Nilandingan Cove

If you're looking for an island that is still not commercialized, Nilandingan Cove at Cagbalete Island is the place to be. This is, without a doubt, the best choice for accommodation for a Cagbalete Island getaway!

Located 6 km from Mauban town proper and northeast towards the Pacific Ocean, Cagbalete Island measures around 1,640 hectares of mangroves, trees, long coastline of white beach, and tranquility. It is one of the best places to be for people who seek serenity and or adventure.

We booked two nights at Nilandingan Cove. Here's the breakdown of the accommodation:

Branded tent (4 pax): Php 1,000/night

Cottage (4-6 pax): Php 3,000/night 

STAFF/SERVICE

The staff, and I mean every single one of them, ooze with quality service and warm hospitality! They have really fast service, and a friendly staff. They were really helpful, especially whenever we were trying to start a fire to cook our meals, one of the Kuyas, Kuya Jun, would always come to the rescue to help us. The girl manning the resort's hotline was really nice and very helpful as well. She answered all of our questions and even gave us suggestions, and the contact details for boat transfers.

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed here for 2 nights with one night at a tent and one night at a cottage. The tents were branded and were really comfortable to sleep in! They already provided the pillows and the mattresses. I couldn't imagine a more amazing first time camping experience than the one night I had at this place. You can also choose the spot in the resort where you want them to set up your tent.

Tent for 4 pax

For our next night, we had a really comfortable stay at the cottage as well. One of the differences between the two accommodations is that with tents, you use the common bathroom, which was really well tended to, and with loads of water. While with the cottage, you have your private bathroom located at the back of the cottage that only you and your company can use. Another difference is that there's no electricity available for guests staying at the tents, but is available from 6pm to 530am for guests staying at the cottages. You can, however, plug your devices at the main house for 150 pesos per full charge of a gadget.

Sala/Dining area

Bedroom

The cottage we stayed in can accommodate 6 pax, having a huge wooden double deck and a hidden bunk bed on top of the doorway. It also has its own sala/dining area with a sink on one side, and one small electric fan inside the bedroom. The room smells really nice the first time we entered it. The pillows and mattresses were soft and comfortable to sleep in. But the windows don't have screens to protect you from mosquitoes at night as opposed to the screened tents without electric fan. Still, I had sound sleep for both accommodations.

Cottage with Private Bathroom

AMENITIES

Path to the Beach

During our first day, we didn't avail a food package because we wanted to really achieve 'camping feels,' so we cooked our lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day at their kitchen available for use by guests, using only the sinaunang lutuan (by uling/charcoal). They also allow guests to borrow kitchen utensils and tableware. All you have to do is go to the main house and ask for whatever you need. Just make sure that you return them washed clean after use. There are many spots at the resort where you could eat your meals, so don't fret because those staying at the cottages have their own tables and chairs for their own use.

Kitchen

They have lots of cabanas where you could lounge or eat your meals. The staff makes sure that the tables are clean for use by the guests by routinely cleaning the tables and the resort area. They also have a resort store where you could buy toiletries, snacks, and rent sports equipment like volleyball ball, frisbee, etc.

Covered Picnic Tables

FOOD PACKAGE

For our second to third days, we availed a food package (set B) with 2 dishes (meat/seafood and veggies), which was good for 3-5 pax for only 850 pesos/pax. The food was simply cooked but really delicious. They would send you a copy of the proposed menu, and you would have to choose your entrees and then send it back to them. Here's our menu for 2 days:

Lunch: grilled fish, ginataang sitaw at kalabasa, rice, juice

Lunch

PM snack: kamote que

PM Snack

Dinner: Bicol express,  tortang talong, rice, juice

Breakfast: Longganizzang Lucban, fried rice, scrambled eggs, coffee

Breakfast

 AM snack: pancit habhab 

ACTIVITIES

Beach hammock and bench

The place is very private, and peaceful. You could do a lot of things by yourself by the beach sitting on the sand or lounging by the beach benches/hammocks under the shade of the trees. You could meditate, reflect, read a good book, eat, watch the soft crash of the small waves by the shore, or just chat the hours away with somebody. 

