This family-owned resort is the perfect place for a weekend getaway with family and friends. It's…read morejust a short 1.5hr-2hrs drive away from Manila, making it very easy to get to. Awilihan can be rented for the entire day or for overnight stays. The place can comfortably accommodate 30 people (max). The rental fee is already inclusive of the use of the house (airconditioned rooms with beds, pillows and showers), the pool, sports facilities (badminton, basketball and billiards) and the use of their pool. You can opt to bring your own food or order food from them for a reasonable fee. The entire place overlooks the Taal Lake and there's always a nice cool breeze, making it the perfect relaxation spot. I have taken my family and friends here and all of them love the place so much. Once you enter, you immediately feel comfortable. The atmosphere is very relaxing and homey and it just makes you want to lounge around. Although there's no beach to swim in, their swimming pool is enticing enough to make you want to jump in one you see it. I love how the whole place is secluded... away from the traffic and the noise of the city. I always recommend this place to my friends and family because you really can't go wrong with Awilihan! It really is paradise!

My college barkada introduced me to the brilliant idea of renting a beach house in Tali and staying…read morethere for the weekend. We would usually scour the internet for great houses that are rented out by the owners, and then we would leave on Saturday morning and head out to Nasugbu. What's great about these places is that they are fully-furnished, and some of them have great stuff, too! I have gone on such weekend trips to Tali exactly six times, and every time, my friends and I have rented a different villa. You know, just to keep things fun and exciting. We have stayed in really creepy and haunted places, and we have also stayed in really awesome, very well-maintained houses. I just love how we don't have to bring anything anymore, since most of the beach houses are fully equipped with great stuff that you can use for cooking. I love preparing food for my friends because I hate seeing them endlessly bingeing on crap food like chips and stale pizza, so we always pool our money, stop by a supermarket in Tagaytay and then shop for an entire weekend's worth of food and groceries. The villas in Tali are usually fitted with nice stoves and a fully-equipped kitchens, so preparing meals in a jiffy is such a breeze. You don't have to worry about food going bad either, since there is usually a fridge where you can keep stuff fresh. Most of the time, though, the best beachhouses are actually still a couple blocks away from the shore, so you would really have to walk or drive just to enjoy the beach. Moreover, there isn't really much of a "beach" to enjoy, because the shoreline is actually pretty short, just a small cove that is partially sheltered by the surrounding bay. It is also advisable to make sure that you have all your supplies and sundries before you even go inside the gated community, because going out for groceries is such a hassle. There isn't any well-stocked store for miles. This is a pretty nice place to just hang out with friends. If you don't have snazzy memberships in nearby Punta Fuego or Pico de Loro (Hamilo Coast), this is not too bad an option if you just want an idyllic weekend getaway.

Tali is a popular seaside resort community in Nasugbu, Batangas, about 2-3 hours away from Manila,…read morejust a short distance from Tagaytay. The place is a private subdivision so you need to have a homeowner with you or at least advisement from wherever you're staying. It's not totally private though! You can go online and just look for beach house accommodations, since many of the residents there already put up their own houses as B&Bs or inns for those who want to go to Tali Beach. It's a really nice place, like how you'd wish it would be if there were beach cities in Manila, hahah. Not overly developed either so it's pretty peaceful. Here, you have a whole village full of summer houses and instead of the regular playgrounds or village parks, they have a beach! However, the beach here isn't exactly fit for swimming. It's rather small, rocky, and full of corals. There's no long, wide stretch of sand where you can lie down and sleep or sunbathe. But they do have gazebos and small open spaces to hang out in with the water splashing about beside you. If you wanna go swimming, better go back to your accommodation. This is why most houses there have swimming pools already. People like to do water sports around there though, so don't be surprised to see boats and jet skis in the houses inside the village. It's also normal to spot people just casually kayaking and standup paddle boarding all around. There aren't really any organized water sports services, you just do it on your own. Of course, there's also the popular Tali cliff jump you have to try at least once! They have great, clear blue waters that you can dive safely into and then you just climb back up easily through the big polished rock boulder beside the cliff area. Just be careful not to touch the sharp rocks/corals by the side of the boulder! Only grab the ropes by the ladder area.

