A Day Trip Guide to Mariveles, Bataan
Last weekend, I returned to Bataan for the third time and went as far as Mariveles, a municipality in the southern tip of Bataan peninsula. Formerly known as Village of Kamaya, Mariveles has 18 barangays (villages) and a population of around 127,000 (based on the 2015 consensus). Probably the most popular tourist destination in this part of Bataan is a group of coves called, Five Fingers, named so due to their coastal features similar to the interdigital folds of a hand, at least when you check its aerial view. But we are not going to talk about Five Fingers, I am going to show you what else you can see in Mariveles for a day.
How to get to Mariveles
There are 3 ways in which you can reach Mariveles: drive, take a bus, ride a ferry. Travel time by land takes 3 to 4 hours.

To know your travel options, click the buttons below.
What to see in Mariveles
A few weeks prior, I searched for some of the places that we could visit. I did the due diligence of checking Google maps for each of their location so we don’t go around aimlessly. The plan is to go to the farthest location then drive back so by the time we’re ready to go home, travel time wouldn’t be as long. Here are the key places that we visited.
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Bataan Death March Zero Kilometer Marker
When you visit Bataan, you might notice the several kilometer markers on the road, most of them along MacArthur highway. These are not just any ordinary markers but ones that hold a historical significance. In 1942, over 60,000 to 80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of wars walked—a great number of them to their death—along the 160-km stretch of road from Bataan to Pampanga. This point in history is called, the Bataan Death March, one if not the most terrible of atrocities in recollection during the Japanese occupation.

There are 138 markers, 100 of which can be found in Bataan. The remaining markers can be seen in Pampanga (31) and Tarlac (7). There are two Zero KM markers in Bataan, one in Bagac and another one in Mariveles. The marker that we visited is in the Freeport Town of Mariveles, sitting just beside a Jollibee branch. I know the story of Bataan death march from reading the book, Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides years ago. Because of this, I didn’t feel right about taking a selfie in the monument, hence I just stopped to take a picture of the marker.
Panoypoy Cove
Indubitably, the most beautiful spot we visited on this day trip is the Panoypoy Cove, also known as the Batanes of the West. It can be found inside a resort called Claubel, weird name, which I’m pretty sure is two names merged into one (maybe Claude and Annabel? Who knows?!). If Claubel is too hard for you to remember, then ask people about “Hawla Beach”, another name for this resort. Why does it have another name? Go figure.
There is a 100-peso ($1.88) entry fee per head and they will tell you that it’s required to rent one of their cottages for ₱500 ($9.39). We had no intention of going swimming or staying there for long, we only wanted to take pictures of the cove. We begged the attendants to let us in without paying the cottage. It took some convincing but they finally let us through. It turns out that we really won’t be needing the cottage because we decided to skip the beach.

We took the path that goes down to the viewing point of the cove. There, on top of the hills, you can see the amazing view of Panoypoy Cove. I haven’t been to Batanes so I can’t make a valid comparison, but I was impressed by the view nonetheless.
My friends and I had to do a little hike across the hill to get to a better spot. I knew that there’s some hiking involved but I wanted to be “extra” and wore a dress and a pair of gladiator sandals. Ill-dressed for the task but highly determined, I started climbing the rocky hill with one of my friends, Patit. We noticed that the mountain is bald and dry, the grasses are more brown than green. Patit wondered what happened to the trees, I echoed her sentiment. I took extra caution, carrying my tripod on my left shoulder, my brown bag on my right, as I walked on the slightly moist stony ground. The trek was short and doesn’t take a lot of effort, at least if I would compare it with all of my previous climbs. Before long, we were already on the other side to gaze at this view.

When everyone else has gathered to this side of the hill, I called for a group photo. As you can see, my friends are as extra as me, lol. By the time we decided to leave, I was nearing dehydration because of the sun. If you’re ever thinking of going there, make sure to bring water and slather on the sunblock.

