philippines

A Quiet Place: Stella Maris Beach Resort in Bagac, Bataan

One cannot make Bataan fall very easily, but Bataan can make you fall (inlove) so easily.

Historically, Bataan built its patriotic reputation during the WWII fighting the Imperial Japanese Army. The fall of Bataan was followed by the very popular Death March where tireless Filipino and Allied soldiers walked miles from Mariveles and Bagac town to the camps in San Fernando. The province of Bataan, until now, commemorates the tenacity of the soldiers and as a fact, the province placed kilometer markers along the path of the death march which can be seen on the way to Bagac, Bataan. These serve as a reminder what our forefathers sacrificed for freedom.

With the tinie-tiny facts about the history of the province, I wanted to share that Bataan can be fun too with its mountains, coves, and beaches in Morong, Bagac, and Mariveles. This post is about a beach in Bagac which we discovered just recently – the Stella Maris Beach Resort.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE BEACH RESORT

  • Peaceful. The resort is secluded despite that it is only a 3-hour drive from Manila. During our day trip (July), there are only 3-5 groups of people who are on the resort. It will surely gain its popularity eventually, but as long as discipline is there, I think the resort will still be as peaceful
  • Fine sand. Having white sand is not really a plus on beaches (personal opinion). I like sand of any color, be it white, black, gray, or red, as long as it is fine, it is fine 😉
  • Good waves. Waves are not too big. They’re just right but watch your kids because waves may crash the shore with quite an impact.
  • Green. It’s good to have pine trees outside Baguio. The resort has a lot of them and less of concrete gray walls (just the comfort rooms and the long-stay houses).
  • Almost clean. There is no much trash around, just plastic cups from the kids trying to make sandcastles (I hope the parents discipline their kids though). Also, there is no much trash bins so people’s trash are just being tossed on an overloaded bin. The comfort rooms are not being used properly by the beach-goers. I do not think that it’s the management that is lacking on the maintenance of the comfort rooms, It’s the care of some beach-goers which is lacking. For example, you dont throw tampons on bathroom floor and expect the caretaker to pick it up for you. Instead, you seal it, toss it in the trash bins/garbage bag. It isn’t that hard 🙂

Personally, there is nothing that I do not like about the resort.

Want proof?

HOW TO GET TO STELLA MARIS?

One is through the use of private vehicle especially with big groups because the beach resort is 10-min drive from the main road. Here’s the common route from Manila.

This route is approximately a three-hour drive which uses the San Fernando exit from NLEX with toll-fee of 186 pesos from the NLEX entry point (Balintawak).

Another is through public conveyance where you can ride a bus (Genesis Bus) in Cubao terminal to Balanga, Bataan. Alight at Bataan Terminal. From there, ride a jeep to Bagac Market and finally, a tricycle to Stella Maris. (Caution: The road is bumpy from the main road to the beach resort.)

EXPENSES BREAKDOWN

Seaside picnic tables with nipa roofing (not for overnight stay): P500
Entrance Fee: P100/person x 6 = 600
TOTAL: P1,100 for 6 persons

In addition, the resort is approx 148 kilometers from Manila which will approximately cost P1,500 for the fuel. For the food, there are no markets nearby so bring your food to the resort. You can grill meat at the resort.

RATES and REGULATIONS as of July 2019 (Information directly from the Resort Mgt)

The entrance fee is P100 per head per day. The overnight stay is counted as one day until 12:00NN the following day. All children below 6yrs of age are FREE of charge.

FACILITIES:
Picnic Tables P300/day
Open Bench P700/day
Seaside Picnic Tables (Pala-Pala) P500/day
Camp Site Area (Good for 4 tents) P500/day
Open Cottage Small (10 pax) P1,500/day
Open Cottage Big (15pax) P2,000/day
Closed Cottage P2,500/day
Closed Cottage w/ Room P3,000/day
Villa (10 pax on beds, 10 on floor) P4,000/day
White House (6pax beds, 10 on floor) P5,500/day
Pavilion (approx. 50 to 100 persons) P6,500/day

Tent Rental
Good for 3 Persons P200/day
Good for 4 Persons P300/day
Good for 6 Persons P500/day
Good for 8 Persons P700/day
*All tent rentals are separate from CAMP SITE AREA FEE. Author’s note: If you have your own tent, you will still pay P500/day for setting up your tent at the camping are.

