Potipot Island Getaway

Potipot Island is located at Candelaria, Zambales which is around 5-6hours away from Manila via private transportation. 

We rented a van (PHP6500) going there.

I'm seated with my favorite travel buddy, my lola.

We visited a friend before going off to the island. 

They prepared a very warm and delicious welcome for us. I discovered they had quite a few superstitions. Like it's not lucky for a pregnant woman to cross the ocean. But they were very specific on not wearing any gold/jewelry during the boat ride because the mermaids might come to get you (you're gonna drown). 

Then we went to the shore to arrange for a boat. I guess we were like aliens to the kids. They were just staring at us the whole time.

You can see the island from the shore of Uacon, Candelaria, Zambales. Boat ride costs PHP400 for a 2-way trip for 6 persons.

There were a lot of dogs in the shore playing at the beach..

and making sure everyone is already on board.

It was just a really small boat.

But you can see the island (meaning it would only take a few minutes to ride this small boat) so it's fine.

There's an entrance fee of PHP100 for day tour and PHP300 for overnight. Children below 7years old is free.

So my first impression with the island was WOW! White sand, clear blue waters, clouds and trees.. WOW!

I love how there are lots of trees in it offering a good amount of shade from the sun.

It's a really small island that you can easily go around it. 

Then there was this beautiful tree house in the middle. We wanted to rent it but it turned out to be a private property.

So we just rented this nipa hut for PHP1500 which could comfortably accommodate 10persons.

It has a living area with chairs and tables

and a sleeping quarters. It was hot during the day but very cold at night. There were mosquitoes so better bring mosquito repellents.

You can also set up your own tents or rent for PHP150? not sure with the price.

Comfort Room

After a tiring day, we were able to enjoy the beach. There were only a few people in the island when we visited so it was really nice and quite like having the island for ourselves. But this place gets packed during summer.

It was really nice to just lie around the beach get some tan (wow) and enjoy the beautiful weather.

If you're tired swimming you can go around and appreciate the beauty of nature. 

The island is really picturesque from every corner.

Since it's just a small island, you can see both sunset and sunrise from the opposite sides. (not at the same time of course)

sunset

There's no electricity in the island so better bring battery packs and flashlights and what not.

sunrise

All these pictures were just taken from a mobile phone without filters. The place is just really beautiful.

If that didn't convince you to visit Potipot, maybe my friend mr toothless (not toothless) here can..

say what?! 

hoomans..hoomans for dinner..yum!

so you comin' or what?! tss..

Burot Beach, Calatagan Batangas

If you're looking for a budget friendly travel destination then try going to Burot Beach at Calatagan Batangas. Not only is it budget friendly, getting there is easy as well. Although, I wouldn't recommend going there during rainy season (like we did) XD

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..

Anyway, we spent around PHP1700 for this trip, including transportation, food and the bahay kubo we rented. So yeah I think it's sulit and quite unforgettable in its own way :)