Catanduanes Trip

 

August 31 - Sept 3, 2023

Catanduanes Island.

For me, this is one of the underrated yet best islands I’ve reached so far and would want to go back - over and over again.

I would love to visit every pristine white-sand beach it offers and other wonderful, mystic and scenic places it has.

Twin Rock Beach, Binurong Point, Puraran Beach, Blue Lagoon, Nahulugan Falls and a more than century year old Bato Church are just few of the superbs must visit spots! They are truly Instagrammable and Fb Reelable!

Our Catanduanes tour has been a chill and adventurous trip in one.

It was also a budget-friendly four-day vacation. Locals are great, hospitable and warm.

The food there is great as well especially the sea foods! A truly recommended place for you to visit, come and see the sea.

So, book that flight and go discover Catanduanes!

 

Here’s our itinerary and budget for this trip.

Day 1:

Virac Airport. We booked a flight from Manila to Virac. We arrived in Virac at 7 am.

Then we had breakfast at a  nearby Cafeteria.

Then we’re off to explore the beauty of Catanduanes!

Our first stop was at Twin Rock Beach Resort. Its beach sand was pure and off-white. The rock formations were beautiful and it got its name there. The vibe there was just chill and peaceful.

Then we went to Tampad Beach, Talisoy. We just had a quick visit there then we’re off to our next destination.

It was the Hicming Falls. It was a 15-minute walk going to the falls. We also witnessed a wide rice puddy as we walked along the rocky trail.   

We took a dip at the falls and we enjoyed it as we were the only guests when we arrive there.

 

Next stop was the Bato Church. It was on the way going to Puraran Beach so we took a quick stop over at the church to pray and to be amazed by its beauty.  

Baras, Catanduanes. Our booked accommodation was in Baras at Puraran Beach.

We checked in at 2 pm. 

Then we had our late lunch at 3 pm before going to our next stop.

Binurong Point. They often call this as their mini version of Batanes.

There will be a 20-minutes trek going to Binurong Point. But it’s worth it!

We reached the peak at almost sunset and again, we were just the only people when we got there as if the whole place was just ours to enjoy.

At 6 pm, we’re back to our accommodation and we had our dinner before calling the day off.

We had a fully booked day 1! It was tiring but we truly enjoyed it.

 

 

Day 2

Today’s agenda was just to chill out.

I woke up before 6 am to witness the breathtaking sunrise of Puraran Beach.

I enjoyed my solitude until 7 am.

Let me share to you a journal entry I have written while staring at the wide sunny horizon and sitting at the fine sand.

 

Sept. 1, 2023 Friday

Puraran Beach, Baras, Catanduanes

Dear God,

Thank you for everything.

Thank you for every opportunity you have given me to go to wonderful places. I am always grateful for the safe travel, good health and for providing everything for me. Your creations are truly appreciated.

I find happiness in the seas, mountains, locals I get to see every time I go out there, to wonder and wander, to experience all Your majestic gifts to humanity.

To feel the bright sun in my skin, to touch the sand with my bare feet along with the waves and to breathe the air that is so fresh, all I can say is thank you but actually, I am running out of words to say what I truly feel.

It’s all goodness, gratefulness, happiness and contentment.

And I believe that I will go farther. But still thank you, for giving me home where I can return to in every trip that I have.

Thank you for the life I have. You are great!

-end of journal entry-

 

We then had a breakfast by the beach. We just ordered food.

 

Then all through out the day, we just chilled by the beach.

At 4 pm, we had our early dinner. We had lobster! Yey!

Then we had a night swim while having some drinks.

It was a perfect day!

 

Day 3

For our third day, we went again on an adventure by exploring some great beauty of Catanduanes.

At 10 pm, we check out on our hotel. Then we went to Blue Lagoon. It has a trek going to the lagoon and it’s a bit hard going there because of the path with big rocks.

But the lagoon is breathtaking especially during low tide.

 

Then we had our lunch on a nearby Inasal restaurant. The food was delicious yet affordable! We enjoyed our lunch.

Then we’re off to Nahulugan Falls.

And then we’re back to Virac.

We went to Virac Port to buy some pasalubong then we also bought food for dinner.

We then checked in to Sunset Coast Beach Resort. It was already dark when we reach the resort.

 

 

Day 4

For our last day, it’s fly back time to Manila.