Address: Porto Del sol, Circle Brgy. Balon Anito
Balon Anito
Have you ever been to the mouth of a volcano? Well, you can easily do that in Mariveles by visiting Balon Anito. The locals call it a hot spring, but in reality, it is the mouth of a dormant volcano. True enough, you can see bubbles coming up on the water’s surface. The water is the color of moss and the crater itself is just the size of a regular swimming pool for kids.

The spring is in the back of Balon Anito Barangay Hall and basketball court. People go there to dip their toes because of the alleged healing properties of the water. I entertained thoughts of dipping my feet but the idea of wetting my sandals changed my mind. I did play with water a little with my hands just to know if the water is warm, it is but not as hot as I thought it’d be.

There were no other tourists when we went there. A local told us that if we don’t know how to swim then it’s best not to do it because the spring may be small, but it is deep.
Address: Barangay Balon Anito, Freeport Area of Bataan
San Miguel Lighthouse & San Miguel Peak
The smallest lighthouse I have ever seen can be found on the tip of Sisiman. San Miguel Lighthouse lies on the foot of a small mountain called, San Miguel Peak. My friend, Pancake, climbed this mountain with her son on her previous visit. By the time we reached the place, the sun was at its highest, taking out any thoughts of conquering the peak.

Going to the lighthouse entails a few minutes of walk over a dirt road sandwiched between San Miguel Peak and Sisiman Bay. There are small rundown cottages on the side of the bay, empty saved for one that looks like it’s being used as a place of residence.

Walking at around 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon heat can be oppressing, thus I used my umbrella. It only succeeded in shading the upper part of my body, I had to endure the heat on my feet. At last, we reached the white lighthouse that no visitors are allowed to climb. It looks so small and lonely. On the back of the lighthouse, somebody pitched a tent. I looked at it and wondered how could anyone stay in there under the intense heat of the sun.

I went down to the shore bedecked with huge boulders and rocks to take some photos. The wind that was blowing was a small mercy, but it was not enough to make us want to stay longer. My guesstimate is that we were only there for no more than 15 or 20 minutes.

Address: Barangay Balon Anito, Freeport Area of Bataan
Where to eat in Mariveles
For our lunch, we went to Pupung Grill, a Filipino restaurant. It can be found on the side of Roman Superhighway facing the Mariveles Bay. They serve Filipino food but the area in which we were seated had a Japanese theme going on. I was momentarily disoriented but the place looks decent so I guess, it was no big deal.

We went there after having coffee, thus we were not starving and had the patience to wait for the food. We ordered several dishes for sharing, my most favorite of which is the sinigang na bangus and ensaladang talong. Price range plays between ₱200 to 500 ($3.76 – $9.39).
Address: Ave of the Philippines, Freeport Area of Bataan
Where to get coffee in Mariveles
There is not a lot of cafes in Mariveles to my disappointment. On googling we found Iwahori Coffeeshop, the in-house cafe of Iwahori Guesthouse. It claims that it offers healthy coffee, I was naturally curious. We entered a rather drab looking place, small and aesthetically unimpressive. It doesn’t look anything like the cafes that you can find in the city.

I ordered a cup of hot latte ₱60 ($1.13), which according to the barista is their bestseller. I was disappointed to find out that they are offering instant coffee from a product that came from Malaysia. It’s not that I don’t drink instant coffee, it’s just that it’s supposed to be a cafe, of course, I would expect that at the least they’d serve brewed coffee. There was nothing spectacular about the latte that it got me wondering how it became a bestseller. Nonetheless, I finished my cup in peace, not the best but I’ve had worse. At least the staff was nice to us. We asked them what else we could see in Mariveles but all of their suggestions, save for Five Fingers, were already included in our itinerary.
Address: 156 Lakandula St. Poblacion
We couldn’t find Sisiman Beach, our supposed last stop. It was a little before 3:00 p.m., too early to go home, but that’s what we ended up doing when somewhere along the way it started raining hard. The trip back to the crowded city took longer considering the traffic. Nevertheless, we all agreed, it has been a successful day trip.
This trip pushed through at the request of Pancake who is leaving for Ireland soon. It’s been a long time since our group went somewhere together, it was nice to have a sort of a last hurrah before one of us leave the country for good.
Itinerary & Expenses

