I don't have a lot of pictures because it's raining and I don't want to get my camera/phone wet but I captured most of our "struggles" in this video.
There is a bus going straight to Calatagan, Batangas at Coastal Mall South Terminal for PHP160. First trip is at 4AM. We didn't catch the first bus, but the second one left around 5AM so I think the trip frequency is every hour.
We arrived at around 8:40AM. So travel time is less than 4 hours with 1 bus stop. The last stop is at the market so it's very convenient. We bought all the stuff we need here like food, booze, utensils, water etc.
My friend contracted a tricycle to take us to Burot Beach. Fare is PHP150 per tricycle which can fit 3-4 persons. When we reached Burot Beach, we paid the following fees.
Environmental Fee - PHP30
Overnight Fee - PHP130 per pax
Tent Fee - PHP30 per tent (we brought our own tent)
It was raining when we arrived. There were sheds with tables but the water is still dripping from the roof. So we immediately built the tents so we can secure our bags inside. Then we lifted the tables into the chairs so we can have a make-shift roof which can actually shield us from the rain.
There is a small store which sells the basic stuff. They sell water for PHP60 but if you don't have a container, you'll pay a PHP200 deposit which you'll get back when you return the blue container. But we didn't use this for drinking water as we're not sure if it's safe to drink.
There is also a comfort room which you have to pay PHP10 per use. But of course don't excpect anything fancy.
We were already hungry so we prepared our own meal using the stove my friend brought with him. We waited a bit in the hopes that the rain will stop but to no avail. It was raining so we're all wet even before we went for a swim, The wind was blowing which made it even colder.
We tried to go for a swim but we noticed the sand turning cloudy and black as we step on it (you can see this part in the video) so we decided against it. As much as we'd love to stay, we didn't want to take our chances staying the night in that weather so we booked a small "bahay kubo" nearby via airbnb. We were able to refund half of the overnight fee (PHP130).
The bahay kubo we rented for the night costs PHP2800 for 4 persons plus PHP500 for an extra person. It's just small, with 2 bunk beds and one foam mattress on the floor. It's a bit far from burot beach. Fare is PHP300 per ticycle to get here.
On the left is the shower and comfort room and on the right is the bahay kubo.
The caretaker also allowed us to use the kitchen and dining area.
This way to the beach.
The beach was unkempt because of the recent typhoon according to the caretaker.
The tide was low so we had to walk further to get to the part where the water is just knee deep.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed the waves and taking pictures.
This would have been a great spot to watch the sunset, but it was covered with clouds..