We checked out at 6 am and we headed to the airport which was 15 minutes away from the resort.

And finally, it was a home sweet home with a lot of happy memories that we brought home!

 

Thank you to my best travel buddies!

Our Total Budget. Php. 5,000.00/ head (for group of 5 pax) was our over-all expenses for food, accommodation and van transportation. Flight fee was excluded. We got it from a promo fare last March.

Breakdown budget:

Amount	Expenses description
1,000.00	Van transportation
2,000.00	Food
2,000.00	Accommodation
5,000.00	Total budget per head

 

Ilocos Trip 2023

 

Travel Date: July 19 – 22, 2023

After eight years, I was back to my moving on escaping zone – the wonderful province of Ilocos.

But this time, it’s for work.

Our flight time was 4 am. By 5 am, we were already at Laoag Airport.

We had breakfast at McDonalds and then we did some work by 9 am.

Then just before lunch, we rode a bus going to Vigan and checked in to our hotel.

 It was a two-hour trip from Laoag City to Vigan City. We then checked in at Hotel Mercante just near Calle Crisologo.

Later in the afternoon, we had some time to visit Calle Crisologo and we bought some pasalubong. Of course, photo ops are part of our itinerary for that day.

We had dinner on a restaurant along Calle Crisologo then we headed back to our hotel for an early sleep because we’re tired and we don’t have enough sleep last night due to our very early flight.

For our Day 2, we had a whole day of work.

 

We had our breakfast on our hotel’s restaurant by 7 am. 

Then we’re off to our meeting place. It was a product training at Max’s Vigan.

Then by night, we had a chill time at one of the bars along Calle Crisologo with our colleagues.

The following day, we went to work again until before lunch.

We had a yummy lunch at Calle Brewery.

Then we’re back to Laoag.

We had some quick side trip to Bantay Bell Tower, Baluarte, and Paoay Church.

By 6 pm, we were already at Sola Hotel – a hotel in Laoag and it was such a nice play to stay. 

I love it there especially that during the time of our stay, it was not crowded.

We had a dipping time by its pool then dinner by 8 pm.

Our flight for the following day was at 5 am.

It was a quick trip for work but definitely I am grateful for having the opportunity to visit my healing place once again.

My first time here was when I was brokenhearted but now when I came back, my heart is already full of love, happiness and gratefulness.

I just feel so blessed and loved and everything really happens for a reason. 

I would definitely love to go back here in Ilocos to visit again some famous tourist spots  like the Borjador Lighthouse, Paoay Sand Dunes, the windmills, its white-sand beaches, and other beautiful nature spots it offers.

Singalong Nature Campsite, Antipolo, Rizal

 

Celebrating 2nd year of Marriage

Singalong Nature Campsite, Antipolo, Rizal

December 19-20, 2022

 

December 20 is our wedding anniversary.

And we’re off to another adventure on the days of December 19 and 20. For these days, Hubby and I took vacation leaves from our work. And our destination was at Singalong Nature Campsite in Rizal.

We left home at 10 in the morning.

From Eastwood City, we rode a jeep going to Lifehomes then we rode another jeep going to Tanay. We told the driver to drop us off at Alfamart Mayiba Teresa.

Then from Alfamart, we rode a tricycle going to Singalong starting point.

Back to Nature and my heart was happy!

It was a thirty-minute trail going to the campsite and we mostly passed through streams.

We rented a tent as our sleeping room for the night.

When we were already settled, we had our lunch.

Hubby cooked Adobo before we left home and that was our lunch.

Then we hiked to the top of the campsite to see the amazing view.

The signal was limited there and the best thing to do up here is to enjoy nature.

And then we had a swim in a natural pool.

 

After swimming, we already washed off and took a short rest inside our tent.

Just before the sun sets, we cooked for dinner and also had our early dinner.

 

We also had the chance to have a bonfire and roasted marshmallows over the blue sky.

This is my favorite kind of night.

 

We slept early.

In the middle of the night, hubby woke up to eat.

And then we went back to sleep again.

 In the morning, we had coffee and bread for breakfast.

We left the campsite at 10 in the morning.

We just had lunch when we were already at Rosario.

Our anniversary celebration was simple yet we’re happy.

We are grateful for our marriage. This is a blessing we truly treasure and a partnership we work on every single day.

I want to thank my husband for agreeing with me to go on trips like this to celebrate our union.