How to get to San Juan La Union

Known as the Surfing Capital of the North, San Juan La Union is the closest surfing spot to Manila. I tried to visit on August 2018 which was a lean season. The main attraction is surfing, then next is food.

HOW TO GET THERE

Travelling to La Union from Manila is easy. It takes about 6hrs if you take the public transportation(Partas/Five Star) and 5hrs by private car. You can book a ticket at biyaheroes.com or buy a ticket on the spot, the seats are limited so I think the first one is safer.

I booked a bus ticket a week early before the trip and the First Class Express ticket costs me 541php from Pasay to San Fernando, La Union. Take note that this is Partas transportation, just beside Five Star Terminal. 

I chose San Fernando because it has departure time of 5am. Alternatively, you can choose Laoag, Vigan or Sebay, depending on your preferred departure time. These trips will pass along San Juan area.

When I arrived at the terminal, I was surprised to see that there were only 3 of us passengers riding the bus. (Yas!) I later then realized that the other two were bus employees headed to La Union terminal. It felt like I rented the whole bus. It was clean and comfortable and definitely recommended. Before we reached San Fernando, I asked the conductor if they can drop me off at Flotsam and Jetsam and they did!

Well, if they do not drop you off at your main destination point, you can ride a tricycle(50php) or a jeepney(11php) from San Fernando terminal.

The schedule going back to Pasay from San Fernando Partas terminal is 3PM-7PM (regular First class, 453php, if i remember it correctly.) I did no prior booking.

THINGS TO BRING

• Sunblock(the most important thing to protect you from sunburn or any harmful effects of the sun)
• Neck pillow(your neck will thank you later)
• Changing clothes
• Rashguard/swimsuit or any surfing outfit
• Toiletries(for your convenience)
• Pocket money- their food can cost you 200-300 per meal. 

These are just the essentials. No need to overpack if you’re commuting by bus. 

WHERE TO STAY

Flotsam & Jetsam

I stayed at Flotsam and Jetsam coz they have this hippie vibe. I booked from their website (flotsamandjetsamhostel.com) a week before my trip. The rate for 4-bed AC Room is 1,280/bed.

Got this room to myself.

My bunk

Common area (sink, toilet, ladies bathroom & common bathroom)

The place is clean, cozy and usually quiet on weekdays(except Friday.) 

Resting hut

KitchenBar

Breakfast buffet

They offer free breakfast like bread, cereals and coffee, enough to energize you in the morning. Try their lunch or dinner, the foods and drinks here are excellent!

You can find another hostel, transient house or hotel around San Juan if you like other options.

Laiya Beach, Batangas Review

Early morning shot at Laiya, San Juan, Batangas (low tide.)

Looking for a cheap getaway spot for the upcoming summer? Here's Laiya beach in San Juan, Batangas. Laiya is surrounded by many different private and public resorts. It is my second time visiting here with my family. Why? Simply because of its beautiful white sand and clear sea water! 

We traveled to Batangas via Lipa. Yes, we took the long road instead of SLEX to save us the burden of paying ridiculous amount of tolls. We left at 12:30 am and it took us 4 hours to get there (including quick stopovers.) 

We arrived at around 4:30 am and had to wake the caretakers up since we came too early. After short scanning and negotiation we finally decided to rent a table under a nipa hut for Php 1,500. By the way, we are around  20 and 1/4 of us are kids. We need not to pay the entrance fee as this is a public resort. 

What's cool in arriving in the morning dawn is that you save yourselves from paying enviromental fee which costs at around php 30 per head because the tourism office is closed by that time. (They tend to block the road and make a new one, passing to their office so every single vehicle that will pass would not escape paying the charge unless you are a local resident in Laiya or a member in one of the private resort clubs there. What's cooler is that you get to witness the dramatic sunrise for free!

Picture taken at 6:00am in the morning.

There are lots of activities which are offered by the neighbor resorts ranging from 300-1500 per head. That includes boat ride, kayaking, banana boat ride, flying fish and parasailing. Use your charm and you might get a good bargain from the opertators. Lol.( Price may vary depending on the season.) I did not try any of it because I'm saving for my Puerto Galera trip for the next weekend! There's also a volleyball net so I suggest bringing a ball if you don't want to spend a lot while having fun. Some of us played the cards which my brother brought to let the time pass under the nipa hut during the sun's hottest hours (12-3pm.)

View from the huge tent.

The nipa hut costs Php 1,500 per table.(We are the only one who rented for nipa hut that day as the other visitors stayed overnight and rented for a cottage room so we occupied almost all of the cottages. 

There were 4 restrooms for girls and 3 for boys, I think. It is well-maintained inside although I find it disgusting to see the open water way which is filled with moss and algae outside the restroom.

All in all I would rate Laiya as 3 out of 5.

So there! Have fun on your upcoming adventure!