So many inquiries in the past on the nearest beach resort to Manila and suggested beach resorts for company summer outing or team building activities but as always, Tutubi does not recommend specific beach resorts as he has no favorites nor even hidden affiliations. You can opt not to do the usual company outing ocular inspection to check beach quality, food tasting, amenities, and overnight room accommodations, just take note of these tips and suggestions.

UPDATED: March 2014

Herewith is only a general recommendation per area though there may be pockets of beaches that don't fit per Tutubi's description with estimated travel time out of Metro Manila and only land travel is considered i.e. no islands nor boat/ferry rides much more airplane rides (for those rich and generous companies)
Beach resorts in Cavite: travel time around 2 hours (even less due to Cavitex)

Tutubi visited Lido Beach Resort in Noveleta, Cavite without much expectation and he's right. The beach there is dirty as it's part of Manila Bay, you can even fish garbage out of the water. The sand is black and usually turns-off most city dwellers looking for a white beach in Cavite. The best beaches in Cavite are those at the southernmost tip of Cavite province with several high-end resorts like Puerto Azul (visited by Tutubi sometime in 1998), Caylabne Bay Resort, Boracay de Cavite

Beach Resorts in Bulacan: Travel Time: around 2-3 hours

not much is known about beach resorts in Bulacan due to it's also part of Manila Bay so if you can find them, expect them to be dirty and unfit for swimming. Bulacan though boasts of several nice resorts with wave pools.

Bataan Beach Resorts: travel time around 3 hours via NLEX

The beaches of Morong Bataan is inside Manila Bay, not that dirty as quite far already from Manila but the sand is fine gray. Reason why it's not that famous. The beaches of Bagac town (where Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar the resort of old houses is located), on the other side of Bataan Peninsula has white sand and good enough for human activities.

Batangas Beach Resorts: travel time varies from 3 hours to 5 hours

In Batangas province you have so many choices from Nasugbu (the nearest to Metro Manila via Tagaytay) but doesn't have real nice beaches and shoreline for swimming.

The much hyped Laiya Beach in San Juan is quite nice but not quite as raved by other people. On one end of the beach is fine sand bit murky and on the other end is the so-called La Luz point, a rocky part where it's nice to snorkel. In between the two is a short strip of fine white sand. Tutubi visited this in 2005 when the popular and pricey Acuatico Beach Resort with it's nice infinity pool is not yet built.

the nice part of the white beach of Laiya, San Juan, Batangas

Lobo Beach resorts, visited by Tutubi in summer of 2012 (unposted yet) does not offer very good beach too as the beach is full of pebbles (but not the same as those in Luna, La Union). They offer great diving experience though as you can see Isla verde from a distance, said to be one of the best dive sites in the country. Calatagan has also has nice beaches while Anilao town has mostly dive resorts catering to scuba divers.

The once famous Matabungkay beach in town deteriorated with too many balsa (bamboo rafts) parked on the shore that make swimming difficult and sometimes dangerous

munting buhangin beach with munting visitors

Nasugbu beaches hold promise with fine sand of Munting Buhangin Beach and nearby beaches where you can see Munting Buhangin Beach Resort, Punta Fuego, Canyon Cove and others.

Quezon Beach Resorts: travel time 4-5 hours

Parts of the beaches of Quezon Tutubi has visited include Sariaya (his first beach experience in "19forgotten" has dark gray sand but the area is good for swimming. Same in Atimonan town but the waves may be a bit dangerous. Up north in the towns of Real and Infanta, the beaches are gray sand, sometimes rocky, and with huge waves as they're facing the Pacific Ocean. The town of Pagbilao has nice white sand beaches though but there may not be enough beach resorts rooms and overnight accommodations for large companies.

Quezon has many islands too with fine white sand beaches that many bloggers hype to be like Boracay (usually exaggerated accounts) and also the southern towns are unexplored by Tutubi.

Zambales Beach Resorts: 3 to 5 hours travel time via NLEX-SCTEx

not so crowded and tourist-infested, the beach of Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales

Here you have lots of choices though may be quite far already for some companies. Subic Bay has nice resorts including the once popular White Rock and the pricey Marina Lighthouse Resort. Most of Zambales shoreline has black sand or fine gray sand like those in Pundaquit, San Antonio (where you can have nice yet pricey resorts like Punta de Uian)Pundaquit is the gateway to Anawangin Cove and Capones Island.

