Thursday, April 11, 2013

Cagbalete Island Accommodation: The Old and New Resorts

Whenever I plan going on a trip, accommodation is one of the most important aspect of my research. As I was looking for the best place to stay in Cagbalete Island, I read from blogs that there are just three resorts right in the island offering accommodation. I chose the one that seems to have the best reviews, Villa Cleofas Resort. Arriving in the island, I learned that there are other three new resorts that just opened in the area, two of these I passed by when we were kayaking in the morning. More resorts mean more options and usually more options is better.

THE OLD RESORTS 

Villa Cleofas Resort
Contact #:  Tonet - +63 917-8395852 / Tess - +63 917-8143475
Rates: Own Tent                                       Php 250/nt
           Tent Rental                                    Php 400/nt
           Bamboo Hut (6 pax)                      Php 1500/nt
           Studio type room (3 pax)               Php 2000/nt
           Small Cottage (8 pax)                    Php 2500/nt
           Medium Cottage (12 pax)              Php 3000/nt
           Big cottage(25 pax)                       Php 5500/nt




This is where we stayed. Originally, we planned on bringing our tents and camping in their grounds but sometimes, even to camping enthusiasts, the sound of being able to lie down in a soft mattress and pillows sound more appealing. Plus the fact that in getting a cottage, we would be able to recharge our phones and cameras when we need to.



These are the things I like about the resort.

-   It was very easy communicating with them. I just sent them a text message and  received a reply right away. Transacting with them is a breeze. Also, the caretakers are kind and always ready to serve.
-   The resort is lovely. There are umbrella trees dotting the beachfront with beach chairs and hammocks perfect for just lounging around, relaxation and bonding. The ground is covered with bermuda grass. The resort is so green.
-   Restrooms are not ensuite the cottages (but just located a few steps at the back of each) but I like that the shower room is separated from the comfort room. Water supply is strong.
-  They have a generator that runs from 6:30 PM to 5 AM that is probably located very far from the cottages. We didn't hear any sound from it. It was always a good night sleep.
-   They offer kayak and  volleyball activities that we enjoyed.




Things I believe the Resort Can Improve on

-   Don't expect too much on the cottage. For Php2500/nt, it is really bare except for the 2 stand fans and the floor where they will place the mattresses. It still worked well for us considering we're outside most of the time. The roof doesn't have a ceiling and that was what our problem was. There are constant particles (that looks like insect dungs) falling from the roof to our pillows and beddings. I'm sure it continually happened while we were asleep.
-  Some rates seemed unreasonable. We stayed 2 nights and cooked 5 times, cooking rice and a dish for each meal. We were charged a total of Php500 for Kitchen use/LPG,  Php100 for each meal. Thinking about it, we could buy a full tank of LPG by just adding 200 or 300 pesos and I'm quite sure we haven't used  even half of the tank. We didn't realize there's a charge for using their pots and pans too until we were about to check out and checked the charge slip. That was an additional Php200. So there, I feel that those rates are pricey.




Overall, we enjoyed our stay in Villa Cleofas. It is a lovely place. Despite feeling that we could have spent less, it is nothing compared to the beauty of the place and the fun we experienced in the island. So if asked if I'd recommend it to family and friends, ofcourse I will. Just make sure not to cook too much especially if you're not with a big group.

MVT Sto. Niño
Contact #: +63 921-7275398 / +63 927-7774828
Rates: Tent                                              Php 250
           Bahay Kubo (2-4 pax)                 Php 1000
           Fan Room (4 pax)                        Php 1500
           Room with A/C (2 pax)                Php 2000
           Room with A/C (4 pax)                Php 2500





Pansacola Beach Resort
Contact #: +63 928-5058633
Rates: Open Beach Hut (4 pax)                       Php 1200
           Tree House (6 pax)                              Php 2500
           Sawali House (10 pax)                         Php 2500
           Nipa Hut (10 pax)                                Php 2200
           Sasag House (12 pax)                          Php 3500 
           Agoho House (14 pax)                         Php 4000
           Buho House (20 pax)                           Php 4500


THE NEW RESORTS

An interesting fact: The owners of these three new resorts and the older Villa Cleofas Resort are all relatives. Apparently, the land was their inheritance from their grandmother. Wow! (On my wishful thinking mode: How about me being a long lost grand daughter lol!) That explains why these resorts are located right beside each other. Facing the beach, on the left most side is Villa Cleofas, on the far right is Joven Blue Sea Resort then Villa Noe. Lastly, on the right most side is Doña Choleng Resort. (Source: Ryan Manaog, owner of Doña Choleng Camping Resort)




