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Punta Fuego, Batangas

In the summer of 2008, I went with my college friends on our first post-graduation getaway. Peninsula de Punta Fuego is a private residential beach community in the province of Batangas. Punta Fuego is a Spanish phrase that  literally translates to “point of fire.”

Note that since Peninsula de Punta Fuego is a private residential community, you need to be either a resident or a guest (with proof!) to be able to get past the gates.

Accommodations.

There were 15 of us all together, squeezed together into 3 cars, and we rented an entire house called Piazza Catalina. To be honest, I don’t really know the details of the rental, my friend took care of it. All I know was that he found the place through Multiply.com.

To get past the village security, we had official letters signed by the house owner.

The house was really nice and big and spacious and immaculately clean. The lot of us occupied one regular-sized room (which had a private bathroom) and one huge Japanese-inspired room (near a dorm-style shower area).

They even had an outdoor grill where we enjoyed one kebab/barbecue dinner, a spacious outdoor hangout area, and a karaoke machine which we immensely enjoyed.

Food.

Since Peninsula de Punta Fuego was a private residential village, there were no fastfood outlets or restaurants inside. The nearest fastfood outlet would be the Jollibee in the nearby town of Nasugbu, which is just a few minutes drive.

Nasugbu also has a market, so you can buy your ingredients here for you to cook at your residence in Punta Fuego.

Activities.

There were two beaches inside Peninsula de Punta Fuego: Long Beach and Crescent Beach.

Long Beach wasn’t the ideal white-sand beach paradise. Its up-side is two things: 1) it was relatively private since the beach was located in a gated subdivision, 2) the corals were so near the shore, you can go snorkeling without having to go too far out in the water.

Our friends hung a hammock and played some frisbee. We also did a bit of kayaking from Long Beach to Crescent Beach.

Crescent Beach was a bit more of a children’s beach, as it was very shallow even as you go several meters from the shore. I imagine it would be great for making sandcastle with toddlers. For us, we used the beach as our location for sunset/silhouette photo sessions.

The Verdict.

Pros: Driving distance from Manila. Very private. Snorkeling can be done near the shore, no boat rental required. There’s a nearby market, for affordable food options. Beautiful sunset.

Cons: The beach wasn’t picture perfect. You need to own your water sports equipment (kayak, jetski, etc.).

Overall, it’s a great experience if you’re going for privacy, but not so much if you’re after the white-sand beach experience. However, since this is a private residential area, you either need to own a house there (or know someone who does), or rent a house yourself. I’m not sure if there are any room rentals, so I’d think it’s best to go as a large group.