Beach is clean, mostly pebbles and coral so it's hard to walk barefoot on…read more Cabins are ok. Air conditioning works well, huge bathroom. Place is supposed to be "no smoking" but the people next door were smoking on the porch. Food: terrible. They could do better with what they charge. Road to the resort: terrible. We were so worried we'd get a flat tire. No TV (which is not a problem) and wifi connection was poor.

Two things I absolutely love about La Luz. First, the big rock that's perfect for both silly,…read moreimpromptu photoshoots, and thrill seeking if you dare to jump off of it! Second, it's an amazing beach to go snorkeling. The corals are teeming with colorful fish, even clownfish, which are honestly so rare at beaches with a high volume of people. This would be a great place to teach kids the joys of snorkeling since there's a lot to see. Oh god, this is the place when I wanted to go swimming around sunset with my dad, and he said no because it would probably be too dark to see anything...then when he comes back he yells at everybody, "I SAW A TURTLE!!!" Hashtag ForeverBitter. Just be sure to bring beach shoes though, as the shore is full of pebbles. Harsh on bare feet, but very generous towards your shell collection if you've got one; there are lots of gems lying in plain sight, literally right under your nose! Forget about building sandcastles here, you'll be too busy collecting shells. Or avoiding jellyfish. As a ten or eleven year old, I totally freaked out during high tide when jellyfish washed up on the beach. At least it happens during the hottest part of the day when nobody's really in the water anyway. Moving on to the rooms. My family of five (or four and a half at the time since my brother was just a toddler) plus a ninong, ninang, and their daughter who's practically a second sister to me stayed in this pretty cool room which was actually 2 floors. It was my first time to see and sleep in a loft area, so I had fun! Haha. As I remember, the bathroom was decent, although it's hard having only one for big groups sleeping over. I'd suggest maybe adding another one for those types of rooms. Sad to say that recently when my family went on a day trip here to snorkel, by taking a boat from another resort, the beachfront was crowded with rowdy, sketchy looking people. Hopefully during off season there'll be less of those unpleasant characters and enjoying the beauty and adventure of La Luz will still be possible.

This place is a great getaway by the ocean. Shuttle service to get you to the water less than 2 min…read moreaway. Breakfast is top tier. Service is exceptional and will go above and beyond. Nice beds that were clean. Even had a bowling alley that the family loved. Super peaceful and would go again!

Love the exclusivity of the place, clean beach, excellent service from their staff (very polite and…read morehelpful). Food and drinks inside are reasonably priced. Big plus that they serve alcohol by the beach. Only issue I have against the place is that we were only getting LTE speeds on our (SMART) devices. Our AirBNB who uses Globe Wi-Fi only had internet at night (in time for the evening news). I would suggest that you bring snacks/drinks before going here as there are no convenience stores (and Petrol stations) near by. They have an excellent (free) gym, billiards, bowling, basketball, badminton and padel courts - bring proper shoes as its annoying to play on running shoes!

Sea Residences is a good place to stay, overall clean, convenient, and close to malls and…read morerestaurants. However, since it's near the airport, the airplane noise can be quite disturbing at times, especially at night. Also, the pool isn't available overnight, which was a bit disappointing. Still, it's a decent option if you're looking for an accessible place in the area.

why I give this residence one rating because I can't give a zero…read more This is the place for you IF: If you like the squealing and screaming of small children in the pool at 7 am If you like the sound of jet engines flying over you from 7am until 10pm If you like the sound of clanging metal and hammering from 7am until 10pm (one morning we were awakened at 3am) If you like mingling with thousands of people in enclosed spaces at a mall (there wasn't much else to do) This had to be one the the worst experiences I have ever had on a vacation