Sunrise

There are also loads of sizzling activities you could do aside from having 'me time' or swimming. You could visit the Magic tree, the mangroves, or swim at nature's own version of a Jacuzzi during low tide. You could also ask one of the island kids to be your tour guide to see the Nakahigang Balete Tree, Lambanugan, or the fiddler crabs! Just don't forget to give the kids tips afterwards. You could also do island hopping, sagwan de banca, play volleyball or frisbee, or fish by the mangroves for a (rental) fee. One of the most amazing things we did at Nilandingan Cove was to watch the sun and the moon rise twice from the far horizon right in front of the resort! For more information on such activities, check out: Things to do in Nilandingan Cove.

Nature's Jacuzzi

VALUE

For only 3,000 pesos (including the boat transfers to and from Nilandingan cove, accommodations, food package, groceries for food), I had a sizzling summer escapade at Cagbalete Island! This place is a must for those wanting a quiet time either alone, with friends, family, or workmates. Since it is secluded from the other resorts, you can rest assured that you are 100% safe and that you won't have to experience having your things stolen because almost everyone there knows everybody. Even the owners were really friendly, they chatted with us a lot of times during our stay. They are genuinely really nice people, if I might say.

LOCATION

The only downside is that it is the resort located farthest from Sabang port. So if you're traveling via the passenger boat from Mauban port, you have to trek through the island for around 45min - 1hr depending on your pace. This, I highly discourage for you to do if you have loads of things with you (especially for solid campers who will bring their own tent, equipment, etc) especially since the path is rough and swampy and really shady. I believe that it is still more practical to avail a private boat for transfers to and from the resort to save time, and effort. Although the resort doesn't have their own boats for rent for transfers, they did gave us a number of one of their trusted boatmen, Kuya Maximo. He was really nice and polite. He also offered us island hopping, which we availed for only 1,200 pesos. Here's his contact number: 09087172962.

Here's the breakdown of all my expenses for this trip:

1) JAC Liner air-conditioned bus fare (MNL <-> Lucena Grand Terminal): 209.50 pesos/pax x 2 = 419 pesos/pax

2) NCR Rienton Bus Liner ordinary bus fare (LGT <-> Mauban): 54 pesos/pax x 2 = 108 pesos/pax

3) Round trip boat transfers: 2500 pesos for 4 pax = 625 pesos/pax
4) Accommodation: 4,000 pesos for 4 pax = 1,000 pesos/pax
5) Food package: 2550 for 4 pax = 637.5 pesos/pax
6) Groceries: 627 pesos/4 = 156.75 pesos/pax
7) Tourism Office: 50 pesos/pax

TOTAL = 2,996.25 pesos/pax

To be sure, bring around 3500 pesos for your budget, and you're good to go! All in all, it was a great sizzling summer escape!! And I'd really love to go back if given a chance!

For more information on this resort, visit their website at Nilandingan Cove or like them on Facebook.

Things to do in Nilandingan Cove

Aside from lounging by the beach, enjoying and spending your own 'me time' with however you like, there are lots of other activities you can do at Nilandingan Cove.

Beach hammock

For free:

SWIM or JACUZZI

Nature's Jacuzzi

 At high tide, you can just sit by the beach while enjoying the sometimes warm or lukewarm temperature of the water. It's nice to soak yourself while massaging your tired feet or muscles.

During low tide, the water recedes very far out to the sea revealing craters of nature's very own version of a Jacuzzi. The clear water is lukewarm resembling that of a Jacuzzi.

MAGIC TREE and MANGROVES

The Magic Tree

At low tide, on the far right side of the beach front is a line of mangrove trees. And a little off that bunch is a loner tree which they call the Magic Tree. Visit this tree for some magic feel.

