Laiya, Batangas Review
White sands and blue waters of Laiya Beach
Saan aabot ang Php500 mo?
Basic Expenses:
Php 188 Bus from Cubao to San Juan Batangas
Php 40 Jeep from San Juan to Laiya
Php 40 Jeep from Laiya to San Juan
Php 188 Bus from San Juan to Cubao
You can bring your own food, pitch your own tent, or choose from a wide variety of accommodation from the cheapest ones to the luxury ones
THE BEACH
One of the closest beaches to Manila, and one of the closest white beaches to Manila, Laiya is a place you can go to even if you only have a day or two off of your work week. It is located in the province of Batangas which is known for it's many well-known beaches such as those in Calatagan, Nasugbu, and Masasa Beach in Tingloy Island, as well as Forturne Island. Although the beach is considerably fair, but not as fair and fine as Boracay, Calaguas, or Cagbalete, what's good about Laiya is that the transportation costs and accommodation costs are much less. The hassle and effort going to Laiya are also much less than opting for other well known beaches.
Technically, the beach sand is not white, it's perhaps light gray. Under the sun, it would look fair and will pass being a white beach. The sand turns into a darker shade of gray when wet. Other white beaches like Boracay, Cagbalete, Calaguas, or Caramoan has white sands that are still fair even when wet.
As you can see from the photo on the lower left corner, the sand is made of white, cream, and black colored granules. The grain size of the sand is perhaps as big as rock salt, or a bit bigger. So don't expect powdery white sands here. Additionally, since the grain size is big, they don't compress together to make a compact ground. It's coarse and loose and your foot will sink while walking, making it difficult to walk across the stretch of the beach. On the other hand, fine sands will compact together making it easy for us to walk over it. I still like it- every beach has their own charm.
The water is what I liked best. It's super clear. We arrived when the sun has already set, and even with just the moonlight we can see what's under the water. Aside from the clarity of the water, the waves are also very calm. The water is not itchy at all, not that salty, and not too painful to the eyes.
Laiya is perfect for a family outing because it's easy to reach and the waves are calm so children are safe. However if you're looking for adventure, an Instagram perfect beach, and fine white sands, Laiya may not be the best option.
THE RESORT - Les Caraibes
Les Caraibes, the name of the resort, translated from French means The Caribbean.
Upon reaching the heart of Laiya, you'll see a huge poster with the picture of all the resorts and directions how to get to them. Les Caraibes is a simple and serene resort with very friendly staff.
We initially opted for the famous La Luz beach resort, however we were not able to contact them after numerous attempts and we realized that they are more expensive. We opted for Les Caraibes, and in 1 ring we got an answer. We were quoted a cheap price. We are even able to bring in foods without corkage.
There are lots of stores outside the resort that are open 24/7. We were able to go out at midnight to buy some snacks and drinks to satisfy our cravings, and get our self drunk to sleep.
Our room, the Barbados room
We reached the resort night time. We left Cubao by past 11AM through an Alps Bus. The bus ride took surprisingly long as we arrived in San Juan, Batangas past 4PM. We ate and rested for a while after the exhausting bus ride. We rode a jeep that goes to Laiya, the fare costs 40Php. It was around 6PM when we arrived at Les Caraibes. We were greeted by manong and escorted us to the office where we chose our room. We were looking for a cost-effetive room for two. We were offered the Barbados air-conditioned room with TV for only 2,400Php and I thought it would be small and ugly as the price is the cheapest in the resort, and much cheaper compared to the other resorts.
I was surprised to see a big room, with four double-decked beds which could accommodate a large family. There is also a television that has cable and there is also wifi which has a reasonable speeds, actually faster than my wifi here at the city! LOL!
The Room with earth tone themes, and beds made out of Bamboo
The restroom is clean and pleasing to the eyes because of the earth tone themes. The shower and faucets are working. The flush is also working.
The restroom also on earth tone themes, is clean and not first-class but sufficient
The resort facade as you can see on the photos below is simple. There are lots of trees within the resort which will shade you from the sun while roaming around. Of course on the beach there are no trees and that's where you can enjoy the sun. There is also a mini bar and resto at the center of the resort. There are mini gardens of landscaped sections everywhere. Over all, the resort is very simple, serene, quiet- a place that is perfect for relaxation, where you can forget work and the hassle and bustle of Manila.
How to get there:
Go to Cubao bus station of Alps Bus. Hop in to a bus that goes to San Juan Batangas. The Fare is Php188. The bus will stop at their terminal in San Juan. From there you can go to the market where you can ride a jeep to Laiya. Just ask some people for directions going to the Market, it's very near and easy to reach. Once on the jeep, just tell them you're going to Laiya, the fare is 40Php. At the far end of the road is the heart of Laiya where all the resorts are. You can just walk from there to your resort.
Going back to Manila from Laiya, you have to ride a tricycle to the Market, as jeeps are rare. I forgot the price of the tricycle ride to the market but it's less than 100Php I'm sure. From the market, ride the Alps bus to Cubao.
Verdict:
A place that I really enjoyed and would love to go back to.
Five out of five stars for accessibility and proximity to Manila
Five out of five stars for the cost of transportation and accommodation
The and a half for the beach itself
Saan aabot ang Php500 mo?
