Imagine yourself lying in a cozy floating cottage in the middle of the ocean. Hearing the gentle rhythm of the waves, feeling the salty air lingering in your skin. It is surely sounds a perfect place to relax…
Let me share with you a short story of our trip. Last holiday break, our family decided to ditch the usual routine of welcoming the new year and embark on a unique adventure together. We packed our things right away in the middle of New Year’s Eve and left our house before dawn. My brother drove almost 5 hours to reach our destination. Of course, our accommodation and rentals were already settled by yours truly. Yes, because one of my bucket-lists items as a daughter is to finally give back something to my parents—not literally in terms of money but a happy memory, we can both share and remember through time.
Usually, going to the beach is really common in our place, but having this floating cottage is definitely a worthy experience too. We arrived in Batangas at 7’oclock in the morning with a gloomy weather but this didn’t stop us. I booked this Cottage on Facebook named “Little Boracay by Three G’s Floating Cottage”. And let me tell you, Mr. G was a really great host and very accommodating. They will answer all the questions you may think of, about how to get there and what to expect. Highly recommended if you are a first-timer too like us.
The Floating Cottage looks like a small house with two benches and view deck. It is pulled by a motor boat to reach your three different locations; Calatagan Sand Bar, Snorkeling Area, and Starfish Island in this they called ‘Little Boracay.’
Calatagan Sand Bar
After the floating cottage was pulled, this was the first destination after the docking area. Since we arrived early, we managed to enjoy the sand bar because of low tide. This was really a great place to make your pose and a perfect spot for kids to play in the sand and hunt for seashells.
Snorkeling Area
Unfortunately, we didn’t have any pictures of the underwater to share. Additionally, we really didn’t get to use the snorkeling gear but we had a great stay here. This area took up most of our time since we enjoyed swimming beside our floating cottage and its cold, refreshing, salty water.
Along with it, we also took the chance to try the Dragon Boat as a family! (Aka Banana Boat in most beaches) It was our first time riding it and I must say it was a really fun and thrilling experience! We all enjoyed it!
Starfish Island
After all the swimming, we went to the last destination that left us all mesmerized. Starfish with different sizes and colors were scattered across the sea floor. It was a bit scary at first, but it was really amazing to see. Our guide responsibly warned us not to step on them. We could look but they told us not to lift them out of the water because they might die from lack of oxygen and stress. And of course, don’t even think about taking them home— it’s illegal.
The floating cottage day tour was scheduled at 7 AM to 4 PM but we all decided to get back to the shore at 2 PM because the kids were feeling cold, and the gloomy weather was already a sign for us to wrap. So afterward, we headed back to our two-bedroom accommodation to wash off, eat and rest.
This amazing short trip was a truly unforgettable escape. It was a really good way to start our year since we had a chance to disconnect from the world and reconnect with nature’s serene embrace.
What about you? How was your holiday break?
