Pong Travels: Lobo, Batangas 🌴🌊

Hello! ☺

Another tick off my bucket list is beach bummin' at the pebbly beaches of Lobo, Batangas.
Happened last weekend, January 21-22. It took us forever to reach La Bien Haus and Resort. Left Cubao 11:45AM and reached La Bien around 5PM. But we were able to see the sunset so still all good. ☺Just like other beaches, Lobo is a looong stretch of salt water and beautiful pebbly shores, you just have to be diligent on choosing a place to stay considering your budget and location. Since it's a long stretch, it covers different barangays and Malabrigo is the farthest if am not mistaken. 🌊

After browsing the net for all possible resorts to stay and the best route to take, considering the budget of PHP1500 (per head, group of 4), we settled at La Bien and took the Batangas City Grand Terminal route. On our way home though, we tried the SM Ciy Lipa Grand Terminal which is better and faster. Will share the list of resorts that we considered too. We were over budget this time - PHP1544. There's always a first time for everything, yeah? 😀

💫 The roads are rough and zigzag-y, so I suggest you drink Bonamine just to be on the safe side. 😭

Most important thing though is we enjoyed our stay. We barely had the beach to ourselves at that time. Had one neighbor though, whose very friendly. Will recommend this humble place to everyone! 👌

How to get there: 

1st Option
1. From Cubao (ALPS), ride a bus with CALABARZON, Batangas City Grand Terminal signage. 
2. At the back of the Grand Terminal are jeepneys bound to Don Ramos, tell the driver to drop you off there (landmark: STI College)
3. Ride a Tricycle and tell the driver to drive you to Lobo Jeepney Terminal (behind SM). 
4. Ride the jeep bound to Lobo. Drop off - Lobo Town Proper.
5. Ride a tricycle bound to the resort of your choice. 

2nd Option
1. From Cubao (ALPS), ride a bus with CALABARZON, Batangas City Grand Terminal signage. Drop off: Lipa City Grand Terminal
2. From LCGT, ride a van bound to Lobo (O-Hap Van)
3. Ride a tricycle bound to the resort of your choice.

 EXPENSES: (Budget: PHP1500)

1st Option
Cubao to Batangas City Grand Terminal: PHP165 
Grand Terminal to Don Ramos - PHP9
Don Ramos to Lobo Jeepney Terminal - PHP20/head
Jeepney to Lobo - PHP55
Lobo Town Proper to Resort - PHP120 (or PHP22 each, pag hindi napuno yung tricycle)

2nd Option
Cubao to Lipa City Grand Terminal - PHP132
Van to Lobo - PHP120
Lobo Town Proper to Resort - PHP120 (or PHP22 each, pag hindi napuno yung tricycle)

ACCOMMODATION:
La Bien Haus and Resort, Standard Room (good for 4) - PHP2500 **no entrance fee**

https://www.facebook.com/labienhausandresort/
Contact Number: 09209254061

FOOD:
PHP358/head

Optional: Souvenir Magnets PHP50

GRAND TOTAL: PHP1544 (Still not bad! 👍)


DIFFERENT RESORTS TO CHOOSE FROM:
Almalin Beach Resort
Punta Malabrigo Beach Resort
Super Star Beach Resort
Catada Beach Resort
Honey Beach Resort
Flordeliz Beach Resort
Harisa Beach Resort
Lawas Seaside
Submarine Garden Beach Resort
Punta Verde Dive
Gerthel Beach Resort

PICTURES 📷 (Complete album: https://www.facebook.com/JoanePangilinan/media_set?set=a.10154959730949731.1073741918.724399730&type=3)




Lobo Sunset



Pebbles, shells etc

Titanic 3.0 (thanks, Coachee! Haha)

Malabrigo Shores - super clear waters

Armond

Kitty

Ken

Me. Not sure if am trying to flipturn

Bekies



Hammock Area

Bahay Kubo

Open cottage with sink

Our room - Standard Room 

Interior, Standard Room - our messy stuff, sorry

Big Room

Entrance w Armond and Kitty

La Bien Signage

 - Pong 🐢


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Pong Thoughts: Dagat 2017 🌊

Hello! 👀

First dagat of 2017 is happening today! Another tick off my bucket list!

Will blog about it soon! Stay tuned! 🌊🌊🌊

This is Masasa Beach, but am going to a different place this time.

 - Pong 🐢


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Pong Travels: Discovering Nasugbu 🌴🌊

[17-18 December 2016]
Been wanting to have a Year-End Beach get away but another typhoon is in forecast at the initial choice of destination - Quezon. Aside from Quezon being on my bucket list and am dying to have that tick off of it, yeah, nature has different plans for me. Haha! Maybe next time. 👍

As we all know, Nasugbu is near Manila and we're on a tight budget as well. 
So, we chose Maryland Beach Resort despite the not so good reviews in Facebook. But if there's not so good reviews, there are some good ones too. We took the risk, phoned them and voila - we found ourselves on our way to Nasugbu. 

