A different side of Laiya, Batangas - Kabayan Resort
My family (well most of us) went on a 3D/2N beach getaway just this week -- a trip that was bound for Laiya, Batangas. Now, I've heard about the hype when it came to the well-maintained shores of Laiya, and how most resorts don't usually allow any cooking to be done within their premises. But since we were a BIG family, my cousin and I went ahead of ourselves to find that distinct resort that would accommodate both our quantity and our need to cook our own food. This was the only way that we could really save and stay within our budget. Soon enough, Kabayan Resort resurfaced from our endless google searching. And as early as February, we were already booked.
We got lost for a couple more hours on the way to Laiya (Kabayan's map was pretty confusing!?!). But we've managed to reach the resort still way ahead of schedule. And since we were only going to be allowed to check-in at 3 PM, we decided to hit the beachfront to eat our pre-packed adobo lunch. As soon as everyone ate to their hearts content, they rested a bit and went straight to hit the indoor pool.
Now, the pool would be a disappointment on our end. I actually talked to the lifeguard that was on duty that afternoon regarding the water replacement schedule. I was surprised when he said that the pool water wasn't going to be completely replaced. Only 1/4 of it will be replenished with a new supply of water and will be disinfected with chlorine. They didn't want to drain the pool since the pressure from their water source wasn't that strong, and that there were always guests swimming in the pool.
I honestly did not want to accept those reasons. Sure, putting chlorine in the pool will help disinfect the water. But if you were to look at the water, you'd probably get too disgusted to dive into it. It looked to me as if they were maintaining a pond. You could barely see the floor. The water looked thick and felt really warm.
Anyhow, the pool didn't really ruin our trip. The kids still swam but didn't entirely stay for long periods (except for the little kids). But what made up for our trip was the house that we stayed in for those 3 days -- Bahay Sampaguita.
Bahay Sampaguita housed its own living room with Cable TV and two spacious bedrooms -- each having 2 double beds and 2 additional folding beds.
Our room had a mirror, dresser tables, a fully-functioning AC unit, clothes hooks, and each a fluffy pillow and blanket.
Our house also had its own kitchen, cooking tools (pots, pans, griller), eating utensils and our very own water dispenser (which was given to us with 2 free water refills).
Now, our 1 bathroom may not look all spick-and-span. But it did provide us hot & cold water! But that's not all. Free Wifi was also available, and their connection was super strong. So that was another impressive offer from Kabayan Resort -- a feature that made up for all the other 'glitches'.
Ok, as for the beach. Well, it wasn't really that impressive. I started to assume about the other high-end resorts in Laiya, which probably has better looking shores. Kabayan's area actually had a few pieces of garbage lying from one place to another. But if I were to compare it to our previous Nasugbu trip, Kabayan's beachfront looks way better!
Other than our scary ordeal from our island hopping tour (the trip back to Laiya had us glued to our wooden seats since the angry waves wanted to tip over our boat countless times!), we were blessed to able to get back to shore safe and sound. We were only able to visit one island (we were supposed to have one more stop) since the waves were already getting angrier by the minute.
Anyhow, here's some of our photos prior to our ordeal. Thanks to Ate Sands for treating us out for this boat ride!
All in all, I would have to rate our Batangas adventure to be 3.5 out 5 stars (thanks to our Kuya for sponsoring this unforgettable trip!).
Here's to going back to Laiya and trying out their other beach resorts soon. I'm sure, there are better beach resorts nearby.
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Click here to access our Travel Expense Sheet. :)
Explore & Be Free!
Mai
23 comments
I miss Kabayan Resort! I hosted beach events there :) It's another resort perfect for big families. And yes, other Laiya beaches got better shores, but Kabayan's is not too bad. Glad you guys made it okay after that boat ride!
ReplyDeleteMukhang malabo nga ang pool. Mayroon din kaming napag swimmingan dati nadumihan kami sa pool pero nung pinapalitan namin ang tubig pinalitan namn nila. Pero gabi na 1/4 pa lang yung tubig sa pool. Di na namin inantay mapuno naligo na kami. lol!
