I had known about Burot Beach,  way back in 2008 when my former office mates spent a summer getaway here. I was on another occasion so I missed a generous amount of opportunity to spend a quiet weekend getaway in a place, devoid of a crowd and to where sunset offers an obstructed view of a breathtaking sea. This is formerly Elizalde Beach owned by an affluent family, the Elizaldes.

It’s not too late yet. For Pao’s 18th birthday, we chose to celebrate my son’s special day in this resort. And so, the traditional family getaway hits the beach again. It’s swimming time. Yahoooo!!!

Coming from Pasay City by 4:00 am (with our reliable van service Jean Grey) we reached Calatagan Market by 7:39 am. We bought 5-gallon mineral water, banana, and mango. With the help of asking a local and the use of Waze apps, we reached the first entrance of the resort.

We paid P10/head to the security guard with the accompanying waiver form. We went ahead and passed by a much remote place, with small bodies of water beside an unpaved road dotted with several mangroves. Later, we were at the main entrance and were greeted by another security guard who collected the entrance fee. P65.00/head for the day tour.

We parked our van in the wide parking space and were surprised to see lots of tents pitched near the shoreline. Woah! It’s not summer yet but the beach had lots of bathers spread out in the water.

There were still available cottages and tables near the beachfront but the Bahay Kubo sitted in a bamboo raft caught much of our excitement. Seemed like it was reserved for us. When we asked the caretaker if it is still available, yes it was! Yehey! Rate – P1,500 but we haggled it to P1,200.

Right away, we were so thrilled to get our stuff from our van and went excitedly to our cute shelter for the day. But since the tide had receded, we can’t float in the water, we only stayed on the shore. Anyway, it was just fine for we found the safest spot to guard our young buddies who started wading in the water.

Swimming time!

A moment later, we explored the area with my hubby and son. The beige sand had a semi-fine texture. We went to the iconic part of Burot Beach, the former breakwater which had a restricted area. It was so nice to see small fishes here and the water was much clearer.

Then we went to another side of the resort with the kids on our backs. The water was shallow and calm so instead of walking by land, we traversed into the water, got away from the crowd, and went atop a big rock. From there we looked at the boundless sky above and the seas that restlessly aspires. The view was outstanding albeit the crowd.

We settled down for a hearty lunch and took several minutes of rest after.

Island Hopping

By 2:00 pm, we went to Islang Puting Buhangin, just a 5-minute boat ride to a beautiful sand bar. Unfortunately, the tide had engulfed the entire sand bar the time we hopped in. The sand was grainy and so the water was clear. We had fun frolicking in the shallow water. Swimming took us almost two hours before we headed to the Starfish and coral areas.

Thanks to our boatman Leander for patiently waiting for us in our water fun. We were told that the standard time for island hopping is only one hour and thirty minutes to accommodate other guests. But in his case, he waited until we raised our heads up, tired of looking at the starfish, corals, and long spine sea urchins. We gave him a tip of Php100.

We went back in front of our cute shelter and there we spent the remaining hours swimming immensely in the water.

It was almost 5:30 pm when we packed up. Surprisingly, Burot Beach had less crowd now. It was then I appreciated more the beauty of this resort. Something peaceful came over me looking at the calm water. It would be best to stay and camp overnight to enjoy fully a beach solitude.

There is always a next time. And I hope this private property owned by SM Group of Companies is still open to the public when we get back.

How to get to Burot Beach:

Via Public Transportation: Take a bus ride with signboard Calatagan (Cely Rosa) at the back of Sogo Hotel in Pasay Rotonda (near MRT EDSA Station) then alight at Calatagan Market. Aircon bus-Php160, ordinary-Php140. Board a tricycle (150 for 3 persons) going to the resort. Travel time may take 3 to 4 hours.

Or you may take a van ride at the back of Kabayan Hotel near Metropoint, EDSA Taft LRT Station, Pasay City. (P180). The first trip is at 4:30 am.

Via Private Car:

Head straight to Tagaytay via Aguinaldo Highway going to Nasugbu. From there, take the road to Lian. You will pass by the Central Azucarera Don Pedro Sugar Intersection then go to Calatagan town market. From there, ask a local how to go there. There are signs that will bring you to the resort. Waze apps is of great help.

Rates:

• Entrance fee – Php65 – daytour / Php130 – night stay – applies to all ages
• Open table – Php300 / Small cottage – Php500 / Big cottage – P800
• Tent rental – Php200 for 3 persons / Php400 for 4 perons
• Tent pitching – Php50
• Bahay Kubo in a bamboo raft – Php1,500
• Torch with kerosene – Php100
• Comfort room – Php10
• Boat rental to Puting Islang Buhangin – Php130/head

Notes:

• There’s no posh facility in the resort.
• There’s no decent comfort room. They have the closed one and the other has a detachable bamboo door which is not advisable for girls.
• If you are planning to camp/stay for the night, bring all necessary provisions, food, water, camping utensils, etc.
• No electricity. Bring a rechargeable light, flashlight, or headlight. But there’s a torch for sale in the sari-sari store which costs P100 with kerosene.
• No convenience store, only one sari sari store that sells basic goodies like biscuits, coffee 3-in-1 sachets, shampoos, soap, and soft drinks.
• The best time to visit the resort is on weekdays.
• Bawal ang maarte sa resort.

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