I did not have any fantasy about the conditions at Burot Beach because all the blogs talk about it. There are NO accommodations on the beach and people camp. There is no electricity at night and more importantly – there are bathroom facilities that are modest.

In a nutshell, get ready to rough it up. 


Why go to Burot Beach? 
1. It’s a stunning beach close to Metro Manila.
2. Transportation isn’t a problem with the buses and tricycles that go to the area. A lot of the bloggers I read about commuted to the beach.
3. It’s an inexpensive getaway.

Is Burot Beach for me? Yes and no.
 
YES – There are no waves and the water is shallow. I get why there are a lot of families there because the kids can play safely in the ocean’s shallow parts. It reminded me of Bohol’s shallow water and long shore line.
 
YES – There are tents for rent so you can have a place of your own on the beach. Try to head to Burot Beach early to secure a premium spot. The trees helped in shielding me from the sun.
 
YES – I took a lot of photos. Not only was the beach lover happy, the photo enthusiast was equally as happy!
 
It was a good thing we waited until sunset because we were not disappointed.
 
NO – I don’t enjoy camping and I know that about myself. When we got there, we had every intention of camping. Spending a few hours on the beach and I know for certain I would rather go home. We tried to go camping without proper equipment; we didn’t even have a sleeping bag! I wanted to be comfortable and by not being prepared, we lessened our comfort levels. If push came to shove and I had no choice but to camp, I think I could handle it but on this trip we brought a car – we had a choice.
 
NO – One of the reasons we decided not go camping is security. We were 3 women and we were surrounded by big groups of people. Some of them composed mostly of guys. We were not harassed but we felt uncertain. It was a good thing we had a car with us to secure our belongings. When we would swim, we would leave our valuables in the car. My Guido is important to me and I only had peace of mind at the beach when Guido was with me or in the car. 

I didn’t hear any stories of items getting stolen but you can’t be too lax.
 
YES and NO – I called the crowd in Burot Beach “pang baranggay”. People come in hoards and all walks of life like your home town baranggay. There were only a handful of people who swam in their bathing suits, us included, which is why I think we got a lot of stares. 

Unfortunately we encountered some rude people. Our neighbour set up their grill right next to our tent so the smoke would go our way. The same neighbour would impede our personal space. There was very little space between our tent and where I was sleeping and someone managed to cross in between with wet items. It wasn’t a good way to wake up to.

It breaks my heart to continually see that Filipinos still lack the decency to clean up after themselves. Garbage plays a MASSIVE part in flooding in Metro Manila and our country, this is a proven fact. There were still a lot of people left their trash on the beach.
 
Undoubtedly I would love to visit Burot Beach again but only for the day. Or, I’d be willing to camp with a larger group of friends and hopefully with some people who have camping experience.
 
The short sojourn to the beach was exactly what my soul needed. Despite getting severely burnt, my fault, I left Burot Beach refreshed and invigorated. It’s a beach I would gladly recommend to anyone seeking to discover a new beach spot without the perks of resort amenities at an affordable price. Burot Beach is a fairly easy beach to “rough it in” – it truly made my month! I happen to visit with 2 awesomely game people who made the trip extra remarkable.

How to get to Burot Beach (copied from Micanonymous):
From Manila take Coastal Road or South Luzon Express Way (whichever route you are more familiar with) going to Tagaytay and drive all the way to Nasugbu, Batangas until you reach a junction/rotonda. On the junction, take the right turn going to the town of Lian (left turn will lead you to Balayan town). Near this junction is a Caltex gasoline station that will serve as your land mark.

After taking the right turn, just drive straight ahead. It is a sign that you are near the next turn once you see CADP (Central Azucarera Don Pedro) sugar refinery. You won’t miss it because of the foul odor coming from the refinery plus it’s a huge factory/plant.

After CADP, you will then reach a fork road (with Shell & I-gas stations as your landmarks), turn left then drive straight ahead again. Look out for Sto. Dominos Church and just before the church, turn right. You will reach a public market (more like a talipapa), just drive straight ahead again then turn left in M. Apacible Street.

Once in M. Apacible Street, drive straight ahead. It would be better to ask around as to where Burot Beach is but most likely you will see a wide rough road on your right side that leads to a cemetery and to an eco center. Turn left on the eco center then left again until you reach a gate with a uniformed security guard. You have reached the entrance of Burot Beach by then.

Expenses:
P65 - entrance fee per person if day trip
P130 - entrance fee per person if overnight
P400 - tent rental
Free – parking fee

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Burot Beach
Calatagan, Batangas