Puerto Galera, Philippines – Beauty beyond imagination!
It wasn’t until I was given my first San Miguel that I realized this place was hot, humid, and sticky. My first San Mig didn’t even touch the sides. I was back in Manila sitting in the hotel bar, after leaving my bag and putting all my important documents in the safe. I took some time to reflect on my first visit to this incredibly diverse country.
When you talk about vacation destinations with people, the best beaten paths are the most frequented, not many people I know have traveled to the Philippines. Let me tell you, if you enjoy tropical islands with powdery white sand that merges with the jungle on one side and then disappears into the turquoise blue water on the other, then this is the place for you! After all, there are 7107 islands in the Philippines, take your pick!
The Philippines is the third largest English-speaking country in the world, which makes getting around much easier. Tourism hasn’t really taken off like in neighboring Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia and the infrastructure isn’t quite there which in a way makes it even more exciting because your holiday will become an adventure it can drag you down at times but once you reach your final destination, the journey to get there will be long forgotten.
My journey took me to the resort town of Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro. Puerto Galera is the port where Spanish galleons used to take refuge from the power of typhoons. Leaving your imagination a little wonder as you look around the harbor you can almost see the Spanish galleons bobbing on their anchors.
Puerto Galera recently won the 2005 World’s Most Beautiful Bay Award. It’s easy to see why.
How to get to Puerto Galera
From Manila you need to take a bus to Batangas which takes about three hours depending on the time of day and what day it is, the longest it has taken me has been seven hours. From Batangas, which is located south of the Philippine capital of Manila, you can take a ferry to Puerto Galera, which is between an hour and an hour and a half. The journey to Batangas is quite uneventful, the real beauty begins when you get on the ferry. The water is a deep cobalt blue, if you are lucky you may even see dolphins, turtles and flying fish.
Beaches
Most of the resorts are concentrated around the beaches of Sabang, Small La Laguna and Big la Laguna. Sabang is where most of the action is, clubs, pubs, restaurants and many accommodations. The next beach is La Pequeña La Laguna, which has more accommodations and the beach is quite beautiful. Be sure to stop at the Point Bar that separates Sabang from Small La Laguna Beach, the view is outstanding. Going further from Sabang leads to, in my opinion, the best beach, Big La Laguna Beach. The beach here is beautiful and much quieter than Sabang, with some superior accommodation.
What to do in Puerto Galera?
The main focus here is water. Diving and snorkeling are the number one activities. The diving is first class. There are no waves, so swimming is safe, as are other water activities, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking.
Try going up to the Ponderosa Golf Club for some jungle golf, lots of fun. Hiking is also available and combine the trip to visit a Mangyan village. Or you can just curl up on the beach with a good book!
Back to reality
Reflecting on my San Miguel ice cream, my first two-week stay on these enchanted islands left me relaxed and ready to get back into the rat race of modern society. It seemed like my first trip was years ago, but I have been visiting and living in this wonderful country on and off for a decade.