Talipanan Beach with El Canonero Beach Resort.
Puerto Galera was our first stop on our six-week backpacking trip around the Philippines. Charlie and I had recently quit our jobs and gave up our place here in Manila. Both jobless and homeless as of May 2010, we decided to spend the few weeks we had left to see as much of the Philippines before heading to the land of kangaroo to start new adventures there.
Luca's MiraMare Italian Restaurant and Lodge.
Puerto Galera hasn’t changed much since I last visited, except some additional hostels and a general increase in fares and all sorts of new fees (which reminded me of Boracay). But setting foot on White Beach brought back good memories of my solo beach escapade here and fun times with my friends and family. It used to be my favorite beach hideaway when I wanted to escape from the humdrum of city life. We reckoned a beach in Puerto Galera would make a good place for beach bumming before meeting our mountaineering friends in Batangas Pier for a challenging hike up Mt Guiting-Guiting on Sibuyan Island in the province of Romblon.
View from the veranda of Luca's Lodge.
After almost 4 hours bus ride to Batangas Port and a boat ride to White Beach, we were still undecided which beach to stay at. I had always been partial with White Beach which for me has the best beach in the area. It has a wide range of accommodation and a lively night life especially on weekends and in the summer months of April and May. However Charlie wasn’t keen on a crowded beach with loud night life, and I was also keen to see something new, so we decided against White Beach. Sabang Beach wasn’t really an option for us – some of its beachfronts are blocked by outrigger boats and the kind of “night life” it offers isn’t quite what we were after. So we were left with La Laguna Beaches and Talipanan Beach to choose from.
Waiting for sunset at the veranda
After a late lunch in one of the restaurants on White Beach, we decided to walk back to the main street and catch a tricycle to Talipanan Beach. I knew nothing about the place except that it was another stretch of white beach adjacent to Aninuan Beach where the fancy resort of Tamaraw Beach is located.
Luca's Italian Restaurant is also visited by guests from White Beach and Sabang.
We hadn’t decided yet where to stay so we just asked the tricycle driver to drop us at the first resort along the beach so we could check out the accommodation options once we get there. There are only about five places to stay on Talipanan Beach listed in our guide book so it wouldn’t be that difficult to check each place. The tricycle driver dropped us at Mountain Beach Resort which is a nice resort with its own restaurant and a very friendly owner. The beach would have been better though if only there were no large outrigger boats parked in front. Their cheapest fan room was priced at Php800 and Charlie had actually considered staying at the resort just because of its “good vibe”.
One serving of pizza and pasta was more than enough for the four of us
But just for the sake of comparison and the hope of finding something cheaper and better, I left my backpack with Charlie at Mountain Beach Resort and walked along the beach to check out the other resorts. I was about to give up on finding something nice as I came closer to the cliff at the end of the shore until I saw the last two resorts tucked beside the mountain. The first one is made of stone, has its own pool and a bit fancy and thus expensive. El Canonero Beach Resort was actually the last resort listed in our guidebook, so I didn’t expect to see another resort at the end of the stretch – just Luca’s Italian Restaurant, which was marked on the map. However the owner of the restaurant has recently put up a two-storey lodging made of concrete and native materials.
It was love at first sight (at least in that area). I still think White Beach has nicer shorelines and clearer water but this one isn’t shabby either. It has a wide beachfront, clear waters, and white sand. At first, we thought we’re just going to walk to White Beach at night to eat and check out the night life but we ended staying and eating at Luca’s for 3 days. The food is reasonably priced and really good. They make their own dough for their pizza and the serving size of both pizza and pasta is quite big. It was funny, it was the only time I haven’t missed rice and other Filipino food for 3 days straight.
Quiet nights at the resort. White Beach is 45 minutes walk along the shores if you want a busier and livelier night life.
If you happen to be in Puerto Galera and want a peaceful and quiet atmosphere, good Italian food and reasonably-priced accommodation, Luca’s and Mira Lodge on Talipanan Beach is a relaxing and private beach getaway. I recommend it for couples, families and friends who don’t mind skipping the night life and water adventures on offer at White Beach. Even if you do stay at White Beach, a visit to Luca’s for dinner is highly recommended for the excellent Italian food!
