Travel: Camaya Coast (Mariveles, Bataan)
Thursday, April 06, 2017
I was looking for a family friendly summer destination when I chanced upon an online deal for Camaya Coast. After a few research and reading highly rated reviews about this resort, I was immediately impressed. But then, the online deal was by group of 4's only, we were 9 in our group 😕. I was hesitant to let go of the place yet so I tried checking out their normal rates through their website camayacoast.com. And alas, I discovered something! The rates for the online voucher and their website rates are just the same! Moreover, there's no more need for that group of 4's and leaving the unlucky one behind. Yey!
So last Sunday, we left Manila early -- 6am 🤗. I'm not sure if that time is still considered early though, haha! We were booked for a day tour only and had to take the 4-hour drive to Mariveles, Bataan. By 10am, we were at the gates of Camaya.
Reaching
this sign means that you are about to enter the resort. A guard on post
will be inspecting your car for security reasons. Bringing of food is
not allowed by the way. We had no choice but to leave our sliced bread
that we planned on eating while on trip but was not able to finish. He
allowed us though to bring in our homemade tuna and chicken spread as
well as a few packs of chips and drinks for the baby. Haha, funny lang. Para saan pa ang palaman if wala naman tinapay. 😂 We were then given a number so we could claim our 'baggaged' bread on our way out.
Upon
entering, don't expect that a beachfront will be greeting you. Camaya
is a 450 hectare property with a beach resort, residential, as well as
commercial development sites. You will be passing mostly bare areas with
ongoing constructions before reaching the beach.
Booking
and reservation is needed before you are allowed to get inside the
beach resort. For those traveling by land, a kiosk is available at the
entrance. Just present your printed booking details and you will be
given a Camaya card each. This will be used to tap on the turnstile in
order to gain access to the resort.
The cards acts as cash card and are reloadable, with no minimum amount. You can then use this to purchase anything inside the resort. A 10% discount is given when purchasing food sold by the resort. I advise of taking advantage of the discount since food prices here spike to almost twice the price when compared to buying the same food in Manila. The card also serves as locker key in case you wanted to avail the locker facility. However, be warned that the credit remaining is not exchangeable to cash in case you have not fully consumed the loaded amount.
There are no covered cottages where you can stay..but they have rattan tables and chairs under the shade of palm trees. 🌴 Near this area are colorful pinwheels na ayaw ni Kiel tigilan. In fact jan na sya nagbihis katabi ng pinwheels kasi umiiyak pag nilalayo namin, haha kaloka! 😅
View from where we decided to stay...
Finally..the beach! Abot kamay na sa wakas. Yey! 🌊
The beach up close - little to no waves. Water is so calm even if tanghaling tapat na...and sobrang babaw kahit malayo na. I like this type of beach, takot kasi ako pag malalim na eh, hehe. 😁
There's abundance of lounge chairs at the beach front. If gusto mo magbilad sa ilalim ng araw, go lang...sunbathing pa more. 😎 There are also some located under the shade..of course, that's where we stayed..
Ferry ride to and from Manila is 1.5 hours based on a schedule. Reservation is needed. Ok to if ayaw mo mapagod sa byahe but if you want to fully enjoy your stay, mejo mabibitin ka since the ferry has to leave early.
They also have inflatables! A lifeguard is always there to watch so you'll feel safe while playing around. 👍🏼 Wearing a life vest is required. Closes at 5:30pm.
Unlike Boracay's white sand, Camaya's is cream colored. Pero it is super fine, your feet will not hurt when walking barefoot.
Water is brownish in color pero it is not dirty or maputik. Ganun lang ata talaga ang beaches ng Bataan? And ang sarap sa pakiramdam ng tubig. It's warmer near the shore, then it gets cooler if you go farther sa malalim na part.
It was actually Kiel's first time to experience a 'real' beach. Sa sobrang tuwa nia, ayaw na niang umalis sa tubig! Gulat ako kasi unlike other kids there, he was giggling and joyful. Yung ibang bata todo iyak at hug sa parents nila if nasa tubig na..sya todo smile pa, ayaw pa nga pahawak minsan - feeling independent na 😅. He enjoyed playing with the waves most of the time.
Nag iisang family pic namin. The daddy was the driver and napagod ng sobra, plus he needs energy on the drive back kaya we let him sleep na lang in the afternoon.
My sister playing with the water.
Mommy and baby bonding! Sadly, nasunburn si Kiel a few days after this trip.
We also did kayaking. It was my first time actually and I was excited. Unfortunately, the first time experience did not went well. Sobrang natakot ako nung nasa malalim na part na. I think andaling tumaob ng kayak namin. 😕 And mejo hapon na nun, 5-ish pm na, nagstart na maghigh tide. I think next time I'll do kayaking in the morning naman and see if the fear level is the same.
When not on the beach, we spend our time just lounging in the chairs -- patingin tingin lang sa dagat, or kaya picture taking. Wala masyado indoor buildings to tambay pero ok lang kasi andami naman nilang palm trees to give shade.
You can also order special halo-halo -- P180 (10% off pa if using the Camaya card). Or just gaze at the clear blue skies. Pwede din matulog since masarap ang hangin.
Or kaya stroll around the place, just like what this little dude did, cute!
And then there's the infinity pool! Kaso bilad na naman sa araw. 😬 Hopefully they provide more shade in this area, kasi bilad na sa araw sa beach eh. The pool can be a cooler alternative sana.
The pool has 3 cascading levels: (1) a little circular pool with water jetting from the sides
(2) adult pool and (3) a kiddie pool.
(2) adult pool and (3) a kiddie pool.
Here's us enjoying the pool area. What I loved about it is tama lang ang lalim ng adult pool 😊. Sa kiddie pool naman, kaya na ni Kiel tumayo mag isa pero xiempre alalay pa din in case ma out of balance sya. Kaso lang I think he enjoys the beach more than the pool. Feeling nia kasi ata sa alon hinahabol sya, haha!
Roaming around the resort, you will find this hotel. Its the only place that can accommodate guests who want to stay overnight.
This is the locker area. Keyless entry na sya, just use your Camaya card to unlock it. Your locker number is written in the receipt once you pay for it, so better take note of your assigned locker if ever mawala mo ung resibo. Also take note of your card associated with the locker. If mahalo sya sa ibang cards, lagot na. The same if you reload your card with cash credits. For my case, I took a pic of the card's serial number. Sa akin nila pinatago cards nila kaya buti na lang talaga I identified mine first.
One of the few food establishments inside the resort. They also have Potato Corner, Figaro and the Wood Pavilion Restaurant.
Sand Bar is where you can buy alcoholic drinks. In front of it is the area where lunch is served. You can have lunch by adding it as an add-on when you book online. Live bands are also performing in this area in the afternoon (not sure if during weekends only).
This is the picnic area at night. Cute ng lights and lanterns, noh? Some of the trees also serve as charging stations. They have a small box at the trunk with electrical sockets in it. Cool!
Overall, our day at Camaya Coast has been fun. Si Kiel talaga ang nag enjoy ng sobra. 😄
An advice though for those driving out of the resort. Wag na maxado magpagabi. The road out of the resort is quite scary at night since mabundok sya and walang street lights. Me bangin pa nga in some parts. The driver should be extra cautious talaga kaya better if maliwanag pa ang daanan. Yun lang. Hehe!
If asked if we would come back? Yes! But next time we'll take the ferry and hopefully stay overnight naman. 😃
Thanks for reading my post. Ikaw, san ang summer outing mo?
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