Sunrise Cove Beach Resort

The beach is a please that will give you peace and serenity. Away from our busy lives, it is a place to rejuvenate and connect with nature. During the holidays we discovered a place that would make you feel like staying at a castaway, tropical village paradise. Let me share with you today a true gem in Calatagan Batangas, Philippines.

Last time we shared with you that we visited two resorts in Calatagan Batangas. This is because of the booking availability.

You could check out the first resort that we visited here Ronco Beach Resort.

We arrived at the resort at around 2 PM and headed straight to the reception.

COST

2,500 Pesos per person ($47.65 USD).

Inclusive of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

It was expensive for an overnight stay compared to other resorts here in the area. Still we wanted to see what Sunrise Cove has to offer.

Also they only allow 50% capacity of visitors. This means that the place would not be crowded which is a good thing.

We also do not know what our accommodation looks like. We were just told that the room is airconditioned and has a native design.

As we were led to our room, we saw wind chimes made from shells and corals. I was getting a very good vibe and felt that this place is something special.

The rooms we passed are all made from native materials. They used bamboo, corals and even the pendant light are made from native materials. They also used nipa palm leaves for the roof.

Even the common restroom that we passed used native materials.

The vibe here feels like you are in an island village with the design of the cottages. This resort is very different from all the other resorts that we visited. We have not reached our room yet but I am already loving this place.

ACCOMODATION

Finally, we reached our accommodation. This cottage has two levels and ours is on the top level.

The stone stairs lead up to our room and we were all very excited to see what it looks like.

As we entered we were greeted by this large area that includes the dining area and a living area at the end.

My son has already settled in and is connected to the wifi. Everything is native including the chairs and tables. Everything was well thought out and I think I would want this design if ever we get a beach house.

The best part of this is the gorgeous view of the ocean just in front of us.

A few steps down the place has an additional living area. This can also be used as an additional sleeping area in case you have a larger group.

This is the air-conditioned room that has a sleeping capacity of 5 people. Two double-sized beds and a single bed near the door.

It does not stop there as there is an additional coffee area on the side. This place that we rented is huge and the space would be enough for 10 people.

Going back up I looked closer at the surroundings. The sunshade that they have rolled up is made from like small bamboo stalks if I am correct. Would protect you from the sun or rain when rolled down.

The wind chimes were very interesting. Made from an old branch, nylon strings, shells and corals. Something very simple but very beautiful. Something that I think I could do if ever I live on a beachfront. I think I want one and maybe I should try making one once I get a chance. Every beach house should have a wind chime like this.

The Beach

After checking out our room, I immediately headed out to check the beach. The beach was clean and as expected there were very few people.

On the right side, there are more places to explore and planned to do so early morning.

They also have a bar here that serves drinks in case you plan to party at night.

A lifeguard's tower is posted near a tree with a very good shade. Any lifeguard would definitely enjoy this spot.

For day visitors they have tables that you could rent. All the tables are also made from native materials and are well built. Spending a day at the beach and enjoying a meal or two is enough for a lot of people. As for us, we would stay here longer if we just had the funds for it.

Since no people were renting this spot. I spent some time out here for a while and I could imagine working here with my laptop. If I get stressed I would just look out into the ocean. As I always mention it is my dream live near the ocean. Dreams do come true and maybe one day.

The area also has wind chimes like in our cottage.

The Ocean

At around 4 PM when the sun was not too hot anymore we went out to have a swim. It was low tide so we had to further go out to be able to swim.

We brought with us our inflatable crocodile and all the kids looked at us in envy. Everyone should have an inflatable crocodile when going to the beach.

Just behind us near the beach is a floating cabana. A good spot to hang out to rest from swimming and even have meals here. One thing though after a few minutes I kind of felt a little sea sick with the constant moving of the cabana.

The Dive

Calatagan Philippines is very rich with aquatic life and starfishes are very common here. I was hoping we would see a few of them.

The water here is clear enough for snorkeling. It is a good thing that we didn't forget to bring our goggles and snorkels.

Let's dive and see what beautiful aquatic life we will discover.

One thing that I didn't like is all the seagrass growing here. Although I think this attracts all the marine life which makes it a great snorkeling area.

