Also,
a great place to have a fun shindig with friends.
All I could remember from
the night before was me crawling to my upper bunk bed inside the cabin I shared
with fellow travel bloggers Mujee and Joel. I recalled vomiting violently on
the toilet – no thanks, to losing consistently on our little drinking game that
got a bit out of hand. Meaning: all us guys ended up wasted on the veranda
while the girls stood victorious and the last ones standing, laughing at how squandered we
look.
I woke up at the wooden floor of the porch, somehow finding my way back there after I laid down on my bed. Thing is, I found it very comfortable. I loved feeling the cool wind emanating from the open field lush with meadow grass and a thick line of trees at the edge of the resort’s property.
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| photo credit: Riza Acebuche |
If there’s a perfect place
to get drunk and wake up with a hangover – I figured the location where Crusoe Cabins situates, is the right place to rouse back to consciousness.
Throbbing head and all, I
staggered to the beach front where I caught sight of a number of different bird
species and felt my feet over the cold granules of the sand. I found rest on a
bench under a tree blossomed with red leaves. “Can’t really find any fault at this place” I once again told
myself.
You see, Crusoe Cabins
and its sister property, Aquaria Water Park –
both sitting in the same location, screams of an ideal hideaway tucked in the
long shoreline of Calatagan Beach in Batangas. It was the second and last
morning of our stay there. Suddenly feeling sober, I recalled the many fun
moments I shared with my friends which all started the moment we arrived.
First
things first, the water slides
We wasted no moment upon
our arrival at Aquaria Water Park. After hurrying up with our late lunch and
putting our stuff inside our assigned cabins, all ten of us quickly gathered at
the pool and took turns sliding at the snaking water slide. Aquaria has a
number of pools measuring from 3, 4, 5 and 6 feet. The pool where the main three-story
slide slither though is five to six feet deep.
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| photo credit: Riza Acebuche |
Riding on a tandem
inflatables, we took turns going up and sliding down to the pool like little
kids.
Sunset
Chill by the 360 Bar by the Beach
After our swimming session, we ordered some beers, cocktail drinks and sandwiches at the 360 Bar located by the beach, as we waited for the sunset – which directly sinks at the edge of the ocean across the shore of Calatagan.
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| Photo credit: Karla Around the World |
The afterglow of the sunset created a
fiery looking sky reflecting beautifully over the waters. A cue for us to shoot
portraits of us against the stunning backdrop.
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| Photo credit: Mujee Gonzales |
Bonfire Sessions ♫
Sa Ilalim ng Dilaw na Buwan ♫
Crusoe Cabins built a
small dome structure for bonfire so as not to tamper with the shore elements by the beachfront. After our first night’s dinner, we gathered here under the
Super Moon-lit night skies and sound-tripped on a few favorite songs in between
humming the overplayed ♫
Sa ilalim ng putting ilaw, sa ilalim ng dilaw na buwan ♫ song.
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| Photo credit: Mujee Gonzales |
Our bida-bida with a good cause friend Mujee, took out his brand new phone and showed us its camera’s night time capabilities by shooting portraits of each of us.
Crusoe Cabins provides two
different cabin locations: the beachfront and the garden view. They
have a total of 13 cabins that can accommodate up to 5-6 persons. Each cabin
are built in a container van type of space with a small bedroom, a living room
and a bathroom. While my other travel blogger friends transferred to a
beachfront cabin the next day, I was glad my cabin assignment remained the
same.
The cabin's veranda fronting the spacious field of meadow grass became my favorite spot in between our island hopping and swimming activities during the day, as I found the scenery very therapeutic. I even took a nap on the floor enjoying the cool breeze as the resort's resident cat lay beside me.
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| photo credit: Riza Acebuche |
During our first night we gathered at the porch of our cabin for a drinking game. Yeah, the infamous drinking session that got me and a couple of friends lying futile on the floor – and myself sending a few drunk messages to Mariane and a couple of girl friends.
Sandbar
Hopping
Don’t worry, you won’t
suffer cabin fever nor boredom while spending more than two days at Crusoe
Cabins and Aquaria. There are a few side trip options nearby so you must avail the island
hopping tour offered by the resort. Aside from a few snorkeling and dive spots,
there’s the magnificent Calatagan sandbar stretching to almost 500 meters that can be visited
less than 30 minutes from the shoreline of Calatagan.
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| Photo credit: Trip ni Marianne |
We went here the next day and just enjoyed frolicking under the sun in between strides towards both ends of the sandbar. While my other travel blogger friends video-taped themselves dancing over the fine white sands (for IG story content purposes), I opted to enjoy the crystal clear waters by swimming at the other end.
You can rent a boat from
the resort for 4000 pesos for up to 15 persons, or 400 pesos per person.
Another side-trip destination
is the EZ Museum located 10 minutes away by land from Aquaria. EZ Museum houses
memorabilia and other interesting historical and cultural items collected by
the late Enrique Zobel and his family who all hailed from the town of
Calatagan.
Over-all, it was a
pleasant experience just hanging out with old and new friends alike in a place
I have never explored before. The beaches of Calatagan have plenty to offer and
with the remote getaway vibe of Crusoe Cabins and the fun activities you can
enjoy at Aquaria Waterpark, you don’t have to find other place to spend a
lovely long weekend with your family or friends.
- Want to see more beach destinations near Metro Manila? click here
- CLICK Image to book a stay at Aquaria Waterpark and Crusoe Cabins.