Mangroves

SUNRISE AND MOONRISE

Sunrise

 Want to see one of God's greatest creations? The resort has the best spot to catch the sunrise and the moon rise from the far horizon right in front of the resort. Oh, what a sight to see.

Moon Rise

MOON WALK

Moon Walk

 During low tide, to the left and a little far off from the resort is a row of mangrove trees bordered by a muddy area with small rock formations that somewhat make you feel like you're walking on the moon.


For a fee:

DE SAGWAN BANCA

Rent a boat and paddle around the vicinity alone or with a friend or two for only 100 pesos per hour. Synchronize your paddling moves!

SPORTS: VOLLEYBALL, FRISBEE

Rent a volleyball ball or a Frisbee and get physical by the beach! You can rent the sports equipment from the Resort Store or at the Main House. Each is priced 50 pesos per hour.

WHOLE BODY MASSAGE

The resort also has their own massage therapist. So why not further pamper yourself and let's get those tight muscles as relaxed as possible! It is priced 300 pesos per hour.

ISLAND HOPPING

Island Hopping

The resort doesn't have their own boats for rent for island hopping, but they can recommend a boatman with whom you could negotiate with. They gave us the number of Mang Maximo, who was our boatman to ferry us from and to Mauban Port. He offered us a 3-hour island hopping for our next day, and we settled for 1200 pesos for 4 pax. We went to the other side of the island to explore the Secret Mangrove Beach with its bluish-green but only knee-waist high water with fine white sand. And then, we went a little off the same beach to go snorkeling and explore different colors of star fishes.

For free but with a tour guide (ask one of the kids playing around and they would be more than willing to tour you around, they don't charge a fee, but it is customary that you give them tips afterwards no matter how much):

NAKAHIGANG BALETE TREE TOUR

Some 5 minute-walk from and at the back of the resort is a huge reclining balete tree that would give you the chills.

FIDDLER CRABS

Fiddler Crab

 Be astonished by small fiddler crabs with only one large claw, and with different colors! They have red, blue, white and yellow kinds. Have the kids catch some for you to see them up close and personal. The spot is about 10-15 minutes from the resort.

Path to Fiddler Crabs

LAMBANUGAN

Have you ever had a sip (or shot) of pure lambanog before? This one's even better! Watch and learn how they make pure lambanog at the resort's lambanugan, which is around 10-15 minutes from the resort. They even offer free tasting! One 2 L bottle is worth 100 pesos.

For more information about their activities, visit Nilandingan Cove's website.

Cagbalete Island

Summer is here! And what better way to 'beat the May Weather?' Lounge by the beach or be soaked by the waves!

Hiking, camping, or long drives are the thing now. Hiking's a bit pricey and requires some kind of preparation physically, so I had to cross that out of the list. Meanwhile, with long drives, I actually need a vehicle for that, so put an 'x' mark on that, too. What remains? Camping!! I'm all out going 'gadgets off,' social media and electricity out, and going back to the good ol' ways of cooking food using fire and stuff like that.

So off we went to Cagbalete Island! This island is located 6 km from Mauban town proper and northeast towards the Pacific Ocean. Measuring around 1,640 hectares of mangroves, trees, long coastline of white beach, and tranquility, this island is one of the best places to be for people who seek serenity and or adventure.

Cagbalete Island from afar

Getting There:

MNL to LUCENA

Ride a bus at JAC Liner Buendia Station bound for Lucena Grand Terminal. The buses there leave at an hourly schedule, so no need to worry about being left behind by the bus. The first bus leaves at 2 am. Each regular one-way ticket is priced 209.50 pesos. The ride lasts for about 3-4 hours. During our trip, it was Pacman's fight against Mayweather, so the road was literally ours. We took off from Buendia at around 530 am, and were already at LGT at around 830 am.

From MNL, you will pass through the following towns and 2 cities: Sto. Tomas - Batangas, Alaminos - Laguna, San Pablo City, Tiaong, Candelaria, Sariaya, and Lucena City.