Other Places to stay on Talipanan Beach
Luca’s Miramare
Tel: 09164175125, 0917-7925263
Mountain Beach Resort
Tel: 0917-5620842
Rates: Fan room 800 – 1500, AC 2500
Mengie’s White Sand Beach Resort
Tel: 0920-4032173
Rates: Fan room 700, AC 1500
GM’s Resort
Tel: 0917-5620988
Rates: Fan room 800, AC 1000
Bamboo House
Tel: 0917-5620992
Rate: Fan room 800, AC 1500
El Canonero Beach Resort
Tel: 0906-4878397
Rates: Fan room 1500- 2000, AC 2500
hi claire… next time try to visit palanan isabela… it’s one of the best place in my province…
)
I would love to see Isabela one day, maybe you can show me around your province
can i have the contact number of lucas miramare and their roomrates… thank you
Hi Riah, sorry I don’t have their contact numbers right now. I’ll update you once I get hold of my guide book.
is the bamboo house near to miramare?
Hi Riah, Bamboo House is also on Talipanan so it must be near Miramare since the stretch of beach here isn’t that long. But I don’t know exactly how long it would take to walk from there.
Hi Claire,
Ask ko lang po how much yung fare nyo sa boat. hingi rin po sana ako ng guidelines pano pumunta sa talipanan from batangas port. =) ang dami mo na napuntahan at super Idol na kita.. =)
Hi Kate, i think the fare is around 300 -Batangas Port to Puerto Galera White Beach. From here, you may go the main road and hire a tricycle to Barangay Talipanan (try to bargain, 50-100 only). You may walk along the beach and from there you can choose among the different accommodation.
Thank you po.. =P
can i have luca’s contact numbers, please? we are planning to go there on january 2011. thanks.
i found the website of luca’s: http://lucaphilippines.com/
Hi Liway, sorry I just checked my comments now, thank you for sharing the website here… Have a wonderful trip on January
hi claire,
can you please check if the phone numbers of luca’s 639164175125 and 639177926263 on their website is the same as the contact numbers you have from their guide book. i sent them an email but didn’t answer and kept calling those numbers but incorrect.
please, i have to get in touch with them.
thanks.
liway
Hello Ms. Liwayway, I called the first number you posted today and it is still working. It is still the contact number of the resort. Kindly try to contact them again on the same number.
hi. love your entries
it’s very helpful!… can you still remember how much was the rate in luca’s a night?
tnx tnx
I think we paid around 800 pesos for an air-conditioned room with its own toilet. It was off- peak so I guess we got a discount. I think their AC room is Php
1000.
miss claire,
at what month did u go to puerto?
thanks.
Hi Cat, that was around May last year.
Is there a boat from Batangas Port the goes directly to Talipanan beach? Thanks
I’m not sure but I think there is none. Boats usually dock at Sabang Port or at White Beach.
hi! your entry helped me a lot.. we’re planning to spend my hubby’s birthday @ Luca’s Miramare this March (after checking this page..). we’re planning to have 3D2N stay with my baby.. =) Which do you think is better? reserve the place first or just look for a place once we reached talipanan? I’ve tried to send an e-mail and they said that their rate per night is 2500 for 3adults and a 2yr old baby…
wow, that’s quite expensive, maybe you should have asked first how much they charge per room, an extra person usually is just charged 200 pesos. If it’s me I would just go to Talipanan Beach and ask around for rates, it’s just a short walk unti the end of the beach where Lucas Miramare is located. The resort before it is also nice but more expensive. Perhaps one of you could go there first and ask for the rate again and see if they give you the same rate. Try to bargain as well since you would be staying for 2 nights.
Thanks for the info.. We have 3 possible choices, Bamboo House Beach resort, Mountain Beach and and Luca Resort but after Ive read your posts, my hubby and I ended up planning to stay at Luca Resort. Your pix are great by the way! (it really helped us a lot to decide on which place to stay! haha!) =)
I think we’ll follow your advice.. we’ll just take it from there.
What I’m worried about is the availability of the room once we get there since we’re planning to go there by March 30.
by the way, our trip will be kind of “in a budget..” are the food prices reasonable enough? i really appreciate your help! thanks!
Hmmm, it’s really one consideration if you don’t book ahead but I think it’s not peak season yet at the end of March. The food at Luca is really good and each serving of pizza and pasta is good for 3-4 people. It is not cheap and it is not expensive either. There are more choices of restaurants though at White Beach (Budget restaurants are available there). By the way White Beach has nicer sand and clearer waters, we just chose Talipanan because it is less crowded and we wanted to try a new place in Puerto Galera. You can prolly have some of your meals at White Beach, you can just walk along the shores at lowtide although it could get a bit tricky when scrambling over the rocks.
