20141004. Cagbalete Island. Mauban. Quezon

Life at the beach

Why Cagbalete Island is still my favourite beach near Manila?

1) Fine white sand
2) Relaxed atmosphere
3) Patches of *SUPER* soft sand
4) Beautiful sunrise
5) Super low tide phenomenon
6) Very long and beautiful beach line
7) The surreal bonsai island
8) Affordable vacation

Just writing this post makes me want to go back. And why not? This beautiful island is just 364 pesos away.

DAY 1: Saturday
0100 From Mandaluyong. Head to Jac Liner Buendia
0130 Meet up at Jac Liner Buendia
0200 ETD Bus to Lucena Grand Terminal. P210
0530 ETA at Lucena Grand Terminal
0545 ETD Mini­bus. To Mauban

Pantalan

0700 ETA at Mauban, Quezon Bus Terminal. It's only a 15-minute walk from the Terminal to Brgy. Daungan Pantalan. Don't forget to check the departure time of the passenger boat.

If you have more time and would like to explore a little bit of Mauban, you can ask for a guide at the registration area to show you around. Price of the guide depends on where you want to go. There are a lot of falls that you can visit around Mauban and they have a nice pamphlet that describes each of the attraction. You can also check Mauban products near the church. Don't forget to buy Lambanog.

We paid the environmental fee here and left our bags before we went to get breakfast. People here are very kind, one of the person manning the area even took us to a nice eatery near the Tourism information Center.

0800 After Breakfast, we just walked around Mauban. There are a lot of canteens in the area if you just ask around. We went to Rizal Hill Park and the small stores near it. They sell clothes, head lamps and flash lights in that area. We also checked the Tourism Information Center. It was closed at the time so all I know is that they sell a lot of Mauban-made products. We also went to the church which looked peaceful and humble that day. It's a different ambiance when you go there on a Holy Week were people of Mauban bring out huge statues of Sto. Ninos and Mama Marys. And everyone is there to join the parade. I've been to Mauban a few times now but I've only experienced the parade once. I'd love to join the parade again. The Church is behind the Tourism Information Center. And to get to the Tourism Information Center, you just need to cross the street from the Bus Terminal and go left.

Tourism Information Center

Buy supplies and food in Mauban Market 5 minutes away from the Port. There are seafood vendors in Cagbalete island but the selection is limited on the rainy season. Better be prepared either way.

By the way, you can buy all of the essentials that you need here. They have a large selection of food and clothes. In one of our trips, we dragged one of our friends to join us on the trip a few hours before we left for Mauban. She only brought a shoulder bag, her sense of adventure and a lot of experience in Ukay-Ukays. It's a good thing that Mauban has a lot of Ukay-Ukays. Great times, great friends.

0915 We went to the boat to secure good seats. Boat arrives at 0800 and 1500 on normal days. Time varies depending on the season. We got there early to secure our seats. But the locals in the area only started flocking and arrived around 0945 before the boat finally left at 1000.

We waited for a while, but it was a good choice since we had comfortable seats for the hour and a half boat ride.

Passenger Boat to Cagbalete

1000 ETD to Cagbalete Island
1130 ETA Sabang Port, Cagbalete Island. Don't forget to ask the schedule for return trip of passenger boat.

1200 From Sabang Port, you only need to walk 15 to 20 minutes to get to the nearest resorts. I've read of other options like riding a horse, a carabao, or renting small private boats. I didn't mind these options since we are used to long walks. I later found out that it's best to get a contact for these services. You might need them in case it starts to rain on your way back, unless you don't mind wading through ankle-deep-almost-knee-high mud.

You can also buy fresh fishes here. All of the squid were already bought when we got there so we decided to just go back in the afternoon. Fresh squid was one of the reasons why we went to Cagbalete.

Anyhow, from Sabang, you just need to follow the crowd and walk until you reach a large field and a crossroad. Going right would lead you to Dona Choleng. Going left is the direction you need to take to get to Joven's Blue Sea or Villa Cleofas. But both are accessible from Dona Choleng if you don't mind walking on the beach line. Last time we went here, there were signs for Dona Choleng, but signs leading to Joven's Blue Sea resort were knocked by the storm earlier that month.


1215 From the fork, we went right to check out Dona Choleng since it's the newer resort near Sabang back in 2014. The restaurant looked alright as well. But since there were a lot of people in Dona Choleng at the time we decided to check the other resorts by walking through the beach and passed by Villa Noe.

