Monday, September 12

How To: Cagbalete Island, Quezon

7:50 AM  chocoholiccynic  No comments

We were supposed to go to Puerto Galera for the summer. You see, after the Ilocos escapade which I wasn't able to join in, I have constantly bugged my best friend to visit another place possibly close to Manila. She invited me to join the out-of-town trip in Galera with her workmates on April 9. But due to recent (and heartbreaking) events in Japan, everybody backed out in fear that a tsunami might happen in our very own backyard. 

Having filed her vacation leave for that weekend, she informed me that she was still willing to go on a trip and so I started searching for possible destinations close to the metro. I asked her if she wanted to push through with our previous plan to have an overnight visit at Potipot, Zambales but since Neil can't come with us, it was pretty much risky to go on with the trip. I searched for other nearby destinations like Batangas, Mt. Pinatubo and   Subic but all of these places required a budget of more than 3k. Thanks to Manong Google and some very helpful travel bloggers [Ms. Chyng Reyes (No Spam, No Virus, No Kiddin'!), Dong Ho (Dong Ho's Eskapo 3.0) and  Atty. Oman (Lawstude's Journeys)], I found out about the mystifying Cagbalete Island.

So after a few discussion (mostly by me), we agreed to visit this island and I made the itinerary based on some blogs I found on the net. 


For this entry, I'll just  include the basic information about the island (transpo and accomodations). I'll post the rest of the adventure later. :) 


How to Get There: 

A. OPTION 1: Public Transport

1. Take a bus to the Lucena Grand Terminal. 

Lucena Grand Terminal
You can choose to take the Lucena Lines, JAM Transit or JAC Liner. All buses have stations at Kamias, Cubao and Buendia (LRT), Taft.  I highly recommend  JAC Liner because they have Wi-Fi on-board and hindi kaskasero ang driver. As far as I know, the first trip to Lucena (applies to all bus lines) is at 2:00AM and leaves at an hourly interval. The last trip is at 12:00AM the next day. 

In our case, we took the last trip of JAC Liner and left the station at around 12:25AM.  We arrived at the Lucena G. Terminal at exactly 3:00am, ang aga lang..hihi. :)

Or you can also take a bus straight to Mauban from Cubao. I don't know if it's also the case for the other two bus companies but JAC Liner has two daily trips to Mauban from Cubao. The first bus leaves at 5AM and the second (and last) trip leaves at 1:00pm.  It can be a bit risky though because you need to rush to the Mauban Port since the first boat to Sabang leaves at 10AM.

Travel Time: 2.5-3 hours (Cubao to Lucena G. Terminal); 4-5 hours  (Cubao to Mauban)
Travel Cost: 218 PhP (Cubao to Lucena G. Terminal) ; 277 (Cubao to Mauban)


2. From the Lucena Grand Terminal, take a minibus (NCR Lines/Rienton) or an air-conditioned van to Mauban, Quezon. 


Mini-bus (Rienton Lines) to Mauban
You have two options to get to Mauban. You can take the public bus that  leaves at an hourly interval or you can take an airconditioned van. The former has trips as early as 4:30 AM (we took that one)  and as late as 6:00PM (that is not so advisable since you'll be stuck in Mauban 'til next morning) while the latter has its first and last trips at 9AM and 9PM, respectively. 

Travel Time: 1-1.5 hours (Mini Bus) and 1 hr. (Airconditioned Van)
Travel Cost: 54 Php (Minibus) and 80PhP (Airconditioned Van)

Sidenote:
If you are hungry and want to have breakfast, there are several fast food chains (Chowking, Jollibee, Goldilocks and Ate Carinderia) available at the Lucena G. Terminal. The terminal has clean restrooms also but you have to pay five bucks if you want to pee or jebs and 10 pesos if you want to take a bath. It's a little expensive, noh? 

3. From the Mauban Terminal, take a tricycle or walk by foot to the Pantalan/ Port.

The port to Sabang/Cagbalete is close to the Mauban Terminal, so you can walk by foot. It's pretty hard to tell the directions here since I'm bobo at giving directions. You can just ask the friendly locals and I assure you, they are more than willing to help you. :) 

If you're lazy, you can always hail a tricycle and ask Manong Driver to take you to the port. Just tell him that you want to get to Cagbalete and he'll know. You''ll have to take the tricycle if you took the Cubao-Mauban bus since the station is way far from the port. 

Travel Time: 5-10 mins. 
Travel Cost: 9 PhP/pax; 25PhP (if you took the Cubao-Mauban route); Pawis and Calories (if by foot)

4. Take the Anthony or Neneng boat from Mauban Port to Sabang Port. 

Neneng Boat at Mauban Port
There are only two daily trips to Sabang from Mauban so you need to be there on time or else you'll be stuck at Mauban and ruin your otherwise perfect vacation. The first trip is at 10AM while the second trip is at 4:00PM. The boats arrive 1.5 hours before the departure so don't fret if you arrive too early since you can board the boat as early as 8:45AM/3:00AM. 

