Since our European holiday in August, we realized we shouldn’t go on another holiday if it meant pulling our little one out of school. While you think bringing school modules and sort of “home schooling” your kid while on holiday is the key, this doesn’t exactly transpire in reality. At least for us, this was a sad realization.Therefore, when planning our next holiday, we had to check the school calendar.

As I was in dire need of vitamin sea, it was fortunate our little girl got a short break at the end of October so my husband also booked the week off work. After much thought of where to go (considering cost, transport and weather), we agreed  to go to Puerto Galera. I’d have to admit, I wasn’t particularly excited when initially introduced to the idea, mainly because I wasn’t keen on the transport (Bus to Batangas then boat to Puerto Galera, and possibly a tricycle or jeepney depending on which resort/accommodation). Personally, I was kind of tired of the White Beach idea. What changed all of that was that Coco Beach became an option. You have to admit, when given the chance to stay at a one-stop-shop kinda resort where you have your own beach, pool and restaurants, among other amenities its very tempting. When you have kids with you too , it makes the decision a no brainer .

Luckily, I saw an instantly redeemable deal from http://www.dealgrocer.com for a 3days-2night stay at a hilltop room with daily buffet breakfast all for P6,850. We bought this voucher and added an extra night via Agoda site which was about P2,8**.  We also booked their own transport which cost P2,000 per adult (our kids were free since they are still under 3)  for the round-trip.

THE EXPERIENCE:

Paying for the transport was so worth it, you get help every step of the way and no worries about your baggage and transfers. Following a very comfortable van ride to their private Batangas port, their boat that takes you straight to Coco Beach Island Resort. Thanks to our very nice driver named, Kuya Ricky.

You see that floating walkway behind my little angel’s photo? That’ll be your exciting entry/exit to the resort ☺

From being greeted with their refreshing fresh buko (coconut) juice and lively singing upon arrival to the time we got off the van back in Manila, I’d say this holiday was nothing short of amazing for my family. I wouldn’t say this resort is perfect, the resorts interiors definitely need some TLC (in fact they were doing some renovation at the time of our stay), but it ticked a lot of the right boxes for us.

 

Getting to our accommodation for the first 3 days was a bit of a trek up a steep hill, but made worthwhile for the stunning view. We were given a big room that also had a downstairs room with 2 single beds. Unfortunately, the stairs and the gaps between columns were a safety hazard to our kids so we didn’t use the other room and had to use one of the chairs to block the stairwell. It being the rainy season now, the weather wasn’t scorching hot so it wasn’t a problem having no A/C in our room.

One of the things I appreciate a lot about this resort is that your room gets cleaned twice a day. Once in the morning after you leave your room for breakfast and again at night for when they put a cloth cover over your bed to keep mosquitoes out. You also get left with macaroons (and on our second night fresh fruits too). You also get a bayong to put your daily belongings in. These little sweet nothings go a long way in my book. To me, this says the resort truly cares for your needs.

Staying uphill may mean you are far from most of the amenities but, this doesn’t mean you have to go all the way down to dip in the pool. Tucked in a ‘secret’ garden, you’ll find what the resort named ‘The Silent Pool’ (because  it’s almost always empty). It even has its own bar that you can conveniently order drinks from.

Daily breakfast is at their main restaurant called Carabao Restaurant and while we ate lunch once at their Asian restaurant called Coco Grill, our favorite was their Italian one called Trattoria. They have a few selections for vegetarians and I’d have to say my favorite was their Pizza Margherita. Really simple but seriously good. Most of their food was reasonably priced, though I would not recommend ordering their sweet and spicy shrimps which cost around P390 and all you get is 3 regular size shrimps and a cup of rice. Overall, can’t really complain about the food consumed on this trip ☺

Around the resort there are tons of amenities/activities that both  kids and adults can enjoy. Out of the beach/water sports, spa, cable jeepney and tennis court, we only managed to spend time in the pool and children’s playground. If you are staying longer at the resort, you won’t run out of things to do. As if this wasn’t enough, another amazing offer they have in this resort is a daily island trip, for FREE!! We joined this trip twice during our stay. The trip starts at 9:30am and the boat takes you back to the resort before noon.

Our girls met some really lovely friends☺

 

We surely recommend Coco Beach Island Resort in Puerto Galera and we hope to be able to go back ourselves!