Baler ~ North Luzon's Hidden Gem (Day 2)

Day 2 starts early as our day is full packed.

We started with a hefty breakfast at The Beach House, Costa Pacifica. 

TIP: Try Baler's famous Suman de Baler perfect with coco jam and peanut butter dips with freshly brewed coffee. Suman de Baler is made from organic brown rice. 

Today's itinerary is a tour of Baler's famous attractions:

To make the most of our time, we hired a local guide Kuya Nanding.  He was our driver cum guide and photographer for this leg of our Baler tour. 

• Hanging Bridge located in San Luis, it has a wonderful view of Baler Bay.

• Ermita Hill is a sculpture depicting the seven families who survived a devastating tidal wave that wiped out the whole municipality in 1735.  The surviving families: Angara, Bijasa, Bitong, Carrasco, Ferrera, Lumasac and Poblete made their way to the hill and survived.

• Baler Fish Port along the coastline of Cemento Beach

• Diguisit Beach is a nice clean beach with picturesque rock formations.  This beach is breathtaking like masterpiece paintings in a museum.

• Amper Beach unlike the regular sandy beaches, this beach is made of solid rocks. My husband wanted to bring home "buhay na bato" (I am not sure if there is an English translation) and this beach is literally made up of them.  The waves at this beach are a lot stronger than in Sabang Beach so be extra careful. 

Before heading to our next destination, we stopped by the town proper for a quick lunch at Gerry Shan's Place.  The food is nothing special, but considering the price (P250/pax) for a buffet it was okay.  Drinks are extra priced.  They also have fresh catch "paluto", reasonably priced but not really fresh if you asked me.  

 

• Balete Eco-Park is the location of "The 600-year old Balete Tree" towering more than 5-storey high.  This tree has been designated at the official "Millennium Tree of the Philippines". 

• Ditumabo Falls  a.k.a. "Mother Falls" it takes about 45 minutes of trekking across minor river streams and rocky terrains, which may be slippery at times.  It is highly recommended that you come in proper trekking shoes/footwear.  Entrance is only P30, but you are required to have a guide which would cost you additional P300.  The trek is all worth it.

• Souvenir Shopping ~ quick stop at Pacita's.  Must buy is their coco jam partnered with their creamy peanut butter.  Our driver cum guide helped us get newly made Suman de Baler.  

We were back at Costa Pacifica at about 5pm, which is perfect timing to view the sunset at Sabang Beach.

Our last night in Baler...

Until we meet again Baler 💗💗💗

If you missed our Day 1 ~ follow this link: Baler ~ Day 1

============================= 

We stayed as Costa Pacifica ~ lovely, lovely resort. Location is perfect for an all just basking under the sun. Good food with A+ service. Highly recommended. For booking inquiries, please follow their website ~ Costa Pacifica Baler.  

Our guide Kuya Nanding is an exceptional driver.  He is also very knowledgeable of Baler and its history.  If you need a tour guide or driver around Baler, you may contact him at 0951-1530540.  Do mention where you got his number, tell him from the Spouses from Taytay Rizal.   

Baler ~ North Luzon's Hidden Gem

My husband loves to drive, and I love to travel, and this combined interest led us to our most recent adventure, which is Baler.  Baler is 270 kms from Manila, about a 5-hour continuous drive.

Baler is the capital town of the province of Aurora (which used to be part of Quezon until it was separated in 1978).

It is the birthplace of Manuel Quezon, the 2nd president of the Philippines and the 1st President of the Philippine Commonwealth.  Founded in 1609 by Franciscan missionaries Baler is also the last bastion of the Spaniards in the country.

Sharing here our 3D/2N stay in the beautiful town of Aurora Baler.

DAY 1

We left Manila at 5am made a breakfast stop at NLEX and reached Baler at about 11am.

The ride was uneventful and surprisingly easy.  

As it was still early and check-in is not until 2pm, we decided have lunch at the "poblacion" and drop by Museo de Baler and Baler Church before heading to the resort.

Lunch was at Ai-Ai's Cafe and Resto.

This restaurant is conveniently located across Museo de Baler and the adjacent Quezon Park.

COSTA PACIFICA ~ Our home in Baler.

Hands down one of the best places to stay when in Baler is Costa Pacifica.  This resort is owned by the family of the previous Senator Edgardo Angara.  Located next to Sabang Beach, this resort is perfect for beach bums and surfing enthusiasts.

We got an Ocean View Room facing Sabang Beach.  Sunrise and sunset view are to die for.  The waves were pretty scarry though, which is expected of this quaint surfer town.

 

The room is clean with all the basics needed to enjoy a relaxing vacation.   I love that is well lit and that it is literally steps away from the beach.

They gave me a mini-birthday cake which was a beautiful surprise.

My Birthday Dinner was at the Costa Pacifica Beach House.  Prices is a bit steep, but overall, I think the price is worth it.  There are other restaurants along the "Baywalk" so your options are open.

Yup, I think we over ordered...

We took a short stroll by the Baywalk to watch the subset and decided to call it early. 

Follow our Day 2 as we tour Baler ~ Baler Day 2