Introduction
This is an abridged description not that much of a trip but more or less of a family holiday stay of four weeks in one of the resorts in Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro (after having been here before as a "retired" and a "honeymoon" couple).
The intention is to give a first hand personal experience of how we, Joy, Ralyn, Rechelle and I enjoyed the annual summer vacation all together. So there was not much adventure, again, thus this report will be short.
There is also actually not much to tell. Most of this area and how to get there has already been described in a previous travel report of Puerto Galera (Nov-Dec 2007).
So, I will only mention few things which have been changed in the meantime. Also, I will state all prices in Euro by using the exchange rate of 64 Pesos to the Euro valid at that time.
From Northern Samar to Puerto Galera
We all flew from Catarman in Northern Samar to Manila with Zestair. The flight took 1 hour and 20 minutes. The fare per person was 14 Euros. There was another 11 Euro per person for the bus and boat ride with SIKAT from Manila to Puerto Galera the next day after we stayed one night at the
Cherry Blossom Hotel
550 Jorge Bocobo Ext.
Ermita, Manila
Tel.: (02) 524-7632
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in a Superior Room for 30.50 Euro. As soon as we arrived in Puerto Galera at around 1 p.m. we took one trycicle for the 8km ride to the Tamaraw beach.
Click the small picture to get it enlarged
| Puerto Galera map
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| Puerto Galera view
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Tamaraw Beach
Since it was peak summer season I made reservation one month in advance in order to get the kind of accommodation we wanted. Again it was the
Tamaraw Beach Resort
Aninuan, Puerto Galera
Oriental Mindoro
Tel.: 0927 597 5588
Email: tamarawbeach@yahoo.com
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where we stayed before.
We paid 15.60 Euro per day for each cottage of the two cottages, one at the beachfront (with Aircon and TV) and the other behind: the White House (with aircon, TV and a complete kitchen).
Generally, the prices start from 12.50 Euro for the deluxe room and ends with 39 Euro for the superior suite during the peak season. Off-season rates are between 20% and 30% cheaper. And much much cheaper are the weekly and monthly rates. If you want to know more about this resort, especially about their latest rates, then take a look at
Tamaraw.
| Tamaraw Beach Resort
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| With the beach restaurant
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| With the beach cottages behind
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| And with the beach in front
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| The girls' cottage
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| Our White House
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| Cottage interior
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| Cottage bedroom
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| White House entrance
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| White House bedroom
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Most of the time we cooked ourselves. Joy loves to cook and I prefer her delicious meals. It was not necessarily cheaper but better, with a lot of good fresh fish and lots of veggies from the market in Puerto Galera. Generally, the meals in Philippino restaurants consist of too much meat (mainly pork and chicken) and too less vegetables, so did the resort's restaurant. In addition, we also ate more delicatessen, like Swiss cheese, Italian salami, French and German bread, Australian T-Bone steaks, etc. from the Swiss Butcher and Bakery or Bretto.
| Eating on the veranda
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| Working on the veranda
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Besides eating and working (also with WIFI in the restaurant), we used to do all the leisure activities of a summer vacation, like swimming in the sea, snorkeling, kayaking, badminton, table tennis, walking along the beach and into the mountains, which has been all described before.
| Let's swim
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| Let's go ...
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But what was new? Yes, para sailing. Not cheap fun but once in a life time treat for Joy and Ralyn. I didn't need the kick and Rechelle was scared. A single 20 minutes ride cost 31 Euro. We made a deal for 39 Euro for two with a little shorter time for each flight.
| Para sailing
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| Joy comes first
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| Up she goes
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| Higher and higher
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| Up up in the sky
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| Very comfortable to fly
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| Flying over White Beach
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| Then over Tamaraw a sweep
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| Speeding up over Aninuan Beach
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| and over the next secluded beach
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| Coming slowly down
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| Landing gear out
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| Perfectly landed
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| Next one please
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| Almost touching the trees
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| Almost getting wet feet
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| The Aninuan Beach Resort next to reach
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| And then adjacent to the west east an empty beach
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Ok, I admit there are too many pictures about this special para sailing event. But interesting were also the different landscapes behind and the different beaches around. The next beach to our Tamaraw Beach is the Aninuan Beach (actually already part of it), which stretches for a mile until it continues as the Talipanan Beach. Adjacent to the Tamaraw Beach Resort is the
Aninuan Beach Resort
Aninuan, Puerto Galera
Oriental Mindoro
Tel.: 0920 931 8946
Email: sunset@aninuanbeach.com
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which is pretty new and looks very nice, but is rather overpriced and thus always looks empty. The proprietor lady seems to advertise in Europe and hopes that people accustomed to European prices will book. The Standard Room with aircon starts at 48 Euro and continues with the Deluxe Room for 92 Euro and ends with the Superior Suites for 118 Euro, including 10% service charge and 12 % VAT, of course.
| This looks very nice, the Aninuan Beach Resort
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| Just adjacent to the Tamaraw Beach Resort
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You can live much much cheaper if you rent a whole house or an apartment in the small village of Aninuan, and if you stay longer, of course. Unfortunately without sea view but the beach is only a short walk of 20 minutes away (already described in my previous travel report of Puerto Galera). The price range now is between 180 and 280 Euro per month.
| A new house for rent in Aninuan
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| New apartments for rent in Aninuan
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| This house is also for rent next month
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| And it already includes all the plants
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| Orchid blossom
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| Other blossom
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It's a short walk from the Tamaraw Beach Resort to the Aninuan village along the road while passing a bridge over a small clean creek leading into the sea just after the Aninuan Beach Resort.
| An idyllic creek
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| flowing to the sea
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Not so clean is the creek coming down at the beginning of the White Beach, which is not so white anymore. There has not much changed from the description in my last travel report of Puerto Galera (Nov-Dec 2007).
| The White Beach
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| has still an ugly front
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Only the old concrete police station has been removed and moved as a wooden booth to a better part of the beach.
| The new police station but not manned
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| No friendly policeman around but a woman
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The pier in Puerto Galera we always like to come here before we go on our shopping spree, but only after I have withdrawn some money from the ATM. Yes, that's right. There is now a really working one just two minutes walk from the pier: at the Allied Bank.
| Always nice to visit the harbor
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| to stroll along the pier
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| Admire the yachts and sail boats
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| Someday leaving with one of these
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Ok, that was our family holiday stay. If you want to know more about this place then just look up my previous travel report about Puerto Galera (Nov-Dec 2007) or any of the many guidebooks or in the internet.
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