Getting to Laiya via Ibaan Exit

Travel date: April 30, 2010

On our way to Laiya, I noticed a banner along the Star Tollway advising motorists to take the Ibaan Exit to get to the resorts in Laiya in San Juan, Batangas. 

Normally, we take the Lipa exit and go through the city proper of Lipa. (During our trip last February, traffic was rerouted to a one-way street just past the junction after De La Salle Lipa. Though a bit circuitous, this adjustment eased the traffic flow noticeably. This leads to the right road merging to a Y junction with a monument in the middle referred to in waypoints.ph.) 

Last week though, we heeded the sign and went past the Lipa exit and drove 11 kilometers more to get to the Ibaan exit. 

After the Lipa exit, the Star Tollway becomes a narrow two-way road.

After 10.5 kilometers from the Lipa exit, motorists are advised with this road sign.

From the exit, we turned left and headed towards the town of Ibaan. 

turn left and head towards Ibaan

road towards Rosario

We just followed the road and turned left at the end, which led to the town proper of Ibaan. After a few meters past the church, we came to a Y junction, where there was a road sign directing motorists to turn right. We drove about 15 kilometers until we got to the town proper of Rosario. There was a slight build up of traffic leading to the junction with a Jollibee store on the left side. We went straight past the junction, turned right at the end of the road and ended up a few meters before the arc going to the Batangas Racing Circuit. We followed the main road which veered to the left and drove straight for about 8 kilometers before we reached San Juan.

Welcome to San Juan, Batangas :)

Alternative Places to Stay in Laiya

The narrow road leading to the entrance of Kabayan Beach Resort in Laiya in San Juan, Batangas is dotted with other "resorts" which more or less share the same beach front as that of Kabayan Resort. During our overnight stay in Laiya Austria Beach Resort, I was able to take a look at the other places as we also tried to book an extra night.

These alternative places are not beach front. Guests have to walk on a narrow cemented path for less than  5 minutes to get to the beach.

Ideal for budget travelers, bringing in and cooking food is allowed. These "resorts" have common kitchen facilities complete with stove, griller and refrigerator. Dining and eating utensils are also provided.

Village Plaza Resort

Four air-conditioned cottages with 2 double-sized beds, 

private toilet and bath, and cable tv at Php 5,000 per night

They also have three bahay kubo-type of rooms, each equipped with a double-sized bed and fan. Toilet and bath is common for all three kubo-types. Room rate is Php 2,500 per night.

For inquiries, call Rachel Valdecantos at numbers (043) 5753261, 0908-5065817,
or Sally at 0929-2258618.

Mang Tomas' Rooms

Mang Tomas has 3 air-conditioned rooms and 2 fan rooms

row of aircon rooms

this room is being rented out for Php 3,000 per night

Casa Remo Apartelle

Eight rooms which can accommodate a maximum of 8 persons per room. 
Each room has two double-sized beds, extra mattresses and its own toilet and bath. 

Rates depend on the number of occupants, 

ranging from PhP 3,800 to Php 5,000.

Click here to view Casa Remo's website.

Good Shepherd Rest House

I sent an inquiry via text to the number found on the tarpaulin poster and was told to text this number instead: 0919-8317985. The rate for an air-con room which is good for 2 persons is PhP 3,000 while a room with a maximum capacity of 6 persons can be rented for PhP 6,000.

The Laiya Austria Beach Resort

The Laiya Austria Beach Resort is located in the same compound as the Kabayan Beach Resort. It is a 3 minute walk to get to the beach, passing by the parking lot of Kabayan. 

It offers very basic accommodations but the friendly caretaker, Gener, and his wife are very able in making sure that the resort is clean and they attend to the needs of the guests. They allow guests to bring in and/or cook their own food and they provide eating and cooking utensils for the guests' use as well. Mineral water is also available at the resort.

There are only three executive rooms available, each with its own toilet and bath. Inside is a small refrigerator and own set of eating utensils. There are two double sized beds and an extra mattress is provided to sleep a maximum of 6 persons. We rented our room for PhP 4,000 a night.

 the executive rooms

our room 

two double-sized beds

bathroom

no mini bar inside, haha ;)

this nipa hut is the common dining area

one table for each executive room

basic cooking facilities and utensils

Two trailer rooms, distinguished simply by their exterior colors, are also available for rent. These are just cool for barkadas or large groups of friends. I was told that call center agents are the usual occupants of these trailers. I got to take pictures of the interiors when the occupants checked out. Pardon the interior pics as Gener was still tidying up the rooms when I went inside to take the pics.

pink trailer room

inside the pink trailer

additional room inside the pink trailer room

mini kitchen inside the pink trailer

The pink trailer has a maximum capacity of 12. It has an extra small room and the whole trailer has 2 air-conditioners. It also has its own tiny kitchen and bathroom. It can be rented for PhP 5,000 per night.

white trailer room

 room inside the white trailer

double deck beds inside the white trailer

The white trailer can accommodate 8-10 persons with a rate of PhP 4,500 a night. A common bathroom can be found outside the trailer.

