- Let us take a trip down the memory lane.
If you want a quick beach trip from Manila, you either go North, to Zambales or South, to Batangas. Both are roughly around 4 hours from Metro Manila.
In December last year, I went to Lobo, Batangas with my closest officemates.
Since my friend, Jay Anne, has an aunt who owns a resort in Lobo; we decided to take a visit there. I've never been to a beach in Batangas so this is something new to me. Just thinking of the sound of the waves made my heart jump in excitement. Also, it was December and it would be nice to take a breather from work.
It takes three to four hours to get to Lobo from Manila. If you want to commute, it will take you to three rides to reach the town proper. First, you need to ride the bus enroute to Batangas pier and get off at Grand Terminal. Then, take a jeepney (Batangas City - Balagtas route) and tell the driver to drop you off at Lobo Jeepney terminal. At Lobo Jeepney Terminal, ride a jeepney bound to Lobo town proper. The long commute is all worthy because Lobo is one of the gems of Batangas.
Our group opted to take a private van though, to avoid the stress of commuting. It also saved us some money since we were a big group.
- Rainy December - Because rain and traffic go together
I always try to not fall asleep whenever it is my first time visiting a place, so I did that during our trip. The scenery going to Lobo was beautiful. We drove through zigzag roads. I saw a light house along the way, views of sea by the side, and several ports while my friends were sleeping like babies. Photos below. Haha. They woke up on the good parts though.
- Sleep is for the weak but I forgave them because they were tired
- Road side view
- Gloomy day. This view is just a stone throw away from the highway.
It was drizzling when we arrived at Submarine Garden Beach resort. During that time, the resort was still under renovation but we already saw its beauty. It has a pool and the rooms were clean and spacious. We were the only guests during that time because it was December and they were just at around 80% of completion for their renovation.
- My hard working friend, Renz, taken at one of the rooms in the resort. The three rooms that we occupied were all airconditioned, comfortable, clean and spacious. All had ocean view but I forgot to take photos.
- How one of the buildings of the resort looked from the beach area. Imagine waking up and seeing through those glass doors the sea.
After settling our travel bags, we already hit the beach for some picture taking while we waited for our lunch to be served. We were famished but the sight of the beach took away that feeling.
We did several photo sessions. Read the captions of the photos to see what happened next on our first day.
- The try-not-to-show-your-double-chin angle (unsuccessful)
- Beautiful 💕
- Unplanned matchy matchy with Sandy
After eating our lunch, we took some rest and prepared our swimming attire for some snorkeling. The resort had snorkeling gears and aqua shoes for rent. So, there is no excuse for missing this activity when you go to Lobo. Marine life is still rich there. Just a few meters from the shore, you'll start seeing colorful fishes and corals. Too bad, I forgot my underwater camera. Forgive me, I have no photos to show.
- Sandy, Kristen and me in our rashguards.
- Jay Anne in her aqua shoes and life vest. All set for some snorkeling with payong haha.
- SGV people in saltwater
- A snail taking a stroll along the beach
- The resort had kayaks also. FYI. I did great in kayaking. Seriously, I could paddle pretty well.
- We saw many starfish while snorkeling and luckily, we found one along the shore. Look at that, soooo beautiful!!
- I could still remember how happy I was. That was the first time I got to hold a starfish. Overjoyed!
- We ended our long day with a good dinner. Dami ko nakain dyan, feel ko.
- We also did Magic Sing: Pataasan ng Score. Siyempre, 'di nanalo ang ate mo. You know naman me, ganda lang! Hahahaha. 😜
On our second day, we took a quick dip at the beach and bid Submarine Garden resort our goodbyes.
- Til next time, Submarine Garden Beach Resort
We visited Jay Anne's auntie to thank her for letting us use their resort- see how lucky we were - the first guests after the resort had its new look.
On our way to Auntie Linggit's resthouse, we dropped by Malabrigo Lighthouse. It was oh-so-beautiful. Painted all white with some hints of pink, it was really eye catching. You wouldn't think twice stopping by to take some photo when you stumble into it. Too bad you can't go inside. Just a bit of a background, Malabrigo Lighthouse was built in 1880s and is one of the few remaining lighthouses built during the Spanish-era.
- Front view. It looked haunted but beautiful.
- Groufie infront of the lighthouse.
- After dropping by the lighthouse, we met our host and this was the low tide view infront of their place . Hi, greggy!
- Coconut trees lined up!
- Because I am maarte and confidently beautiful with a heart
- Beyond grateful! Photo with our hosts. 👌👌
- Missing this bunch
I'd definitely go back to Submarine Garden Beach Resort. I fell inlove with Lobo. Everything is just perfect.
1) It is just 3-4 hours drive with beautiful view along the way.
2) It still has rich marine life - you can go snorkeling and there are some diving spots nearby.
3) The scenery is picturesque - in fact, Lobo is where Dyesebel was filmed. The rock formations are beautiful and the sea is so calm that you would want to just rest at a hammock all day while reading a book and occassionally staring at the view.
So, if you want calmness and peace from the hustle and bustle of Metro, Lobo is very much worth visiting.
Ps. Thanks Ate Jay for hosting the trip. I miss you.
Love,
C
