Our Tali Beach Family Vacation

I come from a family of 5 siblings. When we plan for a getaway, we plan it way in advance because there are so many calendars to consult. Our lives take off in all different directions, making it harder for us to take big trips together. There's work for the adults, and for the kids naman their summer vacation schedule is also not the same.

This trip towards the end of our summer break was planned months ahead. We reserved the Independence Day long-weekend for a short out of town trip to Tali Beach in Batangas.

My brother and his wife are not included in this photo as they had to return home to Manila 

ahead for work commitments.

Summer STAYCATION Suggestions 2014

Our tourism logo says."It's More Fun In The Philippines!"  And it is indeed true!  We have so many islands to explore that Filipinos need not venture out of the country for some summer fun.  In this post I am compiling some of the travel destinations we have visited in the past few years.

DUMAGUETE
Dumaguete is not really a top-of-mind destination for Filipino travelers, but this sleepy town attracts a considerable number of foreign tourists, perhaps because of its proximity to some of the country's best diving sites, the whale sharks swimming around Oslob, and the dolphin sightings in the nearby city of Bais. We were lucky enough to be able to swim with the whale sharks, and you can read about our whale shark experience here.  

We stayed at Hotel Essencia, a hotel that is conveniently located in the middle of downtown Dumaguete, walking distance away from everything else.  Click here to know more about our accomodations and how we got around the city.

Read ALL my post about Dumaguete here.

ILOILO

Iloilo is another place we visited because J participated in another swimming event, the Batang Pinoy National Championship.  I initially thought that our 5-day stay would provide sufficient time to squeeze in a city tour; but quickly realized after having spent half-day cheering my daughter on by the poolside, under the humid Iloilo sun, I was too pooped to actually go around the city. Nevertheless,you will still be getting the dish on Iloilo's must-visit restaurants and what pasalubongs to buy here in this post.  And if you want to make the most out of your money in terms of accomodation, then you won't go wrong with Days Hotel Iloilo.  You can read my review on the hotel right here.  

At Tatoy's, one of the best seafood restos I've tried.

Read ALL my post about Iloilo here

ANVAYA COVE in Morong, Bataan
Anvaya Cove will indulge the water lover in you as you take your pick of four pools that lay side-by-side. A lap pool on the right most, followed by an infinity pool that appear to blend seamlessly with the waters of Subic Bay, then a Jacuzzi and, tucked in a corner, a kiddie pool with a slide.

 

I wrote about the accomodation and the facilities in our first visit here.  And on our second visit, I mentioned about the Nature Trail activities like a rope obstacle course that the kids enjoyed because they got to release their inner Indiana Jones.  There's also a trial that took us into the middle of a very thick bamboo forest; we step gingerly on boulders as we make our way through stream beds that are almost dried up. The last stop in this adventure was taking the zipline. 

 

Read ALL my post about Anvaya Cove in Bataan here


ACUATICO in Laiya, Batangas.

Acuatico in Laiya, Batangas doesn’t have the wide and spacious frontage that other resorts have, but it lays claim to having the best pool among the Laiya resorts, or even the whole of Batangas, for that matter.  The pièce de résistance - the infinity edge pool that looks out to the open sea.

Read ALL my post about Acuatico Resort in Laiya, Batangas here

Have you finally decided where to bring your family this summer?  You can also read my other post about Summer Vacation Plans 2014 if you are thinking of going out of the country.

FOLLOW ME!   

   

Laiya Batangas: Acuatico Beach Resort

We started our drive to Batangas at 4am, the dusky sky at a standstill, showing no sign of emerging sun-up. The kids are awake and excited, although I wished for them to fall back to sleep as I do not have the unbridled energy to match theirs at this unholy hour of the day. As expected of a Holy Week excursion, the travel took around 4 hours, not counting the breakfast stop-over.

Due to its proximity to Manila, the province of Batangas is the primary preference for urban dwellers wanting to take off on a sojourn. The number of white sand beaches in the province are widely scattered throughout the different municipalities. The road that runs north and south through the west coast of the province has the famous Matabungkay Beach which can be found in the northern province of Lian; still farther up north is Nasugbu where the very exclusive Punta Fuego is situated; Calatagan can be found downward south, home of the country’s cable ski park and resort, Lago de Oro. On the south-eastern boundary, in the province of San Juan, is the salt-water Laiya beach.

