#115 Puerto Galera, Philippines

This is an island resort close to the capital of the Philippines, Manila. To get there, it’s a 2 hour bus and 1 hour boat ride.

It is said to be the “Poor Man’s Boracay” and is popular with the city folk as a short weekend break, and with foreigners as a good place for cheap diving in coral reefs.

Having found incredibly cheap flights to Manila, but having realized there’s not so much to do in Manila, I started looking in the area for some vitamin Sea (cringe, sorry).

There are two main resorts in Puerto Galera – White Beach and Sabang Beach. Sabang is popular for diving and nightlife, and White Beach is popular for thenbeach. I stayed at Muelle Port, which is halfway between the two.

So – it was nice. I wouldn’t say it could rival any of the tropical islands further south, but it was cheap and easy to get to so it has that in it’s favour. If you want to do diving I have only heard and read positive things – but actually I can’t swim so that wasn’t an option for me!

I didn’t go to Sabang, but I saw it from the boat - it looked cluttered and crowded. I went to White Beach and the sand wasn’t very nice, but it photographs well. It is lined with restaurants so I had lunch at one – and I was hassled by people selling things and women begging. I saw a child rummaging through someone’s bag and a local woman give a rather suspicious looking massage to a middle age white man. There were very few people actually on the beach and almost no one in the water.

The island is beautiful and looks amazing from the boat – but when you arrive you have people snatching your bags (for a tip) and tricycle men ripping you off. Make sure you have small change – I didn’t and it made things difficult. I asked the tricycle man before we left how much it would be and he purposely ignored me and drove off. When we arrived he tried to charge me 150 pesos, when I knew in advance from the hotel it should be 50. I tried to give him 50 but he refused, he said 100 I refused, he said 70 I still refused – so then he got angry and grabbed my suitcase and said he would take me back to the port. So I gave him 70. What annoyed me was he was so angry and rude, when all I was trying to do was give him the appropriate amount. He had assumed I would be a stupid foreigner and give him whatever he asked for. This mean and unwelcoming spirit upset me, and was actually a key factor of my time in the Philippines. There was no hospitality, everyone was out to get me and it was a battle everytime. It’s not a happy or relaxing environment.

Getting There

The island is called Oriental Mindoro. I got a JAM bus (be careful, my taxi driver tried to drop me off at JAC bus, although they are nearby) from Manila for 167 pesos to Batangas port, and then a boat. On the way I took Minolo (MSL), on the way back I took Father and Sons (FSL), and they were the exact same. They offer the same service for the same price, so I would say go with whichever leaves at the time that suits you.

I would highly recommend you sit in the middle of the boat. While the sides can give you a better view, it can also get you wet from splashing. Also, when the boat both arrives and leaves into Batangas there are small children who dive from a small row boat nearby and climb around the sides of the boat, reaching in and poking at the people sitting on the sides.

On my return at the port I was ushered to a private looking blue bus. I said I wanted JAM but they said it wasn’t leaving for another hour (probably a lie, you never know). I reluctantly followed the crowds and got on this bus – which I would recommend. It was the same price (167 pesos) except it had much more comfortable seating, and it played Marvel movies (AntMan and Avengers 2) on the journey. So ask at the port how much it is, and check it out – if you don’t like it just get off.

 

Also to mention, my hotel told me FSL had a free shuttle service to the port, so I opted for that. However, when I went outside it was a man on a motorcycle….So he put my small suitcase at the handlebars and I hopped on the back. This was my first time on a motorcycle – nevermind without a helmet/protective gear and on roads that have seen better days. I was traumatized but survived – but for future reference if you’re a solo traveler this could be the transport method.