Having lived in Tagaytay for a few years now, it was imperative that I explore the best beaches nearby. Batangas isn’t too far away and it’s a well-known beach destination down south. It’s a huge province so keep in mind that these beaches listed are mostly far from each other. But the good thing is, it’s near, and I mean, very close to Manila. While others prefer heading north to get their beach fix, I’m a south kind of gal. That said, I know some pretty legit destinations down here. And with no further adieu, I present to you my top 10 best beaches in Batangas.

1.) Tali Beach

Tali Beach was once an elusive destination simply because it’s a private property. But once you have the access to this gated little paradise, you’re in for a very special treat. First of all, they have five different beaches to choose from and they’re all quite pleasant. Second of all, it’s always clean and taken care of. And lastly and most importantly, the beaches are always almost empty. Another good news? Tour companies now offer day tours to this gem. I recently wrote about the perfect way to hack Tali Beach so make sure you get to that. (READ: 10 Tali Beach Hacks: The Perfect Getaway Near Manila)

Distance from the city: 3 hours

How to get there: Take a bus to Nasugbu. Get off at Nasugbu town proper and take a tricycle to Tali Beach Resort.

2.) Fortune Island

I was very lucky to have visited this abandoned island before it made it on everyone’s must go to list. Once a luxurious getaway for the rich and the famous, Fortune Island is now an abandoned island frequently visited by local tourists. The water is gorgeous here, it might even be the best from this list. The turquoise and white combination of this little island definitely puts it on everyone’s radar. The sand isn’t powdery and it can get rocky, but it still adds to its rustic no-bs charm. Camping and day trips are allowed in the island, but it’s better to do it with a big group as the boat can get quite pricey at 5k PHP ($100 USD). However, I went way back when boat tours were limited though so now that there are more tours operating, it’s probably cheaper. (READ: Fortune Island Is A Real Gem)

Distance from the city: 3 hours

How to get there: A bus ride to Nasugbu, get off at town proper where Jollibee is, take a tricycle to the port, and get on a boat to Fortune Island. The boat trip is roughly 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the waves.

3.) Masasa Beach

Located in Tingloy, Masasa Beach was one of those spur of the moment decision. Blessed with clear water and white sands, Masasa makes a great beach getaway. Because Tingloy is an island, it makes the experience even more authentic. They no longer allow camping from what I’ve been told, but Masasa Beach would still make a good stop for island hopping around Anilao. It might be a challenge to find a good shaded area if you decide to stay the entire day. It might also be a challenge getting here if you’re doing not doing it by island hopping. (READ: 5 Beautiful Islands To Camp At Near Manila)

Distance from the city: 4-5 hours

How to get there: Hop on a bus to Batangas City terminal. Not too far from it, you’ll find jeeps headed to Mabini. Get off at Mabini port. You can either charter a boat here or from a resort in Anilao, or you can take the public boat to Tingloy for a much smaller price. From Tingloy port, take a tricycle to Masasa. It takes a 15-20 minute walk through the rice fields to get to the beach from the jump off point.

4.) Manuel Uy Beach

I recently found out about Manuel Uy Beach just last year. Situated in Calatagan, Manuel Uy is a great beach to bum around. It’s not the best beach ever, but it hits the spot if all you need is a beach fix. The sand is soft and the water can be pretty damn blue if you catch it on a good day. There are tables available for rent, or for free if there’s literally no one else around. I love coming here during the weekdays when it’s nice and empty. Weekends can be busy, but not as bad as I’ve seen Burot beach, which is also another beach in Calatagan.

Distance from the city: 4 hours

How to get there: Take a bus to Calatagan and get off at the terminal by the market. Hire a tricycle to take you to Manuel Uy Beach.

5.) Sombrero Island

Located in Anilao, Sombrero island is a great alternative to Masasa Beach. I actually visited the two in one trip. After camping at Masasa, we hired a boat to take us Sombrero island and then back to Mabini port. I like this island because although it’s small, the water is nice. Being in Anilao who’s known for diving, Sombrero island makes a good spot for snorkeling too. The beach is quite small, but most visitors are from island hopping tours so they don’t really stay that long.

Distance from Manila: 3-4 hours

How to get there: Same as the directions for Masasa, but instead of taking a boat to Tingloy, you charter a boat for Sombrero Island instead.

6.) San Juan, Laiya

Laiya was the first Batangas beach my husband and I started traveling to when we were dating simply because that’s all we knew back then. With a long shoreline complete with white sand, filled with different beach resorts that can meet any budget, Laiya makes a great weekend getaway. Acuatico Resort is our favorite spot, especially back then when infinity pools were quite a rarity. It’s good for a day tour too and you can find kubo/cottages for rent everywhere. Some days we would just drive down there from visiting his relatives in Lipa and just bring a blanket of our own to indulge in the sea for a few hours. (READ: 15 Day Trips To Take Near Manila This Summer)

Distance from the city: 4 hours

How to get there: We only come here via private car, so you’re gonna have to google this one, sweetie. My wild guess is you take a bus to Batangas, and take a couple of jeeps from there.

