As our motorized outrigger breezed through the western Batangas coast of Calatagan away from Manuel Uy Beach, we passed several now-familiar coastal landscapes on the way to our morning destination. We had passed this way before not more than two months ago. Years ago we would expect to encounter the same half-submerged sandbar surrounded by clear, transparent waters we last saw in February.
Much of the Philippines is currently feeling the effects of an unusually hot dry season with heat indexes in some areas reaching an alarming 53°C. The latter figure is classified as extremely dangerous and could result in heat stroke for some people. (Four people had already died from heat stroke in Pili, Camarines Sur recently.) As a result, we had to think twice about going to a beach in Calatagan, Batangas to accompany a nephew here on a short vacation from his work overseas.
A walk through the streets of Taal town will not be complete without visiting the interiors of some of the ancestral houses there and what is regarded as the biggest church building in the Philippines. In previous visits we stepped inside two of the more well-known houses in Taal. During our latest visit we made sure to tour the insides of a few more and got a pleasant surprise at one of them.
It is named after one of the Philippines’ deadliest and most active volcanoes causing many people to think that it is located near Taal Volcano and right on the shores of Taal Lake. At least that was on our minds during our first visit to this town years ago, only to discover that there are other cities and towns in Batangas that are nearer to the volcano than its namesake town.
Sibuyan Island is a budding ecotourism destination with its rich biodiversity of flora and fauna, a landscape that includes towering peaks over lush forest canopies and plenty of pristine waterfalls. We were in Sibuyan primarily for the scenic island of Cresta de Gallo but had enough time to explore the town of San Fernando. We eventually ended up visiting the most popular waterfall in this town – Busay Falls.
With over 7,000 islands, the Philippines contain several pockets of paradise that are sometimes even more beautiful than the popular tourist destinations of Boracay, El Nido, Coron and Siargao. The only reason why these have not made their way to travel guides is because of their remoteness and relative inaccessibility. Cresta de Gallo off Sibuyan Island, Romblon province, is one of these.
After a 13-hour ferry ride and another hour riding a van from Ambulong port in Magdiwang town to an inn in San Fernando, we were thinking about just resting the whole morning. But the itch to tour the scenic island of Sibuyan prevailed and we were soon dipping our heels into the crystal-clear waters of a river less than 15 minutes away from our place of stay.
While Bonbon Beach is a stunner, there are other beaches in Romblon that are also well worth your time. Tiamban Beach, less than a kilometer away from Bonbon, is another scenic beach but we decided to head out instead for Talipasak Beach farther down south. We had visited Talipasak before and were curious how it would look like 7 years from the time when we first came here.
With its picture-perfect white sand beach and long, snaking sandbar, Bonbon Beach in Romblon province is easily one of the Philippines’ top beaches in our opinion. So, despite having visited it 7 years ago, we did not hesitate to come back when the opportunity presented itself very recently.
We had scarcely settled into our seats on a balmy Thursday when our sea taxi broke the mid-morning silence at Edna’s Beach and Campsite. Swiftly motoring across the mildly turbulent blue waters, we were soon on our way to our first destination. In less than 15 minutes we found ourselves in the middle of a vast sandbar, with patches of white sand rising slightly above a now calm, crystal-clear turquoise sea.
We’ve had the beaches of Calatagan, Batangas on our bucket list for some time but it was only late last year that we finally got to visit one. Despite its proximity to Metro Manila, it was only in recent years that it had begun to draw more visitors to its nearly white sand beaches.
The highlands of Tagaytay which offer a scenic view of Taal Lake and Volcano from its multitude of cafes and restaurants are just minutes away from our place. So, when taking visiting friends from Metro Manila on a tour around our locality, Tagaytay is often the first option. But as it often happens, most of them have been to Tagaytay numerous times already. Fortunately, a place that just opened in 2022 has proven to be an option that can satisfy both their eyes and their palates.
Ever since we visited distant Cape Bojeador Lighthouse in Ilocos Norte years ago we have always been intrigued by lighthouses. Not so much by the picturesque landscapes they often find themselves in or in the panoramic coastal views they provide but by the history that accompanies them. The Malabrigo Point Lighthouse in the town of Lobo, Batangas province is no exception.
The vast majority of the beaches we have visited in the Philippines are those of the white or creamy white sand variety. These happen to be our inclination. Preferably fine, white sand supplemented by crystal-clear turquoise waters. So, when the idea about visiting a pebble beach in Batangas province came up, we immediately shot it down.
We have been dreaming for ages about catching the sunset at Taal Lake and Volcano from a view deck at Tagaytay. Now that we live just 30 minutes away from such a view point this would surely be a leisurely exercise – and one that we can keep doing for as long as we live at our present location.
It was named after a type of native bamboo roof that locals used during the Spanish era. It also used to be a barrio of the large and then-influential town of Balayan. But Calaca became a separate municipality in 1835 and eventually the site of a large coal-fired power plant during the 1980s. That was just about everything we knew about this small city on the shores of Balayan Bay in Batangas.
It was designed as a retreat center, a scenic location offering serene spots for contemplation that eventually became a popular spot for weddings. And so we headed off to the Caleruega Retreat Center for an appointment with nature in a pilgrimage setting. We were hardly expecting to encounter scenic views that looked more like a Tuscan countryside rather than a hilly locality in a tropical country.
Whenever talking about heritage or ancestral houses in the Philippines, our thoughts invariably turn towards the municipalities of Vigan (Ilocos Sur), Silay (Negros Occidental), Pila (Laguna) and Taal in Batangas. For a long time, however, we did not realize that a town hidden in the shadows of Taal and less than 30 kilometers away was for a time the more prominent town in Batangas and in that part of the country.
Originally, our Nasugbu cove-hopping foray included Bituin Cove and the slightly more distant Kayraang Cove. While exploring the former, however, our curiosity brought us to an adjacent beach cove we had not encountered among the blog posts we visited in our research about this place. And what a pleasant surprise Agapeng Cove turned out to be.
Nasugbu in Batangas province has numerous hidden coves housing white or beige sand beaches and crystal-clear waters teeming with marine life. In years past while flying back to our former home in Metro Manila we would look outside the plane window and spot these white sand coves arrayed all over the western coast of Batangas. Last week we decided to take a closer look at some of them at ground level.
The Shoestring Diaries 
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That will be it's downfall I think, unless some sort of restrictions are in place. People just destroy places, sometimes…
Thank you! Just hoping it stays that way since this beach has been receiving loads of visitors in recent years.
Thanks Jim! 53° is the heat index, although the thermometer shows 38° (still pretty high). However, due to the high…
Thanks Priti!