Pangasinan Beach Resorts: travel time 4 to 6 hours via NLEX, SCTEx

the backpacker-friendly Patar beach in Bolinao, Pangasinan

Pangasinan is a large province. there are many towns with pockets of nice white sand beaches sandwiched between those with gray sand. Western Pangasinan boasts of nice beaches of Anda, and Bolinao and Tambobong White Beach in Dasol town. In Bolinao beaches you can choose Ilog Malino for safe beach for family outings and the backpacker-friendly Patar beach has fine slightly brownish red sand. Pangasinan also has historic beaches in Mangaldan and Lingayen (where resorts like El Puerto Marina can be found) which played silent witness during the liberation of World War II. The Hundred Islands in Alaminos boasts of several beach resorts for overnight accommodations, some with cheap room rates, even dormitory-type rooms for the budget conscious (but usually without official websites nor any published telephone contact numbers)

Lingayen beach is typical Pangasinan and Zambales: fine gray sand with waves suitable for surfing school

La Union Beach Resorts: Travel time of 5 hours or more via NLEX, SCTEx (but expect this to shorten once TPLEx is completed)

La Union boasts of nice white sand beaches but they're actually popular for one thing: surfing. You can find beach resorts in the towns of Bauan and San Fernando (where the expensive Thunderbird Poro Point is located)

Further up north, lies Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte (where Pagudpud resorts await) that are too far away for most Manila-based companies to consider for summer outing. Not much nice white sand beaches in Ilocos Sur except Sabangan Beach in Santiago, Ilocos Sur (as Tutubi was able to scour most of seaside towns of Ilocos Sur) and probably other towns north of Vigan (unexplored by Tutubi)

Santiago Cove: a hidden treasure of Ilocos Sur, a white sand beach without the crowds

Lastly, if our company summer outing came too late for summer and into the rainy season, you can check out Pansol hotspring resorts in Calamba, Laguna where you can swim to your hearts content without getting out of the hot water due to freezing cold when out of it. :)

This is not a definitive list as Tutubi has yet to fully explore all of them. He may have left out some nice places or gave comments that don't agree with your own.

Labels: Bataan, Batangas, Beaches, Bulacan, Hotels and Resorts, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Luzon, Quezon, Zambales

As already hinted on the previous blog post, Tutubi joined his company summer outing at the still under construction "heritage resort" of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar where he treated his family to a weekend in the luxury resort merely two weeks after he treated them in Tagaytay.

The location shoot of some of GMA7's soap operas in Pictures:

Casa Jaen, an old mansion from Jaen, Nueva Ecija, visible on the "reflecting pool" in front of the old house

Casa Meycauayan, Tutubi's weekend getaway home, is an old house from Meycauayan, Bulacan with three rooms on the second floor.

Tutubi's room with 2 King sized beds and two extra beds. No idea about the room rates but Tutubi merely paid PhP1425.00/night price for each of his 4 extra persons

the bathroom of one room of Casa Meycauayan with a bathtub and hot and cold shower

Tutubi's independent Reviews, Recommendations and Comments on Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar Heritage Resort, Bagac, Bataan:

1. For those with children, there's no highchair for your babies/toddlers at the restaurant.
2. Avoid ordering beef dishes. Tutubi ordered bulalo for lunch on his first day and it was a disappointment. No marrowy goodness and the beef was almost rubber-like. The beef mechado for dinner later was both tender and rubbery i.e. inconsistent.
3. Their escabeche maya-maya was a winner with large servings good for 3-4 persons (recommended) and life-saver due to the disappointing. bulalo. Usual dishes on the menu costs PhP300 and up and good for 3-4 persons. Nothing to rave about other food here, just so-so.
4. Daing na Bangus during breakfast was just fried milkfish, not even marinated with the usual vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic.
4. Buffet food for company summer outing was too limited. Company size of 40 persons and yet the prepared food was not enough for 40 pax. This happened in 3 out of four buffet meals which should have been all-you-can-eat (a primary requirement in all of his company outings) that turned out to be eat-what-your-officemates-were-not-able-to-eat; breakfast didn't turn out like that when some skipped breakfast and merely stayed in bed longer due to hangovers or lost sleep.

