I
love travelling! Who doesn’t? But being a busy girl with different priorities in
life, I rarely travel in a year. Honestly, I’ve only been to one beach just a
year ago (Blog post about my first beach experience here) and I always say that
I want to travel to other places this year.
Why I was
Disappointed at First.
Finally, my friend and I decided to look for cheap beach accommodation
last April at Metrodeal and found a
nice and affordable villa at Puerto Galera called Amihan Del Sol or formerly known as Amihan Villa. We already booked for May 16-17 last
April 9 so I was kind of disappointed when they called me regarding canceling
the date we chose a week before our supposed booking date. They told me that
the dates we chose were already full booked and they had a slow internet
connection so they received the notification or email from Metrodeal late as
well. Honestly, don’t know what happened since we confirmed the booking a month
before that and so they should have informed us about that much earlier. We
already planned our schedules last April and even filed our leave at work. I
kept on insisting that we already filed our leave and our schedule was already set
but seems like they left us no choice but to book our stay on a different date.
Why are we the ones adjusting instead? Maybe it was because we paid for a
cheaper price at Metrodeal? I don’t know but I was so excited for this trip so imagine
my disappointment when we had to wait for another 3 weeks for this. We
re-booked it this June which I think is also a great time to hit the beach
since it’ll be easier for us to commute and there will be few people around.
The Trip.
Last June 6-7, 2017,
we finally made it to Puerto Galera!!! My friend and I met at Araneta Bus Port in Cubao and rode a bus
from Goldstar going to Batangas Pier.
It took us 3 hours to get to Batangas Pier since I think the bus we rode was driving
so slow. At Batangas Pier, there were people waiting for passengers outside the
bus and based from what I read, you must not talk to them as they “fixers”
who will help you but will ask for money in return or something like that. We
trust our instincts and followed the people in front of us until we found the Minolo Shipping Lines counter and told
them that we will be going to “Amihan” two-way-trip. Fee was Php600 with free
shuttle service included. We waited for about 15-20 minutes near the
gate/terminal since the security just told us to wait without giving any time.
Travel time going to Muelle
Port took us 1 hour. It was first time riding “the boat” so I was scared at
first. The ride was a bit bumpy and hot inside since they closed most of the
windows to avoid the water coming inside. I wasn’t prepared for this ride and I
haven’t slept yet, haven’t eaten breakfast nor lunch and was dehydrated already
since I had no time to buy another water.
At Muelle Port, we immediately saw the MSL shuttle at the right
side and told them we were going to Amihan. We were joined by another 6 people also
going to Amihan in the shuttle. By the way, the shuttle we rode was a L300 van.
It took us 15-20 minutes before arriving at Amihan.
Best Accommodation.
Amihan
Del Sol is suited at the top so we had to take the long hike just to be
able to get there. I must admit, going up added up to my tiredness so good
thing they gave a glass of iced tea (welcoming drinks) upon reaching the villa.
Ms. Gemma along with their staff
warmly greeted us. The reception area is located at the 2nd floor as
well the dining or common area. We rested for about 5 – 10 minutes while enjoying
the nice view outside. Then we handed our voucher and ID and we're ready to check-in.
Our room was located at the 2nd floor left side which
I’ve been crossing my fingers to get this room as I believe it has the BEST
view for me. We were HIGHLY IMPRESSED
on how HUGE the room was for 2 persons. It has a queen/twin size bed, a TV with cable, air condition, lamp shades, lots
of electric sockets, large cabinet, toiletries, towels, huge CR with shower and
a bathtub, 2 small windows, a huge window with ocean view and a balcony. What
more could you ask for?
I immediately went in for the bed as it was so relaxing. Took some to take selfies since I spotted a good place to take selfies beside the window. Haha
It was 3pm already and we decided to rest for a bit while we ordered lunch from their menu. Surprisingly, their menu was affordable for me.
It was 3pm already and we decided to rest for a bit while we ordered lunch from their menu. Surprisingly, their menu was affordable for me.
Here’s what we ordered for lunch:
Sweet
N’ Sour Fish Php 229
Vegetable
Curry Php199
It was around 5:30 – 6pm when we decided to go down to see the
beach. The staff advised us that not to stay that late since there are no
lights in the area. We went down from Amihan, turned right and walked at the
highway. Just look for the rope on the left side of the road and you’ll see the
way to the beach. We walked for about 3 minutes on a trail and it was a bit dark
since it was nearing sunset. The trail was okay though we were a bit scared
since we’re 2 girls walking alone.
