We were welcomed by the lovely, calm surroundings of the Ronco Beach Resort. I loved the sea breeze, the landscape, great views, and the amount of greenery in the property. The beach itself, well, what can you expect of a beach in Batangas? It was okay, not white, clean water, good for quick dips and short swims. If you've been to the La Luz Resort in San Juan, Batangas, I would rank it a bit higher than Ronco. Still, it was a nice resort, I told myself. I can enjoy myself here. Then I realized that first impressions don't last.
When we arrived, we found out that we weren't given the room that we booked. If the room we were given was airconditioned it wouldn't have mattered but it wasn't! Nevertheless, I easily convinced myself that this wouldn't stop me from enjoying the weekend.
Next we found out that there was a videoke machine at the restaurant which was close to our (non-aircon) room. Now I have nothing against videoke singing, but I was afraid of not getting a good night's sleep if (and I was almost sure this would happen) drunk, overly enthusiastic tourists would still be singing their hearts out at 2 in the morning. The resort owner assured us however that the videoke would be open only until 11 PM. I had a feeling that this rule was most likely going to be broken so I told myself that I should get drunk to be able to sleep despite the noise that I was sure would come.
After walking around the resort, I went back to our AUV and alas, the left front tire AND the spare tire were both flat! We were able to put air into and use the spare tire then I drove to town 12 kilometers away to get the tire vulcanized. What a great start to my weekend getaway! I was now anxious to chill out, have a couple of drinks, have some peace and quiet.
Nothing unexpected happened the next couple of days. It was hard to sleep the first night because of (you guessed it!) the videoke. The next night we decided to have our own videoke night and to my pleasant surprise, nobody else sang after us. Ah, how wonderful my sleep was that night!
I took it easy, enjoyed the sun, relished the view and the breeze, and made sure I had my shot of alcohol every now and then. Food was great as we prepared our own - mostly grilled and pan-fried. All in all a moderately satisfactory vacation. My recommendation? Try looking for another resort in Calatagan. Ronco is not bad but you might get a better overall experience elsewhere. Calatagan is a lovely town and I will come back here if I find a good alternative resort.
My email address is jobotonio@yahoo.co.uk
"When we arrived, we found out that we weren't given the room that we booked."
ReplyDeletehahaha same comment with my co-member in a car club. they called the owner to reserve 5 rooms. but were given only 2 when they arrived..they opted to find another resort..RONCO Thumbs down!!!
"My recommendation? Try looking for another resort in Calatagan. Ronco is not bad but you might get a better overall experience elsewhere. Calatagan is a lovely town and I will come back here if I find a good alternative resort."
I agree with this!! Find another resort or else you'll end up disgusted with your reservation.
I have no personal experience yet with that resort, but based on friends' comments i rather not go there.