LUCENA to MAUBAN

Upon arrival at LGT, board an NCR Rienton Liner bus bound for Mauban. Each one-way ticket is priced 54 pesos. The ride lasts for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Tell the conductor to drop you off where you can ride a tricycle towards the tourism office. Or if you're too shy to ask, you could just get off at the station since the tricycle ride is still 10 pesos per person anywhere at Mauban.

Or you could ride a bus that goes straight to Mauban from Buendia Station, which is only every 12 nn, or from JAC Liner Cubao Station, which has 2 trips per day: 5 am, and 12 mn.

There are also air-conditioned vans available at SM City Lucena and Metro Gaisano, Lucena City, which arrive faster at Mauban than the buses which have multiple stops to pick up or drop off passengers along the way.

TOURISM OFFICE REGISTRATION

Upon arrival at Mauban bus station, ride a tricycle or walk towards the Tourism Office which is located by the bay. You have to register at the tourism office before you go to the island. Registration is 50 pesos per person, for the environmental fee. It is also where you would pay for a ticket and wait for the passenger boat bound for the island.

After registering at the office, you could walk along the bay towards the port where you'll ride the boat. You will, and thus can pass by, the wet market to buy food and other stuff. We bought food there since we're going to cook our lunch and dinner for the 1st day, and breakfast for the 2nd day.

MAUBAN PORT TO SABANG PORT 

At the port, lots of people would want to try to assist you in carrying your things towards the boat. They would just ask for a tip afterwards, and it's up to you how much you're going to give.

The passenger boat that travels from Mauban port to Sabang port only has 2 trips per day: at 10 am, and at 4 pm. Although this schedule is not usually followed because the boat leaves earlier when it's already full, so better be there at least 1 hour earlier than the schedule. The one-way ticket is priced at 50 pesos per person. The boat leaves Sabang port each day at around 7 am and 1 pm.

For private boats, for 4-6 pax, it's priced at 1500 for one-way ride, and 2500 for round-trip. Check out their standard rates, which depend on the number of persons boarding the boat, at the tourism office.

SABANG PORT TO RESORT

Unfortunately, since there are no other form of transportation inside the island, after you are dropped off at Sabang Port, you have to trek towards your resort. See the map below for the information on the distance from the Port.

Island Map

Peripheral distance from:
a. Sabang port to Green View: 250 m
b. Green View to Pansacola: 880 m
c. Pansacola to Dona Choleng: 1.4 km
d. Dona Choleng to Villa Noe: 250 m
e. Villa Noe to Joven's: 350 m
f. Joven's to Villa Cleofas: 244 m
g. Villa Cleofas to MTV: 1.7 km
h. MTV to Nilandingan: 550 m

We booked 2 nights worth of accommodation at Nilandingan Cove, which is actually the resort that is located farthest from the port, and would take you 30-45 minutes to trek, depending on your pace. We opted to take a private boat which would take us from Mauban port straight to Nilandingan Cove, and vice versa, because it is more practical than to take the passenger boat and trek to the resort. The pros would be: you don't have to rush to catch the passenger boat, and you don't have to trek within the island. Take note: there are no paved roads inside the island, there's just a path that you would follow, which sometimes include swampy areas, or mostly surrounded by thick bushes of plants and trees. Con: for a price, which is actually still relatively small since the boat fee will be divided among you.

The boat ride from Mauban port to Sabang port usually lasts for 45 minutes to 1 hour depening on how rough is the sea. We took off from Mauban port at around 930 am and arrived at Nilandingan Cove at around 1130 am.

AT THE RESORT: FINALLY!

 The sun was already high up the sky, and it was low tide. So, upon arrival near the cove, we had to walk from the boat through the below-the-knee high water to the resort. Don't fret! The welcome by the staff was as warm as the weather! We were greeted by the owners of the resort themselves, with matching refreshing drinks.

Now, it's time to relax, and enjoy the beach life!

For more information, visit Mauban's Tourism Site.