Budget trip to Manuel Uy Beach Resort in Calatagan, Batangas

Sun’s up and glaring and we’re all thirsty for some natural waters and fine sand beneath our soles. Summer is so in here! Have you had a pick already? Manuel Uy Beach Resort might be a good deal for you.

We often consider the budget, accessibility and the travel time apart from the activities, waters and the sand of beach itself that we would like to visit. There’s quite a lot of beaches around Metro Manila to consider but I dare you try Manuel Uy Beach Resort in Calatagan, Batangas if you’ll be basing your pick on these.

For starters, it is budget-friendly since it’s quite near to the city. If you are to bring your own tent, food and cooking utensils, you’ll save just a lot of bucks already since it is only the fare, ecological, entrance, tent pitching fee that you have to worry about which you may also share with the people coming to the beach with you. It is not hard to get in there too since the public rides that you’ll be taking will drop you off the points where you exactly needed to be to get into the next ride til you get to the resort; hence, making it an easy peasy DIY trip for you.

It is safe to say that Manuel Uy’s sand is a shade of bright yellowish brown and grainy with some broken and disintegrated shells on it. It appears to be brighter than it seems on photos due to sunlight. There are also wide stretch of sandbars around that are not much visible on a long shot but can be seen through aerial angles; the reason why people think that the waters are still and always on a low tide. The waters are a little cloudy near the shore and there are spots where sea grasses grow but a few more meters away promises crystal clear waters. There are local boatmen who offer island hopping activities, too, ranging from 1,000php-1,500php for 1 to 5 pax.

The beach is taken a good care of by the hired utility workers. It is observed that they roam around from time to time picking up loitered and strayed trash and collecting garbage on the bins. Trash bins are visible enough that the tourists responsibly throw their garbage at it.

Celyrosa Bus Liner in Pasay (Libertad) has daily trips to Calatagan, Batangas as early as 4:30am. Last trip is around 4:30pm to 5:00pm. It is a three-hour land travel via Aguinaldo highway passing through Tagaytay City. Drop off point is at Calatagan’s public market where you can actually buy goods or food if you are not planning to bring some. From the public market, take a yellow tricycle to Manuel Uy Beach Resort for 200php per ride. After a fifteen tot twenty-minute ride, you’ll get into the Registration area  of the resort to pay the necessary fees.

When home bound, you can just take a tricycle again for 200php back to the public market. There are DLTB Co. buses bound for Buendia Leveriza via Aguinaldo Highway.

Bus fare – 160php-180php/way

Tricycle fare – 200php/way (which may be divided into the number of people riding on it)

Calatagan Tourism Ecological Fee – 30php

Rates for a day tour or over night stay varies. Rates are as follows:

*For day tour, you can stay until 5:00pm at the beach.

Those tiny specks of black that you see on the water are people. There seemed to be a lot of them on the waters but it is not that really crowded; it is, though, on the shore.

You can actually pitch tents anywhere you prefer as long as you would not cross to the beach of the nearby resort, Stilts Calatagan.

Only tent accommodation is available in the beach resort. We did not chance upon any transient nor inns around the vicinity. If you are looking for air-conditioned or villa type of accommodation, you might as well check Stilts Calatagan Batangas Resort for it.

The campsite is spacious enough that you can pitch in any free space that you’d stumble upon. Shower rooms, toilets, sinks with tap water and grill stations are located near the bridge connecting the parking space to the shore. There are two shower areas: one is inside the campsite and the other on the outside, near the parking area. The staff won’t charge you any fees with the shower since it has been included in the entrance fee to the resort. There is also a small stall near the shower area in the campsite where you can have your gadgets recharged at a certain price. On weekdays, this stall opens at 6:00am and closes at 9:00pm.

Their rates are as follows:

Power bank – 50php

Cellphone – 30php

Electric Stove – 50php

Rice cooker and electric kettles – 50php

Parking isn’t also much of a problem since there is enough space from the entrance to the beach. If you happen to park near the entrance/ registration area, it might take you an eight to five-minute walk to the beach, though.

This side of the campsite is just some few meters away from the the beach area of Stilts Calatagan since it is the less crowded part of Manuel Uy. There is a small guard station situated at the boundary where someone is posted to prevent people from crossing from a beach to another.

Life’s a beach ?

A post shared by The Queen’s Escape ? (@annegumiran) on Apr 9, 2018 at 6:13am PDT

 This bamboo staircase is located at the right side of the beach going to Stilts Calatagan.

Our photographer, Neil Victoria, on the left

 The water is not that clear near the shore and there are lots of sea grass. A few more meters of walk, you’d be able to reach the sand bar where the waters are clear.

The floating villas of Stilts Calatagan is quite visible on the photo since we had our tent pitched near their beach.

Here are some things that you should remember when visiting Manuel Uy Beach Resort:

-Tourists are only allowed to swim from 6:30am up to 5:30pm

-To those who would spend a night in the beach, silence hour starts at 1:00am

-Setting up bonfire is not allowed

-Grilling on the sand is not allowed

-They allow tourists to take booze at the beach but make sure that you’ll not bother other guests

-Just because there are maintenance staff and utility workers it doesn’t mean we could let our trash be not properly handled

-Take nothing but pictures

There. That’s what you basically need to know about Manuel Uy Beach Resort.