Doña Choleng Camping Resort
Contact #: Ryan - +63 910-8823346 / Maybel - +63 928-2569919
 Rates:  Tent (2-3 pax)                                      Php400 - Php500
             Open Bali Hut                                     Php1000
               Bali Hut (with Electric Fan, 4-6 pax))        Php2000
             Room with aircon (6-8 pax)                     Php4500
             Room with aircon (18-20 pax)                  Php8000



I haven't had a chance to stay in this resort yet but Ryan, the owner of the resort offered me a free accommodation (as seen in the comments section of this blog). I thought that was very generous considering I didn't blog about Doña Choleng alone but the other resorts as well. Since I don't have definite plans on going back to Cagbalete yet and can't blog about an experience with them, I sent him a thank you text message and a request for photos and more info about their resort so I can update my blog. That way, readers would learn more about the resort and might help them in deciding where to stay. I was surprised not to receive a reply by text message, that's because he called instead. :) I appreciate the call specially when I learned that they have around hundred of guests in the resort that day. A company was having their outing in the resort. They must have been quite busy.




Doña Choleng is a fairly new resort that opened its doors only this March. Based on experience staying on hotels/resorts, new is always better. New rooms would usually entail new mattresses, new bedding and new everything - that can usually provide a more comfortable stay.

The resort is located at the Southeastern part of the island where one can have a panoramic view of sunrise. Their beachfront is on the stretch of powdery white sand and crystal clear water, thus I believe is their Slogan: The Boracay of the Pacific Ocean. I've been to Boracay too and I'd say both Boracay and Cagbalete have their own charms.

They have different accommodation options that cater to different needs of their guests. First is their Bali huts that is cooled by an electric fan and what I'm thinking is the natural air coming in from the windows. With a small double bed (based on UK and Ireland bed sizes standard) plus a bunk bed with 2 foams in both sizes, the bali huts can accommodate 4-6 people. One of their air conditioned rooms have 3 double beds (US size - also where we base our bed sizes here in the Philippines) and the allow maximum of 8 guests in this room.




From Sabang Port, one can reach it through a 15 minute trek. Worry not to get lost because the resort have their own "salubong boys" who will fetch guests from Sabang.

If you're thinking about bringing your own food, you can do so without having to pay any corkage. For some who would prefer to be pampered and do nothing but relax, you can make arrangements with the resort's staff. They could provide you a whole day's meal for Php800/head. That includes 3 meals and 2 snacks.

I've only been to Cagbalete once and stayed in Villa Cleofas, which I think had already been an institution for accommodation in the island. On my future visit, I am looking forward to stay here in Doña Choleng Resort to experience the difference. As they say, change is always exciting. :)

Joven Blue Sea Beach Resort
Contact #: +63 939-2899752/ +63 917-9848505
Email: jtbluesea@gmail.com

It is on the same stretch of beach (the same side) as of Villa Cleofas. I passed by this resort when I was kayaking but I was too far I only saw the open huts near the shore.





Villa Noe Beach Resort

I received an email from Ms. Lorie of Villa Noe last Feb 5 2014 providing their new contact numbers. Here's Villa Noe's updated contacts.

Contact #: +63 905-5193847 / +63 909-5241773 / +63 929-2176971 
Rates:  Bring your own tent                         Php100
           Tent Rental                                      Php 400 - 600/night
           Cottages                                          Php2000 - 3000/night








29 comments :

  1. Hello. I'm Nikolai.

    I would like to publish a guest post (with one link) on your great blog - mybackpackdiaries.blogspot.com. Could you please give me the price for the placement of it?

    Thank you and I look forward to your reply.

    Have a nice day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nikolai,

      Thank you for your inquiry on placing a guest post on my blog. I have sent you an email at frutta007@gmail.com regarding this inquiry. Thanks.

      Best regards,
      Pang

      Delete
  2. im ryan taino clemente manaog, owner of Dona Choleng Camping Resort...salamat po sa inyo for blogging our resort.....sana pa maka visit kayo sa Dona Choleng Camping Resort...we reserve 1 unit bali hut para po sa inyo...for free accomodation....pasasalamat po ng Dona Choleng Staff sa inyo...pls contact us 09108823346

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ryan. It is my pleasure to include your resort sa list, I want people to have more options when choosing where to stay in Cagbalete and to give exposure na din to the new players there.

