Batangas Beach

May 2010

www.puntomiguel.com

Last weekend my friends and I had a great adventure going to Batangas. We visited some wonderful beaches and resorts, but the real adventure was getting there and back through the political rallies and parades. We had a carefully constructed map to guide us to and from our destination, but our plans had to be abandoned because of the many detours caused by roadblocks, barricades, and roads that more closely resembled parking lots. Normal traveling time from Ortigas, Manila to Laiya, Batangas should be approximately three hours, but our trip required more than six hours. The primary roads to Laiya were fairly good, but the secondary roads we have to take because of the many detours were quite bumpy.

Our destination in Laiya was the Punto Miguel Laiya. One of our group is friends with this resort’s owner, so I was expecting good service but was uncertain about the beauty of the property. Overall, this resort was clean and comfortable, with really great service.

Our room included a large patio where we enjoyed meals cooked for us by the resort’s staff. If you want to bring your own cooked food, that works fine at this resort. You know, many resorts in this area do not allow you to bring any cooked foods or snacks. At the Punto Miguel Resort, you can bring your owned cooked food or purchase some fresh fish and veggies found throughout the area and ask the resort staff to prepare your meals.

As for the activities and sports available at this resort, we found volleyball on the beach, jet skis, equipment for snorkeling, and banana boat riding. And, of course, there are clean beaches for swimming and sunbathing.

Mike and Carolyn, the owners of Punto Miguel, also took us on a tour of another resort they own in Laiya, by name Paraiso de Miguel resort. This is a bit more upscale, so there are several great resort options in this area to meet your budget. We really appreciated Mike and Carolyn’s hospitality during our trip to Laiya.