The White Sands of Cagbalete Island, Mauban Quezon -- Escape to Paradise

This was taken from the boat, you can see the full extent of the island's white sands

Cagbalete Island is located in Mauban, Quezon. We heard about it from a friend who had been there so the missus and I got curious and decided to look it up and indeed, from the pictures that we saw, it really was. I was still loaded with work then because it was right at the peak of the financial season and there were tons of work to be done, but a window opened up when the files started to trickle down and with US Memorial Day coming up (in my line of work, I get to follow the US holidays ^__^) we finally decided to go ahead and explore Cagbalete Island -- The missus, the kid, and I.

We initally planned on staying at Villa Cleofas but we weren't able to get in touch with them so we took the risk and went ahead nonetheless (worst case scenario is Villa Cleofas is fully booked and we'd have to rent a house somewhere).

The trip:

We woke up at around 3:00 am (I wasn't able to get any sleep actually so I wouldn’t call it waking up) grabbed our bags, and took the Bus to Lucena City. There are a variety of buses that ply the Pasay-Lucena route but I would strongly suggest taking JAC transit as I find them to be more comfortable. JAM's buses has very limited space, and Lucena Lines (which is also parked in JAC's terminal) has a less than pleasant ride (better get your barf bags handy especially if you're travelling with a kid).

Bus fare from Manila to Lucena is PHP209.50/head

The bus left the terminal at around 3:30 am, so we grabbed the chance to grab some Zs. The trip took around 4 hours and the sun was already shining when we reached the Grand Terminal. We just grabbed a few bites at Jollibee and went to the next leg of the trip: The bus ride to Mauban.

NCR lines is also located at the Grand Terminal, you'll have to wait till the bus gets at least half full though before they leave. The trip took around one and a half hours, but you get to enjoy Quezon's nice sceneries along the way. Note: The buses are old school and are not airconditioned.

The bus trip to Mauban will set you back PHP40 per head. You can also choose to take the airconditioned vans, I think they have a terminal at SM Lucena, the travel time will be cut in half (around 45 minutes) and the fare is slightly higher at PHP60.

Arriving at the Mauban Bus Terminal, we took a trike to the Pantalan for PHP40 where the boat that will take us to Cagbalete awaits.

There are two boats that go to Cagbalete and they leave at around 10:00 - 11:00 am in the morning, if you miss this trip, for which you'd have to shell out another PHP40/head, you have no choice but to sit it out till the next morning, or take a special trip (ideal for large groups) which costs PHP4,000.

Finally, after 45 minutes or so, we finally arrived in Cagbelete's shores.

Here's a shot of Cagbalete's boat station, a flat boat will pick you because the water is too shallow.

This shot was taken around 11:30am at the height of the low tide

The view was nothing short of fantastic and the water, pristine and clear. We learned that Villa Cleofas was fully booked so we decided to look for another resort (there were four others in the Island) As luck would have it, we stumbled upon The Little Prince Garden Resort which was only a short trek from the boat station, and a stone's throw away from the small fishing village which meant supplies are easily accessible.

DAY 1: The Resort

Little Prince Resort is owned by a Judge (so it should be enough to deter wrongdoers, after all, who wants to cross a Judge?) We were well taken care of and all meals were inclusive with the fees. We settled on a small hut/tree house of sorts that fronts the beach and after a generous serving of Rice, Pritong Isda, Sinantomas (spare ribs in tomato sauce), and something that resembles Pakbet for Lunch. The missus and I dozed off (but not after taking some pictures) ^__^

We woke up just in time for merienda which consisted of Turon, Guinataan and Pancit Habhab. After that, the tide was already settling in and so spent the rest of the afternoon swimming the clean waters and I can't help but compare it to Boracay because the sand was of good quality. It was white, smooth and fine, and yet, it easily settled to the bottom so the water was not murky . We also saw lots of starfishes, crabs, sea urchins, and other creatures which you will not find in Boracay's already developed shores.

Dinner was Adobong Manok and Pritong Isda, and after admiring the night views (there's what resembles a Coal fired power plant from accross the bay) we tucked in early to prepare for the next day.

DAY 2: The Journey to the Pacific

Breakfast was Sinangag, Hotdogs, Sunny side ups, Coffee and Pandesal. After eating, we had someone from the resort escort us to Villa Cleofas' side of the Island (Villa Cleofas faces the Pacific whilst Little Prince fronts Lamon Bay) It took us around an hour in the scorching heat of the sun and amidst trails with sharp cogon grass. (Good thing we decided to leave our daughter in the resort to play with the local kids)

It rained the night before

Photo taken in front of Little Prince Resort during the low tide

The road to Villa Cleofas, and this was one of the nicer legs of the trek.

If you plan to stay at Villa Cleofas, wearing shorts during the trek is not advisable, believe me. It is best to wear pants or some sort of leggings during the trek from the boat station. A bottle of water, lots of suntan lotion, and a cap would also come in handy.

Upon reaching the Pacific side, it was low tide so we took some time to explore, there were lots of starfishes (of another variety than the ones on the other side)

A starfish of some sorts, if you love sea creatures (and birds too!) You'll find plenty of it in Cagbalete

After taking some pictures, headed back to the resort where lunch awaits.

After lunch, I strolled around and took some shots. Low tide is around 10:00 am and the waters starts to rise at around 2:00pm. The tide rises up to approx 1.5 meters at its highest level (around 6:30pm) there were a lot of kids playing by then so I took some shots of the kids jumping from a nearby ledge.

Dinner was Rice, Steamed Crabs, Coconut Crabs cooked in gata (a local delicacy) Grilled Fish and Pininyahang Isda.

Day 3: Going home (Bummer!)

Woke up early the next day to take advantage of the high tide and took a dip. After which, breakfast was served. At around 10:00 am, we started to pack up our stuff, took some final pics, ate lunch, and headed to the boat station. The boat leaves at around 1:00 pm, so we waited at a nearby pondohan, whilst enjoying Halo-Halo and some local donuts.

I'll definitely come back again and do some more exploring next time. I heard that you can find Pawikans and small sharks in another side of the island so maybe I'll spend 4 or 5 days there the next time around.

Here are some tips if you plan on taking the trip:

• It is definitely NOT for the pasosyal! Electricity is only supplied by a generator and is only available at certain times of the day and the most luxurious accommodation only consists of a plain bed, an electric fan, and a clean restroom.
• Do not forget to bring some insect repellant as the mosquitoes can be pretty darn nasty (and there are lots of them).
• For photo enthusiasts, Neutral Density filters, extra batteries for your flashgun and your DSLR, and loads of space on your memory cards is a must! (i learned this the hard way) Ask some of the local kids to tour you around the island.
• If you wish to go snorkeling, bring your own gear.
• HAVE TONS OF FUN!

Travel Time: Approx 7 hours by public transpo from Metro Manila

Transpo Fees: Approx 600 per head/round trip

Resort Fees: 4,500 for the three of us, 3D/2N inclusive of meals (Little Prince Garden Resort)

Giving the resort owners a heads up is advised so they can better prepare

Lamon Bay Sunset, Sunrise is on Villa Cleofas' side

Boat Station

More pics can be found at my Flickr account, and my wife's Facebook albums here, here, and here.