The capacity of each boat is 40-60pax and sometimes it can get too crowded with people and baggages. In case you're wondering, life vests are available so in case it capsizes, you'll have a chance to survive. :) The crew are very friendly and it would be advisable to strike a conversation with some of them since they can offer some useful tips while on the island; you can also ask them about the schedule since sometimes, only one boat travels to Sabang from Mauban (vice-versa). Maganda na ang magtanong, di ba? Also, waterproof your electronic gadgets 'coz the ride can be wet and wild. :) If you want to take pictures, you can do so but this is not advisable unless you are using an underwater/waterproof camera. 

If you don't want to take the public boat, you can also make prior arrangements with the resort owner and take a private boat to Sabang from Mauban. The capacity of the private boat is around 20pax (summer time) and 15 pax (during Amihan). You can leave any time you want so maybe it's more convenient. Another advantage is it will take you straight to the resort so there's no need to trek.  I haven't tried this though kasi urban poor lang ako. :)) 

Travel Time: 45-60 mins.  
Travel Cost: 40 PhP one-way(Anthony or Neneng) ; 4300PhP two-way (Private Boat) 

5. From Sabang Port, trek to the resort or take a private boat. 

Sabang Port (see the green water?) 
You're almost there. Once you reach the beautiful port (beautiful being an understatement) of Sabang, you will need to transfer to a flat boat to reach land. It's for free. After that, you need to trek for 10-15 minutes under the heat of the sun to reach the resort. In our case, we were planning to stay at Villa Cleofas so we asked a local resident (a boy named Arvin) to take us there. You can also go on your own, it's your choice, as there are signages that you can follow. A friendly reminder, if you took the 10AM trip, it would be better to bring an umbrella or some skin protection as well as lots and lots of water (and patience) because the hike can be tiring. If you are coming with lots of baggages, you can ask the children to bring them for you (I don't recommend this though ;not only is it child abuse but it can also be risky as there are some children who'll open your belongings: please refer to a separate entry for this) and you can give them some tip. Sabi nga nila, pambili ng candy. 

Another option is to take a private boat to the resort. The cost is about 200-400 pesos and the boat's capacity is from 4-6 pax. Finding a boat will not be a problem because there will be boats waiting to pick up passengers when you arrive at Sabang Port. This will not be possible though during low tide. 

If you are staying at Villa Cleofas, you can ask the resort owner if you can avail the services of the Kuliglig to carry your heavy baggages. You can also have horses carry you or your baggages from Sabang Port to the resort (but this is animal cruelty so if you don't want PETA or Greenpeace as your enemy, I suggest you don't choose it). 



Travel Time: 5-20 minutes (by foot, depending on your speed); 5-10 mins. (by boat, kuliglig or horse)
Travel Cost: Dugo't Pawis  (sweat and blood) if you are travelling by foot plus tip if you asked for a local child's help; 200-400 pesos (boat); 100pesos/horse and ire of animal protection groups; 250 PhP (one-way) by Kuliglig.


Here is a summary of the travel expenses (two-way) from Cubao to Mauban. Message me if you have any questions. 




B. OPTION 2: Private Transport

I don't drive. Forgive me. So I just checked the instructions from the Villa Cleofas page. I'll paste it here for your own disposal. (No Plagiarism intended)


Photo Credit: Villa Cleofas Website (www.cagbalete.com)


First alternative   is to take the South Super Highway, then pass by Sto. Tomas, Batangas – San Pablo – Tiaong –Candelaria- Sariaya –– Tayabas -Mauban. Total road distance is about 168 kms. and average travel time for this route would be 3 1/2  - 4 1/2  hours depending on the traffic condition. The Tayabas-Mauban road that was undergoing construction before is already completed and cemented.  This route is the national highway road where most private and public vehicles pass and will be inconvenient to motorists during peak season. This is a good route when travelling very early in the morning and can take you only 3 to 4  hours driving.

Second alternative  from Manila is to pass by South Super Highway, then proceed to Calamba, Laguna. The route is now to pass by the towns of Los Baños – Sta. Cruz - Pagsanjan – Cavinti – Lusiana – Lucban –Tayabas before finally getting to Mauban, Quezon, the town proper. This route is shorter if you are coming from Rizal- Sta. Cruz and you can pass via Sampaloc then Mauban. Sampaloc-Mauban route  has a little rough road (on-going construction but passable) which is about  700 meters long. If you want to avoid the rough road, then proceed to Tayabas  then Mauban, after reaching Lucban. The Calamba route gives the alternate route to Mauban avoiding the traffic in national highway. It takes only about  4 hours if guests will leave Manila very early in the morning. It has less traffic (except during holidays where the South Super Highway and Laguna towns can be really packed) and has a great view of the Makiling. It is also ideal for those tired of the city since the view along this route is mostly very countryside (rice fields, mountains, etc.). 