7.) Burot Beach

The good news is this beach is one of the closest in Manila. The bad news is that it’s now closed for public. If I’m not mistaken, SM bought this property and they’re most likely building some kind of resort or condominium complex right in this beach. But for a couple of years, Burot served as our go to beach on Sundays. It was once a hidden gem, until it wasn’t. The last time I went two years ago, it was quite disappointing with campers leaving their trash everywhere. I’m not surprised SM decided to close it down already. The beach is ok, but there are lots of seaweed and sea urchins that it doesn’t really make the best swimmable one. However, a short boat ride away is a sandbar that’s not only easy on the eyes, but also a lot friendlier to swim in. This can also be reached easily from Manuel Uy Beach.

Distance from the city: 4 hours

How to get there: Same as Manuel Uy beach but take a tricycle to Burot instead. But I guess it doesn’t matter anymore because it’s closed now. Too bad.

8.) Canyon Cove, Nasugbu

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You can't take the island gal in her 💕🌴

A post shared by Erica Villas (@girlunspotted) on Sep 23, 2016 at 10:04pm PDT

Nasugbu is so close to Manila. It’s very near the city that I’m quite surprised how underrated it is. The beaches aren’t that great though, and those that are happens to be privately owned by resorts. Canyon Cove happens to have one of the nicest corners of Nasugbu. Although there’s a price to pay even for just a day tour, it’s a nice enough resort– especially being private and all, you don’t have to worry about other locals trashing the beach.

Distance from the city: 3 hours

How to get there: Take a bus to Nasugbu and then hire a tricycle to Canyon Cove.

9.) Layag-Layag Beach

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Looks perfect right? Don't be fooled. It wasn't. Social media lies. I was a victim today. A "hidden gem", they said. Nope. It was the filthiest beach I've ever been to. Garbage are hanging in most trees. Fish bones, plastic materials, leftover food, and for f***s sake a used diaper… all laying around in the sand. Remnants of bonfires from the night before are scattered all over. The sad thing is it could have been such an amazing beach, I mean, look at that water. I've spoken to the locals about it, and they were a bit defensive, claiming it's usually cleaner than that and that locals themselves get together to do clean ups. But wait, why do they feel responsible for it?! It's the visitors' responsibility to be cleaning up after themselves. It was the most appalling thing to witness. It's basic knowledge. You've got to be UNEDUCATED to think it's okay to leave your trash lying around in a public beach. Rumors have it, a huge name owns the property and is demanding to close it down for public use by May 30th. It's unfortunate for the locals who makes a livelihood out of the beach, but at the same time, is it really such a bad idea? Some people do not deserve the privilege to enjoy nature. Watch my stories to see the expectation vs. reality of this "hidden gem". 📍Nasugbu, Philippines

A post shared by Erica Villas (@girlunspotted) on Apr 27, 2017 at 7:23am PDT

An island conveniently located in Nasugbu, Layag Layag had all the potential of a beautiful little escapade. White sand, blue water, and even cliffs to jump from…it would have been amazing. But truth be told, my experience was terrible. Perhaps because I went on the wrong weekend, but what was advertised as a hidden gem was in fact one of the worst islands I went to. There were too many locals. The kind of locals that trashes the place. The horrible kind that literally throws their bones and leftovers on the sand. The uneducated kind, I suppose? Because you’ve got to be damn uneducated to be that oblivious. It was so disappointing that I couldn’t even last for more than an hour. It was such a dismay because it could have been such a beautiful beach. The island is already privately owned by one of the big guys, and I heard that they were closing it down to public last year. I’m not surprised because if I had a “hidden paradise” turned into a filthy island, I’d close it down too.

Distance from Manila: 3 hours

How to get there: Take a bus to Nasugbu. Take a tricycle to Brgy. Papaya. And from there, find a boat man to take you to Layag-Layag.

10.) My secret little island

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When your best friend is 10. 🤷🏽‍♀️ ▪️ We found this awesome beach less than 1.5 hours away from where we live (less than 3 from Manila), and it comes with a little mermaid nook, beautiful gradient of turquoise, emerald, and deep blue water, lively corals, and powdery white sands 😍 I contemplated on whether I wanted to share and write about the location but I think I wanna keep this a secret. See, I love inspiring everyone to go to the beautiful places I go to, but after returning to "hidden gems" and finding them trashed and taken advantage of, I wanna be stingy about this for now, especially it's easily a go to spot for me. 🤗 ▪️ Don't you just hate when what was once a hidden gem ends up becoming a tourist hot spot? I blame social media. And bloggers like me 😂🤷🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ 👙: @khewella

A post shared by Erica Villas (@girlunspotted) on Aug 21, 2017 at 6:01am PDT

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20's are for learning to love yourself. 30's is when you start to worship you. 💁🏽 … Soaking it all in my @khewella bikini 👙 Love how their suits are made to flatter any shape 🙌🏽

A post shared by Erica Villas (@girlunspotted) on Oct 17, 2017 at 5:59am PDT

Because of my experiences with hidden gems turning into fucked up places thanks to irresponsible tourists, I’m keeping this find a secret for now. All for selfish reasons, of course. I wanna keep it on the down low because it does have a potential to go viral on the internet, and next thing you know, it’s another Layag-Layag situation. That would be a shame because this small island boasts of a stunning little cove with extremely powdery sands and amazingly blue waters. It’s a shaded little cove too which makes it perfect for a fun beach day trip. But that’s all you’re gonna get. At least for now. I mean, it’s not the biggest secret of all, but if keeping it on the hush would help preserve this little gem, then so be it. Maybe when I leave the Philippines, I’ll be ready to give away. Or maybe I’ll just keep it a secret. Batangas’ best keep secret. And if I ever tell you, I’d have to kill you.

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