      Thank you so much for your generous offer. I'll contact you soon. I don't have definite plans yet on going back to Cagbalete but I'll work it out soon. That way, I'll be able to write my experience about your resort too. It might be helpful with people planning to go there. Besides, I think there are still a lot of wonders I have yet to see in Mauban that I missed last time.

      Again, thanks and looking forward to see you or the staff soon. :)

      Delete
    2. may available cottage pa po ba kyo na maaacommodate nmin sa may 16-17.PRA po sa 6adults &3 bata

      Delete
  3. Wow~ Thanks for this very helpful info. I hope may available rooms pa sa Dona Choleng this weekend. My friends and I are going there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome Cathrina. Please feel free to contact Doña Choleng, the owners seem to be really kind when I was talking to them. Have fun on your trip and please let me know about your stay there. Thanks!

      Delete
  4. Thank you for this very informative post! Got all things I needed to learn here and will be heading to Cagbalete tomorrow :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Christian. I'm glad you found the info helpful. I wasn't able to see your comment right away, been away for a few days. Hope your trip went well. :)

      Delete
  5. Hi there

    Thank you very much po for your very, very helpful information. It has helped me to decide what to do this weekend and given me useful phone numbers etc.

    May I make a suggestion? I find it difficult to read light text on a dark background so I often use CTRL+A to highlight the whole page, and that normally works, but the contrast between the foreground and background colours is not really high enough. I think you could easily fix that by slightly darkening the background to a slightly different shade.

    Thanks again

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for sharing this vital info. I think I will inquire at dona choleng. More power! God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi! thank you for the very detailed post. your post has been very helpful. would like to inquire if parking spaces provided by the resort owners are safe and secured? we're planning to go to Cagbalete this April. thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, we didn't have a car when we went there so it's hard to answer your question but please keep in touch with the resort owners, I'm sure they ca answer that better for you. Thanks.

      Delete
  8. hello this is Thonie!

    Hi Ate Pang...Good Day...ask ko lan po sana kung meron ibang matutuluyan bukod dun sa mga resort..lahat po kasi fully booked na eh sa target date namen..kahit lodge/motel meron po kaya dun sa cagbalete island?? thanks po..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Thonie. These are just the accommodations I know that are available in the island. If you're up into an adventure, pwede na lang kayo magtent, either rent from them or bring your own. It will be even cheaper. :)

      Delete
  9. hi, do they cater meals on cleofas or you cook your own?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello. Ano po sa tingin nyo yung best place to stay with lalo na pag low tide?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anne. I'm afraid I won't be able to answer your question. Wala kasi akong basis for comparison, didn't stay in any other resorts kaya di ko alam kung pano yong level ng tubig sa tapat nila pag low tide. Kng plan mo maglakad papuntang Bonsai Island pag low tide, Villa Cleofas ang pinaka ok kasi tapat lang nila yon mismo.

      Delete
  11. Thank you for this post! I was really having trouble reserving a cottage in the old resorts. If I hadn't stumbled upon your blog, I never would have thought that the island has new resorts! We decided to stay in Villa Noe. :)

    Again, SUPER DUPER THANK YOU. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi. Would you mind giving me an update on how your stay with villa noe was? Planning on having a trip 1st week of may and we havent decided yet where to stay.

      Delete
  12. Hi, thank you so much for the choices maam. May I just ask kung alin sa mga hotels na yan yung beach front? :) Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maria. I've only stayed in Villa Cleofas and passed by 2 others pero I think all are beach front.

      Delete
  13. Hello, kakayanin po ba magsama ng bata ( 4yrs old)? The rest naman mga matatanda na mga kasama. gusto ko kasi isama anak ko sa lakad ng mga friends ko. Please advise. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! sorry was not able to see your comment sooner, baka late na ang sagot ko. Travel is easy but is really long. A four year old might not be comfortable pero workable naman.

      Delete
  14. Hi . can i ask if how much yung room rental for 2 persons only for 2nights in do .. need din kasi namin for charging our gadgets . and of course our privacy . thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ren. Kindly refer to rates above. Ang alam ko ahit 2 lang kayo for example tapos pang 4 pax ang room, still same rate applies. Sa Villa Cleofas, they have limited sockets pero nakapagcharge naman kami.

      Delete
  15. Your blog post really interesting and very informative. I admired you for your reviews about the resorts in Cagbalete Island. Honestly, I never heard about the island until I found your post. The Philippines resorts has a lot of charming resort to offer and need to explore for our local guest and foreign tourists around the world. Good job.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Peak Season ba ang Dec 26-28 sa Cagbalete?

    ReplyDelete

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