Ever since FIL choked to death (yes, as in literally choked from his saliva -gruesome I know) in the middle of our vacation several years ago, Kap cannot, absolutely cannot forgive himself for not being home to take care of things. He’s the only child you see, and MIL was all alone, with my mom -another golden girled widow, left to handle the hospital & funeral arrangements. It took us almost 2 days to get back home as there was absolutely no immediate available seats for 5. All the flights were booked solid, and he didn’t want to leave us in a foreign country.

Since his mom is relatively old, in her  late-80’s, it’s hard for her to get around, so taking her with us is impossible -even with a wheelchair. When my Kap travels, he TRAVELS. As in he has to see every nook & cranny of the country he visits. Most of them inaccessible by wheelchair kasi gusto nya talaga yung mala-heart and soul of a country. @_@ Walang palalagpasin yan. Our vacations are not REALLY vacations because we’re usually bone tired when we get back to the hotel. Ours is the type where you have to take another vacation from your vacation. And he’s Mr. Walkathon! Nagmumura na imaginary varicose veins ko lakad pa rin kami coz he’s too cheap to get 2 taxis. It’s so funny (& frustrating at the same time) when he hails a cab, he asks the driver first if he will accept a passenger of 5 before stepping into the car. Even amidst strong rain keber sya mabasa, magtatanong muna yan before calling us in. Ho-hem-gee. What did I do to deserve this???

So long story short, hindi kami makalayas. We can do short trips, but not long distanced ones. Kasi nga si MIL maiiwan mag-isa. Or if she does come along, for sure 2 taxis na yan hehe.. 2 rooms pa! 😛 Which is why he makes up for it with overnight/2nights beach trips for the kids.

For our last hurrah before school starts, he took us to Vista Aplaya in Anilao Batangas. Of course, with the Super Friends. Hindi na talaga kami makalayas ng kami lang. He gets bored when it’s just us! 😛

Vista Aplaya Resort
Tess Calderon | Rey Lopez
Barangay Balagbag Bagalangit
Anilao, Batangas
Philippines
T: 0920 970 5383
0917 548 7309
562 0847
F: +6325620847
Email: info@vistaaplaya.com

VA is hidden, you need to look for this sign & make a sharp right turn. Talk while driving & you’ll surely miss it.

That 2-storey edifice is where the owner & her family resides. Only 6 rooms surrounding it are bookable.

The resort Kap booked this time is a bit better than the last one. Mga 5 paligo better. Of course not being a fan of nature, you shouldn’t expect me to rave about ANY provincial accommodation, well maybe except for the time when he was feeling generous & booked us in Shangrila Mactan for several nights. THAT, you won’t hear a pip out of me. THAT, I can totally bear, enjoy even! 😛

Vista Aplaya is a very small resort. 6 rooms. There are pros & cons to a small resort. If you are billeted with friends, then it makes for a cozy, intimate atmosphere. But in our case, since we only got 4 rooms, we had to share EVERYTHING (dining area, pool, 2-seater lounge) with 2 other families who booked the remaining rooms ON TOP of the barrage people who came in for a day trip. And when I say the resort is small, I mean REALLY small. They were all dipping in the pool when we got there, cramped like sardines. I was really turned off when we stepped foot inside the resort & I wanted to head back home. Walang exclusivity whatsoever. It only got better late in the afternoon when they finally left. I guess I’m not one for sharing with virtual unknowns, lels.

Ze boys.

A room costs 5.5k/night. I really don’t know why, but I always ALWAYS get the room with the broken air-conditioning unit. Every single time, I swear. All 6 rooms were booked so they couldn’t transfer us to another room. The whole night I kept cursing the air-conditioner for not doing its job. And KAP (bubble thoughts lang syempre)!!! Hindi ako nakatulog! @_@

Aside from the fact that our aircon wasn’t blasting cool air, I had to see this & remember scary stories my stupid yaya told me when I was a little girl. Gaga talaga yun! @_@ I was half expecting to see the mananaggal perched on that beam & her stretchable tongue dropping to get into my tummy! That was one hot, uncomfy, scary, sleepless night, I tell ya! :((

At least the bathroom was relatively clean.

One of the 6 rooms is a tiny loft where the boys stayed.

We waded & cooled off in the pool when the day-trippers finally went home. (Thank goodness! Ang iingay nila ha!)

The open-aired dining hall. You have to order food in advance so they can buy the ingredients & cook for you.

As expected with the Batangas area, this particular beach was mabato. But the gang came her for boat activities so they didn’t mind the beachfront area much. This area is more for diving & snorkeling.

Row, row, row your boat! 😉

The great thing about VA is the beach front. You don’t have to walk far to access the beach. It’s just a few steps down.

My junior.. <3

and my senior! <3

Hay. I miss the super cold, international weather. By hook or by crook. Lalayas na talaga kami next year. SANA!!! Sa malayong-malayong lugar. Kahit maiwan na si Kap. Bahala na si Columbus!