The first thing that we saw is this blue starfish which is gorgeous. At first, I thought it was some sort of plastic rubbish but it was a surprise for us.

The area has a lot of sea urchins and sea grapes. I always wanted to know what sea urchins taste like but better to just leave it alone.

We never expected to find Nemo here and this is the first time I have one in its natural habitat. Seeing the clownfish has definitely made our trip more exciting.

I am not sure what this, looks like some sort of coral.

Finally, I found the most common and popular starfish in Calatagan. I have seen a lot of social media posts about this starfish and finally, I found one.

I picked it up and it was very hard like a rock. Later on, I learned that you should never touch or pick up a starfish. I learned that we could transmit bacteria to them and getting them out of the water is like suffocating them. Never again will I do this again but instead just admire them in their habitat.

After that enjoyable snorkeling experience, we just chilled by the shore until it was too cold already. It was a very memorable experience and hope to do it again very soon. There is still a lot of marine life we have not seen.

The Food

Let me share with you the food that they have here which was included in the accommodation fee that we paid.

The first food that we ordered was not included in the fee. I figured that we were a bit hungry when we arrived so it was best to have a snack.

This is the Pancit Canton which is a very popular noodle dish here in the Philippines. We paid for 250 pesos ($4.77 USD). We were told that it was good for two people only but we were surprised when it arrived. There was so much that it could easily be enough for 4 people.

The Pancit Canton includes vegetables, chicken, pork and sometimes even shrimp. The noodle dish is best when it is not dry and has some sauce. Their recipe was good but just a little bit salty maybe request a little bit of salt next time.

Dinner

Having dinner in front of the beach is something I wish we could do every day. The sounds of the waves as background music and the gentle breeze from the ocean cool you down. We do not know what our dinner will be and did not know what to expect. We were all excited as we waited for our dinner and according to the review the food that they serve is very good.

The food arrived at 6:00 pm and we were all very hungry as we spent the whole afternoon swimming.

First on the menu is a local favorite called daing na Bangus. Milk fish that has been marinated in vinegar, garlic and salt. It is then fried to perfection.

Next is Sinigang na Hipon which is another Philippine favorite. A sour soup made from tamarind extract, vegetables and shrimp.

Finally, for dessert, we had buko pandan. Coconut shreds, with milk, gelatin and pandan leave extract.

Our dinner was a very hearty meal and the serving was a lot. We enjoyed it very much and started to think about what our breakfast will be.

Breakfast

Morning came and we were told that breakfast will be served at 7:00 AM. While waiting we took a stroll along the shoreline and had a photoshoot with my daughter.
You could check how the photoshoot turned up here Sunrise Cove Photoshoot.

When we got back after the shoot, the scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. It was perfect to warm you up from the cold morning breeze from the ocean.

Our breakfast arrived and was excited to find out what they served us.

They served us a Philippine breakfast called Longsilog. It is composed of longganisa (Philippine sausage), fried egg and garlic rice.

Lunch

After that amazing breakfast we spent all morning on the beach as it was our last chance to enjoy Calatagan. We will be checking out at 12 noon so lunch will be served at 11:00 AM.

Our lunch was composed of meat and vegetables. A perfect meal as we say farewell to Sunrise Cove.

We had inihaw na liempo which is grilled pork belly. A local favorite dish whenever you go to the beach.

The other dish is called Ginataang hipon. Shrimp cooked in coconut milk mixed with vegetables composed of pumpkin and string beans. Added with some chili that will definitely build up your appetite.

As for our experience here at Sunrise Cove Beach Resort, it was excellent. The accommodation was amazing and adapted perfectly to the surroundings.

One of the only cons was the lack of door locks in the rooms. Although we were assured that our things will be safe.

The food was great and was very satisfying.

The staff at the resort were all very nice, and will always serve and greet you with a smile. In all our experience from other resorts, the staff here are top-notch.

The place was very clean and well maintained.

All in all, I would definitely give this place a 10 out of 10 and is highly recommended if ever you visit Calatagan, Philippines.

Thank you for joining us and I hope you enjoyed the tour.
Eat, Love and Enjoy life.

All photos are original and taken with

Lumix GX85 with Olympus 45mm f1.8
and GoPro Hero 9