 Third  alternative route is via Antipolo, which can take around 4 - 5  hours average. Travelers will pass by the towns of: Teresa, Morong, Sta. Maria – Fami – Siniloan – Paete – Lumban – Pagsanjan – Cavinti – Lusiana – Lucban, and Sampaloc ( Sampaloc -Mauban road , same as Alternative 2)  before reaching Mauban.   On holidays like during HolyWeek, this is the most ideal route to avoid traffic in South Super Highway and Los Baños. 

- Source: Villa Cleofas Website- 
Photo Credit: Villa Cleofas Website (www.cagbalete.com)




B. OPTION 3: Magical Transport (Recommended for Trained Witches and Wizards)

A. Apparate to Cagbalete Island. You can check Google Earth for the exact location. There are several secluded areas where you can apparate in without Muggles discovering you. 

Travel Time: less than 30 seconds
Travel Cost: None except for possibility of body splinching. 

B. You can also ride a broom to Cagbalete from your location. Travel time may vary depending on your flying skills. Check Google Earth and the weather before travelling. Touch down can be done in secluded areas at the back of the resort. You can also take a thestral. Travel time maybe less than an hour. 

*Floo powder transport is not available because fireplaces are not used in the island. 



Where to Stay: 

There are several resorts in Cagbalete where you can stay depending on your budget. I am going to include the three most popular resorts in the island namely Villa Cleofas, Pansacola Beach Resort and MVT Sto. Nino. 




I am most familiar with this resort because this is where we stayed during our trip. I highly recommend this place because of its strategic location, accommodating staff and affordable facilities. Sabi nga nila, pang-masa ang resort na ito and I quite agree because during our stay, we only spent 580PhP for a 2D1N stay including kitchen rentals and lodgings. Another plus factor is its location. It is overlooking the Bonsai Island, one of the main attractions of the island, so you can go there any time. It is also close to the delta/estuary (another must-see) and at night time, super mahangin and comfortable, you'll sleep like a baby. 

You have the option to choose a tent (if tipid mode) and go camping at the island. You can either rent from them or bring your own. I prefer the tent instead of cottages because you get to enjoy the nature more and mas cool yun, idk why. They also have cottages depending on your preference. A common mess hall/dining area is available for use (free) and you can borrow plates and utensils for eating. They have free drinking water but I suggest you bring your own also (nakakahiya naman manghingi lagi). 

As for food, you can buy your own food from the Mauban market (like we did) and just rent the kitchen facilities in the resort. The cooking area is for free (if you're using charcoal or uling). You'll have to pay 150PhP though if you want to use the gas range plus cooking utensils (max. of 10 people)...kanin at ulam na yun. They don't have a fridge there so better cook something that won't spoil easily like fried food and adobo. Bring plastic containers too to store your food.  For breakfast, you can buy a mug of hot water for 5php. I don't know how much the coffee costs because we brought our own (Kopiko 3-in-1).  
Mess Hall (right side) at night

They have booze there also, I forgot how much it costs though kasi hindi naman ako umiinom. All I can remember is one shot of lambanog or vodka costs about 25php. You can also bring your own if you want to save money.

The toilets are somehow clean. Tap water is available, no need to fetch water from the poso. It just bugs me that some visitors are too much of a slob, they leave their own mess inside the rest room. Tsk Tsk, walang disiplina. A friendly advice girls, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE YOUR SANITARY NAPKINS at public bathrooms. It's not only unhygienic, it also shows that you are an undisciplined neanderthal who have no consideration for other people. Kadire lang. It's like leaving your ovaries somewhere, yuck. And please people, flush the toilet after you use it. 

The table below is a chart of the room rates at Villa Cleofas. 



Rating: ★★★★★★★★/10
Must Try:
-- Sleeping/Chilling in the hammocks scattered around the area
-- Bonfire 
-- Sleeping on a tent near the beach 
-- Trek to Bonsai Island 




This resort is located near Villa Cleofas, I have not tried this resort yet so I have nothing to say about it. :| I just got the rates from their website but maybe next time I visit Cagbalete, I'll try this resort. 


Photo Credit: MVT Sto. Nino Resort (http://mvtstoninoresort.net)






 Website: www.mvtstonino.net

3. Pansacola Beach Resort 

Some people say that this resort is quite pricey compared to the other two. I have no idea. What I can say though is they have a better beach front compared to the other two. Also, they respond quickly on inquiries. I would have stayed here if I had a bigger budget and if tents were available in their resort. I also think this resort is quite closer to the port than the other two resorts. :)




Facebook Page: Pansacola Beach Resort


That's it. Hopefully this information is helpful. I'll be posting our adventures on the next entries along with the breakdown of expenses that we spent during our stay. :)

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