Thanks a lot for the info! i think we’ll just do that… actually, we’ve been to white beach before, but that’s too long ago. It’s a bit crowded and hubby said he wants a more relaxing place, so we chose the Talipanan Beaches, then I found ur post…
Si Tita Anabelle parin ba ang in-charge sa Luca’s? May I know how can I contact her for my reservation this coming April…thanks..:D:D:D
I’m not sure who’s in charge now but you may contact these numbers 639164175125 and 639177926263.
ok tnx..:D:D:D
hi claire! plan sana namin visit yung place this 3rd week of april kaya lang we dont know how to go there, from manila sakay kami batabngas pier diba? then from there my boat n b diretso sa talipanan? and need ba reservation or pwde walk in nlang? 3 days 2 night sana kami…800 nga ba yung room? kami lang naman ng hubby ko eh…cge till po muna, ill wait for your reply! tnx…Godbless
When we went to Talipanan, we first docked at White Beach from Bantangas Pier. Then we took the tricycle to Barangay Talipanan and asked the driver to drop at the first resort along the beach. The from there we just walked all the way to the end where Luca was located. Pwede naman walk-in but I’m not sure if there will be available rooms since it’s peak season on April. I think it’s more expensive during the peak season so it might not be 800 pesos anymore. Kindly call the resort na lang to confirm the price and reserve a room.
tnx sa reply! tinawagan ko kasi yung # sa site nila sabi nung sumagot wrong # daw ako..anyway how about sa ibang resorts? like bamboo house or GM resorts? ok din ba dun?
We didn’t stay there kasi but I think GM Resort looks ok. Mabait din mga staff. Doon sana kasi kami mag-stay dati.
how about white beach? which is better b? kasi naguguluhan ako kung white beach o talipanan, gusto ko sana yung clear water tapos peaceful para mas relaxing…sa mga pics mo mukhang maganda nman sa talipanan, ibig sabihin ba lahat ng lodge magkakatabi lang tapos open yung area ng beach kahit san banda mo gustong magswimming pwede? sa ibang resort kasi na napuntahan ko may fence…tnx sa yo ms claire! it really help us…
Yung unang resort along Talipanan ang merong fence. Yung other end ng beach ay open area na yung mga resorts , like Luca and El Canonero. If you ask my opinion, White Beach has clearer water but Talipanan is still ok. Mas peaceful naman sa Talipanan.
pahabol lang, may mga umbrella ba din ba?
Hmmm not sure if they still have one, try to contact the number I recently posted.
nakapagpareserve na ko sa mountain beach, ok ba dun? open area din ba beach nun?
Ok naman pero merong fence yung area nila.
nga po pla sa el canonero magkno rate nla?
Sorry I didn’t check. You might try to verify it through their contact number.
hi again ms claire! just want to asl about the food in mountain beach, how was it? which resto do you prefer except lucas? i still like filipino food…tnx!
Sorry, I didn’t try the food at Mountain Beach. We ate mainly at luca and at some eateries at White Beach.
claire clean enough nman b beach sa talipanan? pwede b pliguan? may npuntahan kc ako dati sa sobrang preserve nung area d k mkpagswim kc andami isda and mga dahon..
yeah it’s clean naman, and way better than most beaches in Batangas.
can i ask how to go here.. katulad ng sa sagada. there is a direction to the location.. salamat po…
I think I mentioned on my blog how I got to Talipanan Beach. You can either ride a tricycle or walk along the beach during low tide.
Hi there Ms. Claire,
It’s nice and glad to have someone like you here keep posting and updating this kind of blogs so like us can have options to choose frm where is really nice and relaxing palce to go…anyway,my group friend herein our village are planning to have a tour at puerto galera next weekend..ask ko lng if Lucas has a room good for family to saty in and how much ang room per night nila?thanks!
I think they have enough rooms for your family. Kindly call the contact numbers on my blog to get the current rates.
hi! can i ask how to get there at Luca’s Miramare from Aninuan beach? im really interested to try the food but we are going to saty at Aninuan beach. is it just near? thanks!
I’ve always had a soft spot for Puerto Galera . Last visit was in 2007 , we stayed at White Beach , Cocos resort if i recall , and loved it . The main section of White Beach was too noisy for my taste , lol , walked around the point to the next beach and would definately try that next time . Nice pics again Claire , they capture the ambiance of Lucas.Love Italian food !Comes from growing up in Fremantle lol.
hi claire good day! thank you for sharing this very informative informations… me and my friends are planning to go to galera next weekend, just wanna ask which is better the aninuan beach or talipanan beach?? (for accommodation, food, sand etc.) thanks so much!!
