Camarines Norte’s current main draw is the Calaguas islands in the municipality of Vinzons. I was first mesmerized by the beach and islands of Calaguas almost a decade ago. The soft and fine white sand beach in Tinaga island with clear lime waters (Calaguas means lime) which is ideal for swimming is a true gem situated at the Pacific Ocean side of the country. I won’t be going into detail on this post as most of the things I’ve written on my Mahabang Buhangin post stay relevant to this day. Instead, I’ll be sharing some noticeable changes since the pandemic.
Going to Calaguas Islands
Similar to other destinations in the country, the pandemic has adapted protocols that would seem to stay for a while. Even Calaguas Islands has its own set of rules.
- Visitors should be pre-booked. This would discourage DIY tourists but it would be better to monitor and regulate visitors.
- Vinzons is the recommended jump-off as the Calaguas islands are under this municipality
- Vinzons by Bus: Take a Daet, Camarines Norte bound bus like DLTB Bus then a 20-minute jeepney ride to Vinzons port.
- Vinzons by Air: The nearest airport is Naga. Take a 2-hour bus to Daet then a 20-minute jeepney ride to Vinzons port.
Mahabang Buhangin Resorts
The open cottages resort, Bert’s Resort, where we stayed is no longer there. Instead, there are four resorts at Mahabang Buhangin offering a variety of accommodations from airconditioned rooms, fan rooms, open cottages, and even camping grounds. They usually have packaged rates which include the stay, meals, and the boat ride to and fro Vinzons:
We stayed at the I Love Calaguas Island Resort which is situated at the southern end of Mahabang Buhangin Beach. It has a set of luxurious open cottages with cushions near the beach. A set of air-conditioned huts then at the back are the airconditioned rooms with ensuite restrooms. There’s a wide open ground within the resort for camping.
We stayed in air-conditioned rooms with bathrooms and a veranda. It was clean, decent, and basic. But since Calaguas islands are isolated from the mainland, electricity is powered by fuel generators. They turn on the power from 6 PM to 6 AM. So the cooling units can only be used at these times. There were no outlets inside the room so charging is at the store. The cost per fully charged unit is P50.
We had our meals catered by the resort and the food was excellent from seafood and local Bicolano dishes.
Balagbag Island Hop
We spent a lot of our afternoon enjoying the beach. We also allotted some time to do a quick island hop to the nearby Balagbag Island. It’s a small island near the shore that only took a 10–15 minute boat ride. Balagbag Island has grainy sand unlike Mahabang Buhangin but it does share the water clarity. There’s an unfinished resort on the island and a stairway leading up the hills.
A scenic panorama of the islands and the sea were waiting for us atop the hills. One side of the island had rugged cliffs battered by waves. I’m guessing the island’s name came from how the waves batter the island which in Tagalog is balagbag.
Mesmerizing as Ever
We returned to Mahabang Buhangin just in time to catch the sunset. And it was nothing short of spectacular even with the clouds rolling in. In the evening, I was also able to catch the milky way. With less light pollution and almost clear skies, the stars were putting on quite a show that night.
Even with the new protocols and resort developments, Calaguas Islands remains as mesmerizing as ever. I think it helps that it’s secluded from the mainland and can take quite a bit of effort to get there. Even after almost a decade, it still feels pristine.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
