Aquaria Beach Resort

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR USE MY PHOTOS IN YOUR WEBSITES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION ANYWHERE IN THE NET WITHOUT MY PERMISSION, PLEASE CONTACT ME IF EVER YOU ARE INTERESTED TO USE ANY OF THE IMAGES.

THANK YOU!

Another Summerfun adventure with my best travel buddy, Rowie Tagaan! This time at the gorgeous resort of Aquaria in Batangas!

Well, as life revolves into different shades of surprises, my choice of leisure also undergone a little make over. I wanted something magical and strange :-P

I got to know Aquaria one afternoon when I was painstakingly searching for a resort around Calatagan, Batangas that's something magical, fun and new. I've longed been wanted to visit the scenic province of Batangas since I moved here in Manila from Davao last year, so the quick sojourn last weekend was a sort of fulfillment in my part.

Aquaria Beach Resort is located in Brgy. Sta. Ana, Playa, Calatagan, Batangas. I was in awe with the spectacular photos I saw around the net of this resort that I immediately made a travel itinerary and informed Rowie.

Aquaria is truly amazing! It offers the best of both worlds - an elaborate swimming pool with a sunken bar, a beautiful winding path, spiraled slides and a beach side with a long coastline to cool down. Perfect for a soothing holiday getaway!

 The resort is very far from the town of Calatagan, almost located in the middle of the wooded land of Barangay Sta. Ana but the travel is not really exhausting because the road leading to this resort is not scary and isolated, in fact it is wide and fully developed so no fear of any inconveniences along the way, the only down side is that there's no available public utility vehicles going to and from this area. 

If you are a commuter, the only way to reach Aquaria is through a tricycle ride from the town proper of Calatagan, the travel is about 30 minutes, and in order to ensure your trip back to the town, you must make an arrangement with the tricycle driver to fetch you towards the end of the day.

Elegant entrance of the resort

Aquaria is equipped with state-of-the-art modern swimming pool facilities with a beautiful garden, relaxing cabanas, kiddie pool area and lined-up umbrellas to rest on. It has a sunken pool bar, a spiraled three-storey slides and a very comfortable rest rooms, chic, clean and luxurious!

The resort opens from 9:00 in the morning and closes at 6:00 in the evening. Entrance fee is Php 400.00 and no corkage fee for foods.

The restaurant area is facing the beach side so the feeling is very soothing and cool when you dine! Refreshing breeze of the sea air will give you a more gratifying feeling of being in a beautiful environment. The beach side has a sprawling area where ball games and other fun activities can be held. The only bad thing is that the sand along the shoreline is not very refine, so you must wear your slipper/shoes all the time.

We did not take the plunge at the beach because when we arrived the sun was terribly hot and I was afraid my skin might be roasted :-P but the water, which sparkled under the beaming sun, seemed like invigorating that your fear of being "burned" might be compensated. But I hate the idea of experiencing that stingy feeling on my skin due to sunburn (though I applied sunblock, it doesn't guarantee  of anything,) so I chose to remain in the shade and waited until afternoon before taking a beach side strolling :-D

Strolling along the beach area with Rowie

Sun-kissed beachside of Aquaria!

Relaxing afternoon walk during low tide!

Sweltering heat of the summer sun! 
You have an option to take refuge in the cool shade or roast your skin under the 
harsh rays of the sun, the choice is yours, hehe!

We chose to protect our skin so we decided to rest at the pool side

Ultra-modern pool facilities

Picturesque Pool!!!

If you're coming as a group, you may book one cabana along the pool side, 
it can accommodate up to 10 persons, rate is around 1,200.00

Kiddie Pool area complete with water sprinkler

My overall review of the resort:

Aquaria has an ultra-modern swimming pool. Beautifully design with an impression of grandeur and fantasy. I loved the garden and the intricate details of flowers around the cabanas. It's ultra romantic! I enjoyed the wide sleek pool side, spectacular, magnificent and truly fantastic! The beachside is just fine, if you're not into sun bathing or getting yourself tanned, don't stay along the beach side longer because the harsh sun rays will badly roast your skin. But I like the wide beach front, you can frolic leisurely, it's good if you want to play ball games with your friends! The food options are equally great!

How to get There:

If you are travelling via bus: Go to Coastal Mall and look for a route going to Calatagan, Batangas but this is very rare as buses to Calatagan are only few, take Lian route instead. Tell the driver or the conductor to drop you off at Lian near the public market.

Upon arrival at Lian, look for a tricycle that would take you to the market, it is there where you can find jeepneys for Calatagan. Tell the Jeepney driver you're heading to Brgy. Sta. Ana so that he can drop you off near the terminal of tricycle in the town proper of Calatagan. Don't forget to make an arrangement with the tricycle driver to fetch you after your stay in Aquaria because there's no other way to get back to the town.

Important Reminder:

Aquaria has no overnight accommodation as it does not have cottages or villas yet, they don't allow tent also so you better plan carefully your travel. You may look for transient inns in the town of Calatagan to spend the night away or you may choose to stay at nearby beach resorts like Casa Astillejo or Calatagan Beach Resort.

Good Experience with the Resort:

Okay, so here's my little story about our trip. We know that Aquaria does not have an overnight accommodation and originally we planned to go to Casa Astillejo to spend the night, so we asked the number of the tricycle driver so that we could text him at 6:00 in the evening.

The big trouble came around 6:00, the driver's cellphone number lacked one digit! We could no longer contact him and there was no way to look for a tricycle in the area, argggh!! We're the only people left in the resort so we asked the staff how they could help us. The staff, about four of them, were extremely kind and generous with their time, they made effort to really help us, one of them contacted their friend whose father is a tricycle driver, to assist us. The staff did not leave the area until we're safely secured, they assured us the driver is a good man, in fact his son worked also in the resort.

Whoaa! It was truly a strange adventure! Hahaha! Thank God, we reached Calatagan safely and the tricycle driver brought us to a transient Inn, whose owner looked like his friend because they knew each other, it was just a walking distance from the bus terminal. The accommodation was just right for backpackers but not if you're particular of comfort and convenience. It was a little hot with just electric fan in the room, but at Php 400.00 rate per room for 12 hours, what do we expect? The most important thing --- we're safe, never mind the comfort :-D

We travelled back to Manila on the following morning, Sunday, May 18. It was a comfortable travel and we arrived safely.

Here's the list of expenses we incurred for this weekend getaway (in Philippine Peso, amount is per person):

•   Bus fare from Coastal Mall to Lian, Batangas: 149.00
•   Tricycle going to public market in Lian: 10.00
•   Jeepney for Calatagan, Batangas: 38.00
•   Tricycle from Calatagan to Playa: 75.00
•   Entrance Fee in Aquaria: 400
•   Lunch: 155.00 (rice + calamaris without drinks)
•   Tricycle back to Calatagan: 75.00
•   Transient Room: 200
•   Dinner: 50.00
•   Van fare Calatagan to Pasay: 180.00

TOTAL EXPENSES: Php 1,332.00