Cagbalete Island, Mauban, Quezon (2014)

*Summer is over! Late Post for our Cagbalete Beach Trip :)

The Sun is screaming Summer Heat and it is pretty much unbearable with the Global warming that is happening now. But of course, if you can't beat the heat, better hit the beach! ;) Here's a quick review of one beautiful beach that can be found only a few hours away from Manila, Cagbalete Island. 

HOW TO GET THERE:

I would love to share how easy you can get your way to Quezon but just by using Google Maps or Waze you will not get lost (turn on that GPS!!) especially if you are bringing your own car :) If you would want to know how to get there via public transportation, I will be linking detailed blogs at the end of the review.

Once you get to Mauban, Quezon, you can leave your car in several parking spaces for rent before you make your way to the port. Lucky enough, our chosen resort (Dona Choleng) have their own parking space and it is free of charge! :) From there you can ride a tricycle to Mauban Port or the locals call it "PANTALAN". Tell the driver to drop you at the Tourism Information and Ticketing Booth - This is where you will pay the following fees:

Environmental Fee: P30.00/person

Terminal Fee: P20.00/person

The scheduled boat ride to Cagbalete differs depending on the number of passengers arriving at the port. But basically, it starts at around 7am-9am and leaves at 10am-11am. (Note: during the peak season there are two public boats available) We arrived at around 9:30am and we found the two public boats a little too crowded so we opted to hire a private boat which costs P2,500 (back and forth) good for 6-8 persons. The comfort of getting a private boat is no match to the public boat. Though taking a public boat is a whole lot cheaper since the fare is only P50.00/person. The private boat will conveniently take you to your chosen resort while if you take the public boat, it will dock at the port of Cagbalete and you will still have to walk your way to the resort for around 15-30 minutes. You can leave Cagbalete at any time you like just by arranging your schedule with the private boat operator while if you choose to get back to Mauban via the public boat, you have to be at the port by 11am because the boat leaves at 12:00nn. Anyhow, the best thing to do is get a private boat if you are going as a group and best to take the public boat if you are alone or if traveling with a buddy. :)

Stunning waters and two of my favorite girls on our way to Cagbalete Island! God's creation at its finest! :) (c)FayeHusena

The boat ride to and fro Cagbalete is extremely bumpy so expect to get wet and nervous at times (given a good sunny but windy weather when we went there) though some say it is not always a rough ride. :) The pretty scary yet exciting ride all paid off when we finally saw the beautiful scenery of the Island and its clear waters from afar. We were all in awe! The water itself was such a STUNNER! See the picture above and imagine you are surrounded with such beauty with the waters glimmering as it gets hit by the Sun! I can say this is one of the best trips of my life. My heart was literally having that kind of feeling when you get love at first sight! Haha! :)

WHAT TO DO:

1. Pitch your tent! (or you can opt to rent available accommodation/s at the resort) - Since it's summer, all resorts are fully booked and our only option was to bring and sleep on our tents. There are various resorts you can choose from, we decided to go to 'Doña Choleng' Resort and we even met its owner, Mr. Ryan. All the other resorts are owned by their relatives as well. (We thought, what a good family business! Haha) Anyhow, he was really nice and hospitable. Pitching your own tent will cost P200/per tent and if you didn't bring any, that will cost you P250 all in all. :) They also have their own restaurant so you do not need to worry about food. But of course, it'll be a whole lot cheaper if you can bring your own and just cook it in the Island.

Cloudy yet Sunny day for Island hopping! (c)Faye

2. Island Hopping! - We always call it 'hopping' even if we will just go around the same Island. Hahaha! Anyway, best to go early in the morning so you can enjoy the sunrise and the lovely morning breeze. We had a limited time on our second day and so we just went to one part of the Island which had a looooong stretch of fine sand during low tide. You can't really swim in the area though! Haha Aside from the sand, it has a pretty scenery of mangroves. Enjoy the quiet place while you soak in the sun! Afterwards, you can ask your manong bangkero to bring you in the area nearby where you can see many starfish and swim in the clear turquoise water.

The Mangroves. :) (c)Faye

 3. Eat, Sleep, Swim, Repeat! - And as always, the best part of it is to enjoy your stay at the Island. You have all the time to relax while you are far far away from the busy life in the metro. :)

Here's a detailed blog on how to get to Cagbalete Island:
http://www.tsinelaschronicles.com/2014/04/travel-guide-cagbalete-island-resorts-getting-there.html#sthash.GxWFzpB3.dpbs