Life is a Beach

“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth.” – Rachel Carson

We’ve been planning for a beach vacation for several months now. After much debate, we opted to go the Acuaverde Resort, situated in Laiya, Batangas.

Well it wasn’t really a debate, it was more of a mutual evaluation of the 6 short listed resorts in Batangas that we were considering. Here’s a snapshot our observations based on what we saw in blogs, Trip Advisor reviews and the resort’s actual website.

It was a close call between Acuatico and Acuaverde. I personally wanted to go the former because of the infinity pool, but Steph prefers the green environment of the latter. Naturally, she won.

I’m glad she did though, because we are really happy with our decision. The resort wasn’t that big, but it was spacious. There were a lot of trees and the place was adorned with wood furniture and decorations.

We were there for 3 days and 2 nights. We stayed at the Casa Marina. We booked way in advance, 2 months ahead. We got a rate of PHP 7350 per night, inclusive of the following: meal buffet (dinner, breakfast and lunch); refillable water, tea and coffee; access to their facilities such as the kayak, board games and table tennis.

To see a full list of their facilities, check it here: http://www.acuaverderesort.com.ph/facilities.php

They eventually launched a promo that was cheaper by PHP 1900 around March, but we weren’t able to take advantage of it cause there were no more slots and all the dates of our stay were not covered. They were kind enough to give us a 10% discount though.

The Room
The room wasn’t large, but it was cozy and inviting. The bed was comfortable! We had enough shelves and cabinet space that allowed us to store our baggage with ease. The safety box wasn’t working properly at first, although their staff took care of it right away. The bathroom was spacious and was designed beautifully. We had a complete supply of bath, beach, hand and foot towels available.

The only down side in this whole trip was that we still couldn’t play any movies through the TV’s USB port.

The Food
Despite the numerous comments about the food being so-so, we actually enjoyed every meal. I don’t particularly remember all the food we ate, although I do remember fulling full and satisfied each time we left the dining area. Breakfast was from 7am to 9am, Lunch was from 12nn to 2pm and Dinner was from 7pm to 9pm. We arrived 30 minutes before they stopped serving food on the 2nd day, but it was okay. The staff was happy to bring us a replenishment of warm food.

They also have a bar below the dining area, where we spent most of our first night. I finally got to try more cocktails! They were not too pricey and I was surprised I didn’t get drunk. We ordered cocktails while eating mais con yelo and Pringles. We enjoyed our drinks over dama, chess and scrabble.

The Beach
The beach front was wonderful, it was adorned by these beautiful cottages that you can just hang out in for hours on end. Not only were the cottages aesthetically appealing, they were comfortable too. We spent a night sitting in one of the couches while the bonfire was blazing, it was such a lovely experience.

The water was clean! It wasn’t dirty and itchy. It was actually pretty clear! We enjoyed wading and being in the water. The sand was fine and comfortable too.

I’m afraid that the beach’s pristine state did not stay the way it is up until the third day, although it was no one’s fault. The water became muddled, the waves forceful, and there were rocks that hurt our feet. The sky was dark then and there was an impending storm, which may have caused the sudden change of the ocean’s mood. We still braved through it, in hopes of making the most of our stay.

The Staff
I’d like to believe that Acuaverde’s best asset is their people. From the moment we arrived, up until we left their gates- everyone was so courteous, polite and accommodating. I value that a lot.

They also have this “At your Service” feature, which is a button you press so that someone will attend to you. These buttons are located in all rooms, as well as the cottages in the beach front.

Over all, we enjoyed our stay and we were left wanting more.

You may visit their website here: http://www.acuaverderesort.com.ph/