Batangas, Ala Eh! {2 of 2}

Welcome back to my Batangas trip. The first part is here.

We really had a good stay in Club Balai Isabel. We had a nice swim in their biggest pool in the evening and a delicious buffet breakfast in the morning. It was a shame to leave but the friends needed to go back to the daily grind of the metro. However, we had an instant idea to go to the crater lake, a famous tourist thing to do in Taal where you can either trek or ride a horse up the crater. 

Here, let me explain in a photo where we went to next:

Photo taken from Club Balai Isabel's lake shore.

As I told you in the first part of my Batangas series, the one usually seen in the postcards and tourism sites of Batangas is not the Taal volcano itself. It's just one of the craters. It just so happens that it really looks like the tip of a volcano, or a small volcano, that people assume much. Haha. The crater is Binintiang Laki and we did not go there because it doesn't have a crater lake (water inside). It's pretty much a boring crater. Chos. We went to the crater beside it where there's a crater lake below and where the Vulcan Point, a very small island on a lake, is. 

The boats of Taal Lake Yacht Club

So how did we go there? First, we drove to Taal Lake Yacht Club where boats going to the crater were waiting on standby. A mere 2,000 pesos (SR200) is needed to take 5-6 people on a boat to the Taal island where the trek to the crater lake starts.  There was a regatta, hobie cat race, happening during that time.

The Club Balai Isabel in the distance; seen while we were in the boat

Batangas, Ala Eh! {1 of 2}

If you noticed in our sidebar, we placed the Philippines' tourism slogan, "It's More Fun in the Philippines." We are proud of the Philippines, especially of its natural beauty and resources. And we are here to encourage Saudis, other nationalities, and even Filipino expats who haven't traveled the Philippines to go and explore our home country. You won't regret it, promise!

While it's true that Manila is bustling with traffic and energy (yes, pollution and chaos included), the other provinces have a lot of beautiful sceneries and wonderful activities in store for you. Take for example, Bohol, which Sampaguita Pride started featuring in her entry. It's in the Visayas region and if you're coming from Manila, you need to catch a flight in one of the Philippines' domestic airlines to get there. If you're not into flying, you can still visit beautiful provinces that just need an hour or two road travel to reach. Here's one... Batangas. Ala eh!*

Last November, I used a voucher I got from one of those coupon-buying sites (similar to Cobone) to treat my college girl friends to a quick getaway outside Manila, where we're all residing and them, working. The voucher, which I bought for around P5,000 (around SR500 / $120), is for an overnight stay at a resort for four persons with free use of amenities (pool,  lounge decks, etc.) and buffet breakfast. It's a sulit (worthy) deal!

Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas proved to be a beautiful place with a good view of Taal Volcano, the Philippines' smallest volcano located in a lake within  a lake. The Taal Volcano is one of the must-see spots in our country. Tagaytay, a cool elevated city a few hours away from Manila, is a good viewing point but we've been there a few times already that seeing Taal Volcano within eye level is a refreshing change. We occupied one huge room in the resort that is comfortable for four persons.  

There were a few of this kind of buildings in Club Balai Isabel.

Lots of rooms to stay in.

Every room has a small porch where you can hang out.

There is an abundance of sunshine.