Calatagan a shot. We passed by this old rustic blue-roofed house with a Suntan-lined long driveway. It had a small round-about infront of the house. The kids gave it one look and said that it looked like scary mansion more than a resthouse.

Calatagan beach as seen from the road

View from SLEX

We continued on and passed by the Matabungkay area. We decided to take a peak. The SK of the area charged 5 pesos per head at the entrance to the barangay. As our car slowly edged towards the area, a bunch of so called "beach agents" approached us and were leading us toward their resorts. It reminded me of the old-fashioned way of getting into beach resorts in Cavite and Batangas where there seemed like a bid for each customer. It was bordering on chaos with summer beach goers flocking to the area. Well, we were really for a more private area, so we turned around again towards the main highway. Mission failed.

We drove towards Nasugbu. We had one more shot for day. We could stay at Johndel or El Cacar in Barangay Wawa for the night then head off to the pricey Canyon Cove in the morning.

Old-style Mercury Drug, Nasugbu town proper

After a quickstop at the local pharmacy (an old-style Mercury Drugstore) and a quick meal at Chowking at the Nasugbu town proper, I asked recommendations from a local traffic enforcer. He obviously endorsed the local resorts but whispered the better settings at Munting Buhangin, Canyon Cove and Terrazas (famous for Ogie and Regine's wedding). Hmmm...interesting.

Fisherman on their way to work at dusk

A few meters away from Chowking, we turned left on the road after Andoks. As we approached Johndel and El Cacar beach resorts, "beach peddlers" went about flashing pictures of their "choice" places. We parked at El Cacar to check out the beach. The kids were obviously disappointed with grey sand and lack of privacy. One peddler flashed a picture of a place with white sand which he said was only 15 minutes away by boat. The kicker was the price. It was half of what one would pay at Canyon Cove.

In 10 minutes, we were on board the banca captained by "Ama," a veteran with more than 20 years experience. We securely parked our car at Aling Ana's residence (she is the caretaker). Overnight parking is 200 pesos and the cost of the banca (round-trip) ranges from PhP1,200 for a direct deal, and PhP1,500 it goes through a peddler.

Costa De Oro

Costa De Oro beach line

This place is truly amazing!

Costa de Oro is located in Barangay Natipuan, Nasugbu, Batangas.

It's the same area where the rich and famous have their rest houses in this part of Batangas. The houses dot the coastline and beside the hilly areas of the island. You would also notice that the more affluent have their yachts parked on the shore.

Resort's own banca (P1,200 fee round-trip)

It didn't appear in any Internet searches and was believed to be known only to locals and foreigners (mostly Japanese). There is no road leading to it. Just reachable by banca or yacht.

However, club  members of Terraza can gain access to it via a 5-minute walk from the beach, and those from far away Munting Buhangin can walk the beach in about 15 minutes. Otherwise, it's faster and more enjoyable to reach the place via banca ride if you come from other parts of the island.

The Main Villa

Owned by a British couple (the wife is Pinay), Costa De Oro is well maintained and has the luxurious feel of a private resort with its own swimming pool and covered by forest. During the day, you'd hear different calls of birds -- reminiscent of the Mocking Jays in Hunger Games. At night, you'd hear the sound of Geckos (local: Tuko).

Living area (Main Villa)

The airconditioned rooms are large enough to accommodate as much as 7 people. There's a spacious kitchen, dining, and living area in the main villa where we stayed. To get to the main villa, you'd have to walk a 3 flights of cobbled-stone stairs. Since there was a huge lanai (by the pool), we would bring our things for the day and just hangout by the pool. The beach is a few meters away.

Main pool and lanai

In the main pool area and lanai, you can either buy fresh seafood to be cooked by Chef Baggy -- a veteran cook and chef from the old Anito and Victoria lodges. Thus, we bought fresh lobsters and tuna from fisherfolk, had them grilled also by them, then order the rest from Chef Baggy. I even ordered fresh Talbos ng Kamote (Camote Tops) which he picked from the garden!

The long beach is shared by the more exclusive Terraza and Canyon Cove. There are 2 more small resorts in the area where locals usually stay to rent cottages for the day. Some even bring their own tent.

Typical food fare: Freshly grilled Lobsters & Tuna!

During the day, local banceros can take you on a boat ride towards the whole island, even as far as Fortune Island and Twin Island. From across Costa De Oro, you can see exclusive summer dwellings of the titled few and see their parked yachts and sailboats. It is said that the island hosts the likes of Aga Muhlach, Rica Peralejo, The Marcoses and even FVR. Willi Revillame's yacht is also seen docked across Costa De Oro.

How much does it cost?

For 2 days, inclusive of all the frills, fresh bounty and banca ride, it only cost us less than P20,000! There were 5 of us. Not bad, eh?

Things to Note:

The author amidst the forest

1) Getting there is via Nasugbu route (Town proper), then park your car c/o Aling Ana's residence. Drop me a comment if you want to get in touch. Only personal referrals allowed by her.
2) You need a banca to get to the island.
3) Stay away from peddlers if you want to make the most of your money.
4) Discover the Islands of the Philippines





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HOMER NIEVERA Business Development in Digital Media http://homernievera.net