Pretty Good in Puerto Galera (Sept 2016)

[katie23]

Views from the balcony - could see Muelle pier from my room

[katie23]

In the afternoon, took a tricycle (trike) to go to White Beach. It was Sept (off-season) and it was cloudy during afternoons.

[katie23]

Some establishments and massage ladies

[katie23]

Something for millenials to post on social media accounts

[katie23]

Views from White Beach... will post again when I've more time...

[Switch]

Thanks for this update Katie. I am planning another Phil’s visit in the near future and this fits my need to avoid cities quite nicely.

[katie23]

^Cheers Chas/switch. If you plan to stay long term (few weeks or months), PG is great I think. It's on an island, but easy enough to go to Manila & the airport (1h on boat then 2h bus/taxi/Grab-Uber from Batangas port to Airport. Saw quite a few yermans in PG.

Badladz Dive resort has 2 sisters: Badladz Beach Resort & Badladz apartments. The beach resort has its own beachfront property. The apartments are ~200m away. Clients of the apartments can use the pool & beach of the resort. If staying long term, I'd recommend the apartments. Pics later when I have time & laptop (am posting from phone now); I used the pool of the resort. You can also look at Badladz through Agoda or their own website.

[Switch]

^Thanks for that Katie. I’m looking for a bolt hole to escape Indonesia’s Muslim fest of Ramadan which covers May/June this year.

[katie23]

^you can also look at Jack Daniel apartments in Sabang Beach. (Yes, that's the real name. Lol) Sabang beach is the party area, lots of bars & clubs. It's on Agoda too.

The Badladz apartments are far from entertainment areas. You need a trike or motorbike to get to most of the restos. But if you want peace & quiet, then you'll get it. It's near the town proper (bayan) where there's a market where you can buy stuff if you want to cook your own food.

P.s. Check also Sabang Bungalow House and Villa Sabang, both on Agoda. Both have apartment-type places. (I'm also looking at places to stay in PG for a short vacay.)

[Switch]

^you can also look at Jack Daniel apartments in Sabang Beach. (Yes, that's the real name. Lol) Sabang beach is the party area, lots of bars & clubs. It's on Agoda too.

The Badladz apartments are far from entertainment areas. You need a trike or motorbike to get to most of the restos. But if you want peace & quiet, then you'll get it. It's near the town proper (bayan) where there's a market where you can buy stuff if you want to cook your own food.

P.s. Check also Sabang Bungalow House and Villa Sabang, both on Agoda. Both have apartment-type places. (I'm also looking at places to stay in PG for a short vacay.)

Let me know where you decide to stay, so I can choose somewhere else.




















I don’t want to be accused of stalking.

[TizMe]

Not quite PG, this is the port of Calapan, about 50klm South East of PG.
The Supercats and OceanJet that operate between here and Batangas are more comfortable than the Bankas that go between PG & Batangas. (Especially if the weather isn't good)


This is the boat that we caught from Batangas direct to PG.

[katie23]

^thanx for the pics, Tizme. Looks like your boat landed on White Beach. Re: Calapan port, I've only been there at night (due to timing of the RORO), so it's interesting to see it during daytime.

@switch - I plan to go to PG in April, so chances are, you won't be able to stalk me. Heh. Btw, there are 3 places for the boats to dock in PG: White Beach, Muelle & Sabang - so you have to know where your resort/apartment is located, so that you'll know where to get off. Prices/fares for the boat are a bit different too, +/- 20 or 30 pesos depending on the distance.

[TizMe]

I'm also going back to Mindoro in March/ April Katie.

First we are going down south to Bulalacao, then Victoria, then a couple of nights at a quiet resort called Tuko Beach half way between PG and Abre de Ilog.

Tuko Beach can only be reached by banka, from either PG or AdI as there's no road access.

[Switch]

I'm also going back to Mindoro in March/ April Katie.

First we are going down south to Bulalacao, then Victoria, then a couple of nights at a quiet resort called Tuko Beach half way between PG and Abre de Ilog.

Tuko Beach can only be reached by banka, from either PG or AdI as there's no road access.

Sounds perfect.

[katie23]

^^Cheers Tizme. Enjoy your vacay & hope you post pics afterwards!

Okay, so here are more pics of White Beach. In PG, WB has the largest span of beach & there are many restos. The beach in Sabang is short and there are many dive resorts & bars.

[katie23]

The next day, I hired a motorbike driver to take me to Tamaraw Falls. Here are some views along the way.



3rd pic is a statue of V.Mary by the sea, 4th pic is a small beach called Aplaya Munti

[Thailandbound]

^Very beautiful, Katie. Thanks for the new pics to go with your story.
Certainly makes me want to go to the Phils at some point soon. Thanks for your pm as well. What month would you recommend going to a place like Cebu and Manilla surroundings?

[katie23]

Tamaraw Falls and vicinity

[katie23]

The I "heart" PG sign for photo ops. Second pic is a statue of the tamaraw, Bubalus mindorensis (the waterfalls is named after it). It's slightly smaller than the ordinary buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and has differently shaped horns. It's an endangered species and native to the island of Mindoro, where PG is located.

[katie23]

@TB: Jan-Feb are cool months, so it's nice to go around, not too hot. March to May are summer months, so they're hot and humid (also peak months for resorts so higher prices). June to November are monsoon months, so you'll be taking a risk weather-wise. December is xmas season, peak months too for tourists & Filipinos working abroad who come home to visit their families.

This PG visit was made in September, off season, so low prices for resorts. I was lucky that there was no typhoon then, but it sometimes rained in the afternoon. With climate change and all, it's up to you. Last year, we had 2 typhoons pre-xmas, so I really can't say that Dec is typhoon-free. But the week between xmas & new year were typhoon free and generally a good holiday week. Toss a coin...

[katie23]

In the afternoon, I went to the sister resort, Badladz Beach Resort to try the pool and beach. It's in the same area as Badladz Apartments (very quiet neighborhood), available for long-term stays. Website is badladz dot com, but they're also on Agoda & Booking.

[katie23]

Badladz Beach Resort. The staff knew of my arrival, so I was able to use the facilities. From the apartment to the beach resort, it's ~150m.

[katie23]

More of Badladz - it's a beachfront property. The owners are a Canadian guy & his Filipina wife. Staff were very accommodating.

[Switch]

Thanks for these Katie. I have exchanged emails with the owners. Looking positive.

[katie23]

^no probs, chas. Glad to help. You owe me an iced coffee. Heh.