Appartelle De Francesca in Puerto Galera, The Hotel With A Footstep Swimming Pool

I was up at the third floor to make this aerial photo.

good times with my son.

Jacuzzi

this is the view in our doorstep.

Our cabin is just next to the swimming pool.

The Appartelle De Francesca

This past Philippine vacation, it was the first time that we stayed at White Beach, Puerto Galera. Before, we always stayed at Sabang Beach. A friend told my husband that White Beach is more family-friendlier than Sabang. My husband booked us ahead in Appartelle De Francesca. Our plan was just for three to four days, then we will move to Sabang. But we changed our minds. We stayed in Appartelle De Francesca for one week until we left Puerto Galera.

As I am writing this blog, I feel the sense of warmth in my heart as I remember our days in Appartelle De Francesca. The hotel is very clean, with a beautiful garden, flowers are there to make you feel home and so relax. During our stay there, I made many beautiful flower photos. The hotel has this unique shape swimming pool, foot-shape/footstep swimming pool with jacuzzi and fountains. It was a grand view in our cabin doorstep, the swimming pool. The management and staff are all accommodating. They always see to it that we are taken care of well. They are always ready to give assistance to us. When I told the owner to give us a fair discount and I love to write on my blog their hotel, my request was granted.

The Appartelle De Francesca has many rooms, I think more than 40 rooms available to guests. They also have conference halls. It was a real busy day at Appartelle De Francesca when we arrived because the Department Of Education held their two day event there. The hotel is about five minutes walk to the beach. A good place if you want a rest and peace, a distance from a noisy world of nightlife along the beach.

On our last night, I went up to the third floor, made photography of the footstep swimming pool. In the morning that we left, the owner gave us a free breakfast of their very delicious pancakes. The best pancakes in my entire lifetime! Please stay tuned because I will write separately on my blog about that pancake experience. I am looking forward to the day that me with my family will be back at the beautiful Appartelle De Francesca.

Nature At Its Best, Photos At Appartelle De Francesca

As what I have told on my blog, I still have many beautiful flower photos on my Canon camera that I also love to share. I am checking them now, and I found too these photos that I made in Puerto Galera. They are pleasing to my eyes and warm my heart as I remember those happy days. Really, it is still the simple things in this world that always captivate my attention. These photos were made by me just around the hotel where we stayed, the Appartelle De Francesca in White Beach. Next batch of photos are flowers. 

Philippine Holiday 2017: Bakasyunan, Our Favorite Vacation Place

In life, you can find a place where you love to go back to. A place that hold a special place in your heart. This is the story of this place that became a vacation place to us, a place where I feel comfortable, now it is like a home to me.

Me and my husband found this place in the year 2011. We were finding a venue for our 12-12-12 wedding. From then on, we became a regular guest here. Every year when we take vacations in the Philippines to visit my family, we invariably choose to stay here.
The name of the place is Bakasyunan, in English it means: a vacation place. It is in Iba, Zambales. Right on the coast line. At the back of the vacation place where there are cabins, conference hall, restaurant, and recreation facilities, is a beach. The beach is clean and hold a striking sunset. It surprised me to see so many flowers around the area, bright and colorful flowers that I photograph every day to share with my page. There are also several fruit trees. I made a photo of a jackfruit. I am not sure if all of you know the taste of the jackfruit. It is so tasty. While I am writing this, my husband and son are in the swimming pool. The day's temperature is I think 28 degrees. I am writing under the shade of a tree, beside the infinity swimming pool. I made photos through my iPhone and I love to share them with you. I hope these photos will set you in a relaxing mood today. 

The Beautiful Puerto Galera

Sabang Beach

The Philippines is renowned because of its rich culture, heartwarming people, rugged mountains, and of course its stunning beaches. This time, I would like to feature in my blog the beautiful Puerto Galera.
Puerto Galera is a small town in the province of Oriental Mindoro. It is a few hours travel from Manila. Puerto Gallera is a Spanish for "port of the Galleon." When it says Puerto Galera, typically it refers to the town and the beautiful beaches and resorts that surround this municipality.

The floating bar, view from our cabin

Always like a home to us, Steps and Garden Resort

There are two very famous beaches in Puerto Galera. The Sabang beach to the east and White Beach to the west. These two beaches are the primary destinations of the tourists who are coming in Puerto Galera.
I first visited Puerto Gallera with my officemates and our manager during my Citibank days. We stayed at White Beach for two days and two nights. While they were enjoying the nightlife at the beach, I was alone in our accomodation with a novel. But I enjoyed our stay there. I have fun riding on a banana boat, I watched the spectacular sunset, and before we leave, a Mangyan woman braid my hair.

Tamaraw Falls

At Batangas Pier

my husband and our friend, the owner of Extreme Sports Philippines

Lonelyplanet.com posted: "each has its own distinct character, spanning the range from sleaze to sophistication, you'd be well advised to choose carefully."
After White Beach, about three years later, my husband took me to Sabang, Puerto Galera. Now, I fully understand what does the lonelyplanet.com imply.

Me and my son with the tourist bus to Batangas Pier

Attending our meeting anywhere we are. 

Despite of many  unfavorable comments about Sabang, I even read on internet, someone called Sabang as the worst place in the world, I came to love this place. It has its unique quality that makes me longing to always come back there. During our stay there I make friends, and few of them are still my friend until today.

There are many wholesome activities that you can enjoy while you are in Puerto Galera. But it is at night time that Sabang got so alive. I went with my husband in scuba diving. Puerto Galera is an excellent diving site. We travel from town to town with a buggy and we went up to Calapan.

my husband to go scuba diving

habal-habal ride

those days at Steps and Garden

Here are some of the places that I can recommend when you are in Puerto Galera: The Tamaraw Falls. It is 15 km from Puerto Galera.
The Mangyan Village. There are special jeepney trips going to these places. Viewpoint. A small restaurant at the tip top of the forest where you can dine and drink, the view from there is superb.
From Sabang, you can take a tricycle going to Viewpoint. For fun, instead of tricycle, we ride in habal-habal (motorcycle).
Every time we are are in the Philippines, we take time to also visit Puerto Galera. My husband has a good long time friend there, the Belgian guy who owns the Extreme Sports Philippines, also located in Puerto Galera.

The view at Viewpoint

In my solitude

At Big Lalaguna

We always stay in Steps And Garden Resort. It is like a villa at the top of the hill. The rooms are very neat and their swimming pool is really clean.
How to go there? From Manila you can take a bus going to Batangas Pier. At the Batangas Pier, there are boats going both to White Beach and Sabang. It takes an hour from Batangas Pier to these beaches.
There is also a special tourist bus that carries tourists from Manila to Batangas Pier. Boat arrangement going to Sabang or White Beach is included. They hold their small office on the ground floor of the City State Garden Hotel in Mabini. We prefer this one. I think they have two or three trips going to Batangas Pier every day.
Puerto Galera for me is also worthy of your visit. Whether you are a nature-lover or fun loving. I hope my photos give you some insight what to expect about this place. Still, once you are there, discretion lies on the shoulder of the visitor. You can find out why.