The Province of Marinduque is synonymous
to the celebration of the Filipino Holy Week because of the Moriones
Festival. But aside from this, the province shelters some
islands and islets that hold some beautiful white sand beaches and Maniwaya Island is one of them.
Maniwaya is actually an island
barangay just less than an hour boat ride from the mainland Municipality
of Sta. Cruz. The white sand and cool water of the island is most sought
after by the locals and some guests to ease the scorching heat especially
during summer.
A week before the celebration of
the Lenten season, our team decided to chill and beat the summer heat in Palo
Maria, a resort in Maniwaya Island.
For our convenience, we rented a private motored-boat in Balogo, Sta. Cruz for only Php 2500.00.
For our convenience, we rented a private motored-boat in Balogo, Sta. Cruz for only Php 2500.00.
First Impression
To be honest, the beach of
Maniwaya is a little above mediocre beach destination compared with other
marvelous beaches I’d have seen in the different parts of the Philippines. My rating? 7/10!
Though
Maniwaya looks common (in my own opinion),
it deserves commendation for being so clean with course to fine sugary white coral sand and clear turquoise water that can actually rival the overcrowded and overrated beach
resorts of Batangas. (To which I will 100% choose the beaches of Marinduque over Batangas)
--Every place of destination is beautiful,
it just need a good representation.--
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The beach of Maniwaya Island |
To where we stayed, Palo Maria
Resort, the electricity is only provided for a few hours at night and shall be
off after dawn. We had our lunch and
dinner grilled just at the back of the nipa cottages.
The only thing I didn’t like was that they have no sink, light and water by
the grilling station or at least a kitchen where you can prepare your food. Worst,
you have to fetch your water beside the shower area which I felt psychologically
unsanitized, but who cares we were hungry!
With this, the owner allowed
their guests to use their dirty kitchen including their gas stoves, frying pan,
and other kitchen utensils for cooking with a minimal user fee of Php50. But I felt it should be free! And if in
case you failed to bring some ingredients or food, the owner has a little store
that sells some basic necessities from canned goods, noodles, soap and shampoo,
cooking oil, softdrinks, etc. But I warned you that goods’ prices were way above
the Milky Way.
--Life is FREE! Take it or someone will!--
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Type of accommodation in Maniwaya Island in Palo Maria |
When it comes to accommodation, they have nipa-type cottages and rooms. For 9 pax, we rented a single room for
Php 1500.00, where we placed our valuables for safety. Then we put up our personal tent
where we spent the night. You can also rent their tents for Php 300.00 each.
Other than Palo Maria Resort there are also other beach resorts you can choose from once your boat docked in Maniwaya Island.
We Love the Beach and So Does the Carabao!
The moon shone full bright that
night that we decided to lay down on the therapeutic sand of Maniwaya. We were
having the best of our night counting the stars of the clear and cloudless sky
until a solo wandering young carabao appeared on our feet, hitting or playing
on the cool water of the beach. Initial reaction? Yes we FREAKED OUT, shouting over our lungs thinking it was a monster transformed into an animal. But
after a few minutes, we realized that this water buffalo was just like us,
trying to chill and beating the heat of the night. Wow that carabao got class!
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Seems like our friends had the best summer escapade in Maniwaya Island. (L-R) Oghee, Malou, Ruth and Cynthia |
How to Get to Maniwaya Island?
From Manila (Buendia or Kamuning Cubao), there are buses
(JAM or JAC) that would take you directly to Lucena, Quezon, the fare was roughly
P200.00-Php250.00. If the bus did not proceed to Dalahican Port, you can ride a tricycle
(Php30.00/pax) to the pier.
There are two major shipping lines that can take you to Balanacan, Marinduque, one is Montenegro and the other one is Starhorse, the fare is just Php 260.00 plus a terminal fee of Php 30.00. Ferry schedule bound for Balanacan is almost every three hours that starts at 12 midnight and the last trip at 4:00pm
There are two major shipping lines that can take you to Balanacan, Marinduque, one is Montenegro and the other one is Starhorse, the fare is just Php 260.00 plus a terminal fee of Php 30.00. Ferry schedule bound for Balanacan is almost every three hours that starts at 12 midnight and the last trip at 4:00pm
At Balanacan Port, jeepneys and
vans wait for passengers bound for Sta. Cruz, fare was Php 80.00. Reaching the town proper of Sta. Cruz,
there are tricycles bound for Buyabod that are located just in front of the DepEd building, fare was Php
15.00 each. Motorized boat at Buyabod Port leaves for Maniwaya Island at
10:00am, fare was Php 70.00. The boat from Maniwaya Island returns the next day to Buyabod
Port at 7:00am.
What's NEW???
You can also check the newest accommodation on the other side of Maniwaya Island, the Marikit-Na Beach Resort. The whole house can accommodate at most 30-40 persons.Contact Ron Montes for details at +63927.8789.782 or +63921.9785.565
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Marikit-na Beach Resort is the newest and grandest accommodation that you can find in Maniwaya Island, Marinduque. |
(P.S.Our sincerest thanks to Ms. Ali Manalo and family especially to Nanay Meding for cleaning our everyday mess in their humble home in Balogo, Sta.Cruz. We are grateful for your hospitality .)
Thanks for the info! I really want to go to this island... Anyway how many hours from Lucena Port to Balanacan? No Fast Crafts? Thanks!
ReplyDeletehi Genmari,it will take you 2-2.5 hours from Lucena to Balanacan via RORO .. no fastcraft as far as I know.
ReplyDeleteThe carabao has class to chill in the beach but I guess that also means that the place is so raw and pristine that animals can go to the beach freely.
ReplyDeleteHahaha nakakatawa ang carabao na yan. Sa loob ng resort yan o sa labas na?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteSa labas ng resort yun julius. the back fall it did not wear any swim wear.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Genmari . if in case you have quieries you can dial the number of Capt. Ronald i have posted below the article .:D Happy summer
ReplyDeleteIt looks like there's not a lot of people there in the beach. Did you go for water sports activities?
ReplyDeletewow!that beach picture is nice,love to pay a visit there.
ReplyDeleteMy dad already went to Marinduque when I was still in highschool. He said that the province is peaceful. I would love to visit this province too :)
ReplyDeleteSeems like a very nice place to spend some relaxation time. As long as a place is clean and peaceful, that's good enough for me but of course given the choice, who would not take advantage of better facilities?
ReplyDeletei could have gone for jet skii ... but my budget was that tied.. hayyyy ..the downfall of #travelonabudget ..lol
ReplyDeletei could really recommend to visit the place ...more than batangas.very serence .. probinsia type talaga.
ReplyDeletenice place to go to for holy week! i would love just to lay down on the hammock too!
ReplyDeletelook like you had a great time there... i'm starting to miss the beaches now... i guess we'll try it here when the weather is no longer that cold. Yahweh bless.
ReplyDeleteHi! If you are looking for a beach resort to stay in Marinduque, you might want to try Roberto's Hideaway in Cawit, Boac, Marinduque. For more details, visit www.robertoshideawaybeachresort.com or you may contact 0917-8323148.
ReplyDeleteHi,just like to ask if resedencia de palo maria is same as palo maria resort
ReplyDeleteTnx.
Hi @azel , they are in two different locations in Maniwaya Island.
ReplyDeleteDo you have contact info for Palo Maria resort? Are there aircon rooms? How much? Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteHi @travchic,
ReplyDeleteI have no contact number in Palo Maria residences but I can recommend you to a much better accommodation in Maniwaya, The Marikit-Na Beach and Resort .you can ring Mr. Ron Montes for inquiries at these numbers +639278789782 or +639219785565