As 2015 drew near, I knew I’d have less travels for this new year as I’ve decided to scrimp a little more than last year (Dubai and Singapore trips from last year are still pending to be posted). I kind of want to start the year away from the hustle and bustle of the city so I can do some personal reflections and goal settings.
My bf’s friend organized this Batangas trip and I assumed the role of a gf tagging along the trip. You see, I like planning and organizing trips. I like going through blog posts checking where our possible venue could be. But I also decided that this year, I’ll be less stressed by anything around me, to be more fluid, to be more affected by things that are really important.
For the first time, I went into a trip with no room reservations made, no itinerary, and no cooking or eating essentials. In short, the trip was short of a surprise! 🙂 And I was happy/OK about it. It was an opportunity to put one of my 2015 goals into action.
Resort Hunting
We initially inquired at The Coral Beach Resort. We were quoted with their peak season rates: Php2800 for their Standard room (good for 2 persons) and Php3800 for their DeLuxe room (good for 4). The resort has a small swimming pool and a restaurant. While checking out the beach front, we noticed that there were a lot of small boats “parked” which makes beach swimming quite not comfortable. A local approached us and told us that the rooms beside Coral Beach are priced for as low as Php2000/room. We checked it out but apparently the Php2k/room were only for off peak season.
We drove off to Bella Resort and found their rooms more affordable: Php2500 (good for 2-3 persons). They have no restaurant so we had to buy and cook our dinner later in the evening. They also have a swimming pool bigger than that of Coral Beach Resort. The beach front had no parked boats and the ambiance of the place was really relaxed unlike Blue Coral’s which felt busier. We were free to use their grilling area along with a gazebo-like beach shelter.
Here’s a quick comparison of Coral Beach Resort and Bella Resort
| Coral Beach Resort | Bella Resort | |
| Price | more affordable | |
| Restaurant | / | |
| Swimming pool | / | / (bit bigger) |
| Wifi | / | / |
| Ambiance | busy, night life | chill, relax |
Almost everything is expensive in the area of Matabungkay. A calamansi costs Php1 each, a litre of softdrinks costs somewhere between Php75 – php100, a kilo of pork costs Php190, etc. In short, bringing your own food (and ingredients) is a lot cheaper.
The staff of Bella Resort were very accommodating in the sense that, apart from being courteous, they were willing to cater to our needs like hot water for our morning coffee and cup noodles and cooking our rice (for a fee of Php100).
We were happy with our decision to stay in Bella Resort because when the night came, the Coral Beach Resort area played loud music. We wanted a more relaxed place where we could spend the night exchanging stories while warming our bodies with alcohol. The climate was really cold that you’d turn to alcoholic drinks for warmth. 🙂
It was a fun, fun, fun experience!
My expenses for the trip ranged from Php2000 to Php2500 in a group of 4 persons. Again, the more, the merrier, the cheaper!
agitopassim 
Hi, it is a nice post. 🙂 Now, I’m confident to choose Bella Resort to stay for our vacation. However, we are planning to commute. Do you happen to know the public transportation from Manila?
Hi clarence. Unfortunately, i have no idea how to commute to bella resort from manila. We had a private transpo when we went there. Maybe someone from bella resort could assist you on that. Enjoy!