All in all, I would say that the Laiya Austria Beach Resort offers a good alternative to the more exclusive resorts in Laiya. It is quite ideal for budget travelers looking for a quick out-of-town escapade.

For reservations, contact Grace Rivera at mobile number 0918-3163386. She is very nice and responds quickly to inquiries. To confirm a reservation, a 50% downpayment should be deposited to their BDO account. She will then send a confirmation note via e-mail.

Laiya to Sariaya

The girls just didn't want to go home yet and wanted to extend. But the all the resorts were already fully-booked and we didn't have a place to stay. HB made some other arrangements to placate the girls.

So we found ourselves driving a little farther south to the town of Sariaya in Quezon. From the Laiya road junction in San Juan, we turned right and headed for Candelaria.

road from San Juan in Batangas to Candelaria in Quezon

We cruised for about 15 kilometers before reaching the town of Candelaria on the Maharlika Highway. Upon reaching the intersection, we turned right again to get to Sariaya. About 8 kilometers later, we turned right again on a narrower road leading to Barangay Guis-guis.

picturesque tree-lined countryside road marred by campaign posters

We traversed this road for about 12 kilometers more before reaching our second beach resort for the day. 

(More about the Dalampasigan Beach Resort on a separate post)    ;)

Laiya's Coral Gardens

On our second day in Laiya, we rented a boat to take us snorkeling in "Lamesang Bato". The banca rental association of Laiya saw that our family was just a small one and with two little kids at that so they arranged to get us a small banca. We agreed to pay Php 700 for the boat ride that took us about 4 kilometers off the beach and stayed with us during the 45-minute snorkeling time.

It was our younger girls' first experience and once they entered the water and donned their goggles, they were awed by the sight of the corals and fishes.

Lamesang Bato coral garden of Laiya

Note: This is NOT an underwater shot. I just focused my camera about a foot above the water and I was able to capture this :)

We brought bread so we could feed the fishes and the boatman even helped us do this. The girls exclaimed every now and then.

What a grand time they had!

Laiya Beach: Then and Now

I found this picture in my computer files. This was taken in Laiya in San Juan, Batangas almost 6 years ago. We were in Laiya during the Labor Day weekend in 2004.

Fiona was just 4 months old then. Zoe had just turned 4. Trish was just 8.

It's the Labor Day weekend again and we find ourselves back in Laiya.

Fiona is now 6, Zoe is 10 and Trish is 14.

Laiya Beach Resorts

Here we are again, planning another trip to Laiya in San Juan, Batangas for April 30-May 1. I've spent most of this afternoon surfing and searching for a good value-for-money resort. Thus far, I've narrowed our choices down to two. Inquiries with regard to the availability of rooms were already sent. I'll be crossing my fingers in anticipation of the replies.

In the meantime, here's a list of the resorts in the stretch of Laiya Beach. Just click on the name of the resort to get directed to their respective websites. Hope this saves you a lot of time :)

Acuatico Beach Resort

Balai Laiya Resort

Blue Coral Beach Resort

Casa Remo Beach Resort

Kabayan Beach Resort

Laiya Coco Grove Resort

La Luz Beach Resort

Palm Beach Resort

Sabangan Beach Resort

Sigayan Bay Beach Resort

Tivona Beach Resort

Triple-G Beach Resort

Virgin Beach Resort

White Cove Beach Resort

April 20, 2010 Update: Both of my initial choices (La Luz & Kabayan) are fully booked for the weekend of April 30-May 1. I went through my list above and contacted each of them. All the resorts are fully-booked as well, except for White Cove but they could not accommodate our small family (as they require a minimum of 5 meal packages on top of the room/cottage rental).

Just 10 minutes ago, I was able to get a reservation with Laiya Austria Beach Resort, which is just beside or is actually an extension of the Kabayan Beach Resort. I was able to book an executive room for Php 4,000. The contact person is Grace who is very nice and accommodating. She may be reached through mobile numbers 0918-3163386 and/or 09157459396.

Whee! I am so excited now!

April 30, 2010 Photo Update: