The Foodinista: Resorts in Batangas

Tali Beachfront Vacation House, Nasugbu Batangas

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Tali Beach

Tali Beach is an exclusive gated community situated along the scenic coves of Nasugbu, Batangas, around a 2½ hour drive from Manila.

Literally just a few steps from the water, our vacation home is set on a tranquil and very private 2,000sqm beachfront property -- one of seven beaches inside Tali. It is a pleasant retreat from usual beach crowds and the hustle and bustle of city life. A 5-minute walk gets you to another beautiful beach (the Tali Main Beach) and a short 3-minute drive brings you to the famous Tali Cliff.

Tali Beach Vacation House

Their simple no-frills house can normally accommodate groups of 10-22 guests; more if our guests will be willing to bring sleeping bags/tents. The house has 4 air-conditioned bedrooms with a sleeping capacity of about 10-12 guests (or 10-14 with kids). Larger groups customarily use the air-conditioned living room as a sleeping area which can sleep another 5-8 guests. Extra foam mattresses, pillows, and linens are provided for. There is a toilet with shower on the 1st floor of the house, a small toilet with shower on the 2nd floor of the house, and a toilet and shower (with no water heater) on a separate building a few steps from the pool.

Amenities include a new infinity swimming pool with kiddie pool, an equipped kitchen (with a two-burner stove, rice cooker, microwave, cookware, utensils), refrigerator, water dispenser, lcd television with digital satellite, drivers' quarter, gazebo, charcoal bbq grill, and a genset.

2nd Floor Villa

Rates
JUNE TO FEBRUARY (excluding premium dates*):
◦ Saturday
P18,000 per night for 1-14 persons
◦ Friday
P14,000 per night for 1-12 persons
◦ Sunday-Thursday
P11,000 per night for 1-10 persons

MARCH TO MAY (excluding premium dates*):
◦ Saturday
P21,000 per night for 1-14 persons
◦ Friday
P18,000 per night for 1-14 persons
◦ Sunday-Thursday
P16,000 per night for 1-14 persons

Additional guests over 14 people are ₱1,000 each per night..

*Premium Dates
2017: Apr 13, 14; Jun 10, 11; Aug 19, 20, 26, 27; Oct 31; Nov 1, 4; Dec 2, 8, 9, 16, 22-25, 29, 30, 31.

Important Notes (From the Website)

Check-in time is no earlier than 2:30pm. Check-out time is no later than 12:00pm. This is strictly enforced to allow for proper cleaning and preparation for incoming guests.
Tentative reservations are held only for 2 days and are then subject to cancellation if not confirmed.
Reservations will only be confirmed upon down payment of 50% of total rental (70% for 2-night reservations). Balance should be settled at least 7 days prior to check-in date. Payments can be made at our Balintawak, Quezon City office or through bank deposit (BDO or BPI).
There are no refunds for cancelled reservations due to reasons including undesirable weather, for no-shows, and for early departures. Rescheduling a confirmed reservation may be possible in the event of a storm signal number 2 or above officially declared in the Nasugbu, Batangas area during the booked date/s.
Rates are for accommodation only; food and drinks are not served nor sold. Items to bring are (i) bath & beach towels, (ii) personal toiletries such as toothbrush, soap, & shampoo, (iii) beach wear & gears, and (iv) food & drinks for your stay.
Effective April 11, 2017, Tali management/security will start collecting a Tourism Ecology Fee of P20 for each visitor entering Tali Beach subdivision. Proceeds will be remitted to the Office of Nasugbu Municipal Treasurer. Exempted from this levy are Persons with Disability, Senior Citizens, and Filipino children 6-years-old and below.
We only have one house for rent. It was originally designed to accommodate our family plus a few friends. The 4 air-conditioned bedrooms can sleep around 10-12 guests (or 10-14 with kids). Larger groups usually use the air-conditioned living room as a sleeping area which can sleep another 5-8 guests. Extra foam mattresses, pillows, and linens are provided for. There is also a non-air-conditioned drivers' quarter which can sleep 2. We do recommend guests over 22 people to bring sleeping bags/tents as not everyone may fit inside the house.
There is a toilet with shower on the 1st floor of the house, a small toilet with shower on the 2nd floor of the house, a toilet and shower with no water heater on a separate building a few steps from the pool & house, plus another small toilet in the drivers' quarter.
Please be aware that from mid-July to November 2017, there will be construction of new rooms & bathrooms in the covered jetski garage area, drivers' quarter, and the rear of the main house. This will not affect the main house, swimming pool, gazebo, and beach area but there will be construction activity inside the property during this time. Major renovation of the main house is planned for 2018. We are not accepting reservations from October 20, 2017 onward at this time.
Our house rules and important reminders can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/talirules.
A sketch map to Tali Beach via Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/talimap.

* All taken from their website

THE EXPERIENCE
I went here for a spontaneous trip with my friends on a weekend. All of us are already working and we haven't seen each other for quite a time already so we decided to go on a quick beach getaway. Batangas is the perfect place to go to because it's just 2 hours away from Manila. We rented Tali Beach for 1 night and we were around 17 pax. The villa is really huge and there's enough space for all of us and I think it can even fit around 20 to 30 pax more. We brought 3 cars with us cause commuting is quite hassle and the community is gated i'm sure they don't allow public transportation inside. The garage is pretty big and can fit 4 to 5 cars.
Check-in time is at 2pm and first thing we did upon arrival is to hit the beach right away!