A fork in the road

Path to Dona Choleng

1230 When we saw Joven's Blue Sea, we knew we found what we were looking for. Joven's Blue Sea Beach front looked inviting, it was clean and relaxing. There were only 2 small groups staying there at the time. I'm not sure if it was just an illusion brought about by the name of the resort, but the sea looked a littler bluer in that part of the island. The quietness and tranquility were just perfect for the relaxing weekend that we planned. They have two common shower area. One shower area had four separate decent toilets. They also have a grill and a dining area. You can also order your food from them. But when you have good cooks for companions, you would never mind the commute to the market and cooking your own food. I still remember how the Boatmen in Nagsasa loved and praised Desiree's Spaghetti. Sana may Spaghetti ulit next outing. Being one of the resorts near Sabang, staying here also gives you access to the market, fresh fishes and supplies should you ever need them.

We stayed at Joven's Blue Sea Resort and had the pleasure to meet Tita Rexie. She was very kind and accommodating. She even provided us with nice beach chairs and a table so we can be comfortable even if we are only renting tent space. Thank you Tita Rexie!

You can contact them at 09392899752/ 09178545024/ 09179848505.Check their FB for more information. https://www.facebook.com/jovenresort

View from our corner of Joven's

 
1300 Make camp. Cook. Eat. Relax at the beach while enjoying fresh buko.

Home for the weekend

1500 Kayak to Bonsai Island. Joven's Blue Sea had two kayaks and we rented both to go to the Bonsai Island. They rent a single kayak for P200 for an hour. We just wanted to check the place and see how it looks like before we visit it again in the morning. When the tide is high, Bonsai Island is really just a handful of Bonsais sticking out in the water. But behind the protection of the Bonsai Island, it was amazing to watch the clashing of waves from the open sea.

 

Pagod na. Hindi na talaga kaya. Promise. Pahinga muna. Hehe.

It was starting to rain then. And what else can you do when it's raining at the beach? Enjoy and swim!

1630 ETD Joven's Blue Sea to Sabang Port. The trail is prominent and easy to follow. It's a 15-20 minutes walk to Sabang. In Sabang, there are a lot of Sari-sari stores, small eateries and BBQ stalls. But of course, we were looking for fresh squids. We walked all the to the beach and checked three vendors but all of the squids were already purchased. Apparently, the fishermen there use squids as baits to catch larger fishes. Buti pa ung mga isda dun, nakakapag squid! We settled for the popular fish there. I forgot what it was called but they said that it was good with crispy fry.

Path to Sabang from Joven's

 

This fish is a must try

Be careful when getting the fish. Make sure that it's tightly tied.

1800 Cooked and ate dinner. We were surprised that the fish didn't have a lot of bones and it had a lot of meat. We tried cooking it with crispy fry and simply frying it. Our neighbor had their version of the fish grilled in the barbeque. The fish was very tasty and was good whatever way it was cooked. That's fresh fish for you. We didn't even need any sauce. Sulit!

We charged our phones and cameras at the dining area and enjoyed the night. Lights were on by 6PM and normally runs until 1AM.

If you're wondering why you haven't read about the *SUPER* soft patches of sand, the beautiful sunrise, super low tide phenomenon, the beach line and our walk to the surreal bonsai island. That's because the best is yet to come. On our second day, we explored all the resorts on the East side of the island. Yes, that's from Nilandingan Cove to Pansacola Beach. The best is yet to come.


Expenses in PHP for 2 Nights
420 210 Bus. JAC Liner Bus. Buendia to Lucena Grand Terminal and back
108 54 Mini­bus. Lucena Grand Terminal to Mauban and back
50 Environmental Fee. Mauban Brgy Daungan Pantalan
45 Breakfast. Canteen near Municipal Hall
100 50 Passenger Boat to Cagbalete Island and back
400 Accommodation. Tent Space. 200/Day. Tent Rental is at P500/night/3 pax
250 Food and supplies. 5L Water is P75 at Joven’s
200 Kayak/Hour
125 Sinigang at Joven's
50 Entrance Fee
30 Fresh coconut
140 Lunch at Mauban
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1918


Summary of Itinerary
0100 From Mandaluyong. Head to Jac Liner Buendia
0130 Meet up at Jac Liner Buendia
0200 ETD Bus to Lucena Grand Terminal. P210
0530 ETA at Lucena Grand Terminal
0545 ETD Mini­bus. To Mauban
0700 ETA at Mauban, Quezon Bus Terminal
0750 Breakfast. Buy supplies and food in Mauban Market
0915 Went to the boat to secure seats
1000 ETD to Cagbalete Island
1130 ETA Sabang Port, Cagbalete Island
1200 ETA Fork in the road to the resorts
1215 ETA Dona Choleng's
1230 ETA Joven's Blue Sea
1300 Cook, eat and relax at the beach while enjoying fresh buko.
1500 Kayak to Bonsai Island
1630 ETD Joven's Blue Sea to Sabang Port. Buy fresh seafood
1800 Cooked and ate dinner. Chill