One does not need to go as far as Camarines Sur to go wakeboarding. Lago de Oro Resort in Calatagan, Batangas has one you can enjoy and have tons of fun wakeboarding.

Just a couple of hours drive from Manila (about 115 kms), Lago de Oro is the next best thing in water sports.

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There are so many activities that you can do while on a vacation in Boracay. Of the tons of water sports available, from scuba diving to motor bike rides, the one that sparked my interest was kite surfing. Also called kite-skiing or fly-surfing, this sport basically uses a parachute-type kite and 4 lines hooking up the surfer and his surfboard.

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Puerto Galera is one of the most popular destinations especially by local Metro Manila tourists because of its proximity and accessibility to Manila on top of budget-friendly rates. A bus ride from the Jam bus terminal at Buendia cor. Taft. Ave to the Batangas Pier costs Php146 and could take about 3 to 5 hours depending on traffic and season. Boat tickets to White Beach, Sabang or Talipanan is another Php140 for 2 hours (May 2006 rates).

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The Rico Beach is just one of the several beach front resorts in Brgy. Alubihod of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras. My grandfather (my mother’s side) owns it and it’s now being managed by my uncle who’s the youngest of my mom’s 7 siblings.


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Villa Igang is one of the many smaller and secluded resorts up in the northern part of the municipality of Nueva Valencia in the island of Guimaras. Situated just beside Puerto del Mar which is ran by John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation (a local maritime college), Villa Igang sports dozens of cottages for local and foreign tourists to rent for long vacations.

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I’ve been to Puerto Galera a lot of times. It’s one of those getaway spots you can easily visit even for just the week-end. A 3-hour drive by bus from Buendia to Batangas Pier costs about Php110.00 and a ferry trip of about 1 to 1.5 hours to either White Beach or Sabang will cost you another Php120.

I haven’t been to Sabang so I can’t say much about it. A lot of times, White Beach is the place to go if you’re looking for the crowd, a fun and lively night life or get some action at the beach (I mean the banana boat rides, jet skiing and snorkelling type.)

During off peak season, you could get cottages as low as Php500 a night but it could shoot up to 3 or 4 times the regular prices during peak season. You better be good at haggling or you’d be sorry you didn’t looked around some more.

If White Beach is full, your best bet is to check out Talipanan Beach. It’s just a jeepney ride away (you’d be charged up to Php100 if you hire a tricycle) and you can see White Beach from the shore. Talipanan is a more quite version of White Beach. Fewer people, mostly foreigners who prefer a more serene and relaxed environment. There are just a few cottages and hostels to choose from but they’re generally cheaper by 50% compared to the ones in White Beach.

A budget of about Php1,500 to Php2,000 per head is enough for a week-end stay (that’s Saturday and Sunday — two days and one night). If you plan on getting some rides or doing some shopping, you’d better be prepared to shell out up to Php4,000.

I grew up in a small town of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras. Every Sunday, our family would go to Alubihod beach that my grandfather inherited from his parents. Alubihod is just 4 kilometers away from town, so all five of us would take our family motorbike and spent the entire Sunday swimming or taking boats rides and having lunch under a giant gemilina tree fronting the beach.

I still have old pictures of me (7 or 8 years old) running across the sandy beaches. The sand is almost as white as that of Boracay’s but less fine and a little off-white. The beach front was still empty with just a couple or huts and cottages. About 20 years ago, only small number of family houses of relatives are standing a few meters away from the shore. (Mostly cousins of my mom to the second degree.)

Haven’t been back there for years now though. I frequently invite my high school classmates to take a vacation there whenever I’m home. This is usally during summer vacation when we also have our town fiesta (April 24-25).

Guimaras is just a few kilometers from Iloilo City by boat. It usually costs Php5.00 but I think it could already be Php10.00 – Php15.00 per head. Once you dock at the Jordan pier, you take a Nueva Valencia jeep to town about 30 kilometers south. Another tricycle ride from Poblacion town to Alubihod would cost about Php 25 – Php 50 depending on the number of passengers.

Alubihod is now sub-divided into several resorts, the bigger one would be Raymen Beach resort which is owned by my mom’s cousins and Rico Beach Resort, owned by my uncle, the youngest of my mom’s siblings.

I will definitely take a lot of pictures once I get to visit back home.

[tags]Alubihod beach, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras[/tags]