We are out on vacation once again, this time to celebrate my husband's birthday. He wanted to go to the beach so I looked for a resort that's within our budget and has a beautiful seafront. My first choice was Crystal beach because then it would be quite easy to book since we've been there before. There'd be no more surprises since we know what gmto expect. But the birthday celebrant wants to go somehwere we haven't gone to yet so I stumbled upon Camp Laiya.
I actually have mixed reviews about this resort from what I gathered from my friends who have been here before.
I chose Camp Laiya though because their socmed people are really good at entertaining inquiries.
You can check out their facebook page.
How to get there
Camp Laiya is situated in San Juan, Batangas. Since the little one enjoyed the bus rides when we went to Baguio last January, we opted to ride the bus going to San Juan at Ayala Malls Manila Bay. When we were searching for their bus schedules, it said that the ones in Ayala Malls has an hourly trip. We went to Ayala Malls at 10AM only to find out that the 9AM trip has left (of course) and the next trip would be at 12nn. So we stayed in the mall for a bit until our bus ride arrives. The ticketncosts Php301 each. Thet gave a student discount for my daughter so we saved some 30 pesos. 😃
It will take more than 2.5 hours to get to San Juan. Once you arrive at the terminal, your next ride would be a tricycle going to Camp Laiya. It's a 24km ride so best be nice to your tricycle driver. Before heading to Camp Laiya, drop by at the Tourism Reception and pay the ecological fee of Php20 per head. They'll then give you a referral slip which you need to show at the Camp Laiya reception. Before you enter the street leading to Camp Laiya, you need to pay the vehicle transport fee of Php50 pesos. As for the tricycle driver, you can pay them Php400 for the ride. You can ask for their phone number so you can contact them when you need to go back to the bus terminal on your way home.
Things to remember
While they have a kitchen and some cooking utensils you can use, they don't have spoons, forks, plates, cups, add glasses. So you need to bring your own.
They allow pets but beware because there are also other animals that are roaming around. You need to keep a close eye on your fur babies. My daughter saw one male dog riding at the back of female dog. I explained to her that that's how dogs mate. To which she replied. "At least they have a romantic view for their marriage."
They strictly observe the quiet time at 10PM. So after that, you need fo ensure that your speakers are turned off, mics are put down, videoke time is up. This is actually one of the things I liked about Camp Laiya.
You can do stargazing at night so don't forget to bring a picnic mat or beach mat where you cab lie down to enjog viewing the night sky.
What to expect
Camp Laiya is as beachy as beach could be. There's not much people (owing to the fact that we went here on a weekday). Even then, their rooms deem to be fully booked. There are rooms that has AC but there are those that doesn't. We chose the non aircon room because we wanted to take advantage of all the feesh air. You may also pitch a tent here too. They have tent areas available for campers.
The resort doesn't have a redtaurant inside it so you'll either order from outside (you need to pat a Php70 delivery fee) or you could bring your own food. Their rooms come with kitchen utensils like pots, pans, knife, ladle, gas stove and a grill area. If you didn't bring your kwn food, it's fine. There is a mini market right outside the resort.
If you don't have snacks, you can just wait for the vendors roaming around selling puti, kakanin, buko macapuno suman, icecream on a stick, taho, and so much more. There was a vendor selling danggit as well.
There are also vendors that sell souvenirs like pearl accessories, bead accessories, fridge magnets, keychains,etc. You could also avail of the henna tattoo.
There are also activities that you can try like banana boat ride, and island hopping with a bit of snorkelling. My husband bought us snorkel masks so we did our own snorkelling just in the beachfront. There are quite a lot of interesting fish swimming about near the beach.
It was quite an adventure. I'm pretty much spent while I am writing this post. But I have the best time. My daughter fell asleep right away because she was tired with all the snorkelling and castle building she did.
Summer is about to start. If you don't know yet where to go for your summer getaway, consider Camp Laiya. It is fun and peaceful and calm and relaxing.