Cultural show during dinner where guests were serenaded with Kundimans and fold dances. benefit of the community tha provided jobs to local highly evident. The local artist, from Paete, Laguna, turned out to be a classmate of Tutubi's septuagenarian father.

the swimming pool with green water and rocks simulating a "sapa" of one's childhood.

La Piscina, the resort's swimming pool made like a stream with rocks is only four-feet deep, good for families and toddlers, but Tutubi prefers something deeper and probably an infinity pool.

The nearby beach of Bagac has fine gray sand but the waters may be a dangerous when waves come. Depth of beach water falls drastically after a few meters, evident from the color of the water from light blue to dark blue.

Bathrooms equipped with hot and cold showers and bathtub, quite roomy but slippery wooden flooring (you're in an old house with no original modern bathroom amenities, remember?)

Safety deposit boxes in rooms but no instructions were posted on how to set the PIN, thus Tutubi didn't bother to use it.

No in-room telephone lines installed, it's difficult if you need help for room service, you need to go out to the front office, quite a walk (or a mobile phone call away), but what if it's too hot or it's raining?

Staff were courteous though as the resort is managed by Genesis Hotels but there was no dedicated account officer/coordinator to handle Tutubi's company's needs, something sorely lacking and a regular at all hotels and resorts he's visited involving company events. What if you're having your dream wedding/debut there? Tutubi's officemates had to coordinate with front office who were also busy attending to other guests (from MacroAsia) and some daytrip tourists.

Check-in and Check out hassles:

Imagine Tutubi got delayed in leaving the resort due to unusual problems encountered by his other officemates e.g. overused towels and missing bathroom mats that his officemates denied, probably due to improper inventory. This is the first time Tutubi encountered problems like this...again-- overused towels, only at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar!

Overall Review of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar:

Honestly, Tutubi enjoyed his stay at las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar simply because he was with his family in such a luxurious place, but the "heritage resort" lacks the feel of other high-end resorts that Tutubi has visited, despite his being a budget traveler. The resort though is still under construction where probably more towns will lose priceless old heritage houses to be transplanted here.

More photos of Las Casas Filipinas Acuzar Heritage Resort soon along with Tutubi's take on transfer of "heritage conservation."

Related Post:
Beach Resorts in Bagac, Bataan
Las casas de acuzar day tour rate/entrance fee: PhP1250.00/person
room rates: varies but it's not cheap

Labels: Bataan, Bataan Resorts, Central Luzon, Hotels and Resorts

Tutubi went on a company summer outing in Bagac, Bataan just last week at a controversial "heritage" resort along with his parents where he also took them, to their surprise, to the towering Dambana ng Kagitingan on top of Mt. Samat in Pilar, Bataan before taking them to the HM Transport bus terminal in Cubao.

Along the fork of the road leading to Bagac town proper is a relatively unnoticed and forgotten historical marker on one of the two spots where the Bataan Death March historically started (the one is in Mariveles Bataan, the town at the tip of Bataan Peninsula near the fortress Island of Corregidor).

This is Tutubi's post on the anniversary of the infamous Bataan Death March which started on April 9, 1942, the historic Fall of Bataan.

old picture of Bataan Death March, survivors called themselves the Battling Bastards of Bataan after the United States abandoned them (Gen. MacArthur escaped to Australia from Corregidor, right?)

the people pass by on the fork oblivious of the historical importance of the marker. From Balanga, the right road leads to Bagac town proper, the (Bagac Church) and the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar; the left road leads to Montemar Beach Club and other Bagac beach resorts. (Marker coordinates: N14 35 58.0 E120 23 41.3)


Bataan Death March trail (the whole route is marked by milestones, km 0 shown here):

1a. March start in Bagac Bataan to Balanga along the present Balanga-Bagac Road
1b. March start from Mariveles, Bataan to Balanga along Bataan Provincial Highway and join with the Bagac group (distance: 30 km)
2. Bataan Provincial highway to San Fernando Train station in Pampanga (distance: 53 km)
3. train ride from San Fernando, Pampanga to Capas, Tarlac (48 km in cramped train cars)
4. Marched again from Capas train station to the concentration camp (distance: 12 km)
5. Endpoint: Camp O'Donell now known as Capas National Shrine (where a list of prisoners-of-war, The Battling Bastards of Bataan, who made it alive to the camp can be found)

Note: some peole claim the many wicked soldiers of Death March were Koreans conscripted into the Japan Imperial Army. Note that Korea was part of the Empire of Japan during the World War II.

