Michi Photostory

We usually go to Batangas for a quick getaway pero sa totoo lang, wala na ko maisip puntahan sa Batangas. My husband informed me na may nakita daw siya sa Facebook na resort and I was surprised when he said Puerto Galera because I thought, ayaw na niya bumalik doon. During pandemic days, I suggested a resort din sa Puerto Galera but he was not interested so in my mind, hindi na ko makakabalik sa Oriental Mindoro but people changed.

Casalay Boutique Villas & Dive Resort has a rainy daw promo of 25% off so my husband called the resort to inquire about it. And I immediately computed our possible expenses including the food, transportation, and other fees; and it turned out na same lang sa gastos namin sa Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar. 

We were supposed to book the first long weekend but the only available room is good for 6 people so we changed our travel dates to save money. For our family of three, we chose the 1 Bedroom Seaview Villa, the total is PHP20,398 (3 persons) for 3 days and 2 nights. To confirm the booking, a 50% downpayment is needed via bank transfer or GCASH. The 25% discount will be deducted upon check-out. 

But as of this writing, when I tried to book this room again for the 1st and 2nd week of November (Sat to Mon), our total is only PHP 10,876.32 and PHP11,229.12. What!?! Mas mura pa rate nila kahit wala promo. Toink! I did not proceed with my booking, I just checked the curent rate. 

Moving on, let me share my birthday getaway at Casalay Boutique Villas & Dive Resort. This resort is located in Sitio Daluran, Puerto Galera so there are few transfers and we traveled by land-sea-land-sea; we drove to Batangas Port, rode a ferry to Balatero Port, rode a tricycle to Muelle Port, and lastly, boat to Casalay Resort. You can read more information in this post “How to Go to Puerto Galera from Manila and Vice Versa” (our travel experience) 

Traveling to Puerto Galera takes a lot of patience, sa dami ng waiting time namin from parking, buying a ticket, and waiting for the resort boat. We left the house before 5AM and we arrived at the resort around 1:30PM, nalipasan na kami ng lunch. I’m thankful that I brought bread pero gutom na gutom pa rin kami sa biyahe. 

Upon arrival, the staff welcomed us with juice and we went straight to the reception. The staff asked for our IDs and after a few minutes, we received the key and voucher for the free wifi (one code per gadget). But before we went to our room, we already ordered food for our late lunch. 

There is only one restaurant in the resort so we ate our breakfast, lunch, and dinner there. Read my blog post here. 

I am aware that our villa is located in the mid-level of the resort so niready ko na sarili ko sa 80+ steps pero nakakahingal pa rin. The exterior of the villa looks good but once you enter the room, you will notice the signs of wear and tear. 

The bedroom is small and the space is tight, it features a loft where the extra bed is located. According to their website. they are using Award-Winning Emma Mattresses so the bed is comfortable. 

Even if the room feels cramped, it has a fridge, coffee, and tea facilities, and a safety deposit box. For our 3-day stay, they didn’t refill the coffee and tea. 

I’ve read about the “Outdoor bathroom with a shower” but I didn’t expect that it would be an open bathroom. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I am not a fan of glass bathrooms, semi-open bathrooms and mas lalo na ang open bathrooms. I experienced that in The Farm at San Benito, Sheraton Manila Club and Chateau Hestia.   

I’m not comfortable with an open bathroom kasi and for safety reasons na rin. Just like what happened during our stay, may nalaglag na dahon, fortunately, wala naliligo. 

The bathroom is spacious, it has the usual toiletries like shampoo, body wash, conditioner, and lotion. There is no towel rack so we use the hanger for our towels pero hindi natutuyo so the following day, we requested new towels. We were advised that they would clean the room but it didn’t happen and no new towels too. 

What I love about our villa is the balcony, we have a nice view of the garden and the sea. Unfortunately, hindi namin gaano naenjoy kasi maulan at the time of our stay. 

During our trip, there was Typhoon Goring in North Luzon but I didn’t expect that it would affect Oriental Mindoro. Feeling ko dahil malayo naman hindi na aabot but I was wrong, there is Southwest Monsoon so we experienced heavy rainfall and strong winds. 

At that time, napapaisip ako na “gumastos pa kami para lang magkulong sa room. Nakakarelate tuloy ako sa mga ‘’meme” na nakikita ko sa Facebook “Tinuloy ang lakad kahit bumabagyo kasi non-refundable”. hehehe! 

Despite the harsh weather, God is still so good because we have good weather every morning so nakalabas naman kami ng room. We experienced snorkeling, clear kayaking, and paddle boating; both are complimentary use for 1 hour. And kapag low tide na, we transfer to the swimming pool.