Travel Guide: Alibijaban Island in Quezon

Grabeeeee, I am so excited to share with you this quick yet super meaningful DIY trip! The Talisayin Cove group wanted one last beach getaway before the rainy season starts, and we all agreed to go someplace not all people know-- ALIBIJABAN Island in Quezon Province! In the end, only Nico and I pushed through (you missed a lot guys! Haha) and I am so happy we did. It was truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I did some research before going there because it was our first time and I can only count in one hand people I know who've been to the island. Thanks to my loves Cha Ocampo & Jean Dalida for giving me tips and answering my questions haha. I learned a lot from this blog post but there were still a few things we discovered on our own. I will try my best to cover all bases and make this post as detailed as possible. So, let's go? :)

This was one of the few trips na talagang nag YOLO kami. Haha. We had no time to plan, there were not much info about the place online, so we had to play it by ear. Dito din namin naapply yung saying na, "Just cross the bridge when you get there." Haha! I did call up our contact Ate Baby (found her details online) to reserve our boat and accommodation. The rest was DIY. ;)

When it comes to transportation, you have 2 options: 

1. STRAIGHT - Ride an ordinary bus from Cubao to San Andres, Quezon (via Superlines) or Starmall Alabang to San Andres (via Barney Auto Lines). Journey is about 12 hours. If you're fearless and extremely adventurous, then this is for you. Haha.

*Barney Auto Lines (wifi ready but no aircon hehe)- contact 0925-3227639 or their dispatchers Kuya Eddie 0920-7072414 or Kuya Jessie 0925-7474768. Fare is P417. For students & senior P337. 

2. TWO TRIPS - Ride aircon buses from Cubao/Pasay to Lucena Grand Terminal (JAC, Jam liner, DLTB), and then from Lucena Terminal ride an airconditioned van or ordinary bus going to San Andres which is the jump-off point going to Alibijaban Island.  If you're after comfort and is allergic to sweat and heat (wow haha) then this is for you. 

Cubao to Lucena Grand Terminal (5 hours)- P280 

Lucena to San Andres via ordinary bus (6 hours) - P250

Nico and I opted for comfort and aircon so we headed straight to Jac Liner, EDSA Cubao. Not sure if they do reservations but we didn't call na din, said we'd just buy our tickets there. Got there at around 10pm on a Friday night and mejo box office the line! Haha! Movement was fast though because they have many buses going to Lucena. We only waited in line for 30 minutes. Line was also organized naman. 

 Selfie muna while waiting

 Finally time to board!

 This bus was smaller than their normal buses.

We had to wait for another 30 minutes before it finally left the terminal. The rest was history. Charot. Haha. Fell asleep immediately lalo na traffic! Left the terminal at around 11pm and arrived in Lucena at around 3:30am. The bus stopped a few times to pick up passengers along the way. It's not like Victory Liner na non-stop. If you want shorter travel time and you're travelling in a group, rent a van nalang! It's faster and cheaper.

 Saw this sign when we got off the bus

We were supposed to arrive in Lucena terminal at around 3am but we were not able to get off because Nico and I didn't hear the conductor bilang we were asleep. When we woke up asa pier na kami or ferry terminal going to Romblon! Kaloka. Haha. The bus driver and conductor were nice enough to take us back and drop us off. Thanks mga Kuya! Also, I used the wifi onboard and it was fast! :)

 Hallway going to the area where buses to San Andres are

 Decided to eat breakfast first! Hotsilog is P50. 

Nico in deep thought if we'll take the ordinary bus or the aircon van haha 

We checked out the van terminal and actually boarded na a van going to San Andres but we were told it won't leave until it's filled. Eh mga next year na sha makaalis haha! So we decided to take the ordinary bus nalang.

 Ordinary bus going to San Andres. Fare was P250. Mohoool.

 Inside the bus....

 After almost 2 hours of waiting (shorter waiting time na to compared sa van LOL), we are finally leaving the terminal! Haha. Inabutan na kami ng sunrise kaloka.

 By this time, I was super irritated na because it was so hot and we waited that long. Such a waste of time. :( If you're going to Alibijaban, I suggest make it a 3-day trip.

 I can see greens! 

 Ayan na, probinsya vibes!

It was a pretty long & rough trip and I'm glad I was asleep through almost all of it. Haha. Nico on the other hand was mas maselan so he was awake the whole time. Wawuhh. Good thing I brought my scarf which I used as shield from dust, heat of the sun and hindi nakakaganda ng buhok na wind! Lol. Took more than 6 hours to get to San Andres because the bus kept on stopping at every corner to load and unload passengers. Gaaah. 

