Cagbalete- Pansacola Beach
Cagbalete has long been a backpackers destination but according to the people at Mauban Quezon, it only became a popular destination last 2013. The boom that brought the volume of people going here nowadays maybe attributed to its proximity to Manila compared to a Calaguas. The influx of tourists has opened opportunities for the locals to cash-in in this new source of income. But as of 2015, given that its only two years after it became popular, the tourism infrastructure is still not fully developed.
The beaches are an ideal place to swim as it has bigger shallow portions similar to Alona Beach in Bohol. The white sand beach is a little coarser than Calaguas but is still one of the better white sand beaches near Manila. The island doesn’t have roads so the beaches on the far side of the island is still a challenge to reach either by foot or by boat. But the most popular destination as of this writing are the beaches near the pier up to the tip called Pansacola so walking by foot is not really a problem.
HOW TO GET THERE
The public boat where passengers are cramped
By car, Mauban is better reached via the Pagsanjan-Lukban road. Before entering the town of Lukban, there is a road going to your left that goes to Sampaloc Quezon, and then Mauban Quezon. From Manila, you can reach Pagsanjan either via SLEX or via the back door- the more scenic Rizal Province route. There is another road from Tayabas-Lucena that goes to Mauban and this is the route of the provincial buses. I would think this is farther if you have a private transportation. By public transportation, you can take the JAC Liner (www.jacliner.com) buses that goes direct to Mauban from Manila or you can take any bus that goes to Lucena and from Lucena, there are buses and UV express bound for Mauban. If you are taking your private vehicle, there are lots of private parking garages in Mauban that caters to this new tourism industry. There are signs when you enter to Mauban that points to the Tourism Office who can also advise where you can park your car.
The smaller transfer boat- still fully packed
From Mauban, after the mandatory Tourism registration with minimal fee, you can take a tricycle to the pier. There are regular but few in between public trips that goes to Cagbalete (i.e. 7AM, 1PM, 4PM) for a fee of 50 Php. If you are a group of more than 8, you can actually hire a private pump boat for around 2,000 Php. The pump boat is smaller so when the waves are rough, it’s more felt but its advantage is that it can take you straight to the beach front of your resort rather than the pier. The beach front in Cagbalete is shallow so when its low tide, the private boats can only anchor from a distance from the beach so you will still need to walk a few meters to go to your resort. The public boat on the other hand always anchors a few meters off the beach so there is this small boat that you need to ride from the boat to the beach but its free though as it is part of the service of the bigger boats.
ACCOMODATION
If you have been to Calaguas, the set-up is pretty much the same- though there are more than one established resort with accommodations, a lot of the younger tourist who goes there stays at tents (either rental or they brought it with them). The best resort in the island as of this writing is Pansacola Beach Resort (www.facebook.com/pansacolabeachresort). But it’s just funny that we had the same experience as in Calaguas (read the entry on Calaguas). The owners of the resort are hands-on and though the younger ones are very accommodating- don’t mess with the Matriarch. I’ll just leave it at that.
The beachfront at low tide
The resorts serves food as part of the package (if you intend to order there, you may not be accommodated when the resort is fully booked so if you are sure that you want to have their food, make it a part of the package). The foods, beverages (and water) are a bit pricey but there are a lot of stores outside the community which has cheaper goods but still more expensive than the regular price so the budget tourists usually brings their water and food from the mainland.
You can also search the net for other accommodations, packages and information such as:
Cagbalete.net
THINGS TO DO
With regards to sport facilities and activities- you need to bring it yourselves as the infrastructure is fairly new and those amenities will come later.
Philippine Beaches 