Pamana Island Beach Resort - Review

******* UNDER CONSTRUCTION *******


This resort is a disappointment.  The pictures at their website (http://pamanaresort.com) are not the present condition of the resort.

We had our company outing (consisting of 70 people) last May 28-29, 2011.  In order to get to this island, we have to ride a local boat.  The only place where we can load to the boat is at a slum area and we can see elevated huts, dirty water, and lots of trash at the shoreline.

The dock of the boat going to the resort is not presentable.  Passengers have to pass through a local community.

A child begs for us to buy his coral so he can have something to eat

We have to remove our shoes and dip to the murky water just to get on the boat.

At the left side of the dock, a shanty community was established.  Trash and animal manure (or maybe human waste) is very visible everywhere.  The water is terribly brown.

Upon arrival to the island, nobody seems to be swimming at the beach.  The sea water smells like crude oil, no wonder-- there is a port in front of the resort with many industrial shipping vessels docked.  The sand is dark and trash is everywhere.



The island is only powered by the resort generator...and they have to stop it sometimes because they need to rest it!!!

We arrived at the resort at 1PM and supposed to check-in to our rooms.  We can see their few staff scampering to fix our rooms.  Due to the scarce manpower, we checked in at 4:30PM.  Every room has an air conditioner and personal comfort rooms.  We noticed the place was old and not maintained.  I noticed the staff did not change the bed sheets and pillow cases, they only re-fold and re-tucked the sheets as fresh stains from the previous occupant is still present.  The room was equipped with a television (w/o remote control) using a broken indoor antenna which picks up only one channel (ABS-CBN 2).

Les Caraibes Beach Resort - Review

Date of visit was May 2011.  This was my second time at Les Caraibes Resort in Laiya, Batangas.  The first one was an overnight stay during the summer of 2010 which happened so fast, we decided to return this 2011 staying for 3 days & 2 nights.

 

I waited last January 2011 to get the 2011 summer rates and I easily made a reservation thanks to their friendly staff (Joel, Nancy, etc.).  I can easily contact them through cellphone rather than using email or Facebook.

(Left) Parking space outside the resort as we approached the gate.  (Right) Entrance gate is located behind the Big Cottage

When I re-checked their price list by April 2011, they made another price increase last March.  The reason for this is because they added a satellite TV for the cluster rooms and a water dispenser for the Big Cottage.  No changes were made at the kubos(huts) but the rates also increased.  Still, no refrigerator available in the rooms. It's better to bring a cooler chest to store those perishable goods.  However, they added a so-called "complimentary breakfast" which I believe does not equate to their double rate increase.

We booked for 1 aircon kubo and 1 non-aircon kubo

Inside the kubo/hut

Part of the hut where we can cook with the provided utensils

In comparison to the year 2010 summer rates and their double-increase this summer of 2011, these are the increase at the ff (room rental + corkage or bring own food) for a 3D2N stay:  Kubo=1500 pesos, Cluster=44%, and Big Cottage=22%.  

The cluster rooms are located at the back of the resort

Television w/ satellite channels are newly installed in the cluster rooms

I noticed their indicated prices are vat EXCLUSIVE so don't forget to add the 12% VAT from all your bills.   Inspite of the increase, the rates of this resort is still at the top-5 lowest resort rates in Laiya.

 

They did not give me a discount considering I am a returning guest, and I referred 2 groups of friends last year...maybe because it's peak season.

We also stayed at the big cottage, the best room of the resort.  It has a terrific view of the shore.

The Big cottage can accommodate up to 12 people.  6 sleeping at the 3 queen-size beds and another 6 people on the floor.

The Big Cottage has a clean CR and a 26-inch LCD TV with satellite channels.

As usual, since Laiya is far from the commercial area, prices of basic commodities is high.  The food tastes good but very pricey. Even the 5-gallon drinking water from the dispenser costs higher (224 pesos vat inclusive). One set meal (1 cup rice, vegetable side dish, and 1 viand or ulam)  for 250-350 pesos.  This is expensive considering guests who are active at the beach all day will definitely have a big appetite for food.  We instead brought our own food and used the cooking facilities provided at the hut.  We bought all we need to consume at the San Juan market by a 30-minute drive from the resort.

Sample food and menu from the resort

(Click on the image for a larger view)

The Resort Restaurant (left) and the Resort Bar (right).  Not too many guests trooped to eat or drink.  We preferred buying outside the resort and just paid a standard fee for bringing it in.

