In his recent visit to Puerto Galera, Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon was truly smitten by its splendor. Welcoming him was Mayor Aristeo Atienza, Puerto Galera Advisory Council head Virgilio Balaguer and Buri Beach Resort managing director Aida Villaluz. Gordon declared that the construction of an airstrip in Puerto Galera will surely boost tourism in the province. So impressed was Gordon with Puerto Galera that he likened the place to Phuket – Thailand’s number one tourist destination.
According to Louella Jurilla, DOT regional director, "The Southern Tagalog region is positioned as a cultural, adventure and leisure destination through the construction and rehabilitation of new and existing facilities, golf courses, theme parks, view decks, historic landmarks and accommodations. The tourism industry will be heightened through a well developed road system, domestic and international ports of entry."
True enough, South East Asian Airlines (Seair) now flies to Puerto Galera via Calapan, just 30 minutes from Manila. The company – owned and operated by Iren Dornier, Nikos Gitsis and Tomas Lopez – provides domestic and international airline services which follow the highest safety standards. With the newly opened Balatero Pier, increased number of ferry services plying the Batangas-Puerto Galero route, charter flights like Subic Seaplane, Inc. (they fly passengers from Subic or Manila to Pinatubo, Puerto Galera, Palawan and even Boracay), Puerto Galera is indeed ready for tourists!
It was a pleasant 90-minute drive on the newly opened Star Toll Expressway to the port of Batangas where we left our car in the pier. Here, it was parked safe and secure for the night at a rate of P30 for the first two hours and P10 every hour thereafter. We then took a 50-minute ride aboard Buri Beach Resort’s outrigger to Puerto Galera in Mindoro, the nearest big island to Manila.
The name Puerto Galera was taken from the galleons that used the bay as a refilling station and repair area. It means Port of Galleons in English. A mountain range whose highest points are Mt. Halcon and Mt. Baco serves as a natural boundary between the two provinces that make up the island: Mindoro Oriental famous for Puerto Galera and Mindoro Occidental, also called "Marine Wonderland."
Our host, Lady Aida Villaluz, enthused that Puerto Galera’s beaches, coral reefs, dive sites and coral gardens are exquisite. There are also special interest tours being offered, such as mountain climbing, trekking, butterfly watching, game fishing and adventure trips into the wilderness. Aileen Bareng, chief tourism officer of the municipio, gave us a tour of Puerto Galera which has 134 barangays. We discovered that during the weekends, jeepney and tricycle drivers and government employees don Galeran oufits which are flowery and vibrant tropical ensembles. Puerto Galera with its zigzag roads is also called the "Little Baguio of Mindoro." Its panoramic landscapes and exotic scenery are a navigator’s haven, a place where they seek refuge in its excellent harbor.
The boat ride from Batangas to Galera was scenic, passing Maricaban and Verde islands, and the picture-perfect Muelle Bay. Privately-owned yachts are docked in the marina within the vicinity, one of them is the "Cat Baloo" sailboat of Swiss gentleman Arne Dimland.
We were encouraged to visit Alibatan island in Baco, measuring five hectares and serving as a breeding ground for seagulls and turtles. This island is also called "Target Island" because in 1946, Americans based in San Jose used this ground for their exercises. Another favorite destination is Mt. Halcon, the country’s third highest peak, a towering mountain 8,488 feet above sea level. The 423-foot Tamaraw Falls is a series of asymmetrical falls leading to the grand one, dropping to the frothy waterbed below.
The highlight of our stay was the lovely Buri Beach Resort referred to as the Amanpulo of Mindoro. Even Secretary Gordon was pleased when he visited this paradise named after a palm tree and inspired by Asia with touches of European elegance. The charming resort has six splendid villas, influenced by native architecture and design using 72 varieties of bamboo intricately woven together. International hairstylist Roger Craig helped Villaluz design the eco resort and tapped the same suppliers as the Peninsula Hotel in Manila for their crisp linens, comforters and other touches of elegance and class. The Buri Royal Suite and Orchid Royal suite feature king-sized beds with additional loft bedrooms. Garden bathrooms with spacious tub and garden shower boast breathtaking views of the ocean and gardens. Aida announced she was constructing more villas and will be offering spa services this month.
The fusion of Mediterranean-Asian cuisine here is delightful. We feasted on fillet mignon, chili prawns in garlic, chicken curry with eggplant and a smorgasbord of pasta with different sauces. For dessert, we had mango crepes with coconut sauce.
That evening, under the dramatic sky with twinkling stars, we took the Lady Aida boat to nearby Sabang for a night of bar hopping. We sampled Thai and Mexican food, different cocktails and "amaretto sour," which is a mixture of amaretto liqueur and calamansi juice blended with ice. We checked out around seven bars then walked along the sandy shore illumined by the stars above.
Next morning after breakfast, we went island hopping and diving. We discovered lovely beaches like Big La Laguna and Small La Laguna where one will find very narrow white sand beaches that sometimes disappear at high tide. The mountainous coastline of Puerto Galera, 42-kilometers long, is composed of numerous beaches like Long Beach, Halige Beach, Aninuan Beach, Talipanan Beach, and Paradise Beach. We even crossed the channel to have a hearty lunch at Eagle Point Resort in Anilao, Batangas just 35 minutes away by boat. We took a plunge in their reef pool and swam with nine black-tipped sharks. How wonderful that all these diving meccas are adjacent to one another!
At sunset, we had cocktails on the boat as we headed back for Buri. The sun, sea and wind were invigorating. The Philippines is truly blessed with nature’s finest, all we have to do is find out for ourselves.
E-mail author at Miladay@pacific.Net.Ph.