Last weekend, the family went on a short two day, one night trip to a nice semi-secluded beach in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas, three to four hours away from Manila. The resort was called Palm Beach at Barrio Hugom, and was far down the road from the rest of the resorts along the increasingly famous Laiya shoreline.

Its relative isolation from the rest of the resorts in the area, and its seclusion from the other beaches by some mountains, give it a serene and relaxing character. However, despite its apparent isolation from the rest of the popular resorts in the area, it has relatively new and modern facilities and amenities. There is even wifi access in many parts of the resort. I was able to surf the internet one afternoon, under the shade of a tree right at the beach, while I hear the waves lapping on the shore and the sea breeze blowing to cool me off despite the hot afternoon. There was, however, no signal for the Globe network, so I was inaccessible by phone the entire time–which helped me relax, I guess.

I spent most of my time just lounging, and swimming at the pool. I missed swimming like that, though it made me realize that I have to lose some weight and do more regular exercises. I found myself excessively gasping for air after two laps.

Food is served in buffet at breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also afternoon snacks. They ration the food in the beginning, but you can go back to the buffet table anytime for second, or third servings.

It was just a short trip. We got back to Manila by Saturday evening.

Tags: Batangas, beach, family, Laiya, resort, San Juan, sand, sea, shore, swimming, vacation

April 16, 2008. Early the next day after we arrived in Culasi, we all got up early and went on a short drive from our friend’s home, to the beach near the municipal hall to take a pump boat to Malalison Island.

The island is one of the three island barangays of Culasi, and is the nearest one to the coast, with a distance of around 4 kilometers. It was a 20-minute pump boat ride to the island. Ours, though, took longer because we requested for the boat to go around the entire island before docking at the main beach.

The island was a relatively small island, with still some unspoiled coves and rugged stone cliffs. One can probably enjoy taking a peaceful hike around the island, though that we weren’t able to do.

After around ten to fifteen minutes around the island, we finally dock at main hook-shaped beach. Our friend from Culasi told us the beach was comparable to Boracay (which incidentally was relatively near Culasi). Indeed, it was. Not better, but comparable. The sand was just as white, though not as fine or powdery, and the waters just as crystal clear, even clearer.

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Tags: Antique, beach, boat, Boracay, Culasi, island, Malalison, Panay, sand, sea