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Friday Night on Sydney’s Central Business District
“What are you doing tonight?” asked my officemate D.
I had plans to meet this guy I swiped right on Tinder for dinner that Friday night. But not after I’m done with the whole business of hauling my stuff from Meriton Suites Chatswood to Base Hostel in CBD. The workweek was over, so was my sponsored stay in the hotel. My flight was on Sunday, thus the need to arrange my weekend accommodation. From having a room all to myself, I would be moving to a much smaller room that I have to share with strangers.
Kristel, my fellow Knowledge Specialist in Manila, reported that she would be meeting with friends. I told D of my lodging plans, he said he and our other colleague, Kaily were planning to take us for dinner in CBD. Am I meeting the guy who is practically a stranger or should I accept the generosity of my officemates? The answer is, I’m still single.
We said our goodbyes to Kristel in the lobby then we went to the parking lot to pick up D’s car. Kaily rides shotgun while I took the seat behind. They do right-hand driving in Australia just like Japan where I first saw cars with steering wheels on the right. D drove fast much like our boss and I wondered if that’s an Australian thing. I looked out the window to manage my car motion sickness.
There were roads in which we slowed down due to traffic, but it was moving unlike in the Philippines. I heard D muttering complaints about the traffic and I can’t remember now whether I said it aloud that it was not heavy traffic, at least not in the Philippine standard.
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Kaily helped with my bags when we reached Meriton Suites. We got in the car, then continued our way to CBD. I was already feeling sleepy but when we passed through the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I was jolted back to life. There is something about the steel arch that had me mesmerized. They have a moniker for this bridge, “The Coathanger” because of the arch.

This bridge is the 6th longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge. If it reminds you of the Hell Gate Bridge in New York, USA, that’s because the Sydney Harbour Bridge was built with that as an inspiration. Do you know you can do a bridge climb on this bridge? Yes, you can. It is one of the popular tourist activities in Sydney. The price range is between $168 – $403; that’s roughly ₱8,000 to ₱21,000. Both D and Kaily claimed that they haven’t made the climb because using their own words, it is bloody expensive. I can’t say I disagree.
Base Backpackers Hostel
Base Backpackers or XBase has a number of budget accommodations in Australia and New Zealand, manned by staff who are, as their website claims, backpackers. In Sydney, Xbase is in a perfect location along Kent St., close to many other points of interest, such as the Chinatown, Darling Harbour, and The Rocks precinct. Xbase, as it turns out, is what I would call a party hostel; it literally has a door that connects to the Scary Canary, a popular bar and club in the area. There were many people in the lobby, mostly young people in their 20s, who are clearly backpackers. I don’t do well with a lot of people, I only picked this hostel because of its proximity to many key spots in CBD.

