I mentioned in my previous post that I'm not a fan of long land trips. Even though the Bicol Region has always been on my travel bucket list, it never became a priority because I dreaded spending hours on the road.
While planning this trip, I even looked at flights from Manila to Naga to avoid the long bus ride. Unfortunately, airfare was ridiculously expensive because of the fuel surcharge. Even if I redeemed airline miles, I still had to pay a hefty amount, so I eventually accepted the reality that we were taking the bus.
Cubao to Daet by Bus
My mom preferred taking the Cubao to Daet route instead of my original Cubao–Naga plan. Since only a few bus operators were serving this route, we booked our tickets online with DLTB to save time and avoid lining up at the terminal.
Bus Fare per person: PHP 1,046.57 (online rate)
PHP1,146 with CR
On the day of our trip, we left home a little past 5:00 AM to avoid Metro Manila traffic. We grabbed breakfast through a drive-thru before heading to the DLTB Aurora Cubao terminal for our 7:30 AM departure.
We arrived early because we thought we needed to claim our physical tickets. However, the ticket counter was still closed, so we simply showed our online booking confirmation and boarded the bus without any issues. Surprisingly, the bus departed several minutes earlier than the scheduled 7:30 AM departure.
Our first stop was at the DLTB Turbina terminal, where the conductor informed us that we could claim our printed tickets there instead.
Lunch Stop in Quezon
After a few more hours on the road, we stopped at the DLTB terminal in Quezon for lunch.
Viands start at around PHP 120, while rice costs PHP 30, and soft drinks are around PHP 30. We spent roughly PHP 200 per person for lunch. The terminal also has a pasalubong shop where you can pick up local snacks before continuing your journey.
Need a restroom break? The comfort room costs PHP 10 per use.
More Stopovers Than Expected
I honestly thought we would only have two stopovers for the entire trip, but I was wrong.
Aside from Turbina and Quezon, the bus also stopped at the Tabugon and Labo terminals, not to mention the numerous pick-up and drop-off stops along the way. By this point, I was counting every kilometer left before reaching Daet!
We finally arrived at the DLTB Daet terminal at 6:40 PM.
From the moment we left home, we had been traveling for over 13 hours. It was a very long day, and by the time we arrived, I was completely exhausted.
From the bus terminal, we boarded our rented van and reached the One Platinum Hotel in just a few minutes. The hotel is less than 2 kilometers from the DLTB terminal, so you can also take a tricycle if you don't have private transportation.
After checking in, we paid the remaining balance for our one-night stay and pre-ordered our breakfast since we had an early departure the next morning for our 3-day Calaguas Island trip.
Dinner Before an Early Morning
We only had enough energy to drop off our bags before heading straight to the hotel's restaurant. We were simply too tired to look for another place to eat.
Here's what we ordered:
Longsilog – PHP 240
Shoyu Ramen – PHP 250
Banana Walnut Cake – PHP 60
Bottled Water – PHP 30
We enjoyed our dinner, especially the Lucban longganisa that came with the Longsilog. We saved the banana walnut cake and bottled water as emergency snacks for our boat trip the next morning.
A Stressful Twist
While we were already settled in Daet, my husband wasn't as lucky.
His 7:30 PM bus trip was canceled, and passengers had to wait almost three hours for a replacement bus. It was incredibly stressful because, with all the scheduled stopovers, there was no way he would make our 7:00 AM call time at the port.
Lesson learned: If you're planning a Calaguas trip, make sure you're already in Daet the night before your boat tour. Bus delays and unexpected cancellations can easily throw off your itinerary, and you definitely don't want to miss your scheduled boat trip.
After a very long travel day, all we wanted was a good night's sleep because the next morning, we were finally heading to the beautiful islands of Calaguas.
Trip Summary
Route: Cubao to Daet
Bus Operator: DLTB
Bus Fare: PHP 1,046.57 (online rate) or PHP 1,146 bus with Comfort Room
Departure: 7:30 AM (Aurora Cubao Terminal)
Arrival: 6:40 PM (DLTB Daet Terminal)
Travel Time: Around 11 hours and 10 minutes by bus (13+ hours from home)
Major Stopovers:
DLTB Turbina (ticket printing)
DLTB Quezon (lunch stop)
Tabugon Terminal
Labo Terminal
Accommodation: One Platinum Hotel