 Getting off the bus was a relief haha! Nagfreeze na ata muscles ko sa pwet. LOL.

 Across was San Andres Public Market!

 Bought ice scramble first to cool off a little

 Nomnomnom

 Before meeting up with our contact, we had to shop for food muna at this dry/wet market!

FOOD for 3 days:

1. Lunch (Day 1) - Liempo & Grilled Eggplant

2. Dinner (Day 1) - Sapsap (fried fish) & sliced tomatoes w/ soysauce & salt

3. Breakfast (Day 2) - Pancit Canton (new and not masarap haha bitter ako) & Bread we bought in the island 

4. Lunch (Day 2) - Spicy sardines (as in Ligo ganun haha) w/ tomatoes

We also bought rice & merengue for dessert! No need to buy water because it could be bought in the island na. We shelled out P500+ for everything.

 Pedicab going to the pier!

Our contact, Ate Baby, asked us to meet her at the boat terminal. There are pedicabs in front of the market which you can hire to take you there. We paid Kuya P40. It was not that far naman.

 Sightseeing while in the pedicab

 Going inside the pier

 Port:)

 This is Ate Baby's boat! Our boat! 

So the boat rate for 2 people is P1,200 to and from Alibijaban. Better if you would come as a group para cheaper! They charge ata P1,500 up to 10 people. Bigger boat shempre. You could also try your luck and ask tourists if you could join them so you could pay less. Ate Baby included in the the price na the island tour ---sand bar and mangrove. Pretty good deal! :) If you want to contact Ate, text her at 0935-4850349. You're welcome!

 Got scared a little coz it was so small and nipis haha! The woman on the left is Ate Baby. She's super nice and sweet!

 Local kids playing in the water

 You can literally see Alibijaban from San Andres port. It's like Caticlan Port and Boracay island lang. Boat ride took more or less 20 minutes lang:)

 Ride was a little bumpy because of the huge waves! I enjoyed it hihi

 You can go to that hut in the middle of the ocean for just P500 daw

 Crystal clear water

 Almost there!!!

 Wooow

 Water's so nice but watch out for sea urchins! You would be able to see it because the water is super clear.

 2pm situation

 Tuwang tuwa yung isa mga Go Pro haha

Let's talk about ACCOMMODATIONS. Before going there, I was told that you could only camp in the island. Turns out there are a lot of locals accepting tourists in their home for a fee. One of them is our contact, Ate Baby. I think reserving a kubo beforehand was a good move on my part because there were only a few shaded areas in the island so mejo hassle to tent. 

 We were led by our boatman (who was Ate Baby's son) to our assigned kubo

Since most of the guesthouses and kubos were already full when I inquired, Ate asked her relative Ate Ginena (contact her: 0910-7719172) if she could host us. Thank God she said yes. :) It's located near the shore kaya perfect! You can also contact Ate Baby if you need a place to stay.

 Tada!!! Back to basics talaga. Bawal maarte dito haha.

 Our makeshift CR:) You could order water for bathing P10 per 10 gallons. Not sure though but we paid P40 for 2 big timba. 

 In fairness it's gated and fenced haha

 Sala. We ended up sleeping here coz it was too hot inside our room

 Our very simple room! No fan. They don't have electricity in the island, just solar power. However, Nico was able to charge his phone for a small fee pero dapat before 12pm. 

 View from our room's window. I could see the beach! Love our kubo's location

If for some reason you were not able to buy food before going to the island, don't panic! You will not starve okay? I saw an eatery or small restaurant serving Silogs and other meals on our way to our kubo! You could just eat there. Hehe. I was not able to take a photo of their price list but it's more or less P100 ata per meal. 

For our lunch, Ate Genina asked the resto to grill our food. We gave them P100 for their kindness. :)

 Lunch is served! YUMMM.

 We ordered 1 jug of mineral water for P60. It was more than enough for 2 days. We always had cold water because Ate got us ice and consistently refilled our pitcher. :)

After eating, Nico dozed off. I also fell asleep for an hour. Woke up half an hour before sunset. I panicked a little because I wanted to take OOTD photos. We dressed up and then went out to explore...

...but super low-tide!!! Haha. FAIL. So we decided to just look for a nice spot to tambay, observe people and take a few photos. We walked on the shore and just enjoyed the scenery. 

wearing my favorite pair of Havaianas

Land mine! Charot. Be careful not to step on sea urchins! As you can see, super layo the water from the shore. D na kami nag attempt lakarin.

Pronounced as Alibihaban.

Boy curious on the loose

Bat may kasama akong 15 years old. Joke haha.

