My 2 mom friends and I took our kids to Crusoe Cabins in Calatagan, Batangas over the last long weekend. Our husbands stayed behind in Manila as two of them had to work and couldn’t commit to join us. Usually I would be booing, but this time, I was like, oh well.
Knowing that traveling in the Philippines can be a hit or miss (has it been the same for you?) and I didn’t know any of my expat friends who had stayed there, I was a bit skeptical before the trip, to tell you the truth. Therefore, I didn’t set any expectations.
Then, the verdict was…
Our stay at Crusoe Cabins totally exceeded our expectations!!!
I know that many people are looking for a safe, easy to access and wonderful place to vacation and see the crystal clear water right now. After enduring the longest stay-at-home order in the world, we feel the urge to get out. If you come to me for a recommendation as your friend, this is the place I would suggest you. Will I go back? Yes. Absolutely.
Crusoe Cabins is located in the area called Calatagan in Batangas. A map of its location in relation to Manila is available at the end of this post. Please scroll down to the bottom of this post to see it. It will take you about 3 hours by car from Metro Manila without any traffic. We stopped in Tagaytay to break the trip and that was perfect.
The only thing that I feel the need to add now is that Crusoe Cabins only allows up to 3 people to stay in one cabin at a time. This may change at any point, so please check with the hotel. Since I brought my daughter’s friend with us, I had to get 2 cabins for us even though 5 of us could have comfortably fit in one cabin. My 16-year-old daughter was so excited to stay in a cabin with her friend by themselves, though.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT CRUSOE CABINS
Here I’m going to lay out some points to show what to expect and the reasons why you will enjoy a stay at Crusoe Cabins.
Before I start, I must warn you that I have done an overkill with photos… I apologize in advance.
One fun fact that I just found out as I was doing more research for my blog post is that Crusoe Cabins is managed by Anya Hospitality Group. AHG manages Club Punta Fuego and Amara Residences, my other top two favorite resorts in Batangas and recommendations for my friends. No wonder Crusoe Cabins was so well run. It totally made sense.
CABINS
One of the most important factors for traveling is the cleanliness of an accommodation. I can say that inside of the cabins was very clean. The design was stylish and modern. The beds were comfortable (I slept so well!) and blankets were provided. If you have traveled in the Philippines, you know that some hotels don’t offer blankets.
The shower had lukewarm water. I like a hot shower (I grew up in Japan, so I love it hot), so it was not as satisfying, but it was fine. It may feel a bit chilly for you to shower during the cool season in January. When we went at the end of February, it had already started to get hot outside, so it was fine.
FACILITY
One of the attractions of the Crusoe Cabins for us was a big waterslide. My two kids, 8-year-old and 13-year-old, had a blast endlessly going down the slide.
There is a sand beach volleyball court. If you go in a group and have a volleyball, you can play a game!
There were several beach front cabins.
Attention moms & dads with babies and toddlers!!
This is your dream vacation!
If you book a beach front cabin, while your baby naps, you can still enjoy the view of the ocean, sit in a swing chair and watch your toddler play at the beach. Can a vacation with a baby get any better than this? The water is so calm and shallow, it feels safe to let your child run around wild at the beach. I mean, yes, it is safe, but please keep an eye on your child at all times.
BEACH
The sand was fine and its color was whitish yellow. The water during the day light was astonishingly pretty. There were some areas with seaweed growing, but it wasn’t bad at all. Otherwise, the water is shallow all the way out which is great for families with little kids. Since there was little wave, parents can feel safe and relax while letting their young ones play at the beach.
ACTIVITIES
Besides playing at the pool and going down a waterslide as you have seen above, you can play beach volleyball, swim or sit at the beach or take a boat tour to a sandbar and Starfish Island. At the reception of the hotel, you can get the phone numbers of a boat company that you can call. The cost of renting a boat was Php3,000 and it takes up to 6 people on a boat.
I will write about our excursion to Little Boracay and Starfish Island in Calatagan in the next post. It has to be a separate post. You will love exploring the Little Boracay Sandbar and Starfish Island. Now (between January and May) is the time to go even though it will be hot.
In case you are curious, I have already written about Little Boracay Sandbar in Calatagan in September 2019. Interestingly enough, it has become the most popular post on my blog in the past 2 months.
My friend owns a paddle board, thus, she brought it on this trip. Thanks to her, we all got to play with it. If you have one, you should bring it.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY | LAGO DE ORO & WAKEBOARDING
This is outside of Crusoe Cabins, but I wanted to add the information about Lago de Oro. Lago de Oro is another beach resort about 20-minute drive from Crusoe Cabins. You will see it on your way to Crusoe Cabins. It’s a great and popular resort as well. They allowed kids under 15 years old to go in which was nice for my family. The restaurant food was delicious and it was worth stopping for their food and trying wakeboarding. Even though I failed miserably and got frustrated, I had a great time.
FOOD
One thing I forgot to take photos of is the restaurant food. As an expat and someone who is not fussy about food, yet cares about the quality of food, I would say that the food was good. We all found something we enjoyed every night. They offer calamari, pizzas, pastas, spicy BBQ chickens, sandwiches, burgers, and so forth. The pricing was reasonable.
SERVICES
Excellent. Everyone who worked there seemed to really care about their customers. People in the Philippines make you love the country even more because they are genuinely wonderful and friendly.
SUNSET
The Philippines has one of the most gorgeous sunset views. I was mesmerized by the colors of the sunset I saw when my family and I stayed at Amara Residences in Batangas in 2019. You can see the photos I’ve taken during the sunset at Natipuan Cove in Batangas, a beach next to Amara Residences, here. One photo in the blog post about Amara Residences is of the sunset I took from our room. The sky looked as if it was smeared with a pinkish purplish ink. The most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life was there.
The sunset I saw at the beach in Crusoe Cabins was also stunning. If you ever go there, grab a glass of wine or beer to enjoy the most amazing sunset view.
SUNSET & NIGHT PHOTOS
One of the fun activities to do while on vacation at a beach is to take photos during the sunset. You can take some interesting photos.
BONFIRE
You can request a bonfire on the beach. It’s going to be a bit warm, but it will be fun! Bring marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars to make some s’mores!
CRUSOE CABINS
CRUSOE CABINS INFORMATION
PHONE: 0998 847 5028
EMAIL: reservations.crusoe@ahg.com.ph
I hope you enjoyed my blog post!
Just to make it clear, I’m not associated or affiliated with the resort or the management company. I just wanted to make a recommendation for my expat friends who are looking for a resort to vacation when they can’t go home due to the pandemic. Stay safe!
Hi! What type of room was the one with 2 double deck beds? 🙂
That one I believe is the Premiere Garden View Room, one above Garden View. Hope this helps. Thanks!