Growing up with strict parents, traveling has never crossed my mind. But as I get old, I started to developed interest to almost everything I came across with. At the age of twenty-four, I experienced my first-ever overnight stay in Batangas with my friends. It opened my eye and made me realize that I've been missing a lot.
I turned twenty-five last January 23rd and as gift to myself, I decided to travel and first pick? Potipot Island. At first, we're hesistant so we decided to check some daytour package online and we got one! But it was cancelled on the last minute so we sticked with our original plan: Do-It-Yourself trip.
Potipot Island is located in Candelaria, Zambales. A five to six hour travel from Manila. It is a small island in which you can tour the whole place in one hour or less. A quiet place with crystal clear water and fine white sand, perfect for a getaway.
Travel date: January 27, 2018
How to get there:
- Ride a bus from Victory Liner going to Sta. Cruz and ask the conductor to drop you off at Brgy. Uacon's plaza. Fare is Php 450.00. Take note of the bus schedule so you can prepare ahead of time.
- If you're using a private car, you can use Waze.
In our case, we bought ticket in advance for guaranteed seats. If you travel on Friday night, expect a huge volume of passengers even on the last trip. It takes 5-6 hours of road trip and may also varies depending on stopovers.
Boat and tricycle ride:
- It can take 8-10 minutes boat ride from the shore. The fare is Php 400.00 ($8) and is good for 6 passengers.
- There will be a 5 minute tricycle ride from plaza to port. Php 15.00 per person.
The tour coordinator (who cancelled the trip) was kind enough to give us the number of her contact person; Eric, a staff from the island. Since he's on duty during that time, he told us that his boatman will accompany us instead and his name is JR. They're both friendly and accommodating. If you decided to visit the island, feel free to contact (Eric) 09305485455 and (JR) 09162565427.
Food and Cottage:
- You can bring your own food and utensils. There are stores on the island but are very limited and pricey.
- Cottage are also available though we forgot to ask for the rates.
- Free use of chairs and tables.
- Tent pitching is available.
We got the best spot in the island and took advantage of the chairs and tables. For the food, JR offered to cook for us with a service charge of Php 300.00 ($6) inclusives of utensils. We gave him a budget of Php 400.00 ($8) for breakfast and lunch since we arrived before 6am. The menu is consist of tocino and egg, grilled fish, fried eggplant, salted egg and of course, rice.
Potipot Island:
- Entrance fee for daytour is Php 100.00 ($2) and Php 300.00 ($6) for an overnight stay.
First, we toured the island for one hour only and mind you, photo ops is included. People started to arrived by 8am except for those who stayed overnight. From what we see, they're developing it further but I hope they can still preserve the peaceful ambiance of the island.
Activities:
- Swimming
- Beach Bumming
- Kayak rate is Php 300.00 ($6) per hour
- Meeting new friends
Even though we're only two, we aboslutely enjoyed our trip. What more if you're in a big group?
Here's the breakdown of our expenses (per person) :
- Bus fare, back and forth Php 900.00 ($18)
- Boat ride, Php 200.00 ($4)
- Food for breakfast and lunch, Php 350.00 ($7)
- Entrance fee, Php 100.00 ($2)
- Snacks and water from bus terminal, Php 95.00 ($1.90)
- Tricycle ride, back and forth, Php 30.00
- Kayaking, Php 150.00 ($3)
- Souvenirs, Php 100.00 ($2)
Total of Php 1,925.00 or $38.
Someone told me it's a bit expensive. Yes, I'm aware of that but I also included the "fee" of experiencing my first DIY travel so I don't mind. For sure, I'll get wiser when it comes to travelling soon.
I only had limited photos of the island mainly because I'm not planning to blog about it. But then I realized, why not?
I only had limited photos of the island mainly because I'm not planning to blog about it. But then I realized, why not?
So, I encouraged everyone to step out of their comfort zone and try something new once in a while. If you need a travel buddy, please do invite me and I'll be more than happy to join you on your next trip!
Thanks for droping by! See you soon!