Eyebrows on fleek even on the beach haha! Eyebrows by Keighty Wong of MK The Brow Expert!:)

What is Nico looking at kaya? Haha

Got sad when I saw trash in the water. Gaaah! 

This is the spot!

This is where we stayed for an hour just reading a book, chatting, observing people, playing with island dogs, talking to locals.:)

Clingiest dog everrrr! So cuteee

He escorted us and stayed with us until we left that spot. Adorbs!

New BFFs hehe

Bat andami kong sand sa mukha haha

Bonding sila

Here are my aura sa tag-init photos! Took some OOTD shots in between. Harhar.

Angelfish swimwear, Promod scarf used as skirt, Veloci watch, Fly shades

Dear swimsuit brands, I'm a small po pero sa top lam niyo na. Thank you! Haha.

This is just to show you na shorts po the bottom and not panty hihi. I think I need to start working out. Huhu.

My Alibijaban beach essentials! Promod scarf used as beach mat, Beachborn hair spray & lip scrub/balm, Cetaphil DailyAdvance Ultra Hydrating lotion, Daylong SPF 50 sunscreen

Observing the locals:) Grabe, manas pa my feet from the long bus rides!

Beautiful Quezon sunset

Time to go back to our lair!

Passed by a store in our place to buy RC cola, soap and bread:)

Our delicious dinner! I almost finished that bowl of sap-sap haha. The fish soup was prepared by Ate. So good!!! We bought the fish from Ate's friend for P50. Fresh from the sea pa!

Anyway, after dinner since there's no electricity and we only had a small lamp, I decided to take a bath outside the CR nalang. Sanay nako guys. Haha. Ate lent us a mattress which we placed sa sala because it was so hot inside our room. I had only one question that time-- Why didn't I bring a portable fan??! Gaaah! GUYS, BRING A PORTABLE FAN. We were not able to sleep from the heat and the insects that kept on biting us. Huhu. Dasal lang guys, dasal lang talaga.

Beach looked better in the morning!

Since we were not able to sleep well, we woke up earlier than expected. Okay na rin because we had enough time to eat breakfast and swim before our scheduled "tour". 

Morning dip! Wala pang ligo!

We didn't swim sa area na to because we might step on sea urchins

Nico enjoying the sun:) Buti pa sha. Puti kase eh. Not fair.

Wore my Nothing But H20 rashguard because I'm still slightly afraid of the sun. Haha. It's so cute noh???

Walked and searched for a nice & safe spot where we can swim. Ganyan maghanap okay?

Found it!!! 

Super cute the island dogs, ang hilig mag swim!!!

Too cute for my life

Hi baby girl!

Just to be sure, I still wore my TEVA outdoor sandals while swimming. Hehe.

Trivia: I am scared of the sun because I am the type of person who tans easily. Five minutes under direct sunlight (or minsan kahit hindi lalo na sa beach, hangin lang sapat na) immediately makes me 1 shade darker. SWEAR. I usually swim around 5pm onwards, but I make exceptions especially when the beach is perfect. This was one of my exceptions. Actually it only happened 3x-- Potipot, Cauayan and then here. :) WORTH IT.

White sand

beautiful skies and clear water

Come 9am, it was time for our tour!!! Kasama namin the other couple who were in the kubo with us:) Love them

Ang arte-arte ko db?

The ride took about 15 minutes

Sand bar in the middle of the sea! Asaan? Hahaha! The water was higher than usual that time so it was not that obvious. There were also a lot of people swimming. Boo.

We went down, took a few photos, before we decided to just come back at a later time. 

The mangrove and the sand bar is in the same area:)

It was only 11am that time and we're not going back to the sand bar until 2pm, so we decided to chill muna at this nearby spot:) It's still part of Alibijaban island and is connected to the mangroves. 

 It is heaven on earth:) The highlight of our trip.

Kuya told us there's a P20 entrance fee but nobody asked us to pay  naman. :)

Ang perfect db???? Ng beach ha! Haha.

We looked for a nice spot where we can leave our things and chill. Can you see the lagoon or small beach behind them?

So Kuya boatman left us for about an hour to eat lunch and get our food so we could picnic. We paid him P100 extra for his gas. We were so happy that we didn't even notice he was gone. Haha. This place was beautiful. There's a small beach or lagoon in the middle and it's totes amazeee. OMG.  

Look guysss

So niceeee

My island boy

I love love love this place. Can't say it enough haha.

Had to aura so took off my rashguard. Sports bra yan suot ko guys. P289 from Gigi Amore sa SM. Haha!

