Munting Buhangin Beach Camp: Our Budget Getaway for the Holy Week

Holy Week in the Philippines only means one thing: a great exodus of people leaving the city for a nice long weekend somewhere far away from their places of work.

In our case, we opted for a beach getaway since it is now the start of summer and it had been a long time since our feet touched seawater. We live somewhere south of the Metro and the first choice for us is a beach in Batangas since traffic is much heavier going north during Holy Week and we do not have much time for that.

Ratings: 

Room (Nipa Hut room): 4/5, for its peasant-friendly price, cozy terrace with a beach view.
Beach: 3/5, fine cream-colored sand, water is not that clear though
Food: 1/5, bad customer service at the restaurant; have to fall in-line to get breakfast, which doesn't even taste good at all (even peasants don't like this, you know.) My advise is to bring your own food since there are grills that you can rent to cook your own meals.

Cost
Accommodation: 3,985 Php for a beachfront Nipa Hut Room with terrace - use of common bathroom (breakfast included)
Food: 520 Php for dinner of grilled fish (Pinaputok na Tilapia), 2 cups of rice, fruit platter - watermelon, mango, pineapple slices
Grocery: 500 for snacks, toiletries, mineral water

Travel: gassed up 1,000 Php at SLEX, Muntinlupa

Total: 6,005 Php (3,002.50 Php /pax since this was a trip for two)

Location
Munting Buhangin Beach Camp is located in Natipuan Cove in Nasugbu, Batangas and it is near Terrazas de Punta Fuego.

Driving directions to Munting Buhangin Beach Resort:

• If you're coming from Manila,  drive from Edsa then turn right to Roxas Boulevard, continue to Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), exit onto Covelandia Road, continue on to Governor's Road then turn left to Ternate-Nasugbu Highway until you reach the area of Terrazas de Punta Fuego, slow down to look to your right for the signage of Munting Buhaning Beach Camp
• The route we took was from SLEX then we exited on to Sta Rosa then took the road going to Tagaytay. From Tagaytay we followed the road going to Mahogany Market (Mahogany Road) then on to Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway. From there, it was another hour's drive until we reach the area of Punta Fuego and saw the signage of Munting Buhangin Beach Camp.

caution: the entrance to Munting Buhangin Beach Camp is a downward slope which is kinda steep so be sure to have your vehicle checked before going. The road from the main entrance is paved with asphalt but for only a few meters. After that is a rugged road, a combination of potholes, rocks, and dirt all the way to the parking lot, which is on an uphill. You can park on the side of the dirt road. There is however, a basketball court that was converted into a parking lot where you can park. We chose to park on the basketball court because it is paved and we felt more secure there since there is a guard house near it.

Our impression of the place is quite good. Their beach is fine creamy sand, so soft that your feet could be buried in as you walk. Their Tree Houses are big enough for a family to sleep in, and they look like fun. There were already a lot of tents pitched in the area which indicated that this place is not so secluded like we thought. Their check-in time is at 3:00 PM, and our check-in went quite fast and we were accompanied by a staff, who didn't even bother to ask if we needed help with our baggage. True to the name of this blog, we got the accommodation suited for peasants like us, The Nipa Hut room! The Nipa Hut section was a bit far from the reception and the restaurant area, so we had to walk about three minutes under the sweltering heat of summer sun to get to our room.

Nipa Hut room with a splendid beach view from our cozy little terrace.

The Nipa Hut rooms are all beach-front as opposed to the more expensive Villas which are located on the hillside. Our room has a cozy little "balcony" where you can just sit the day away staring at the beach, or have your meal on the bamboo table where you can surely enjoy the fresh sea breeze while eating. The inside of the hut are two double-sized mattresses which can accommodate 4 people, but there were only two of us so we had so much room inside for our bags, food and my guitar.

Nipa Huts are really comfortable during hot summer days. The "sawali" walls lets air flow through that cools off the place during these kinds of season.

As I've said before, the sand is fine and so soft. It is not white, though, but a bit light brown to me. The water is not that clear also but it will do. If you're looking for some water activities, I've seen a banana boat cruising the waters, some jet skis, kayaks, and a yacht which I believe is owned by someone visiting the adjacent Punta Fuego.

Panorama view of the place

What we didn't like about our stay is the restaurant service. We came in at around 7 PM to have our dinner at the restaurant but the staff didn't seem to be interested to serve us. We could attribute their lackadaisical attitude to fatigue because it was a "peak" season after all. As with other resorts' restaurants, the prices of their food are not peasant-friendly so we just ordered the the cheapest meals on their menu: pinaputok na tilapia (grilled tilapia), fruit platter, and two cups of rice. This meal cost us just over 500 Php, not bad.

The breakfast was terrible. We were told by the receptionist upon check-in that we could choose for it to be delivered to our room, but when we went to the restaurant and asked the staff to have it delivered the next morning to our lovely Nipa Hut, we were declined, saying that it's better to just pick our meal at the restaurant. We also asked if coffee was included in the breakfast, and surprisingly, we were told it was not. Can you imagine breakfast without coffee? We could have coffee for an additional 30 Php. It's ridiculous but one does not simply eat breakfast without coffee. So, the next morning, we went to the restaurant and to our horror, there was a queue of upset guests waiting for their breakfast. Anyways, to make it brief, we fell in line looking like the peasants that we are and finally got our meals after 20 or so minutes, and not without having some issues with the meals that we ordered the previous day.

With this, I would strongly recommend to bring your own food since there are lots of grills you can rent to prepare your meals. In fact, there was a family next to our Nipa Hut that brought their own gas range and LPG, and the adobo they were cooking was so tempting.

We have to fall in line to get food...well, as peasants do. Look at that poor hungry child!

Unimpressive Bangsilog and Tapsilog. Their"SI" stood for sinaing (steamed rice) instead of the normal sinangag (fried/garlic rice).

Tips for Wandering Peasants:

• Camp out. Bring your own tents. It will be way, way cheaper. You'll only have to pay or the overnight fees (380 Php/pax, including breakfast), and a fee for pitching your own tent (~500 Php)
• Their restaurant prices are very expensive despite their bad customer service. Bring your own food. It's way much fun preparing your own food by the beach!
• You can actually enjoy the place in just one whole day. You can opt to go for the day tour package.

Useful Links and Info
website: http://www.muntingbuhangin.ph/
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mbbc.official
more reviews from tripadvisor:
http://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/Hotel_Review-g1015976-d2646783-Reviews-Munting_Buhangin_Beach_Camp-Nasugbu_Batangas_Province_Calabarzon_Region_Luzon.html

Pricelist (2015)

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