Tutubi will someday visit the other Kilometer Zero marker of the Death March plus the trains stations in San Fernando, Pampanga and Capas, Tarlac to finish the World War II historical trail (along with a Bataan Death March Route Map, in Japanese: Batān Shi no Kōshin (バターン死の行進?). There's also the Bataan Death March Marathon Run event some years ago but not sure if still held this year.).

Labels: Bataan, History, World War II

"Bumagsak na ang Bataan," Tutubi said when he went to Bataan to attend his officemates' wedding at St. Joseph Cathedral in Balanga with a sidetrip to the historic Mt. Samat, the site of fierce fighting at the onset of World War II and where the Dambana ng kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) stands to remind visitors of the gallant stand of American and Filipino soldiers in World War II.

Mt. Samat was the stronghold of combined American and Filipino forces defending the mountainous peninsula of Bataan against the Japanese from December 1941 until its capitulation on April 9, 1942.

The almost four month long resistance, caught the Japanese by surprise and delayed their war plan thereby saving Australia from the onslaught of the Land of the Rising Sun.

The Fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942 started the harrowing war crime called Bataan Death March where thousands of American and Filipino POWs were forced to march for about 100 kilometers, by foot interrupted by a train ride in cramped cars, for days without food and water to get to Capas, Tarlac. Thousands died during the ordeal and thousands more died at the concentration camp during captivity.

Mt. Samat Shrine, dubbed "Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor)," was built to honor not just the heroic efforts of the World War II soldiers who valiantly fought the Japanese invaders against insurmountable odds but also all other heroes whose heroics and deeds were enshrined like Jose Rizal whose bas relief occupies one side of the Memorial Cross, Juan Luna, Emilio Aguinaldo, Lapu-Lapu, Apolinario Mabini, Emilio Jacinto, Melchora Aquino, Gabriela Silang et al.

Now declared a National Historical Shrine, it was built during the time of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos on top of Mt. Samat, the base of the site of fierce fighting with main feature of a Monument Cross standing 92 meters tall made of concrete, marble and steel.

The hurriedly taken picture of Dambana ng Kagitingan's Monument Cross in just in time before fog and rain enveloped the monument

a brief lull in the rain allowed Tutubi to take a photo of two "young-at-hearts" playing with a gun battery similar to the ones displayed on Corregidor Island

The sad part about the trip was that the rain almost spoiled the trip completely. Tutubi didn't bother to ride the elevator to get to the top of the Monument Cross to get a sweeping view of Bataan peninsula, Manila Bay and even Corregidor Island. A brief photo-op with officemates resulted to a few pictures (with one of his peers did an Oblation-like pose near the cross' base in silhouette). No other pictures were taken as the entire Mt. Samat was covered in rain clouds that even Tutubi's waterproof camera was rendered useless.

Dambana ng Kagitingan deserves a return trip for Tutubi as well as his wish to re-trace the infamous Death March route someday.



---

Dambana ng Kagitingan Travel Information


Mt. Samat Shrine Entrance Fees:

PhP30.00 for foreigners
PhP20.00 for locals
PhP10.00 for students

Parking fee:

PhP20.00 cars/small vehicles
PhP50.00 large vehicles

Overnight accommodations at Mt. Samat Shrine is offered at the Dambana ng Kagitingan Guesthouse. No information was gathered due to the rains.

There's also a museum inside the shrine but was not visited by Tutubi due to lack of time.

Shrine is open to the public from 8am to 5pm, Tuesdays to Sundays (closed on Mondays, no information on holidays as of posting time). Elevator access to the top of the Cross is closed during lunch break

Comfort Rooms available with PhP3.00 per "pee fee."