I stayed here and swam for 2 hours. Huhu my skin. WORTH IT! Haha

We also swam sa other side when the lagoon got crowded with San Andres locals. May family outing d kami aware haha. We still liked the lagoon better!

Our spot. I could just stay here all day.

After na hour, Kuya finally arrived with our food and water! OMG naubos ko ata kalahating kaldero ng rice. I love sardines especially when it's spicy and with kamatis!

Even if I hated some of the San Andres tourists because some of them (I'm looking at you teens) threw their trash in the water (arghhhh!), I still had fun bonding with the kids! They were so clingy! That's Cassie & Ramon in the photo. Cuties.

I like this photo hehe

Survivor?

I didn't want to leave but we were scheduled to go home that afternoon. Our original plan was to stay until Monday but I suddenly remembered that I had a 10am shoot that day. Huhu sayang. After spending hours in this place, we left around 2:30pm to take a chance again sa sand bar...

Finally! I can see it!:) And we were the only people when we got there.

Low tide na so some people were able to walk going to the area where we were earlier

2nd sandbar! More people there

We only spent half an hour there before deciding to head home. Quota na sa swim. Hehe. We also had to prepare na for our long trip home. I still didn't want to leave. :( Before leaving, we bought fresh buko muna for P25 each. Delish! We also settled our bill kay Ate Ginena. Will breakdown the expenses at the end of this post. :)   

Saw these beauties on our way to the boat

Thank you Ate Ginena for being an amazing host!:) Na sepanx ako kay Ate. Hehe.

Saw these as we were leaving the island. Saw them in clusters. Homaygad kakilabot. Haha. But you could actually eat them! Just ask the locals. I think it's P200. 

Sagana sa sea urchins

Hello again San Andres

Decided to take Barney bus going to Lucena and then Jac liner again to Cubao.

There are no vans in the afternoon (only in the morning) and Superlines' next trip from San Andres to Cubao was 8pm pa, so we decided to ride nalang a Barney bus going to Lucena. I also don't think Nico would survive a 12-hour ordinary bus ride back to Manila haha. Zombie na sha nun. We arrived at the station mga 5pm so we waited for more than an hour before it finally left the station. We ate a little because there are no stopovers.

Barney buses. Scheduled departure was 6pm. Fare was P215.

It was a long bumpy 6-hour ride. It rained hard so we had to close the windows. It was so hot, slightly suffocating & uncomfortable. Kuya driver also played some weird dance music so I asked Kuya Kundoktor if they can lower the volume since a lot of people were trying to sleep and I'm having migraines na. They were kind enough to oblige naman and switched to movies. Even with all the haggardness I mentioned above, I still managed to sleep for hours. As usual, si Nico na naman lugi. Lelz.

Arrived in Lucena Terminal at half past 12. 

We left Lucena at around 1am and arrived in Manila at around 4am. Good job Kuya!!! We were 2 hours early. I think it's also because we came home on a Sunday. :) I still had enough time to sleep before my shoot. Yipee. 

My friend Tob asked me if going there was worth it, I'd say it was truly one for the books. The long ride going to the island could be discouraging, but once you step foot in the island, all of the inconveniences and exhaustion will fade away. You'd only be left with wonder, awe, appreciation and love for the place and its people. :) I'd tell you now, going there and going home was not easy, but just like in life, sometimes you have to go through so much to be able to experience paradise. And that's what Alibijaban is-- a no frills paradise. :) 

EXPENSES (per person):

Bus (Jac Liner from Cubao to Lucena) - P280

Bus (Ordinary from Lucena to San Andres) - P250

Boat (including extra P100 for gas)  - P1,300 /2 = P650

Food - P600 / 2 = P300

Sidecar (from market to port) - P40 / 2 = P20

Entrance fee - P100

Accomodation (room in a kubo w/o fan) - P500 / 2 = P250

Water (5-gallon container for drinking) - P60 / 2 = P30

Water (for bathing, P10 per 10 gallons ata) - P50 / 2 = P25

Paluto - P400 / 2 = P200

Buko - P25

Ice (P10 per plastic) - P40 / 2 = P20

Other expenses (dishwashing liquid, bread, fish, snacks) = P100

Bus (Barney from San Andres to Lucena) = P216

Bus (JAC from Lucena to Cubao) = P280

Random food & snacks = P100

________________________________________________

TOTAL: P2,846 

BUDGET: Prepare P3,000 to P3,500. As I said, you could cut down your expenses if you go as a group. Your expenses would still depend on the food you buy, your chosen mode of transportation or how long you'll be staying. 

That's it! Hope this article helps. Just remember to respect any place you go to and people you meet. Love you all!:)