Kaily helped me with my bags again, as D waited for us in the lobby. For some reason, we failed to see the elevator. Hence, we exerted so much effort climbing the stairs while carrying my backpack and luggage, all the way to the floor in which Sanctuary, the secluded area for women, can be found. We couldn’t find the Sanctuary so we knocked on one of the doors and out came a blonde lad. He pointed us to the other end of the hall where the Sanctuary is and asked me what’s wrong with the mixed dorms that I chose to stay in the all-female area. I just laughed, choosing not to answer his question.
Mixed dorms in which there are more males than females tend to be always in a state of chaos. This is not to say that I didn’t meet women who are slobs but based on my experience, men, in general, do not care about putting away their stuff. Also, I’d like to be able to take off my clothes without having to go to the bathroom.
World Square
As soon as I settled my stuff in the dorm, Kaily and I headed out to meet D. The first point of business is to have dinner at World Square, a food and shopping center on George Street. There, we had ramen at Ramen Zundo where we were joined by Hillary, D’s girlfriend.
The Choc Pot
My colleagues were particularly excited about getting our desserts at The Chot Pot, in fact, they were set on going there long before we decided where to have dinner. Choc Pot can be found inside the Regent Place Shopping Centre. It is known for its signature dessert of, well, chocolate pudding in a pot. It’s like a land of souffles and waffles, ice cream and marshmallows, and yes, chocolates; basically, your sweet dreams. The place was packed that we had to wait to be seated. A stocky Asian guy was managing the place, his accent told me his nationality; a fellow Filipino.
My tummy was still heavy from the ramen that I had and that’s the only thing that was preventing me from devouring the dessert that we ordered in its entirety. I’m not a chocolate person, but I love ice cream, thus I was pretty happy eating the waffle topped with an overturned ice cream cone. I wasn’t able to get the names of the desserts that we had, I took pictures though.
Chinatown
In Sydney, there are many Chinese who are part of the 5 major ancestries in the city. And where there are many Chinese, you are sure to find a China town. We walked through the Chinatown as we contemplated our next destination. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants and shops in this area and in the evening, you can visit the area to check out the food stalls and souvenir kiosks during the night market.
There was a huge round installation hanging above that looked like a Chinese vintage coin. My companions noticed me taking photos of it, they said that if it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have known that it was up there.
The Baxter Inn
The last agenda of the night was to drink. We were supposed to check out The Scary Canary, the queue of people waiting to get in was long. D found the entry fee off-putting and so we went to this place that he knows on Clarence St. Just like the previous bar, this one has a queue of people waiting outside. The men are tall and handsome, the women are all made up and looking sexy. I, on the other hand, was too covered for comfort. Had I known visiting a bar would be on the agenda I would have worn something “bar-appropriate.”
The queue moved pretty quickly that soon we were inside this dark and fully crowded underground whiskey cellar. The back wall of the bar is covered with different bottles of old whiskey that go right up to the ceiling. The bartenders have to use a wheeling ladder (like the ones they have in libraries) to get to the top shelves. There were people in every corner that I thought we would never be able to find a table. Moments later, I saw D motioning us to the table that had just been vacated.

I approached the bar where one part of the wall has a list of all the drinks they are offering. I don’t speak whiskey, my alcoholic knowledge limited to vodka, wine, and cocktails that looking at the menu felt like reading Sanskrit I have to pick my battles, thus I retreated to our table and let D do the ordering.
Men in Sydney are generally good looking and I also noticed that they have a good physique. And a lot of them seemed to have the same idea that night, visiting The Baxter Inn, that is. I sat there the entire night either listening to the stories of my colleagues or eyeing the eye candies.
Kaily and D had mocktails because they don’t drink. I forgot what Hillary ordered; I think I had a mojito (this happened in November last year so I don’t remember the littlest of details). Kaily and I got to talking a little bit while the couple was getting our drinks. We’re both single and not dating anyone, and I remember not being able to articulate well the reason for my singlehood.
Everybody was tired and it was time to call it a day. They walked me back to my hostel, the night air has grown chilly. I gave each of them a hug as we said our goodbyes. I told them that I truly appreciate them taking their time to tour me around CBD. I certainly do not regret choosing them over a Tinder date.
The line was still long outside The Scary Canary, I went inside the hostel, found the elevator that has eluded me and Kaily before, got in and went up to the Sanctuary.
Meriton Suites Chatswood – a glimpse of what it feels like to live overseas
It took me a while to figure out how the espresso machine works, a success I wasn’t able to replicate with the dishwasher. I taught myself how to use the washing machine then I dried my clothes in the spin. Back home I didn’t have an iron, thus I was fascinated when I pressed the wrinkles off my pants. These are the things I would love to have in my own home, they sure made my stay in Australia a lot easier. It surprised me that I could fend for myself in a foreign country, but I am more surprised by how easy I was able to adjust in a place about 4,000 kilometers away from home. There was no sense of feeling out of place, no missing the things I have back home. I mean, how could I when I stayed at Meriton Suites Chatswood, a hotel that pretty much has everything.
Still reeling from the fact I just spent AUD 63 (that’s 2,501.73 in peso) for a 21-minute taxi ride from Elizabeth Street to Chatswood, I pulled my luggage and walked with my back hunched from carrying Monster toward the lobby of Meriton Suites.

