Making and saving the most on a trip to Apo Reef, Mindoro

Beaches are one of the top summer destinations for everyone. If you're looking for something similar but something slightly new, in a way, then we've got the place for you!

When you hear the place 'Mindoro', the first thing that usually comes to mind is Puerto Galera. It's one of the most famous beaches in the country. But other than that, Mindoro has so much more to offer. Occidental Mindoro is the place for you if, this time around, you want to see more of life underwater and what the country's natural beauty has to offer. 

Occidental Mindoro is home to Apo Reef - the second largest coral reef system in the Philippines. This is why it's a great place to visit with your family or friends. 

Here we've come up with a simple itinerary you can use if you want to visit Mindoro for a few days, just to unwind from the stress of work and life at home.

• Day 1 - Travel via plane to San Jose airport. Travel to Sablayan (via van) for 3 hours. Travel to Apo Reef Island for 2.5-3 hours. Visit the lagoon and the lighthouse before it reaches nighttime.
• Day 2 - Snorkeling at Apo Reef in the morning, Pandan Island in the afternoon. Go back to the mainland and head over to the accommodations. 
• Day 3 - Free time to visit Sablayan or check out the zipline. 
• Day 4 - Travel back to San Jose . (The van we rented on our first day also fetched us from the resort and drove us to the airport). Fly home. 

Here's a breakdown of our expenses:

• Plane ticket (availed at a promo rate) - Php 1,800 per person
• Van (who will fetch you from the airport and drive you back to the airport) - Php 7,500 for the group
• Apo Island fees - Php 390 per person (per visit)
• Pandan Island fees - Php 50 per person (this is if you want to stop at Pandan Island and swim there. But if you just want to go near Pandan Island where the sea turtles are found, just tell your tour guide and they'll bring you there for free)
• Boat ride going to Apo Island - Php 13,500 for the group (the boat size and price depends upon the number of people. This price is for 16 people. We were 14 in our group but they added the Manang, her assistant, and our tour guide)
• Tour guide - Php 1,000 per day (for a group of 8 people)
• Labor of the Manang or food caterer - Php 1,000 per day
• Labor of Manang's assistant - Php 300 per day
• Meal - Php 150 per person, per meal
• Tents - Php 300 per tent 
• Mask and snorkel - Php 150
• Estimate cost of trikes for 2 days - Php 400 per trike
• 2 nights at the resort (includes pool and kitchen use) - Php 9,600 for the group

All in all, each person had a budget of Php 10,000, but we only spent around Php 8,000.

For our first night, we stayed at tents at Apo Island for the full experience. It's safe to stay at the island because your tour guide will also stay at the island, and other tourists opt to sleep overnight at the island, too. Just be mindful of the tour guide's instructions so you won't disrupt the nature and other guests!

On our second and third night, we stayed at a resort called Garden of Eden Resort that's located at Sablayan, Mindoro. We already made reservations beforehand so we just asked the tricycle drivers to bring us there. 

Garden of Eden is a pretty simple resort that has a big swimming pool and a view of the sea. We booked the place where we can all stay, and we all slept in the same room since that's the only room in the small house with air conditioning. The tough side is that there's only 1 functioning toilet + shower, but we made it work!

We were also allowed to cook our own meals at their kitchen, so that's a plus. They had this outdoor roofed area where we ate our meals, and they also let us borrow their karaoke machine for Php 500 for a few hours. 

There are also lots of other resorts near the area, or you can even decide to head over to Puerto Galera (if you have lots of spare time left, or if San Jose isn't your return trip home). But make sure to consider all important factors before booking, especially if there's lots of you in your group!

Like any other beach town, it's important to prioritize your comfort! Even if you bring your most Instagram-worthy clothes, you won't have fun if you're sweating too much and you're having difficulty breathing. 

Make sure to pack comfy shirts and shorts for the trip. This will give you comfort when going around Mindoro and so your clothes won't be at too much risk when you're strolling around. When we first got to Apo Island, we got off the boat and we had to walk in the water (our thighs were soaked), so that's something to consider. Some of us were wearing jeans at the time, so expect to get wet. 

If you'll stay at Apo Island overnight, wearing a pajama to sleep in would be great. It's hot at first, but later at night you won't feel that hot anymore. Also, there were sand mites so those of us who wore shorts to sleep woke up and spent the trip having red itchy spots on their legs. (Some of them were even there a month after!) So it might also be a good idea to bring insect repellents. 

Since you're going snorkeling, you could also bring your rash guard and comfy swimming shorts or tights. We also brought our aqua shoes so we won't get hurt when walking on sand or pebbles. You can borrow snorkeling gear from the tourism office, but it's also okay to bring your own. 

It might also be better to bring a smaller bag than usual. You just need this bag to keep the essentials -- your phone, wallet, battery pack, and A FEW other stuff you can't leave behind! You'll also have to bring everything you have along if you're going for the zip line ride, so it would be a hassle if you're holding too much stuff. 

Also, we didn't bring huge luggage with us during the trip. We kept all our stuff in our own backpacks since we slept at the island. 

We won't be able to put into words how amazing our trip to Mindoro was, so we hope you get the chance to try it out on the next long weekend! Visit our blog for more travel tips like this!