How to get to Mt. Samat Shrine Bataan:

Driving Directions: From EDSA northbound to Balintawak take NLEX and exit at the SCTEx spur road after passing Dau toll plaza. After getting ticket at SCTex tollgate, choose the road going to Subic and exit at Dinalupihan (Toll fee: PhP88.00) Turn right at the end of the SCTEx exit road and follow road signs leading to Mt. Samat, Balanga or your destination town.

On reaching Pilar, Bataan junction, you'll see direction signs on your right pointing the way to Mt. Samat where you turn right (sign says the historic shrine is 11 kilometers away). Turn left on the road after passing Kilometer 19 Death March Marker

Travel time to Bataan (Mt Samat or Balanga) is around 2.5 to 3 hours from EDSA, Quezon City via NLEX and SCTEx.

Commute to Bataan, the backpacking way is not easy for the route to the historic shrine is not served by public transportation. The nearest point can be reached by Bataan buses is the Pilar, Bataan junction on the national highway where the shrine's 11 kilometers away. You can ride a tricycle at the junction or do some muscle flexing by trekking up the mountain.

Ferries to Bataan are available from SM Mall of Asia complex by MetroStar serving the Pasay to Orion Port ferry route. In Orion, you can ride jeepneys going to Balanga that pass by Pilar and alight at the junction for the jump-off point to Mt. Samat Shrine

Labels: Bataan, Central Luzon, Historical Shrines, World War II

List of Beach Resorts in Bataan are mostly in the towns of Morong and Bagac. Herewith is a list of resorts in the area with telephone numbers. Reviews and photos to follow once available. Please call the telephone number posted and/or visit the official websotes for room rates and other details

Most resorts there have either white sand or gray sand but not too crowded like other famous beaches

Morong Beach Resorts:

Anvaya Cove

Aplaya del Amor

Aspire Beach Resort

Astea Beach Resort 0917.517.7541

Bataan White Coral

Bustamante Beach Resort

Coralview Beach Resort

Crystal Water

Dar Star Beach Resort 0919.646.3237

Delia’s Beach Resort 0920.821.3139

Dorothy Beach Resort 0916.732.5568

East & West Beach Resort 0919.644.0870

Fine Sand Beach Resort 0918.902.3936

Gold Coast Resort +63.47.237.3170

Isabela Beach Resort

J & E De Leon Beach Resort 0919.200.6009

Jemacar Beach Resort

Joelyn Payumo Beach Resort

Morong Bay Beach Resort 0927.439.9244

Morong Star Beach Resort

Panibatuhan 0916.202.0466

Oro Grande Beach Resort 0916.352.8889

Paul’s Beach Resort 0920.586.6632

Sipwak Beach Resort

Summer Sea Beach Resort +63.02.714.6087

Sunshine Beach Resort +63.47.237.3124

Villa Milagrosa Beach Resort 0919-7696259

Waterfront Beach Resort 0918.508.6977


Bagac Beach Resorts

Bagac Bay Beach Resort
Barangay Pag-Asa, Bagac, Bataan
bagacbaybeachresort.multiply.com

Fajardo’s Beach Resort Bagac
0920.226.0342

Floen Beach Resort Bagac
0919.264.8382

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Montemar Beach Club
Tel. No.: +63.2.892.6498

Morning Breeze Beach Resort
Bagac, Bataan
Contact Number: 0918.903.7016

Sun Moon Beach Resort
0918.372.0561

UPDATED: April 2013

Please call the beach resorts contact numbers or visit their official website for inquiries, room rates, reservations Swimming entrance fee, day tour rate, and other questions. A short telephone call to their published telephone numbers will get you answers rather than leaving a comment here :P

How to get to Bataan:

Buses to Bataan are via Genesis or Bataan Transit with terminals in Cubao, QC, Sta. Cruz Manila and Pasay City. Travel time is around 3 hours.

El Greco Jerry Fery serves the Manila to Bataan ferry route, it begins from CCP Complex and ends in Mariveles, Bataan. Ferry Fare starts at PhP195.00 to PhP350.00 (VIP)

Labels: Bataan, Hotels and Resorts, Resorts