QUICK GUIDE: Malabrigo Beach and Lighthouse in Lobo, Batangas

2014 • 02 • 16

Just when you think you’ve seen most of what the Batangas shores have to offer, you stumble upon a beach that is a little offbeat. In many ways, Malabrigo in Lobo, Batangas, is not your ordinary white beach. It is not a sandy beach; it is littered with small and medium pebbles. It is not as crowded as the beaches of Laiya (San Juan) and Nasugbu. It is also out of the usual Lipa-Batangas City-Taal-Balayan route.

Material: Pebble Beach (shingles to cobbles, with patches of sand)

Nearest airport: Manila

How to get there: If you’re coming from Manila, board the bus bound for Batangas City (P150-180). If possible, take the ones with the CALABARZON sign for a shorter travel time. This will skip the cities of Lipa and Tanauan. Get off at Balagtas or Diversion and ride a jeepney bound for SM Batangas. Alight at the Batangas-Lobo jeepney terminal. Ride a jeepney to Lobo (P53) and then a tricycle to Malabrigo. Total travel time is around 3 hours if you leave in the early morning.

Where to stay: Punta Malabrigo Beach Resort offers beachfront accommodations. Guesthouses are also available in the area.

Don’t miss: Declared a National Historical Landmark in November 2006, the Faro de Punta de Malabrigo is one of the only two lighthouses in Batangas. (The other is in Punta de Santiago, Calatagan.) The parola guides the seafarers passing the Verde Island Passage to Tayabas Bay. The Malabrigo Lighthouse is Victorian-inspired and made of bricks and stone. It was designed by Guillermo Brockman in 1891 and was built by Jose Garcia in 1896.

If you have more time: Check out the Submarine Garden, also in Lobo, to see live corals thriving in its waters.

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