Smell the sea, and feel the sky, let your soul and spirits fly high. – Van Morrison
Are you itching to travel again? Is the beach calling you? Well, most of us stayed at home because of the pandemic, but as tourism slowly opens up in the Philippines, beaches in GCQ and MGCQ areas are now ready to accept tourists and divers as per IATF. Just to share our experience during our visit for those who want to catch some fresh air and have some vitamin sea near Metro Manila.
Patungan Beach Resort or Patungan Beach Cove is located in Barangay Sta. Mercedes, Maragondon, Cavite. The place is blessed with natural beauty because of the mountains on both sides. From the shore, the panoramic view is breathtaking. The fine-grained sand, even though not as white as I expected, is very ideal for swimming. The seawater, on the other hand, is not clear due to the sand particles.
At 5:30 AM, we left our place in Bacoor, Cavite, and arrived at the beachfront, along Nasugbu-Ternate Highway around 7:00 AM. It is almost 15 minutes drive from Kaybiang Tunnel, a popular landmark for motorcycle riders, cyclists, and road-trippers.
The public beach is located on the farther side of the area, so we took a motorized boat for about 10 minutes from the main road where we parked our car to reach the public beach. The boatmen and the staff who assisted us were accommodating and friendly. No entrance fee here.
Each bamboo cottages are enough for big groups with a maximum capacity of 15 persons with one changeroom/relaxation room.
Expenses incurred in the beach:
- Boat fare- P 50.00 each passenger round trip. Children below 6 years old are free.
- Cottage rental- P 2,500 good for 15 persons for the whole day
- Purified drinking water- P 60.00 per 5 gallon
Tips before going to Patungan Beach:
- It is better to contact the Patungan Beach staff before heading to the place. They will assist you in the direction, cottage, boat, and parking reservation. You may check their FB page at this link https://www.facebook.com/Patungan.
- The beach is full during the weekends so, better arrive before 7 AM to enjoy a relaxing experience. Most of the beachgoers arrive at 11AM.
- You may opt not to bring purified drinking water and other stuff since there are few small stores in the area that sell basic food like bread, cup noodles, purified drinking water, coffee, snacks, soft drinks, etc.
The beach itself is naturally charming. However, it is not free from dirt and trash which are not very pleasing to the beach visitors. The residents must take extra effort in cleaning the place to maintain its natural beauty since tourism is another source of their livelihood aside from fishing. I suggest that beachgoers should refrain from eating near the beach and avoid throwing trash in the water. Another thing is that karaoke sounds should not be in full volume so as not to disturb other guests who want to have relaxation.
How to get to Patungan Cove:
By private transportation: From Baclaran via Roxas Blvd, take Coastal Road Expressway, pay the toll fee, continue driving and stay on the leftmost lane going to Cavitex Road, pay another toll fee then take the Centennial Road or the Antero Soriano Highway that links to Nasugbu-Ternate Highway. Turn left to Kaybiang tunnel until you reach Patungan Cove.
By public transportation: from PITX, take a bus (San Gabriel Bus Line) that goes to Nasugbu Batangas, via Ternate Cavite. Just tell the driver that you are going to get off at Patungan Cove. The bus fare is P 150.00 only.
Till next time.
Keep safe.
For more beach resort blog, kindly visit Stilts Calatagan Batangas Beach Resort