"Villa Gracia Resort in Lemery, Batangas" Lemery by sherleh

I found the resort's website via multiply.com and I was intrigued, because the cottages were well-maintained, not rickety or old-looking. So I gave it a try and immediately contacted the Manila office. It was so great of them to be so accommodating!

I originally booked for Dahlia, but the caretaker, Kuya Jun told me that it was already reserved so I chose Dama de Noche instead. But when we got there, it was quite small for a group of 19. So we transferred to Waling Waling 2.

I was afraid that the beaches in Lemery were kinda rocky. I hated beaches littered with dead coral pieces- it would hurt my feet and I would not be able to enjoy my swim, of course. To my relief, the sand (although black) was fine and there were no rocks or coral pieces! Whee! The water was clear even if it was already late in the moring or afternoon. My friends and I noticed the absence of waves.

Disclaimer: That is not me in the picture.

It was okay... my friends were excited, but not me. The boat guy just took us to this small fishing village - the climax of the boat ride. Right.

• Pros:Clean beach, lifeguard, well-kept cottages, fine black sand, sari-sari store, night swimming OK, grilling areas, all cottages have bathrooms
• Cons:unreliable map on their website
• In a nutshell:Lemery~Beach Getaway in Batangas!