Entrance/Exit to/from Aninuan Beach
Then we saw the beautiful Aninuan beach. Can’t believe that we
have this place all to ourselves because no one, as in NO ONE was there except us. The sea and sky was so perfect. We took
some photos though we didn’t swim since the waves was high and a bit scary for
us. We were 2 girls who doesn’t know how to swim and alone in a beach so we’re
kind of worried for our safety since there are no life guards around. Though this
is such a perfect place to swim, sit, unwind and/or explore. The beach is so
quiet and relaxed.
During the night time, we took our time in the Amihan pool while
waiting for our dinner. Honestly, I’m not a fan of night swimming since I
always get cold easily. But Amihan’s pool is warm and relaxing at night. We
hang out at the pool for 30 minutes until til they called us for our dinner.
By the way, you can order you dinner at Amihan before 7pm only. Here’s
what we ordered for dinner:
Tasty
Amihan Chicken Php169
“Only
at Amihan! This chicken was trapped in paprika, calamansi juice and spices
found here in Mindoro. Sautéed and topped with Bermuda Onion Rings.”
Cordon
Bleu Php299
“Fillet
of chicken filled with ham, cheese and herbs served with French fries and salad
on the side”
After dinner, we slept at around 9-10pm and woke up at 5am. I wasn’t
able to witness the sunset since I was too sleepy to get up early. We went down
the beach at around 7am for a quick dip at the beach.
And again, we were alone for a while until a group came to swim
too. We swam for a bit, took photos then went back to the villa since it
started to rain. I didn’t bring my umbrella since I didn’t expect that it would
rain.
At the villa, we had the time to swim at the pool while waiting
for our breakfast. I love their pool as it is big and it has a nice picturesque
view.
By the way, here’s our complimentary breakfast:
Tocilog
Php160
After breakfast, we just went back to our room to take a bath,
prep our things and relax. By the way, Ms. Gemma was so kind enough to call
Minolo Shipping Lines Shuttle for us to pick up at our desired time.
While waiting, I took photos and videos of the place. Also, the perfect time to take selfies!!!
While waiting, I took photos and videos of the place. Also, the perfect time to take selfies!!!
We asked to be picked up at 12:45 pm and at around 1pm, we were
called already since the shuttle is already waiting for us outside. By the way, I wanna thank Ms. Gemma and the
staff of Amihan Del Sol as they were so warm, very accommodating and friendly. J
Travel time from Amihan to Muelle Port was 10-15 minutes. At Muelle
Post, we paid P10 for terminal fee and then we waited for the next available
boat for about 15-20 minutes. It’s kind of weird that it only took us 45
minutes going to Batangas Pier. From Batangas Pier, we were looking for
Goldstar Bus going to Cubao Alimall but there was none. The closest one is from
DLTB Co. Bus going to Cubao Kamias. It was already 6pm when we arrived at
Manila which is rush hour already and we had to pass by EDSA. It was 7:30pm
already when I asked the driver to drop us off at the nearest provincial bus
stop which is in Boni. Anyway, I got home at by 9pm already.
The Experience.
The whole experience was FUN
and EXCITING since it was my first
time commuting to a place I’ve never been to. The travel going to Puerto Galera
was long, hard and tiring on my part since I didn’t have sleep during that time
and I’m not that prepared for a trip. I anticipated that our travel time would
be fast so I didn’t bought foods and more water that’s why I felt to uneasy
during the trip.
While our stay at Amihan
Del Sol is the BEST and the villa itself is very homey. The place is very
beautiful, relaxing and quiet. The staffs were friendly and very nice to us. Despite
the troubles we had during the booking, I think they exceeded our expectations
when it comes to accommodation. (Though still I think they should improve on
their bookings). And the foods are affordable and the servings were huge!!!
Going up at Amihan Del Sol.
Aninuan
Beach which is the nearest beach in Amihan Del Sol is PARADISE!!! It was peaceful and the
view is so relaxing. I Though I didn’t get the chance to explore the place and
swim on the beach that much. There’s still lots of things I want to do and places
I want to visit in Puerto so I will come back to this place this year, for sure
J
Expenses:
Bus
from Cubao (Araneta Bus Port) going to Batangas Pier (Goldstar) – Php175
Boat
from Batangas Pier to Muelle Port (two way with free shuttle) – Php600
Batangas
Terminal Fee – Php30
Environmental
Fee at Muelle Port – Php50
Terminal
Fee at Muelle Port (to be paid upon departure) – Php10
Bus
from Batangas Pier to Cubao Kamuning (DLTB Co.) – Php175
For more info about Amihan Del Sol, click links below:
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