First Time in Puerto Galera

“Finally!” The first word that came out of my mouth when we reached the town of Puerto Galera; not because of the exhausting travel that we had from Manila but an expression of fulfillment that at last I had set my foot on this place. Despite of its proximity to the city, I really haven’t had the chance to visit the place in the past because whenever I invite my friends to go with me, most of them will say “There’s no more pleasing about Puerto Galera,” “It’s crowded, you’re not going to enjoy it,” or “You’ve been to several places already, you’ll be disappointed.” However, from the back of my mind I asked, “Really?”
But my yearning to visit Puerto Galera had finally come true when me together with some of my officemates went one weekend. I’ve learned that they haven’t been to that destination as well making it so perfect for us to visit it altogether.

Puerto Galera is a town situated in the province of Oriental Mindoro. It is one of the most famous places in the country to visit during summer because of its nearness. 3 to 4 hours land and sea travel from Manila can reach it. Batangas Port is its main gateway; in which one has to take an hour ferryboat in reaching the town. The Puerto Galera Ferry is available daily from 6:30 AM till 5:00 PM.

Puerto Galera has several beaches for tourists to visit. These beaches have separate feel and activity level. Sabang Beach and White Beach are the most popular of them all making it very crowded especially during summer. However, if you’re a person who enjoys the beach with less people, then Tamaraw Beach and Talipanan Beach are for you.

Accommodation is not a problem when visiting Puerto Galera as there are several properties to choose from. The island has hotels and lodgings priced from the most expensive to the most affordable one. If you want to stay longer, or if you are a big group, it might be more practical to rent an apartment instead. You can find such properties for rent online in websites like Lamudi.


We stayed in Bamboo House Beach Lodge in Talipanan Beach. We opted to stay on this part of the island, not just because of being less crowded but because the beach seems more pleasing on this area. We reserved our room directly from the resort but guests can also book through this link.


It was late afternoon when we were able to get to the resort. We had our lunch at the nearby restaurant, Luca Cucina Italia. Afterwards, we prepared our things for a quick swim before sunset.


At nighttime, we visited White Beach and checked out what’s the craze all about on this famous nightlife spot of Puerto Galera. The shoreline is lined up of bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. There were fire dancers on the shore performing a free show. These fire dancers are somehow became a trademark of this island. People flock to these dancers to have a picture with them (of course for a fee).

After strolling along the shore, we then settled somewhere for a place to eat. We had our dinner in one of the restaurants at the far end side of the beach. It was jam packed of diners but fortunately we were able to secure seats a few minutes after.

After having our dinner, we checked out the bars as well. Most of them perform comedy shows making the beach area very lively and comic. We settled in Mikko’s Bar and watched the comedic plays that we had truly enjoyed. I liked how the performers make fun of the songs and sing it as if they are really singing it.

It was the next day that I was able to appreciate more the simplicity and beauty of Talipanan Beach. We had snorkelling and kayaking. I also went cliff / rock jumping but sadly I wasn’t able to capture it as there was no one to take a picture of me. Nevertheless, it was such a great thing that surprisingly I had experienced in Puerto Galera.

Puerto Galera is also known to its underwater world. The surrounding waters are well known for numerous scuba diving spots.

Contrary to most people say about the place, I find Puerto Galera a nice beach destination to visit. It isn’t bad at all.

My first time in Puerto Galera didn’t disappoint me. Though it was just a quick one, I really had fun. I enjoyed spending a weekend on this famed beach site. Truly, our short visit was enough to ease the summer heat and satisfy my longing of visiting this famous summer destination.

Now I can proudly say, I’m not a Puerto Galera virgin anymore!

**********

Bamboo House Beach Lodge
Talipanan, Puerto Galera
Oriental Mindoro
Mobile #: +63917 872 7011
Email: bamboohousebeach@gmail.com
www.bamboohousebeach.com

6 Responses

  1. Makapunta nga dito. Nakakahiya at nauna ko pang bisitahin ang malalayong probinsya! hahaha! :))

  2. Makapunta nga dito. Nakakahiya at nauna ko pang bisitahin ang malalayong probinsya! hahaha! :))

  3. marxtermind says:

    Hi, Ron! Thanks for visiting my blog. It's nice to see that you are promoting the tourism in Puerto Galera. I haven't thoroughly explored the island and I hope I can when I come back.

  4. marxtermind says:

    Hi, Ron! Thanks for visiting my blog. It's nice to see that you are promoting the tourism in Puerto Galera. I haven't thoroughly explored the island and I hope I can when I come back.

  5. I came to PG from Toronto Canada, a bit further than Manila, it was for a one month vacation, that was three years ago still here. Check out http://www.puertogaleratourism.com I own it, your comments are most welcome

  6. I came to PG from Toronto Canada, a bit further than Manila, it was for a one month vacation, that was three years ago still here. Check out http://www.puertogaleratourism.com I own it, your comments are most welcome

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