Hi Marie, I can’t really compare because I have not been to Aninuan Beach yet but one thing for sure, you should try the food at Luca whether you decide to stay at White Beach or at Aninuan Beach.
good day!
Hi ms claire! I just got confused with the picture in Luca and El Canonero’s website. Is the beige cottage on the ground at the right side of the picture here >> “http://www.lucaphilippines.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=10&lang=en” part of Luca or El Canonero’s resort? because i saw THAT beige cottage on El canonero’s website gallery “http://www.divingresortelcanonero.com/index_eng.html” and I thought that was theirs :-s tnx! I’ll be waiting for the response
Hi Ms. Claire! sorry if this is a re-post I couldn’t find my comment on the list :-s I just wanna ask about this Luca’s Lodge website, on the first image with label “Lodge”, is the beige cottage at the right corner part of Luca or El Canonero’s Lodging? Because when I viewed the El Canonero’s website, their gallery shows that same house from Luca’s website… (www.divingresortelcanonero.com/index_eng.html under gallery page) Thank you! I’ll wait for ur feedback
Hi Andre, I wasn’t sure about that cottage because it wasn’t there when we went to Luca. It’s either new or it was just done through photoshop because if memory serves me right, Luca Restaurant was the one adjacent to Miramare Cottage. And i think it’s still part of Luca, I don’t think they will put a picture on their website a picture of their rival resort.
Oh i see,thank u so much ms. Claire! God Bless! ^^
Thank you so much ms. claire god bless!!
teh, aircon rooms ba sa Lucas? mejo maartsy kasi ang fren ko,. hehe
Yep, meron AC rooms
Thanks Claire, we’ll probably stay at Talipanan Beach and that pizza looks inviting..nomnomnomnom
No worries mate, don’t forget to bring your favorite book. It’s a nice place to enjoy tripple B’s
beach, babe and a book!
Hi claire,
when did you go to PG and how much did you pay for the fan room? My friend and I are planning to go to PG probably in April or May 2012.
thank you
Hi Eula, I think we went there last May 2010, we paid 800 for an AC room. The room was originally P1000 but we bargained a bit.
thanks
I think we would be staying at Luca’s Lodge since it’s the cheapest so far.. and the pizza and pasta looks delicious
thanks again
I’m not sure if Luca is the cheapest when it comes to accommodation at Talipanan Beach but you could always verify the rates by calling the other resorts. I listed their numbers here.
We were there in 2006 and, like you, we ate in Luca’s everyday for 3 days. I’m glad it got discovered!
Hi Claire,
I soooo love Talipanan Beach, especially Luca’s place in Puerto Galera. I’d been there hmmm four times, first was in 2006 during our college paper planning seminar. I’m not into partying and night life that’s why I don’t like White Beach and Sabang. The last time I went to Talipanan was during the Lenten season earlier this year and I had the rest of my family we were, errr 20 I think) with me and they enjoyed the beach. We weren’t booked at Luca’s because Ate Ana (Luca’s wife) said they were fully booked at the time. We booked at Bamboo House and quite a small world, the owner is an Ibanag (from Isabela) and my mom knows her etc etc so we get a few discounts
Hi Bernard, glad you had fun, i love that place too especially the food at Luca, now craving for pugon-made pizza
Ive been to Talipanan but i forgot the place that we have stayed. And we were the only visitors that time!
I love your blog. It helped a lot..
thank you so much for all the information…:( 
ms.Claire any suggstion for a newly wed getaway.. any nice place in the philippines .. except bora, bohol, coron,galera, anawangin.. how much did it cost you on ur El Nido trip.. tnxs..
HI Kiko, I think we spent around 3500 for our accommodation for a week (P500 per night good for 2), we got a promo fare so we spent P1500 roundtrip ticket from Manila to Puerto Princesa and then 700 x2 by van to El Nido and vice versa. P2000 pesos is more than enough for one person per week on food and drinks. Just add 700 x 4 if you want to do the four island-hopping packages offered in El Nido.
Aside from EL Nido you can try the Bantayan Island in Cebu, Samal Island in Davao or Misibis Beach Resort in Albay.
tnx claire, we’ve been reading ur blogs and we’ve been to different nice places here in philippines because of ur blog site.. more power more journeys and godbless.. tnx for the advise