Hamilo Coast Beach and Country Club (Pico de Loro)

Hamilo Coast is one of the 13 coves owned and developed by Manila South Coast Development Corporation in Nasugbu, Batangas. The whole resort is more than 1000 hectares and is the closest residential beach resort from Manila by water. 

It may also be reached via land via Ternate or Tagaytay.

It is approximately 10 miles away from the famous Punta Fuego.

There are four condo clusters and two of my favorite spots are the beach club and the country club.

The country club has big and small pools with a salt water lagoon just adjacent to them.

The view is simply captivating.

For water sports fanatics like me, you will love the beach club area.

The other 12 coves are still under construction planning and will not be available soon.

Revisiting Cagayan Valley: Piat and Iguig

After our visit to the town of the Mamba's, we headed to the next town to visit the miraculous Virgin Mary, more commonly known as Our Lady of Piat.

Piat is a town 30 minutes away from Tuao, where we had our lunch.

It's my second time in Piat and I have always loved the architectural design of the whole place, and I feel blessed every time.

After Piat, we went back to Tuguegarao and passed by the longest bridge in the region, in Brgy. Buntun, hence, the name, Buntun Bridge.

They say that you can finish singing the Philippine National Anthem in the normal 4/4 beat just right after crossing the bridge from the other side. I did not try because I was busy taking pictures of the Cagayan River from the bridge while we were in motion. I also had a chance to have my own photo taken with the bridge. 

At the city center, we stopped by the cathedral.

It was a really long trip so I decided to stay in the van and wait for them as they shop for pasalubong. I nestled early that day. 

The next day, we visited the Calvary Hills and St Clare Monastery in Iguig.

It's a perfect holy week spot. The stations of the cross were sculpted at the grassy hills, like a gold course.

This trip is considered an early Lenten Visita Iglesia as we focused on the famous religious landmarks more than other attractions in the region.

Revisiting Cagayan Valley: Penablanca and Tuao

My first trip to Cagayan Valley was in 2011, and it was a short trip because of several different reasons. This week's trip was also short but we were able to visit more attractions, and we were able to bond with more family members.

Touchdown: TUG

We arrived Tuguegarao at 12:25 p.m and we stayed at my betterhalf's place at Brgy. Leonarda Consuelo Heights Subd in Tuguegarao City. It's just 15 minutes away from the airport. 

There are many different resorts within Tuguegarao and other nearby towns. For those who wish to enjoy the beach, resorts within Sta Ana area, which is approximately 3 hours away from the airport, are available.

Our first destination was Callao Cave located at Penablanca, Cagayan, It is 45 minutes away from the city center. To get into the cave, you must take the concrete stairs which is 184 steps from the main entrance.

The cave has 5 chambers, and we were guided by Ann, a fifteen-yr old local who knows how to play with our camera and was able to capture good shots inside the cave.

After the cave, we went to the river just about 30 steps from the main entrance.

Boats can be rented at 500php which can accommodate 25 pax if you wish to stroll down the clearest part of the Cagayan river aka "Pinakanawan River".

After some pasalubong shopping, we went to visit the Holy Guardian Angel Parish in Tuao, where Uncle Sam is the monsignor. We stopped by for lunch and had a chance to see the 400 angels adorning the church in preparation for its 400 years celebration.

Next stop: Piat and Iguig :)

Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC)

February 16, 2013 - After our tiring Caramoan trip, we sailed back to Naga to experience Camsurfing. We spent 2 hours on the boat and requested Kuya Alvin to stop by a pasalubong center before dropping us off in CWC. It's about an hour and a half drive from Sabang port.

After our pasalubong shopping, we were dropped off at CWC.

We stayed at the trailers close to the lake. I booked one family room and one single.

After checking in, we roamed around the complex to check for retaurants as we haven't had a decent meal since we left Caramoan. We stopped by the wakeboarding area close to the restaurant.

After our late lunch (where we ordered bicol express, calamares and sizzling gambas), we started our individual itinerary within the complex.

After the whole day of fun, we ended the night with a lake-side full body massage.

The next morning, we woke up early to explore more of the complex. After check out, a tourist bus dropped us of at the airport.

The trip was indeed short, but we'lll definitely go back. :)