CONTACT DETAILS: For complete information and guide, here are the contact details of the resort: Mobile number: 09205507360 and Facebook Page: Stella Maris Beach Resort

MY PERSONAL NOTE: I really liked the resort, I know that visitors liked it too. I just hope that future goers will not just like but also care, not just for this place, but for the nature. What we do to our environment will come right back at us, for certain. As a reminder for future beach-goers, leave no trace and try to pick that plastic cup and toss it in its proper place. Love lots.

Of Tamaraws and Great Landscapes: Mt. Iglit in Mindoro

Hiking is an entirely different activity which gives you an entirely different feeling than merely travelling cities and tasting never-before-tasted delicacies. Let me just step back from the travels and tell you something about an activity that you might want to try, something more intimate with nature, lets talk about HIKING!

I personally chose Mt. Iglit to be the first entry in my series of hiking adventures because the hike was special. This was my first hike with my dearest Pao. We literally went through ups and downs, and rocky muddy roads (with marshmallows) just to climb Iglit and see this

Ughhh, mornings are the best up there. Before sunrise is freaking treasure for the eyes; and when the sun came, words can’t define how much joy it brought us. Even Pao was shocked, mesmerised by the beauty of the mountain, it’s landscape (from one peak to another), with a good amount of sun rays striking the green field.

But hold your brakes, let us rewind to finding the place, how much energy to store the night before, and other how to’s before reaching such heavenly beauty.

Mt. Iglit is located at Calintaan, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines with climbing difficulty of 6/9, trail class 3 with bouldering according to pinoymountaineer.com. In simple terms, expect a loooong walk and use of hands for balance. In my personal experience, we traversed our way through for 8 to 9 hours. We started at roughly 7 AM and reached the final station (sleeping station) at 4 PM. Members of our group are legitimate mountaineers who climbed Iglit multiple times already so there’s no much time to rest 😀

OKAY, where to begin? You need to locate Occidental Mindoro.

  • From Manila, the easiest way is to ride a plane to San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, and proceed to the DENR office and be guided before starting your adventure. For first timers, make sure to always register and get your permit before hiking. San Jose is located in the ‘south-most’ of the province while Calintaan is licated in the middle part of the Province, near Sablayan (the biggest municipality in OcciMin).
  • From Batangas, you might want to try riding a roll-on roll-off (RORO) ship to Abra de Ilog, the winterfell of Mindoro. From there, ride a bus/van to Sablayan and again, locate the DENR office to secure your permit and instructions.

I was born and raised in Occidental Mindoro before we moved. My hiking companions since 2016 are also bred in Mindoro so there is really no problem for our group finding the place and making our way through. However, for visitors, a guide and proper orientation of dos and donts is advisable since Mt. Iglit is a protected area and a home to the tribesmen of Mindoro “the Mangyans”. Of course we don’t want to cause trouble because we are just passers to their land. THEY ARE DOING US A FAVOR.

I am not a fan of itineraries especially when hiking. No “at 1PM, you need to see this mountain right here, they serve special tacos” or the likes. It’s just leaves and streams appreciation and possibly joining soul with nature. So here’s what you can get from me:

DAY 1

  • This is no 1-day hike. Allot one or two nights up there. The sleeping station is very comfortable.
  • Start your hike as early as possible because you will be walking, climbing, struggling for 9 to 11 hours depending on how much time you need before you start moving again.
  • On the way, there are few streams (mini falls formed) where you can shower a bit and chill.
  • There is a wide running stream along the way where you might need to cross a hanging bridge which is not really a bridge but a single strip of rope-like metal. If the stream is not wild, then lucky you! You can just pass through with just wet ankles. (see bridge photo below)
  • Walk, walk, walk. Nod and greet if possible the people you come across. Just walk and wait for a few hours before you see something majestic. It is waiting ahead.
  • There will be a station where you can cook and eat before reaching the sleeping station. Of course, who would hike without food?
  • By the time you arrive at the sleeping station, be ready to prepare your dinner party with those pancit canton and longganisa or if you are extra prepared, your chicken adobo. Thank you Paolo for the adobo.
  • Relax, play that Uke, and throw jokes while looking at the stars
  • Little brat at the entry point
  • Hanging bridge
  • mates
  • while waiting for our tricycle to our entry point

DAY 2 (with relaxation)

  • Start early. Wake up at 5:00 AM and run to higher grounds to see the before sunrise look of the land.
  • Ditch early breakfast and wait a little more for the sun.