The Laiya shoreline is a seven kilometer strip of white sandy shores and warm azure water, nestled behind the peaks of the conspicuous Mt.Daguldol. The Laiya beach (pronounced as La-i-ya) is situated along the coast of Sibayan Bay and Verde Island Passage, which lay claim to having the peak concentration of marine life in the world as appraisedby the World Conservation Union.

The white sand this beach offers is, in reality, a far cry from the powdery smooth sand of Boracay; the Laiya sand is rough and coarse, more like the collection of very tiny pebbles you put at the bottom of a terrarium. Nonetheless, the water is clean and incredibly clear, so no worries.

Inspite of the rutted quality of the sand, C and I enjoyed walking along the shoreline. As soon as the sun breaks the monotony of the sky with her sprinkles of yellow, we are off to the beach. I thought of it as having some exercise combined with foot exfoliation. :)

The kids, though, were not too keen on it. J and R, although not that enthusiastic to walk on the sand, did not mind a short leisurely walk. B was a different thing all together. She was all up in arms, "Why do I have to walk on the sand?" Her stubbornness showing itself, "I won't walk! Even if you leave me alone!"

Ok, if she says so...

But C doesn't really have a choice ...

There were a lot of tiny sand crabs leaping about in the glistening wet sand. C and R spend a few minutes catching these shy yet speedy little creatures. It's tricky to do and it is best done by scooping the tiny crab hiding inside the moundful of sand and sifting the sand until the crab reveals itself. Of course, as soon as they were done with it, they wished the crabs bon voyage and returned them to the sand so they can go back to where they belong!

Although Acuatico doesn’t have the wide and spacious frontage that other resorts have, it lays claim to having the best pool among the Laiya resorts, or even the whole of Batangas, for that matter. The pool area itself is divided in four parts: the Jacuzzi is nearest the dining area, followed by the kiddie pool, and a wading pool with a floating bar in the middle, and finally the pièce de résistance - the infinity edge pool that looks out to the open sea.

The first phase of the resort has several Balinese inspired villas of different sizes built on both sides of the pool. The rooms are sparsely furnished and modestly sized with a choice of either 2 twin-sized beds or one queen bed. An extra twin-sized bed can be arranged for P700.00. There are LCD TV provided for every villa, with the bigger villas getting two units.

We stayed at Estancia, a three-bedroom villa, the biggest in the resort and with the best location. It allows you to step right out of the villa door and into the infinity pool. We were lucky to get the room on the second floor as it afforded us some privacy, and the exclusive use of our own LCD TV. The verandah provides a panoramic view of the resort and the sea. However, there was only one bathroom in the entire villa and it is located on the first floor. It was a minor hassle going down in the middle of the night to go take a pee. C always has issues with the bathroom - everywhere we go. He just about panicked when he found out that there was only one bathroom to be shared by 10 kids and 6 adults.

The second stage of the resort is put up in the structure housing the dining hall, far away from the beach. It features 7 more rooms with accommodations similar to a modern hotel, with a refrigerator and a bathroom in every room. Although the rooms here are more spacious, they offer a limited view of the pool and the sea.

Each villa has a well-manicured tropical garden which we easily managed to turn into a hodge-podge of clutter….

The resort is undoubtedly the priciest among the Laiya resorts, but discriminating guests can see that the steep price went into the exclusivity and the small niceties the resort provided. The resort has a maximum guests limit of 60 persons; this means less intrusion and more relaxation. I appreciate all the fine and luxurious details like the faint scent which lingers on your skin after you use their translucent and highly-glycerinated soap infused with green tea essence; the velvety soft bed sheets; the restful sleep that a good quality mattress can bring about.

The kids also enjoyed the use of the water activities which came at no extra cost.

They were in the water for a good 30 minutes before I noticed that the girls had taken over at the helm, and were pedaling – with their legs up in the air! While the boys were busy at the back … scooping out water off the boat.

Luckily, the resort had several lifeguards on duty that went out to bail them before their boat filled up with water.

We didn't really have time to pose for a family pic as everyone was too busy having fun. This photo is only one of two taken during our entire 3-day stay. We will definitely be back!