Sitio Talipanan, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro
Talipanan offers a more subdued setting along the stretch of Puerto Galera compared to its more popular and naturally crowded neighbors White Beach and Sabang.
Talipanan Beach. From this view, you will see a strip of white sand at the distance which is the private beach of the Ayalas. Itabout 10 minutes walk from Talipanan. Farther to the left but not captured here is White Beach.
From White Beach, you may reach Talipanan by boat (10 minutes) and by jeep or tricycle (30 minutes) but be prepared for some rough, inclined, and narrow road going there.
There are 70-seater boats that sail directly to Talipanan from Batangas port but trips from Batangas to White Beach are much frequent. During our 2006 summer outing, fare was P200 one way with additional P10 terminal fee. On the way to Talipanan, our boat had engine trouble so we had to disembark at White Beach then we took a tricycle to Talipanan that cost us more than P100.
We rented a room at Bamboo House Beach Lodge and Restaurant and their fan room which was the only one left and we managed to reserved costs P1,500 per day. Unfortunately, the room they gave us was an extra room of the staff and not really meant for guests except of course if there are takers like us. The room has a double-deck bed, a space for an extra matt, toilet and cooking area down the hallway.
Bamboo House has its own restaurant that serves meals throughout the day – sandwiches, pasta, and rice meals. They have a big and comfortable sala or lounge area where you can relax, watch tv, play cards, and meet other guests.
Bamboo House Beach Front
The wide front lawn of Bamboo House has hammocks between trees, rattan chairs, nipa cottages and volleyball net at the beach front. They have an outpost store where you can order your drinks and sing all day long at the videoke machine.
On our second night, we sang till 12 midnight when they closed shop. We were still hyperactive so we pulled the rattan chairs near the beach and played Pinoy Henyo and Charades till 3am. It was dark and only the moon lit our spot. We can see White Beach was still awake and we were envious because Talipanan has no night life. You have to create your own night life here. But it was the best night we had there, as we fell of the chairs laughing aloud at this silly Pinoy Henyo game.
On our first night, we rented a boat that brought us to White Beach so we could experience the night life there. We paid P800 for this chilly 10-minute boat ride. Maka-night life lang, LOL.
White Beach is so crowded, noisy, and alive at night. There was an endless row of restaurants along the beach front and you can smell barbecue all around. Many near-naked young bodies gyrate to party tunes while holding beer bottles. At the back of those restaurants, there are tiangges, souvenir stores, smaller food stalls, and tattoo shops.
White Beach is more popular than Talipanan and it’s the favorite choice of young people who love to party and be seen. If that is your scene, then White Beach is for you. But if you love to enjoy the water, do laps in the sea, this may not be for you as boats come and go every now and then to bring tourists. And water is not so clear. If you want a quieter vacation, then choose Talipanan. I heard Small and Big La Laguna are better options too. And of course, Sabang is for divers.
At the far end of Talipanan are beautiful and huge rock formations where you can also have your private dips.
Beside Bamboo House is Whitesand Resort or Mengie’s White Sand where we had our meals most of the time as their dishes are so yummy. I especially loved the chicken teriyaki and the halo-halo. They also have a store with videoke machine near the beach but we liked Bamboo House’ beach front better. You can also do your Banana Boat Ride from Whitesand.
We checked out Whitesand’s rooms and they were better than Bamboo’s. We hired our kid guide to Talipanan Falls from this resort as well.
Other lodges you will find in Talipanan are Bamboo House 1, El Canonero Mariveles (beside Bamboo House), and Mountain Beach Resort.
Now are you wondering how white are the sands of Talipanan, Puerto Galera? Here are some contrasts. Hullo there officemates! Hehe
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Bamboo House Beach Lodge and Restaurant – Cell# 0917-5620992, contact person is Juvy.
Whitesand Beach Resort - Cell# 0920-2464396 Meng-the husband owner; Cell# 0920-4032173 Marge-the wife.
10 Comments
January 31, 2008 at 8:41 pm
hi. ive been to bamboo house 2x before (1998 & 1999) i want to now if they still experience brownouts during the night? please advice because were planning to visit again this february with some out of town friends. btw when did you go there? tnx
February 11, 2008 at 9:59 am
hi.. can you give me an idea how much is the cottage rates in bamboo house w/c is good for 2adults? were planning to go there this weekend.. may i also know if the food there is affordable? thanks a lot!