Alternative DAY 2

  • Climb the summit (which we did not do)

Allot 5-7 hours going down; and as much as possible, you walk with the sun up. For our group, we bathed at the wide stream I mentioned above. You can also cliff-jump at the station.

Now come on, plan your next hike, touch that cloud, and enjoy life!

When in Lake Pandin

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anon

For a start, let me share this travel post I published waaaaay back. This was in Pandin Lake with my travel mates/good friends. Quick info!! Pandin Lake is one of the seven lakes that can be found and enjoyed in Bgy. San Lorenzo, San Pablo Laguna. We got curious and took interest with the lake through an online source which described the place as El-Nido like paradise, I mean, El Nido? tell me this is not a good hook. The thought of El-Nido is very exciting so we immediately planned our Pandin escapade.​

As usual, planning is the hardest episode of group travels but I, being a pushy, managed to persuade. A week ahead, I contacted Ms. Tina through this number 09079952983 (in case you want a contact person, and if this does not work, try searching for pandin contact persons) to book our lake trip. Booking in Pandin lake means booking for bamboo raft “balsa” that can accommodate the group, so pre-booking is really important if you want to ensure a “balsa” for your group. Also, booking doesn’t include land transfers, which means that you have to google map your way to Bgy. San Lorenzo, San Pablo, Laguna (which is easy, btw) or just follow the steps Im about to give.

How to get to Pandin?

1.Ride a Jac Liner or DLTB bus bound to Lucena and alight at SM San Pablo (135 php from Kamias, 2 hours and 30 mins)

2. Ride a jeep to Bayan and tell Manong to drop you off at Simbahan (7 php, 10-15 mins; and I think this is the only Simbahan near the area)

3. Facing the church, walk ahead and keep right til you see the Ilog bound jeepneys parked at the side of 7-11. Tell Manong driver to drop you at Pandin (12 php, 10-15mins)

4. At the Pandin drop off point, kids are waiting to be picked as guides to lead you to the exact location of the lake (amount depends on your budget and kind heart, 10-min walk)

5. Search for your contact person.

Lets GO!
We departed from Kamias at exactly 9:30 AM and we arrived in Pandin Lake at 12:45 PM. I talked to Ms. Tina and waited (30 mins to 1 hour) for our “balsa” to be ready. A balsa rent costs 180/person, however, you can choose to add food/snacks (because you don’t want to starve yourself and rush the adventure) which will cost additional payment of 180/person. Basically, “balsa” without food costs 180/person and “balsa” with food costs 360/person. Easy.

My companions are the 1st three on the left and three on the right. Yes, there is sharing of balsa with strangers. Its good to make new friends tho. 🙂

Time check: 1:30 PM.
So, this is where the fun begins, our “balsa” started to move towards the picnic area and the next happenings are priceless.

Ronna Bella de Italia

We unleashed the photographers in us to capture the very sweet bonding with nature, its trees, its water, its freshness. TIP#1 – Frame the moments (you can never repeat the exact same moment ever again)

Mikki and Buko

We sipped some fresh juice. TIP#2 – No alcoholic beverages in Pandin, and pls, do not litter (not just in Pandin,this applies everywhere). Help the Nature in your own little ways 🙂

 We enjoyed the water. It has just the right temperature to enjoy, to the point that you would not want to get off if only you could. It is clean yes, however since this is a lake, it lacks direct exchange with the ocean so please do not expect a very clear water. Pollution is the primary threat to lakes so please do not litter. Also, natural sinkers do not go well with lake water so TIP#3 – As much as possible, keep your floaters on. Do not risk it, or you’ll be the annual sacrifice. 😉

Swinging Vien

We took advantage to be photographed with this cheap yet famous swing. Tip#4 – Be friendly to your neighbors always, you may need to pass through their “balsa” to use the swing. (True story)😀

The couple

We enjoyed our time together. Tip#5 – Do not be ashamed. Express yourself (Tin’s first swimsuit experience).

It was 4:30 PM when “The Kuyas” told us to wrap up and enjoy our final minutes on the lake. For the last ten minutes, we just swam, took photographs, jumped, laughed, swam and swam some more. Truly, it was a nice experience for us. 

Good game, well played Mother Nature. Not nearly El Nido but still kudos to the People of San Pablo for maintaining such beauty. May God bless Pandin.

*TIP of the century: Never be ashamed to ask questions. It is the fastest way to find the San Pablo highway :)))