Another alternative is to eat at the carinderia (eatery) or local store outside the resort which is cheaper compared to the resort restaurant.  

(left) A row of carinderias/eateries is located outside and at the back of Les Caraibes, Casa Dolorosa, & La Luz Beach Resorts.  (right) You can have alternative and affordable local cuisine compared to the expensive food sold at the resorts.

Although the resort restaurant cooks good dishes, only few people ate there.  Most guests that saw us eat at the carinderia outside the resort followed us and ate there as well.

 

We stayed at the kubo and big cottage.  The rooms and CRs were clean.  We did not rent any cluster rooms this time because it is located at the back area of the resort and there is no place to stay idly outside the room.  If you want the whole big group to standby in one place, I suggest renting a kubo or the day-trip cottages. 

 

We stayed there for 3 days & 2 nights. The staff were friendly.  They promptly gave us clean towels & extra mattresses once we checked-in and on the 2nd day.  They attended to our needs whenever we inquired for something.

 

There is a sudden steep of water after 2 meters from the shore.  The front of the resort is well-raked every early morning.  Sand quality is not powder white. It's more of a beige, fine pebble just like the sand used in aquariums.  However, the sand tends to be more rocky as you walk towards the direction of La Luz. It would be best to wear slippers or aqua shoes.

The shore (left) and the sand quality (right) in-front of the resort

(top left) Optional island hopping going to the northwest direction from the resort.  (top right)  Maximum of 10 people can ride on a rented boat.  (bottom) Large rock formations can be explored. The entire side trip lasted for 3 hours.

Since we stayed there for 3D2N, it's a bit boring just to stay at the resort for the entire duration.  You should explore Laiya and all the resorts.  We proceeded to the rock formation at the the extreme end of La Luz Resort.  Unfortunately, security guards prevented us from crossing La Luz so we rode an inflatable just a few meters away from the shore up to the rock formation.  Those imbecile guards will never notice.

 

(NOTE: Virgin beach resort, located the at far left side of Les Caraibes will also prevent you from walking at their coastline.)

 

 

Another alternative is to rent a local boat (2-way trip for 3 hours @1800pesos/10 people).  We traversed the entire stretch of Laiya and viewed all the resorts.  We reached the cave and found lots of rock formations for our pictorial, more variety than settling for the small La Luz rock formation.  Our guide led our boat to a marine sanctuary for us to snorkel.  The corals are not that great in comparison to the Bauan, Batangas Corals.

 

 

On the right side of Les Caraibes is the Casa Dolores Resort (a.k.a.  La Luz Labas), a low-class public resort which is over-crowded, lots of drunk people, and more of a marketplace rather than a decent resort.  It is located between Les Caraibes and La Luz and it can distract guests who want to relax.  This is not the fault of the resort though but I'm only telling what is the ambiance beside it.  Securities of both resorts won't allow guests from La Luz Labas to loiter beyond their premisses.

Casa Dolores (a.k.a. La Luz labas -- "outside La Luz") is a low-class resort in between Les Caraibes and La Luz resorts.  This over-crowded area is the major source of noise, water, & sand pollution which can ruin your relaxation in the resort. But keepers of La Luz and Les Caraibes resorts will prevent these people from occupying the private resorts.

If you want to eat fresh fish, local fishermen sell their catch early morning in front of Casa Dolores resort.

 

Overall, Les Caraibes is a good resort especially if you want to cook your own food.  The area of overnight guests is not crowded even during peak seasons.  However, the double-price increase this year is not up to par with the improvements of the rooms.  I guess the resort is only narrowing the price difference of their rates from the other competitive resorts in Laiya.  I suggest an optional refrigerator and more available air-con kubos.  And maybe guests can waive the so-called "complimentary" breakfast just to squeeze the room rates a bit lower. 

  

I may come back for another summer, but it depends on their next price increase in ratio with the resort improvements.  But for first-timers, give this resort a try.

******* OTHER PHOTOS ******* 
(click image to enlarge)

(Top) Fishermen fix their gears after their morning catch.  (Bottom) Fresh fish from the morning catch is sold beside the resort at Casa Dolores noisy Resort.

Laiya Beach coastline.  As seen in this image, Casa Dolores Resort is over-crowded but contained within their territory.  To the farther side, other resorts include Blue Coral, Aquatico, Virgin Beach, Sabangan, Kabayan, and a lot more.

