Anilao / Puerto Galera

[maat1976]

Hello SB hive mind!

I am was to travel to Bali next week, but my airline has rerouted me to Manila. I have a week booked at Buceo in Anilao for lazy diving. I have a second week I haven't booked and figure Puerto Galera would suit. Any recos on resort/ dive shop and how to get from Batangas to PG? I'm not that interested in party party.

It's all a bit last minute.

Thanks!

 

[Tippytoes12]

Like many SBoarders, we have dived both Bali and the Philippines. The Philippines is also very very good and Buceo is a great choice. The dive shop will transfer you to PG , for a priceprice...but I believe that there is a regular public ferry. The staff at Buceo are incredibly helpful and they will know exactly when this goes. Friends who dived Pg raved about Marco Vincent.

Have a great trip

 

[duncan1958]

I have travelled from Batangas twice now . As above seek the assistance from the staff at Buceo it will be easier coming from them.
The Bankas /boats go to two places on Mindoro so you need to have accommodation sorted before hand.
I have stayed and dived with two centers there.
Action divers in 2014 and still the same staff Huey knows the sites well very well run outfit Rosco the owner has been there for years. Portofino a few steps away is a nice place to stay food great ,has small kitchen in the room I was in if you want to cook in . All can be done through Action divers,they are situated at Little beach away from the hustle and bustle of the centre of Sabang which isn't much ,however get a water taxi from the main port DONT do as I did lug my dive kit all along the passage ways I was dripping wet and exhausted.
In 2015 I stayed at Big Apple resort .
Cheaper in every way.
Diving much cheaper then Action and the accommodation .
Big apple is more noisey if you want peace and quite (something that is not common in the Philippines lol ) go for a room at the far end of the complex
They have a lively bar and pool table etc which you pass through to get to the rooms.
I ate at Big Apple on both trips ,one meal good for two if you have huge appetite
Action or Apple can give you info on travelling from Batangas to Sabang

 

[Pearlman]

Hello SB hive mind!

I am was to travel to Bali next week, but my airline has rerouted me to Manila.
It's all a bit last minute.

Thanks!

A little OT but I am stumped! So how does this happen?!! The Airlines decides where you should go and vacation?

PS: I've been to PG thrice. Dived with Mermaid and later with Blue Ribbon. MM had better accommodation if you choose the pool rooms but their resort is 10 min walk off the beach, while BR fronts a restaurant right on the beach front. BR has a new ownership or partner since last year and he told me he was renovating... but I havent seen it yet and I stayed budget so you may still find the AC rooms to your liking. Nothing to fault with BR honestly except that it was my first ever international vacation stay in five years without an AC so the perception ... For a price you can get excellent accommodation in LaLaguna next door if you book the upscale rooms. They bumped up the price since I last went there so ...

Its the ferry you have to catch from Batangas to either Sabang (where the dive shops mentioned above are) or to white beach - a 20-30 min distance from Sabang. Last ferry is around 3-4pm whereabouts so you absolutely have to catch a 12-1230pm bus to Batangas from the bus station in Manila ( a flat tyre and you miss the ferry). Else private charter a ferry costing a bomb. The commute time has shortened down to 90m - 2h as a bad patch of roads have been improved.

P

 

[maat1976]

A little OT but I am stumped! So how does this happen?!! The Airlines decides where you should go and vacation?

Singapore Airlines asked if I wanted a rerouted bc of the volcano in Bali. I said yes.

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

We were in PG in May of this year. We dove with Action Divers and stayed right next door at Out of the Blue Resort. I can recommend both highly! Out of the Blue has a great restaurant. We ended up having all our meals there, no need to walk anywhere else. Rooms were beautiful too. The hotel made the arrangements for the boat from Batangas and it docked directly in front of the place, all the luggage was taken off and brought to the room. We saw lots of folks that had arrived by the public ferry, walking and dragging their baggage in search of their hotels, did not look like fun at all.....
Action Divers is great, we did 3 dives a day and made the trip to Verde Island. Really great diving in PG.

 

[Searcaigh]

A few years ago I dived with Asia Divers in PG and they arranged a banka to pick us up at Crystal Blue in Anilao and take us to PG. It all went remarkably well.

Asia Divers are really good though as are Atlantis but the compulsory all inclusive at Atlantis and their repetitive menu over a week isn't really worth it. Accommodation at El Galleon is a bit more basic but better food and the choice to eat elsewhere if you so choose, there's a good steak place called Captain Greggs I think. Had quite a few G&Ts before we went there, so I might have had the name wrong.

 

[MV Dive]

Dear Maaat76,

Kindly check out resort, Marco Vincent dive resort in based at White Beach, Puerto Galera, Our website is www.mvdive.com
I'll be happy to help you if you have any questions on the area.

Many thanks from Kris