Still half asleep and bleary-eyed, I cross the hot white sand and fall into the calm, blue ocean. The sea and sky have that morning diffused light as if the sun is still warming up. The colours are striking but not as saturated as they will be in a few more hours when the haze clears and the sun beats down on the blue ocean from above, drawing out hues of blue and emerald-green.
I’m immediately awake and refreshed as I bob about. I lift my feet off the sandy bottom peppered with smooth round stones and just float with the cadence of the gentle swell. My ears dip below the surface and I hear my breath become loud and slow in my head. Nothing but the muted clack and fizz of waves and breath… peaceful.
I’m at Talipanan Beach in Puerto Galera. It’s a long narrow beach with white sand that dips abruptly into the calm blue ocean. Tropical palms twist and arch their slender wooden spines over the water and with rustling fronds, they offer refreshing shade over the sun-drenched coastline.
There are roads here that run along the base of mountain range dividing jungle and ocean but, we only travel on them when we arrive and leave. Otherwise, all our travel is up and down the beach. All the resorts front onto the coast and are more easily accessible from the soft sand than the small concrete road back from the shore.
Beyond the road dense, green volcanic peaks, shrouded in tropical mist and cloud provide a dramatic backdrop to the beach. As if scared by the sea, these giant monoliths suddenly cascade into the blue waves in a tableau of limestone cliffs and bright vegetation. At night, you can just make out the dark, almost ominous shadow of these giant mountains as they blanket the lower-lying stars and push up towards the Milky Way.
During the day I shuffle between the sea and a small cabana-style hut on the ocean’s edge. The hut gives me relief from the tropical sun and allows me to sit, drip-dry, sip fresh coconut juice and write. The view out the small beach-facing opening offers views that look as though they’ve been photoshopped.
The view from my beachfront cabana.
The blue of the water is breathtaking, and I snap several photos throughout the day to capture the beautifully quintessential tropical outlook. I probably take too many pictures, but it’s hard not to. Every time I glance up from my laptop, I’m carried away by the scene I’m working in. I feel like I’m in a windows wallpaper world of clichéd tropical scenes that normally carousel and shift on deserted PC screens yet, here I am, in the flesh, absorbing the landscape through salty, tight, sun-drenched skin.
Talipanan Beach is a smorgasbord of beachfront resorts, bars and plenty of white sand without the hustle of nearby places like White Beach. It’s a quieter, family friendly and relaxing beach away from jet skis, hostels and karaoke. Yet, if you want all that, White Beach is only a 10-15 minute trike ride. Sometimes it’s fun to head into the clichéd chaos of beach bars and sip a beer with tourists to the soundtrack of Bob Marley and beach vendors trying to sell you bracelets and sunglasses.
The accommodation on offer is also diverse from the 5-star Infinity Resort with sprawling pools a lit up palm trees in carefully curated lights, to the more laid back resorts like Ara Beach with simple, clean rooms and cabana huts on the beach. The choice is all yours.
The pool at Infinity Resort, Talipanan Beach
The beauty is that if you want variety from where you’re staying, you can always mosey on down the beach to a nearby resort restaurant and sample anything from wood-fired Italian pizza at Luca’s Cucina on the headland to seafood and local Filipino favourites at Bamboo House Resort with its traditional nippa-hut style restaurant and elevated wooden balconies overlooking the sea.
Bamboo House Resort, Talipanan Beach, Puerto Galera
The best thing about Talipanan Beach is how tranquil it is at night. One of my favourite things was walking along the beach to the woosh of small waves licking the fine sand and the thrum of the sea breeze in my ear. It’s the perfect spot to sit and stare at the sky. The stars and moon beam between the gentle palm fronds creating a truly relaxing experience.
I’ll remember my time there as a perfect beach experience of sun-drenched days, calm blue ocean and vivid sunsets that silhouette the hundreds of tropical palms sprouting from the soft white sand. True paradise.
How to get there:
Puerto Galera is on Mindoro Island which is accessible by boat from Batangas Pier, about 2 hours drive from Manila.
You can hire a van from Manila and buy ferry tickets at the pier. We take Minolo Shipping Lines which operate large barca boats for 300 php per person plus a 30 php terminal fee. A van one-way from Manila will cost about 3,300 php.
When to go:
We went in June during the ‘wet season’ but were fortunate to experience beautiful weather with only a short afternoon storm each day. If you want to go in dry season then it’s best to go from late November to May.
What to do:
Talipanan Beach is the perfect spot to just relax. However, if you do want to do more, there’s plenty on offer. Nearby White Beach offers a ton of activities such as jet skiing, parasailing and more. Most resorts can also organise tours such as island hopping, snorkelling, diving and exploring the middle of the island with jungle and waterfall hiking.
Where to stay:
It really depends on what style of accommodation you’re after.
- Bamboo House offers unique, charismatic, hut-style rooms with balconies overlooking the ocean.
- Infinity Resort offers 5-star luxury with landscaped pools that stretch right down to the ocean.
- Ara Beach is also a nice, simple resort with clean rooms, cabanas on the beach and a small swimming pool.