ReplyDeleteHey Gay!! :) Happy that you stumbled on my blog..hehe! And you're right! Kabayan isn't all that bad and is truly fit for big groups/families. And I've seen far more worse shores in Batangas alone (in Nasugbu for example). I guess, I've seen far better shores (with the likes of Boracay or Camiguin), that's why I was so particular with the beach, sand, water. :/ Wish the people there (both locals and guests) would find the decency to clean up after their own mess.
ReplyDeleteMalabo po talaga! :( I asked the lifeguard yung possibility of having the pool water changed, he just said na imposible i-drain the whole thing considering na lagi raw may tao sa pool. I mean, ok sana kung at least 1/2 - 3/4 ng water eh palitan nila kasi ang unhygienic ng dating -- regardless kung gaano pa kakapal yung chlorine na nilalagay nila every night. :(
ReplyDeletethe room is really spacious at may kitchen pa! swak... pass lang ako sa swimming pool.. hihi
ReplyDeleteBeen to Laiya but only to check on a resort and not really stay there. So this one has some hits and misses but since it was sponsored, I guess that made a difference and more importantly, it's great time spent with family.
ReplyDeletethe waves look big...I bet you being adventurous would not have been so scared kung ikaw lang but you had the whole family (kids and babies included) in tow... kung ako siguro, nag rosario na...heheh. It looks like you had a good bargain for your money even though the pool looks uninviting ;)
ReplyDeleteI am not a pool person , the beach would suffice my need to relax. i feel that the place is already a good deal to have a good night out with friends and family. this is good for a treat if you are looking for a break from the busy crowd of the city . considering the distance of wow places, like el nido and boracay, this surely an ice breaker on your regular routine ... i wonder how much is the total on your post accounting trip? :D thanks for sharing ...
ReplyDeleteFor me, family trips are always fun. There will always be snags along the way, but it's what you make of the experience that matters. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen we went to Laiya last April, we were thinking of going her or in Blue Coral. We chose Blue Coral even if it's a bit expensive, tamad kasi kami magluto hahaha. And the pools are cleaner in Blue Coral. :D
ReplyDeleteWala bang hindi travel sa blog na to? hehehe (kidding) ... Gandang lugar, maganda mg pictorial dito :D hehehehe
ReplyDelete'No cooking' may not always tick with many Filipino families, economy-wise. And really, having to cook for your family on holiday can be a good bonding opportunity where everyone helps, the chatter is there, and the reward of yumminess on the table afterward. I miss the bancas.
ReplyDeleteYeah.. actually more hits than misses! :) It was a fun experience indeed. :)
ReplyDeleteOh Ate, the waves were indeed big -- and we were literally holding to the sides of the boat to anchor ourselves from being tipped over! Haaay but despite of that mishap, we certainly had a lot of fun. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a water person either.. so the pool at Laiya wasn't much of a loss for me. But if it was an infinity pool, with clean water and a great view, I would definitely jump right in! :P
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, if you're curious about the total expense for this trip, you can check out my TRAVEL EXPENSE SHEET. It's at the bottom of my post, underneath the last picture. :)
Quite true! :)
ReplyDeleteHow's the food in Blue Coral? :)
ReplyDeleteMeron, pero konti lang..hehe! And yes, pwede magpictorial.. pero there are better resorts na mas okay for picture-taking:)
ReplyDeleteAwww.. so true! Cooking has been a tradition whenever we go on vacations. We really save a lot from it. At least when my cousins cook the food, we'll also be assured of eating delish meals. :)
ReplyDeleteHehehe.. ako talaga nag-pass sa swimming pool! But the rest, house, kitchen and all.. pasok! :)
ReplyDeleteHi! Can i ask how much did you get your cottage? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCan i ask hoe much is the cottage?
ReplyDeleteHI! The cottage that we rented was priced at P12,000/night. You can access my travel expense sheet as well, if you want to know the other details of our trip. You can access that on the bottom part of the blog post. :)
ReplyDelete