Casa Astillero — Attraction in Calatagan

My family and I went here last Sunday May 20, 2018 for a day tour only. As we arrived I payed for the balance before checking inn,while paying I ask the receptionist if I can convert the table w/c is 800 php that we will not use to a Floating Cottage w/c is 1400 for a halfday use and will just pay for the additional charge na 600 php. The receptionist Kris agreed and so upon checking the water I noticed that there are lots of dead corals and sea shells as well as sea grasses but the good thing is the water is clear. Me and my siblings agreed to get the floating cottage because we're worried about our children that might get hurt because of the dead and sharp corals and stones. I went back to the receptionist and tell her that we'll get the floating cottage. She asked me if do I know the rates so I said Yes I said 1400/half day and 2400/whole day. i talked to her clearly and in a nice way "mam baka naman po pwede ba kami magstay sa floating cottage till afternoon" for 1400 only then she agreed "sige po mam"so I paid for the additional charge worth 600 php and went back to my family and told them that "pinayagan tayo na magstay sa cottage ng maghapon" so tuwang tuwa kami. So we finished what we are grilling and bring our foods to the floating cottage so we can enjoy the day. As time goes by as we were enjoying our swim and bonding in the water far away from the shore at around 1pm I guess the Lifeguard and some of the guy staff pull out the floating cottage on the shore without even informing us what is happening kailangan kami pa magtanong! So nabastusan kami, to our surprise they said that some guest will use the floating cottage so I/we got confused. We even had an argument with the other staff that what they did is not right because they just pull ii out without even talking to us. They call the receptionist to talk to me this is the saddest part and worst thing ever she's claiming that she told me earlier "pag may dumating ng bisita na nakareserve sa cottage ay aalis na kami at sila na mag ooccupy" silly isn't it! ako pa pala ang lumabas na sinungaling ngayon?! alam nya sa sarili nya wala sya sinabi sakin ganun! is it because the newly came guest decided to rent the floating cottage ganun ganun nyo lang kami paalisin sa nirentahan namin na ang usapan ay usapan! I talked to you in a nice way bago pa ko magbayad then ganun lang paalisin kami?! what the?? where are your manners?? Do you guys/ staff knows what happened when our kids stay on the shallow water nangyari yung pinag aalala namin. my eldest daughter got a wound sa paa even my youngest na going 2 years old na hanggang ngayon nilalagnat pa dahil sa sugat nya kasi ang haba ng sugat at medyo malalim. yes it's our respinsiblity pero ang bata kasi di naman mapigilan na maglusong sa water that's why we decided nga to get the floating cottage. kasi sa banda dun sea grass lang marami wala sharp things. Kris didn't even say sorry to us because of what happened,yes we got a refund dun sa inadd namin because we insisted to get it. pero yung saya na sana namin napalitan na ng inis at dissapointment! next time sana maglagay kayo ng receptionist na responsible at di sinungaling o di marunong tumupad sa usapan! we enjoyed because of our family bonding and seeing our kids happy.but your place I wont reccomend it lalo ganyan ang tao nyo. mabuti pa yung mga utusan nya humingi ng pasensya sya hindi. di man lang kami dinaanan sa maayos na usapan maayos naman kami kausap. nakakabastos na basta kami paalisin at ipull out ang...

One of the reasons why people visit beaches is to have a peace of mind. If you’re planning to rent a Cabana in this resort, make sure that you ask the staff if the door’s lock is really working to secure your belongings while you’re away unwinding and trying to get some peace of mind. Because that was not the case for us. These doors must be fixed especially for a unit’s rent that’s too pricey. (Also, we cannot have a peace of mind in this situation, right?)

The staffs were accommodating. They never hesitated to accommodate our request to cook and grill the fresh fish we bought from the local. Although their charge was too high, so make sure to ask them about it first. We also requested to fry the dried squid and fish and we were surprised that the staff did not seem to know how to do it because they were served burnt. The expensive dried squid and fish that we also bought from the local just ended up in the trash bin because they literally tasted like charcoal. 😅

Parking - they have ample space for vehicles.

Rest Rooms - Some were clean. Some were not. (Either some tourists were not that hygienic or the resort does not have enough dedicated staff for making this very important and sacred place squeaky clean at all times.)

Pets - we were able to bring our lovely cat so I assume this resort is pet friendly. I also saw several tourists walking their dogs.

Food Source - Learn from our experience. Probably just bring your own supply and cooking materials because I think the “restaurant” is probably open only until 7 or 8PM. And their breakfast starts at 8AM. They have grills all over the place, so just bring charcoal if you love grilled food. Although I am not sure if you need to rent them.

The resort was not crowded when we were there. So our experience was good. They also have cottages facing the beach - nice place for enjoying the food.

They also allow bonfires. Prepare your stories.

Another drawback to this place (not only the resort itself) is the low tide. The water recedes during day time. So you will not really enjoy the beach during the day (good for the kids though because they can still enjoy the shallow waters safely). Although one local told us that the cycle is getting reversed every March where low tide is happening at night already. So probably try visiting this place during this month onwards.

Sunset in this place is mesmerizing and breathtaking.

The locals take pride of their “little Boracay”. To go there, you have to rent a boat. We were not able to see/experience it when we went there because it was already covered by water - we went there in the afternoon and we failed to realize that the high tide was already starting to happen. We should have gone there in the morning. So, once again, learn from us, consider the low tide and high tide cycle when you’re curious and planning to see their “little Boracay”.

The locals were selling too expensive dried goods and delicacies. I think you can buy these same goods in other places a lot cheaper. Beware!

What else? Hmmm.. I think that’s all. Just don’t expect too much of this place. It is good for relaxation and finding peace of mind but if you’re into swimming (fine sand and clear waters) you probably might want look for...

Family will definitely not go back there again. The beach is too grassy. Yes, it has grass! When it's low tide, the shore seems like a golf course. You will be able to see too many sea urchins, starfish etc. I was even afraid to swim cos it felt like there's always something touching my feet. When it's low tide, the water is 500 meters away from the shore. When it's high tide, all grasses will be in the shore so kids wouldn't be able to swim! It seems that they do not maintain cleanliness in the shore. Rates are too pricey! We got two rooms (15 square meters each) for more than USD 200 which only contains AC, beds and mattresses (including the entrance fee but for me, it's still too pricey). No TV, no fridge. USD 100 could be a 4-star hotel in the city. This is sadness. I think they should have enough resources (because of the rates!) to fix the road going the resort which is just 150 meters because it's muddy. Other resorts have concrete road already. Expect that everything needs to be rented, even chair, grilling stand. We also went island hopping for USD 3 per person but ended up just transferring to another beach just to have a nice swimming. We just asked Kuya that we will just go snorkeling so we went. Finally, we have seen something adorable though the water was not that calm. We headed back to the resort after 30 minutes because of dizziness. Sorry that I wasn't able to take some photos because I didn't have that...