Meriton Suites is a chain of hotels, established in 2003 by Harry Triguboff, Meriton Group’s managing director and a billionaire property entrepreneur. It is said to be the largest owner of hotels in Australia, operating in 18 locations in Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast. In Sydney alone, there are 14 Meriton Suites, including the one in Chatswood.
Meriton Suites in Chatswood is a serviced apartment; big space and fully furnished, ideal for long-term stays. It’s just a few minute’s walk from the train station and only one station away from North Ryde where the building of our company is located.
I came in on a Sunday at around 11:00 a.m. I was supposed to stay in a room on a higher floor, but it wouldn’t be available until the check-in time, 2:00 p.m. They offered another option, an early check-in, but on a lower floor. It didn’t take long for me to decide to take the second option; a good view of the city, although preferable is not my priority. I wanted to check in early so I don’t waste time I could have spent exploring the city.
Booking.comI stayed in a 1-bedroom modern suite and I wasn’t prepared at how huge space is. The bedroom has a king-size bed, a built-in wardrobe, and an HD flat TV screen.


There’s a bathroom with a toilet, complete with plush towels, METIS skin and haircare amenities, and a hairdryer. I loved everything about this bathroom especially the METIS products, but it was missing one ingredient that in my opinion would have made it perfect; a bidet. I soon learned that in Australia, they are unfamiliar with the wonders of a bidet.

Meriton Suites Chatswood wins the best bathroom essentials award in my book.

In the corner, just outside the bedroom and the bathroom is an office table with a chair. I wasn’t able to use it as I preferred using my laptop in the living room.

The living room is big like I could do cartwheels and not break things. It also has an HD flat-screen TV with selected Foxtel channels.


Beyond the living room is a private balcony that offers the view of the road.

But what I truly loved about this room is the fully equipped gourmet kitchen. It has a Vittoria Espresso coffee capsule machine, a fridge, a gas stove and an oven, and a dishwasher.

The laundry area was particularly useful for me during my stay, saved me the trouble of buying clothes because I could wash ’em.

Though I had Optus, I used the unlimited WiFi of Meriton whenever I’m there. It was high-speed and reliable.
Other key features of the hotel include a 24hr Reception, indoor heated pool & sauna, and a fitness center (gym). I was able to do my workout in the gym for a day, it wasn’t crowded and it has a complete set of gym equipment.


Now if you’re curious about Chatswood area, here’s a little tour. Chatswood is in 10-km north of Sydney’s Central Business District. The name came from two things, the name of the wife of the then-Mayor Richard Harnett, Charlotte who was nicknamed, “Chattie”, and the wooden features of the area. It used to be Chattie’s Wood, until it was shortened to Chatswood.
There were 2 days in which I went out of the suite to check out the surrounding area and to eat because the kitchen despite being fully furnished didn’t inspire me to cook. My feet led me to Victoria Street. I went in springtime when the sun doesn’t set until around 7:00 p.m., but the majority of establishments in Sydney close as early as 5:00 p.m., thus there isn’t much going on outside.
I keep telling my friends that one day, I would be living in another country, hopefully with a husband. I dream to be somewhere in Europe, preferably where I can perfect my French. Not sure when is it going to be (and I’m hoping before I turn 40), but I’m glad that in Sydney, I had a glimpse of how it is going to be. I fell easily into a routine, I almost believed it was permanent. I think if I ever move to another country for real, I’ll be okay.