Information about Puerto Galera
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Resort/Dive center
Our resort near Puerto Galera has nine rooms, a restaurant, bar, toilets, a classroom, and of course an area where you can just sit and relax over a game of cards or whatever else you might feel like. And on the roof you'll find "Sky Bar" - a restaurant/bar with an exceptional world-class view over the ocean and surrounding Big La Laguna. The view is also exceptional at night, where you can take in an unobstructed view of the sky from the area that is not covered.
Most of the pictures will be shown full size in a new browser window if you click on them and can provide more information about Puerto Galera.
Frontal view of the dive resort. |
The resort again. Notice the clear water! |
The ocean view from Sky Bar (panorama shot combined from 4 individual photos) |
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We have a pool table too. |
And standing in the bar you have the view of the ocean and other wet stuff. |
Sky Bar looking "inward". Looks like some heavy action on the BBQ in the back. |
View from Sky Bar. |
View along Big La Laguna Beach |
One of our boats heading out. Notice the dark areas in the water - those are corals. Some of the best snorkeling in the region can be found here, right on our door step! |
These pictures are from our bar/restaurant on the ground floor. |
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We have a wide selection of brand-new diving equipment available at the club. We recommend that you also inquire about deals on used equipment. Since we regularly upgrade (in order to keep our equipment as pristine and up-to-date as possible), there are good deals to be had on our used equipment, which still would be in good shape. Let us know what you're interested in, and we'll talk about it. |
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The local Puerto Galera area
Big La Laguna Beach itself is very cozy, clean and usually fairly quiet. There are a couple of restaurants and also a couple of low-key bars (not all-night discos). There is a small mom-and-pop shop that sells basic necessities, but for more extensive shopping you want to go to Sabang or Puerto Galera.
As you can see on the maps, Sabang is the village that is closest to Big La Laguna Beach (about 10 minutes walk away). Sabang has a very cozy and special atmosphere: Lots of restaurants, small street vendors, bars, discos, two supermarkets, and a market that's open every day (except Sunday) from 6 in the morning until late night. The market has a rich assortment of everything like fresh fish, shell fish, fruit, vegetables, rice, pasta, watches, wood-works, booze, tobacco, etc., all at an impressively low price. The village also has a small local pharmacy and a doctor.
The nightlife in Sabang is notorious throughout Asia... try it and you'll never be the same. About one dollar for a bottle of rum (albeit for the cheap one), that says about everything. And don't forget plenty of Aspirin.
You'll find a larger market in the city of Puerto Galera, which is about 10 minutes away by one of the small local "banka"'s (small boats). The trip to Puerto Galera is incredibly beautiful and should be considered an absolute must. If you'd like some variety on the way home you could take one of the local "jeepneys" (minibus) back through the jungle. The trip to Puerto Galera can be considered a small excursion in itself, and the whole trip can be completed over the course of a couple of hours. The trip is also an excellent way to get in touch with the local population. The people are incredibly relaxed and happy and always quick to smile, which you'll see for yourself after just a few hours in the area. We should also mention that the locals are very child-friendly indeed, and children would therefore also gain a lot by visiting the area. And it's easy to have the kids taken care of for a while if you yourself need a little space. |
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Gastronomically there is a wide variety for any size wallet, from about 30 cents for a barbeque-stick which can be bought on most street corners, to about 15 dollars for a three-course meal (including drinks) on the expensive end. The food varies; the local dishes are primarily made up of fowl, fish and soup. Among the local dishes we can recommend the Chicken Tenola Soup, which has a special ingredient and the green Tinola fruit - very tasty! Of course, you can also get more western-inspired food, but generally we can't recommend it, as Philippine red meat is of very poor quality (on the Philippines the cows and oxes are considered work-animals and are not bred for eating). We at Big Lala Philippines Dive Resort, however, use very high quality imported meat. The pictures to the left and below are all from Big La Laguna, where we live. |
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About 100 yards out in the water in front of Sabang is the "Floating Bar" (not the one on the picture, but similar to it) which has Happy Hour from 9 AM to 12 noon (we can't recommend it if you're planning to dive the same day, but you can have some very good times there if you're taking a day off from the diving). Don't forget suntan lotion! |
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Furthermore, there's a 9-hole golf course about 1 hours ride from Sabang, where all equipment can be rented. It's situated a good distance up a mountain and so it comes as no surprise that the view is phenomenal - the course is considered one of the most beautiful in Asia.
There are also many other activities you can take part in here - read more under Excursions Near Puerto Galera.
The water temperature right now!
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General information about the Philippines
Click this link to see general information about the Philippines (the source is the American intelligence agency CIA, no less!).