Maryland Beach Resort is now known  as Merry Beach Resort. 2-3 hours from Manila BUT because of the naughty traffic, nah, it became 5 hours. No sunset shot again. 😥

Facilities are simple - cottages, room and pool (4-6 feet deep). Some offered Island Hopping packages but we did not try. Staff are accommodating! Love 'em! Waves are big during the time we were there. Ang ganda! Personally, had the beach was maintained properly, panalo. Sand in Nasubgu is black, so do not expect a white one like the ones we have in Boracay or nearby Islands such as Fortune Island. There are nearby resorts like Bernabeach - it's just one stretch. 😊

How to get there: Ride a bus bound to Nasugbu from Pasay and ask to be dropped off to Nasugbu proper. 

SET BUDGET: 2K/pax (2 lang kami)
Expenses:
Pasay - Nasugbu: PHP155
Nasugbu - Maryland Beach Resort: PHP15/pax
Room: PHP1200, overnight non-ac
Towel: PHP100 for 2
TOTAL: 990/pax

The rest of the expenses is for food, but we did not spend on it as much too. PHP500 is more than enough. 
Coffee/Hot Chocolate: PHP5 (Vendo) 👌
Food: PHP80 - PHP120 (Sisig is good! 🍲)
Minute Burger's Bacon Cheeseburger (Buy 1, Take 1): PHP55
Water: PHP25/Liter
Jollibee: PHP100/head
Mang Inasal: PHP100/head

GRAND TOTAL of EXPENSES: PHP1372.50/pax 
Swak sa Budget! 😀😁😂

Contact Number: 09321030335
Website: http://marylandbeachresort.com/

Maryland is near the terminal so ayos! There are nearby fast-food chains too. So we bought Bacon Cheeseburger at Minute Burger and ate it for our lunch. We had Mang Inasal for brekky and we ate at Jollibee before heading home. We struggled to find a "local" resto and some souvenirs like magnets, so we had just pictures instead. Not bad at all. Take a peek!
- Pong

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Pool photo taken in front of our room

Pool Area

That's my friend, Mary trying Maryland's pool. Mary in Maryland? Haha! 

Maryland Entrance

Our humble room is located in front of the pool area. Medyo madilim ang photo. 

Beach Entrance

Me at the Beach Area ✌ 

I 💓 NASUGBU

Merry Beach's Pathway

Rooms and Cottages

Pong Travels: Surfing Liwa 🏄🌊

Hi All,

I was able to experience the swell of Liwliwa, Zambales - finally!
Typhoon Lando hit Zambales last 2015 that's why I was not able to go.
Last year, November 26, I, with my team, pushed for Liwa though there's a Typhoon warning too. Thank God for the good weather! ☀

My team planned for a cheap and budget travel - ang hirap! Haha! Pero everyone is so game, so go lang. After searching the net, we settle for Kapitan's Liwa Surf Resort, a 2-minute walk to the beach.Chill ng lugar, actually Liwa itself, sobrang chill. And ang bait ng owner - they lend us cooler and grill.

Liwa is the "nearest Zambales" to Manila. 3-4 hours lang andun ka na. Pero dahil traffic ayun, inabot na kami ng 7:30P. Nakaalis kami ng Victory Liner - Cubao around 2:20P.

2K ang sinet namin na budget pero mas mura pa ginastos namin! So ang saya! Halos walang signal sa resort, so more bonding and kwentuhan, sa beach area, okay ang reception.

How to go to Liwa?
Ride a bus going to Zambales in Victory Liner Pasay or Cubao. (pag walang direchong Zambales, Olongapo na lang then from Olongapo, sakay ng Zambales then ask to be dropped off to San Felipe)


Here's the breakdown of our expenses:

Cubao - San Felipe: PHP292 (Cubao-Olongapo: PHP212, Olongapo-San Felipe: PHP80)
Tricycle to LiwLiwa Resorts: PHP30/pax
Kapitan's Liwa Accommodation: PHP3000 (good for 8pax, non-ac)
Food Contribution: PHP500 (sobra 'to - takot lang magutom, guys)

TOTAL: 1572 (two-way)

Dahil sobra ang money namin para sa food, may take home pa kami ginamit na lang sa:

Surf Board Rental: PHP200/HR (no instructor)

Other notes:
Surf Board Rental: PHP400/HR (w/ instructor)
Must-try: Mommy Phoebe's Shakes (ranges from PHP40 - PHP100) - Rapsa!
Souvenir Magnets: PHP50
Souvenir Stickers: PHP40
Slim Water Gallon (w gripo): PHP50 (+ PHP200 Deposit)

Kapitan's Liwa Contact #: 09209070412

Here are some of our pictures. Enjoy and visit Liwa soon! 👌👌👌 - Pong

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The struggle is real!



All is swell on that day! ;)



Team Liwa



This is where we stayed. :)



Your group can also stay upstairs - it's an open spot and chill sa baba.



Try lang. :)




Mi Amigas ang peg



Sunrise - waking up at 4:30A is so worth it!



Sana magpaddle ako para umandar, di ba? Haha!