BEACH
We went for a swim around 3-4pm and the weather was fine. It was low tide so there were a LOT of rocks in the shore that it became hard for us to swim. MAKE SURE TO BRING FLOATERS cause their beach front is not swimmable at all. Even though we are already in the shallow part of the beach there were still a lot of rocks that we kept on walking onto, some of us had tiny scratches and wounds afterwards :(
If it weren't for the floaters we won't be able to enjoy the beach. Good thing we were all fun and crazy so regardless of the situation we were still able to enjoy it, we did some catching up and did random crazy things on the beach. Haha!

VILLA & BEDROOMS
What I really love about this place is the HUGE SPACE. There were 2 bedrooms on the first floor and 2 more on the 2nd floor. The sheets and pillows were just basic nothing fancy, all the rooms were air-conditioned and pretty neat so we didn't have any problems at all.

KITCHEN
We were able to cook and prep our meal neatly, even did some grilling without feeling suffocated cause the dirty kitchen is well ventillated and spacious.
Spending our time preppin' the food altogether was probably one of my favorites.
We really helped each other preppin meals and even used that time to catch up and do chit-chats.
We dined in front of the living room by setting up our own dining area. We did set up mono-block tables and chairs where we ate and grilled our bbqs.

It was a fun vacation overall! I really had a fun time with my barkada. We all felt like we were kids again, free from all the stressors of Manila. If you need a quick weekend getaway, Tali Beach might the perfect vacation house for you!

Almalin Beach Resort

Almalin Beach Resort, Lobo Batangas (Photo Diary)

Thursday, May 04, 2017

Lobo is one of the municipalities of Batangas which lies at the province’s Southeastern coast. Its boundaries are Batangas City on the west, the town of Taysan and Rosario on the north, San Juan on the east and the Verde Island Passage on the south.

Lobo has a distance of approximately 135 kilometers from Manila and 35 kilometers from Batangas City, the Provincial Capital.

Lobo is a Third Class municipality in the Province of Batangas. The national highway passes through it connecting Lobo with Batangas City. It is commutable by private vehicles within 45 minutes and by commercial vehicles within an hour.

Lobo is composed of 26 barangays, 9 of which are coastal, ten are hilly and mountainous and the rests are built-up.

The municipality has a total population of 38,908 of which 13,427 belong to urban area and 25,481 belong to rural area.

The economic activities of Lobo include agriculture, trade, manufacturing and commerce. These are the prime movers for the socio-economic mobility of the municipality.

Lobo is one of the tourist destinations in the province of Batangas. The coast lines of Fabrica, Masaguitsit, Olo-Olo, Malabrigo, Soloc and Sawang is a haven for scuba divers, surfers, tourists, foreigners and Filipinos alike who want to unwind and get away from the suffocating heat and dust of Manila.

Lobo has many ecological sites including Faro de Punta de Malabrigo which is one of the 24 lighthouses erected in the Philippines during the course of the Spanish Colonial period.

The century old lighthouse can be spotted at the top of a cliff in the town of Lobo, Batangas. It is overlooking Verde Island and Mindoro from afar. It is worth a short drive from Lobo town proper to get to see this historical landmark.

Another site is Cape Malabrigo or Malabrigo lighthouse. It is a suitable place for a photography session. Need a charming seascape photo to test your camera skills? There is a concrete stairway which leads you to the seashore so you can shoot some lovely seascape and high wave images. If by chance you happen to come across the town of Lobo, it is a good idea to drop by and see this century old lighthouse.

The Submarine Garden is located at Barangay Sawang, Lobo. The garden consists of living corals near the shore of one of the beaches. It can be clearly seen during the early mornings when the water is clear and the tide is low. It has been acknowledged to be a fish sanctuary by the municipal government in their declaration in 2000. The Submarine Garden is among the province’s aquatic attractions.

The roads leading to Lobo have been fixed and are now in good condition so one should consider visiting Lobo, Batangas as a perfect haven for beach lovers who wants a quiet break.

The “Tulay na Busog” is located in Barangay Nagtoctoc. This is known as “Biak na Bato” and has a giant foot print on the mountain behind the river. It is well known for its cold water which continues flowing all over the year. It is good for barkada’s/family outing or picnic.

Finally, the Ulopong Falls is located in Barangay Sawang. This is known for its cold spring water which continuously flows all year around. During the summer months, the place is bustling with activity when vacationers from Manila and nearby provinces and barangays visit the place to take a dip in the cool water of the falls.

All these amazing ecological destinations are a few minutes away from Almalin Beach Resort!

Facilities and Amenities

Golden Fine Sand Beach
Pool (Children & Adult)
Fishing Lines
Barbecue Pits (As we currently do not offer food, our staff will be happy to provide the fire, pots and pans for your cooking).
Nipa Beach Umbrellas
Beach Volleyball
Frisbee
Badminton
Mahjong Tiles w/ Mahjong Table
Chess
Play Cards
Kayak, Canoe and Paddle Board