(left) At the extreme right of the coastline is the rock formation in-front of La Luz Beach Resort.  (right) Non-La Luz guests will be prevented by their security from walking in-front of their resort.

(left) Sand quality in-front of La Luz Resort.  (right) Big pebbles/rocks dominate the coastline as we head near the La Luz Rock Formation.

Grande Island Resort

We at this resort in Subic last April 2011, and we have to wait for the 2:30PM ferry to go to the island.  They have no morning ferry schedule so it's useless arriving at the port very early.

After a 20-minute ferry ride, we finally arrived at the resort. The words that I instantaneously describe the resort are vast, wide, spacious, & extensive.

 The rooms are many and built meters away... good for privacy. You will definitely tire yourself if you carry your own baggage by foot. Good thing they provide golf carts to assist us to our room.  The rooms are clean by the time we arrived. We got the newest rooms but it is located at the farthest side of the resort. There is a solar panel on the roof maybe to help supply some of the electrical needs in every room.  They have a television with a few cable/local channels. The CR is clean, faucet water pressure is adequate. They have a personal refrigerator. Be sure to buy your own drinking water before taking the ferry, the canteen is far from the room. They also have a local telephone to remind you when meals will be served or if you need to call for assistance. Added bonus, they got wifi internet inside the room. They also offer a banana boat ride as part of the package. I think it would be better if they have horseback riding available as an alternative recreation.

Meals are buffet style. Food is average. Juice taste like instant powder, and limited serving.

There were some downsides about this resort.
The beach is not child friendly. As you can see from the pictures posted, most of the coastline is too rocky. You need thick slippers or durable aqua shoes to walk the shore. Water is mostly not clear. There were many floating trash nearby. We even collected many lost slippers and used it while walking. The sand is dark, but there are some spots that they probably improvised by dumping a finer sand (color beige) just to have a place to play at the beach.

What I like about the resort: At that time, it was windy. I can sleep at the porch as air blows me to sleep. I even stayed for an hour under a tree near the shore and unwind to the splashing of the waves. Dinner was served outside and fresh air made us relax more.

For an alternative activity, you can visit the small old military structures (buildings, bunkers, fortress, and storage facility) during the Japanese-American war located at the other side of the island. The resort crew even gave us a free tour of the island riding the golf carts.

Overall, even if the beach is a disappointment, I am rating this resort 7 out of 10 mainly because of the non-aquatic relaxation I experienced. If you’re into photography, you can have many subjects / composition just by touring the island. By the way, the resort is facing where the sun rises.

Will I recommend this resort? It depends. If you’re more of into plunging at the beach, I’m hesitant about this place. But if you want a laid-back type of relaxation, or a roaming around photo enthusiasts… give this resort a try.

Check their resort site to compare my review.  I also posted a similar review at tripadvisor.

The ferry we boarded going to the resort

The ferry is spacious but during peak season, we have to sit at the floor due to many passengers.

Upon arriving at the island

View from the resort to the dock

A small portion of the white / beige sand where most are swimming

Sand quality at its best

A very rocky shore and lots of drifted trash

This is the far end (leftmost side) of the resort shoreline.  Very very rocky.

The shoreline in front of our room.  Very rocky too.

Your aqua shoes don't stand a chance on this shore

Every house are far apart.  We can't wait for the transport cart so we walked for like another 300 meters, but it's ok.

 Our place to stay.  Consisting of 4 rooms in 1 structure.

This is what our room looks like:

Although our room is located at the far left side of the resort, we can access their free wifi internet with speeds of 2 - 3 Mbps

The television only have a few local and satellite channels

Here's some of the pictures during our tour at the other side of the island:

One of their staff gave us a tour and told us a brief history of the island.

This canon on top of the fortress is one of the defense of the island during the American-Japanese war.

Beside the cannon is a landmark where the Japanese bomb landed and created a massive destruction at the area

The island is used to be a hidden storage for American ammunition

It took us more than an hour to tour the island by foot.

Some photos at night:

Our rooms

View of front office

Our buffet dinner was set outside and near the sea shore.  Accompanied by a live band.

Here are some photos during our 2nd day:

Sunrise

Going to the front office/dining area

Buffet style breakfast

One part of the island have these tables w/ shade where guest can relax.  However, it is far from most of the rooms.

The resort also have a playground for the kids and young at heart

The island is big and during our tour, we have to choose only 1 road at a time.  Due to time constraints, we don't have the time to return for the other road. 

At the time of our stay, the big pool was under construction