Basic Expenses:
Php 188 Bus from Cubao to San Juan Batangas
Php 40 Jeep from San Juan to Laiya
Php 40 Jeep from Laiya to San Juan
Php 188 Bus from San Juan to Cubao
You can bring your own food, pitch your own tent, or choose from a wide variety of accommodation from the cheapest ones to the luxury ones
THE BEACH
One of the closest beaches to Manila, and one of the closest white beaches to Manila, Laiya is a place you can go to even if you only have a day or two off of your work week. It is located in the province of Batangas which is known for it's many well-known beaches such as those in Calatagan, Nasugbu, and Masasa Beach in Tingloy Island, as well as Forturne Island. Although the beach is considerably fair, but not as fair and fine as Boracay, Calaguas, or Cagbalete, what's good about Laiya is that the transportation costs and accommodation costs are much less. The hassle and effort going to Laiya are also much less than opting for other well known beaches.
Technically, the beach sand is not white, it's perhaps light gray. Under the sun, it would look fair and will pass being a white beach. The sand turns into a darker shade of gray when wet. Other white beaches like Boracay, Cagbalete, Calaguas, or Caramoan has white sands that are still fair even when wet.
As you can see from the photo on the lower left corner, the sand is made of white, cream, and black colored granules. The grain size of the sand is perhaps as big as rock salt, or a bit bigger. So don't expect powdery white sands here. Additionally, since the grain size is big, they don't compress together to make a compact ground. It's coarse and loose and your foot will sink while walking, making it difficult to walk across the stretch of the beach. On the other hand, fine sands will compact together making it easy for us to walk over it. I still like it- every beach has their own charm.
The water is what I liked best. It's super clear. We arrived when the sun has already set, and even with just the moonlight we can see what's under the water. Aside from the clarity of the water, the waves are also very calm. The water is not itchy at all, not that salty, and not too painful to the eyes.
Laiya is perfect for a family outing because it's easy to reach and the waves are calm so children are safe. However if you're looking for adventure, an Instagram perfect beach, and fine white sands, Laiya may not be the best option.
THE RESORT - Les Caraibes
Les Caraibes, the name of the resort, translated from French means The Caribbean.
Upon reaching the heart of Laiya, you'll see a huge poster with the picture of all the resorts and directions how to get to them. Les Caraibes is a simple and serene resort with very friendly staff.
We initially opted for the famous La Luz beach resort, however we were not able to contact them after numerous attempts and we realized that they are more expensive. We opted for Les Caraibes, and in 1 ring we got an answer. We were quoted a cheap price. We are even able to bring in foods without corkage.
There are lots of stores outside the resort that are open 24/7. We were able to go out at midnight to buy some snacks and drinks to satisfy our cravings, and get our self drunk to sleep.
Our room, the Barbados room
We reached the resort night time. We left Cubao by past 11AM through an Alps Bus. The bus ride took surprisingly long as we arrived in San Juan, Batangas past 4PM. We ate and rested for a while after the exhausting bus ride. We rode a jeep that goes to Laiya, the fare costs 40Php. It was around 6PM when we arrived at Les Caraibes. We were greeted by manong and escorted us to the office where we chose our room. We were looking for a cost-effetive room for two. We were offered the Barbados air-conditioned room with TV for only 2,400Php and I thought it would be small and ugly as the price is the cheapest in the resort, and much cheaper compared to the other resorts.
I was surprised to see a big room, with four double-decked beds which could accommodate a large family. There is also a television that has cable and there is also wifi which has a reasonable speeds, actually faster than my wifi here at the city! LOL!
The Room with earth tone themes, and beds made out of Bamboo
The restroom is clean and pleasing to the eyes because of the earth tone themes. The shower and faucets are working. The flush is also working.
The restroom also on earth tone themes, is clean and not first-class but sufficient
The resort facade as you can see on the photos below is simple. There are lots of trees within the resort which will shade you from the sun while roaming around. Of course on the beach there are no trees and that's where you can enjoy the sun. There is also a mini bar and resto at the center of the resort. There are mini gardens of landscaped sections everywhere. Over all, the resort is very simple, serene, quiet- a place that is perfect for relaxation, where you can forget work and the hassle and bustle of Manila.
How to get there:
Go to Cubao bus station of Alps Bus. Hop in to a bus that goes to San Juan Batangas. The Fare is Php188. The bus will stop at their terminal in San Juan. From there you can go to the market where you can ride a jeep to Laiya. Just ask some people for directions going to the Market, it's very near and easy to reach. Once on the jeep, just tell them you're going to Laiya, the fare is 40Php. At the far end of the road is the heart of Laiya where all the resorts are. You can just walk from there to your resort.
Going back to Manila from Laiya, you have to ride a tricycle to the Market, as jeeps are rare. I forgot the price of the tricycle ride to the market but it's less than 100Php I'm sure. From the market, ride the Alps bus to Cubao.
Verdict:
A place that I really enjoyed and would love to go back to.
Five out of five stars for accessibility and proximity to Manila
Five out of five stars for the cost of transportation and accommodation
The and a half for the beach itself
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