My sister was looking for a budget weekend getaway so we tagged along with my Ingress peeps Cagbalete adventure with a budget of around PHP2000.
How to go to Cagbalete Island?
1. Ride a bus to Lucena. 3-4 hours
2. Ride a bus from Lucena to Mauban. 1-2 hours
3. Ride a boat from Mauban to Cagbalete Island. 1-2 hours
We met at JAC Liner Kamias Terminal at around 1am and boarded a bus going to Lucena at 2am. Bus fare to Lucena was PHP218. JAC Liner Kamias Terminal has 24hour trips to Lucena with a 30 minute interval. They also have direct trips to Mauban twice a day at 5am and 12pm for PHP270.
We arrived at Lucena Grand Terminal at 5am. There's a BPI ATM and food joints in case you're wondering. Then we boarded the NCR-Rienton Lines bus bound to Mauban for PHP55.
The local bus is old and cramped so don't expect too much.
We arrived at Mauban around 6am and we were met with a beautiful sunrise.
The back view of the statue looks handsome
Is it just me or he looks like Usopp from One Piece?? XD
Anyway we asked directions to the market and the officer told us to turn right while pointing on the left so what's a tourist got to do? XD
The market is just a short walking distance from the bus stop. You can also walk from the market to Pantalan/Daungan but if you want to take a tricycle it will only cost you PHP10 per person or PHP40 per tricycle if you don't want to wait for other passengers.
We didn't avail any food packages so we have to buy food and stuff from the market. Some resorts offer food package for PHP1000 which includes breakfast lunch, dinner and a snack.
We finished our grocery around 7am and went to buy boat tickets. We wanted to take the commuter boat but it was already fully booked. Imagine? The commuter boat is scheduled to leave at 10am but it's already fully booked at 7am XD So we took the private boat instead. It costs PHP2500 2-way for 6 persons. So PHP417 for a 2 way trip per person. Not bad considering we don't need to wait for the next commuter boat which still doesn't have a definite schedule plus we can opt to leave Cagbalete any time we want. Our boat ride back to Mauban is just a text away. And we don't have to walk because the private boat will drop us off directly at our resort.
Pantalan
Relaxing boat trip to Cagbalete
We rented 2 medium tents good for 3 persons each for PHP600 each at Villa Noe resort. The nipa huts were already fully booked and we can't contact any resort. We were just lucky a friend was in Cagbalete the week before so he made our tent reservations on our behalf. You can also bring your own tent but you still have to pay a fee PHP250.
Boat Packages they offer
Settling our bags after arrival
Lunch: Pork Chop by Pepper and Salt with Tuna by Hana XD
After that we just pretty much slept on the grass the entire afternoon XD
"would you lie with me and just forget the world?" - ultraman
"pigilan mo ko!" - storm trooper
We were woken up by the scorching heat of the sun
after that we ate burgers and halo halo sold from a store nearby and took pictures
beach bum
beach bum
beach bum
picture
picture
picture
salagubang?
"migratory birds" XD
micro mini star trail shows a lot about my patience XD
Bonfire! PHP100 per set
Marshmallows!!
The next day we waited for the sunrise which unfortunately was covered by the clouds
but the view was still breathtaking nonetheless
Then we rented a boat to take us to another part of the island so we can swim. Boat rental costs PHP1000 for 6 persons. When the tide is low, all you can see is a long stretch of sand bar. Luckily it was high tide so we were able to swim. The sand was white and pure, no rocks and icky plants to grace your feet so we enjoyed swimming.
comfort rooms and showers were decent and clean if you're curious
Then just like that it was already time to go home :(
So let's see
Kamias - Lucena : PHP218 x 2 = PHP436
Lucena - Mauban : PHP55 x 2 = PHP110
Mauban - Cagbalete : PHP417
Enviromental Fee: PHP50
Tricycle: PHP10 x 2 = PHP20
Island Hopping: PHP167
Tent: PHP200
Total: PHP1400
So you still have PHP600 for the food :)
UPDATE: 11/14/2016
We went here again last weekend and this time with a more chillax trip in mind.
Transportation:
We booked a bus via
Biyaheroes website for the Kamias to Mauban Route via JAC Liner. It was nice because I didn't know you could book a bus trip online. We also got a free tshirt from Biyaheroes. With a bus booking, you have to arrive 1 hour earlier to secure your reservation. I still prefer the Kamias-Lucena-Mauban Route because the Kamias-Mauban route only has 2 trips which is at 4:00AM and 11:00AM and you don't have to reserve if you're just Lucena bound because there are plenty of trips available every hour or so. We left Kamias at 4:00am, had a stop over at McDocnalds/7/11 around 6:30am and arrived Mauban at around 9:00am.
We then paid the environmental fee at the tourism office and booked a private boat for 8persons to take us to Nilandingan Cove which costs PHP3000 for a two way trip for 8persons. We left the port around 9:30am and arrived 11:00am. I don't recommend going to Cagbalete off-peak season because the waves were too strong. It was like an hour and a half roller coaster ride. I can't count how many times my soul left my body but that's how I felt as the boat rises and fall through the waves.
Accommodation:
This time we rented a cottage at Nilandingan Cove for PHP2800 which is good for 8persons but I personally think it was only good for 6persons to fit comfortably. Although it has it's own detached comfort room and since we had the resort to ourselves we can pretty much use any other comfort rooms. They were also very accommodating.
They also offer Island Hoping but with those waves, we weren't too eager on riding a boat anytime soon.
Food:
We were all ladies who can't be bothered with cooking so we just opted to buy our food from the resort. The food package costs PHP850 with lunch, merienda, dinner, breakfast the next day and merienda. I didn't expect much from it but boy was I surprised that it was actually delicious. It was sooo sulit and hassle free. They also offer single servings of food depending on the menu for that day. Water and juice was provided when food was served but we also bought a 6L water bottle from them for PHP60. They also sell coffee and milo for PHP20 each and block of ice for PHP20 - PHP60 pesos.
Welcome Drinks
Lunch
Merienda
Dinner (forgot to take a pic before hehe)
Beach:
For the second time I wasn't able to swim. (^_^)V I was too sleepy to do anything when we arrived (which happened to be the perfect time to swim). The waves were too strong come afternoon and there were to many seaweeds. Then the tide was too low in the morning that you have to walk far away. (Excuses)
(Bus) Kamias - Mauban = PHP304.7
(Tricycle) JAC Liner Terminal - Tourism Office = PHP10
(Tricycle) Tourism Office - Port = PHP10
Enviromental Fee: PHP50
(Boat) Mauban - Cagbalete: PHP3000/8= PHP375
Accommodation: PHP2800/8 = PHP350
Food (lunch,merienda,dinner,breakfast,merienda) = PHP850
(Tricycle) Port - JAC Liner Terminal = PHP15
(Bus) Mauban - Lucena = PHP59
(Bus) Lucena - Kamias = PHP218
Total: 2241.7
Yup so it's still within budget and renting an accommodation and food package was a good choice. I think the shore looks better at Villa Noe though. Nilandingan Cove was the farthest resort on the Island I think based on the tourism board.
