Sand and Stars

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on forever, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”

White Sand Beach

Dipaculao, Aurora, Philippines

As part of my “long-weekend getaway” during the Holy Week, I came across about a photo posted on facebook from a friend who is a local in Aurora province.   I began doing research about the place and just like many of you, I learned about the things that I need to prepare, what to bring, and the biggest question, “How much is the budget needed to get there?”  It didn’t take too long for me to decide.  I made a checklist and invited two friends to come along with me in this adventure.

Glamping

Photo courtesy by Christa I. De La Cruz

This is the highlight of them all.  Although there are a lot of resorts accommodating visitors from all over the country, this is the only resort which offers GLAMPING EXPERIENCE.  When I first heard of it, I think that seems to be very interesting! It is a Glamorous Camping indeed! So I took a selfie inside the tent to give you a bit of the feel what it is like being in it.

I met the owner of the resort who happens to be a young female doctor and talked about the styles and concept of this Glamping experience.  She always wanted to make her guests feel relaxed in a peaceful beach like this.  Yes! The beach is awesome! No dirt on the beach, it is well maintained and best of all, it’s better than Boracay, that is if you are looking to stay in the “Not Crowded” beach, quiet and enjoy the summer with a little privacy.  As you can see, the colorful throw pillows, and floor pillows are everywhere so friends can strum their guitars and have a peaceful feel inside the tent.  This tent includes 2 regular single-size beds stick together that can accommodate 2-4 pax in 1 tent.  Every tent is different in style and measurements.

Glamping including breakfast costs about Php1500 (2 pax), Php1700 (3 pax), Php1900 (4 pax)   It is best to contact the very accommodating and perky Ate Merly #0917-586-6412 at least 2-3 weeks before your date of visit because the Glamping Tent can easily get sold out and they don’t accept walk-in or passers-by.  Last-hour booking is impossible.

To get to Dipaculao, Aurora you will need to take a 6-7 hour bus ride from Cubao (Genesis Transit) to get to Baler town proper and another maximum 1 hour, 30-minute bus ride to Dipaculao.  In our case, we drove all the way from Manila to Dipaculao.  We left Ortigas Center at 1:30am and we arrived in Baler at 7:00am considering that we had 2 stops, 1 in NLEX, 1 in the Mountains to enjoy the view, and we spent an hour in Baler to buy food, water and other cooking stuff that we needed during our stay.  So we finally arrived at our destination at around 9:30am.  Although we already have our reservation, the check-in time is at 1 o’clock in the afternoon.  The check-out time is at 11 o’clock in the morning.  Luckily some of the guests left early in the morning so they set-up the tent immediately and we got inside the tent at 11am.  Don’t worry it’s not hot inside the tent, they have a rechargeable portable electricfan with LED Light.

At the back of the lined-up tents, there are small dining cottages (a table and a shade) for Glampers.  Each assigned to their respective tents. In the vicinity there’s a volleyball net, you need to bring your own volleyball.  There’s a swing, some cottages with hammocks where you can rest and enjoy the sea breeze.  Don’t worry! They have electricity.  Globe telecom is not so good in this area, it took me an hour for a photo to get uploaded but definitely good for smart subscribers!   In the afternoon you can enjoy kite-flying, swimming, and barbecue.. Yum!

Whether it is high-tide or low-tide, the tide is always high in this area, most of the day the wave is also high, remember, this beach is facing the Pacific Ocean.  The powdery sand becomes golden brown in the afternoon but it is clearly white in the morning and during the mid-day.  Don’t worry about seaweeds and stony shore, you can’t find it here.  Although there is a big dark rock in the sea near the shore but it is visible anyway.

All you need is to put on your earphones, relax and enjoy the quiet day at the beach.  Wait for the sun to come down and there’s more!  Wait for the moon to come up! It’s spectacular.  I just didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the moon because I would need a high-grade lens to capture the moon-rise moment.  Also, you can fly lighted lanterns in the evening but no Bonfire on the shore, it is prohibited by the resort owner as it will leave black ashes and get mixed in the sand.

Friends and fellow travelers! As we make our travel meaningful and an unforgettable experience , always be responsible.  Take some trash bags with you, don’t throw your garbage anywhere, or left-overs, or cigarette butts in the sand or elsewhere.  There are always new visitors who also want to experience the same experience you enjoyed.  So always be responsible and love the beauty of nature! Don’t spoil it!

This has been one of the most beautiful experience this summer! Experience it too!

Please comment your questions and suggestions and will update this topic from time to time.  Happy Summer and Have Fun!

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Always endure to the fullest and take #OneStepForward to fulfilling your dreams!

UPDATE: Group of 3-4 pax
Budget per pax:
600 Gas/Bus
200 Food
100 Drinks
500 Glamping
200 Incidentals
= Php1600 / pax

Rates: (Check-in 1:00pm / Check-out 11:00am)
Php1500 Glamping with breakfast (2 pax)
Php1700 Glamping with breakfast (3 pax)
Php1900 Glamping with breakfast (4 pax)
Php2500 Airconditioned room (2-4 pax)

For reservation contact Ate Merly #0917-586-6412 or Ms. Chit #0917-805-7082