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| I loved the massage I got from the waterfalls. |
I remember Blue Coral in Batangas because when our family reunion plans in 2006 were ruined by typhoon Milenyo, we looked for a resort nearer to Lucena. We eventually settled for
La Luz, but we saw so many signs for Blue Coral while looking for La Luz, my tita joked that we should just stay at Blue Coral!
We hadn't gone to a beach since
Siquijor in 2013 so we looked for a relatively nearby beach resort that was affordable without giving up some creature comforts like aircon and TV.
Caylabne in cavite was out because I heard it had deteriorated and the beach wasn't nice.
La Luz was also out because my family needed a TV and I wanted a resort with a pool in case the sea had jellyfish.
I would've loved to stay at Virgin Beach where the movie "Here comes the bride" was shot but it was too expensive.
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| Blue coral reception area |
So I was left with
Blue Coral though I was apprehensive because I read some bad reviews on TripAdvisor. They said the rooms were old and the food was bad. I also didn't like this racket that you had to avail of their buffet for 3 meals. I just told my family to expect the worst.
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| The beach area |
But surprise, surprise, Blue Coral turned out to be quite satisfying! The staff was friendly, the food was mostly great, and the rooms showed signs of age but were quite acceptable.
They had a kiddie pool, infinity pool and a pool with a man-made waterfalls. The beach was clean and so was the sea. My only complaints would be that the swimming area of the beach was limited because of the aqua sports, and the sand wasn't fine. It was like grains of tiny rocks.
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| A waiting area. I liked how there's also a rest room on this floor in case your room's en suite toilet is occupied. |
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| Old Samsung thin tv, not flat screen |
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| 2 double beds. No phone, though |
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| Huge shower area bathroom, toilet with bidet. |
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| Cute balcony |
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| View from our 2nd floor deluxe room |
I loved that a deluxe room could fit 6 people (2 double beds plus 2 mattresses) and that there was a hot and cold water dispenser on the first floor.
Tip: While bringing food was not allowed, they didn't really check so you could sneak in some snacks if you didn't feel like taking a ride to go to the eateries outside.
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| Toiletries were included but you might want to bring your own. We also brought snacks. |
Tip: They offer a discount if you book on a weekday. The deluxe room was P5,500 but on weekdays it's P4,640. They also give senior citizen discounts and half-off discounts for kids (4-10 yrs old) for the buffet.
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| Dining area breakfast scene |
I wish they could improve their reservation process, though. Their online booking doesn't work. One has to call their office a number (Manila 559 9747 or 559 9754 or 567 4376 or try cellphone 0917 6769146) to make inquiries and it's always busy. You have to pay 50% of the total bill via bank deposit to their BPI or BDO account to confirm your reservation.
Tip: If you can't get through, try this email of the employee I talked to,
hope karen ramos at hopekaren.bluecoral@gmail.com
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| Buffet line at the dining area |
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| Our breakfast: sardines, scrambled eggs, spicy sausage, beef tapa, hash browns, and watermelon for dessert. Coffee, tea, and juice also included |
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| Lunch was shrimps, spaghetti and giant meatballs, korean beef ribs, chop suey chicken, and ramen soup. Dessert looked like leche flan but was just some dry cake. |
After leaving Blue Coral, don't forget to eat at Cafeño, in San Juan. The place is so interesting with old sewing machines as table accents and the food is good and affordable, too.
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| Endorsed by Drew Arellano? That's good enough for my sister! |
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| Halo-halo for sharing |
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| Sewing machine as center pieces! |
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| Under the table, moving machine parts! |
Laiya 2016 from
albert on
Vimeo.