February 29, 2008 at 5:04 pm
hi! my friend and i will spend the lenten season in Talipanan, specifically in Mariner’s Beach Resort. Have you seen their resort? I also inquired for Bamboo House but unfortunately, they are already fully-booked. I was expecting that there will be a night life in Talipanan, wala pala. i guess, we have to island hop. hehe. how much is the fare again? we were told to ride Commando’s boat daw ’cause it’s route is direct to Talipanan. tama ba? do you know what time yung first trip to Talipanan? thanks =)
February 29, 2008 at 9:30 pm
hi lariza, i have to check my old ticket and see if we took Commando. let me get back to you on that this weekend, i’ll email you. am not sure about the earliest boat sched, but we left Batangas port then at around 7:30am. yes, it was lights off at Talipanan at 9pm hehe, probinsyang probinsya. sorry i don’t remember seeing Mariner’s. thanks!
April 14, 2008 at 7:00 pm
My family and I will be in Talipanan this April 23. I was able to get hold of Ms. Juvie’s new cellphone# 0917-5620992. She offered us an airconditioned room. P3,500/night with free breakfast. By the way, 6 of us will be occupying just one room. She advised us to board a Commando boat since it’s the only one that travels all the way to Talipanan which is 10-minute ride from the White Beach. I asked if we could bring our own rice cooker and cook our own food and she said yes. This way, mas makakamenos kami sa food. First trip daw from Batangas Pier to Puerto is at 6am.
April 22, 2008 at 1:12 am
hello. im planning to take my kids to puerto galera and was wondering if talipanan is the best place to stay. we want a quiet, non crowded place with a good beach front. also, we want to stay in a resort thats beach front since i need to have easy access to the room in case i need anything for the kids. how is the water in talipanan? i have checked some resorts but not all of them have a web site that i can go into. im kind of interested in mengies white sand resort. is that the same resort as the white sand beach resort? you wrote that the rooms there are better than bamboo. im more inclined to try out mengies now. are their rates better than bamboo?
April 22, 2008 at 4:47 am
hi terry, you want somewhere quiet and laidback, choose talipanan. few boats that come and go, not crowded during daytime so you get to enjoy its wide shores especially during the night- no loud music and parties. in white beach during the night, shores get really narrower as restaurants fill up the space of the beachfront to set up their tables and chairs. don’t hope to get your romantic nightwalk by the beach at white beach. parang Raon St sa Quiapo, sapawan ng music yung mga tabi-tabing resto and bars. amoy barbecue, basta the usual party scene. if you want something festive like that, then go there.
water infront of bamboo is surfy and shallow parts don’t run far. of course you can always beach hop and head for calmer waters.
yes i think mengie’s is also called white sand resort and yes cheaper than bamboo. someone said, mariner’s is worth a try also because it’s a new resort. all those resorts in talipanan i believe are beachfront and accessible. but bamboo’s and mengie’s rooms are not near the waters because as i’ve said, talipanan has sweeping wide shores. medyo maglalakad ka lang konti to get to your rooms. hope this helps
April 22, 2008 at 11:23 am
nice page..
am getting more and more info on the places i can visit here in PI from your posts..
do keep them coming, i might be chasing your footprints in the places where you’ve been..
thanks..
April 30, 2008 at 8:49 am
just wanna share.. when we went to talipanan we stayed in Bamboo House but during meal time we went to Mengie’s because its more affordable..
May 12, 2008 at 5:48 pm
may 10, 2008. my first time in puerto galera. we went to mengie’s in talipanan. hey, if you’re looking for 5-star hotel amenities, don’t come here and tell me i’m wrong. the place is not perfect cos in the first place, it’s not a hotel no but i would surely recommend this for those looking for a budget yet comfortable, relaxing and peaceful place to stay in puerto galera.
the best sa mengie’s! super affordable. food and room. ms. marge offered us an aircon room for only P1,500/night. we were 8 and so we got 2 rooms. the best food too! per meal per pax would range P80-P120 but if you’re on a budget you can bring your own food para tipid talaga.
a relaxing full body massage by the beach is only P200. banana boat ride is only P200 per pax for 20 fun, fun, fun minutes! sayang. parasailing dapat kami ng sis ko kaya lang medyo di na kaya ng budget. it’s P1,200 kung mag isa ka lang and P2k pag 2 kayo. concert pa kami at P5/song. nabulabog yata namin ang katahimikan ng talipanan sa mga sintunado naming mga boses. ok lang. kesa naman sa white beach no.. hehehe.
over all, excellent ang stay namin. ms. marge, her husband, mang meng, their nieces, kathleen and the debutant (forgot his name, sorry naman), were so accommodating and helpful. ang bilis ng oras talaga when you’re enjoying. kanis! text ms. marge at 0920-4032173 and sir meng 0920-2464396. they will take care of everything for you.