A few days ago, I had the chance to temporarily leave the city. I was treated to an out of town getaway, courtesy of the workplace benefit. :) I have visited a number of beaches in the other areas of Batangas like Calatagan, San Juan and Talisay. This was my first time to see the shores of Anilao. 

Anilao is known as the haven for divers. Setting aside the beaches in Boracay, Palawan, Davao and Cebu, Anilao is the quickest and cheaper alternative especially for people highly interested in diving. In my case, I'm already contented with the scenery, island hopping and snorkeling activities. 

We were brought to Pier Uno, a relatively new resort in the area. The place is quite secluded. Even the neighboring resorts were accommodating only a few guests. Surprisingly, most of our fellow vacationers are from other countries. I have seen small groups of Chinese, Korean and Japanese. I believe that Koreans frequent the area because the resort has signages written in Hangul. 

We caught a little unfortunate event during our trip. It suddenly rained in the afternoon. This explains some of the blurry and cloudy photos. Although we enjoyed the colder weather, which became so conducive for a long afternoon sleep. We woke up in time for dinner, feeling very relaxed and refreshed.

A little reminder for those interested in visiting Anilao, particularly Pier Uno. The beach is more ideal for diving than swimming. As you can see from my photos, the beach is filled with rocks and less of sand. I didn't actually swim in the beach. It was only during our island hopping and snorkeling activities when I really experienced the beach. During our stay in the resort, I enjoyed my quiet time and the relaxing scenery. Though there are other activities to be enjoyed such as kayaking and riding the jet ski. Unfortunately, these amenities are not for free in Pier Uno. Even our island hopping getaway also required an additional fee. You have to separately pay the rental for the life vest, snorkeling gear, boat rental and the entrance fee to the snorkeling site. To be fair with Pier Uno, they have a very accommodating and courteous group of employees. We particularly love the happy and "gay" staff named Marga. As for food, I believe all rooms come with complimentary meals. All meals are served via buffet on a particular time period only. Quantity wise, the food served is adequate. As for taste, I can give them an average rating.

The resort has four types of rooms. We were assigned to the Standard Rooms, which is equipped with good airconditioning unit, comfortable beds, clean sheets and cable TV. I only have two sources of complaints, the shower heater wasn't working and no refrigerator unit was provided in the room. This makes me wonder if the resort actually discourages bringing of food drinks. Although the resort policy didn't state that bringing of food and drinks is prohibited.

The entire area of Pier Uno is perfect for small group getaways. I don't recommend the place for corporate outing and team building activities. The resort is relatively small to accommodate a group of above 50 persons. Also, it does not have ample space to conduct outdoor team building sessions. Pier Uno is best for getaways for families and small groups of friends, who are looking forward for seclusion, tranquility and more of diving sessions.

Check out Pier Uno's website for more details.