July 5, 2014

Weekend Getaway: Affordable Accomodations at Llamar Beach Resort, Laiya

If you have read my blog post review about Playa Laiya in San Juan Batangas, you’ll notice that I didn’t mention any accommodation that is available at that destination. This is because no hotel or b&b is available yet, but that is included in the plan of Landco (think about Pico De Loro, it’ll be like that in a few years). What Playa Laiya offers for overnight accommodation are tents that you will pitch near the tented pavilion. It’ll be very uncomfortable for us to snooze in that type of sleeping situation. Not that we’re picky, I’ve tried sleeping in a tent once during an overnight stay at Matubungkay, and it was super humid that we didn’t get any sleep at all. (You can read about my blog entry about Playa Laiya here: Live Life in Color at Playa Laiya)





So instead of sleeping inside a tent at Playa Laiya, I searched the net to look for accommodations in Laiya. Almost all the hotels, b&b’s and resorts were fully booked; I wouldn’t be surprised because it was Labor Day Weekend, for sure people will flock to the nearest beaches. 1-2 days before our trip, I came across a list of places to sleep in Laiya from another blog and googled and contacted each and every name on that list. And I found this austere accommodation in Laiya, which is Llamar Beach Resort.






Llamar Beach Resort is a budget-friendly, clean and decent accommodation in Laiya, perfect for those who are looking for a place to crash overnight. Llamar’s name came from the combination of the last names of the owners, which are Llana and Marquez, (the Llana clan used to own almost all of the lands in Laiya, some sold their parts to developers or resorts and some kept their piece and built their own, just like the owners of Llamar)




Llamar Beach Resort is located at Brgy. Aplaya Laiya, Laiya, San Juan, Batangas and is near Kabayan Beach Resort. It currently comprises of 3 Cottages, 8 Apartments, 4 Cabanas, and a Pavilion overlooking the beach and waters of Tayabas Bay. Llamar Beach resort  have adequate parking area for guests, a 24x7 standby generator (just in case there’s a power interruption which usually happens in provinces), water sports and activities, videoke rental and  catering services (can be arranged if guests are  interested). I communicated directly with the owners and had no problems with the reservations or follow-up. They were always prompt to respond to text messages and calls. They were really hands-on with their business which makes it more personal.


 


It was already around 7:00pm when we arrive at Llamar Beach Resort after spending the entire day at Playa Laiya. We didn’t have any difficulty looking for Llamar since we are familiar to its location. Llamar Beach Resort share the same compound with that of Residencia Laiya. We were greeted by one of the staff  who helped us haul our luggage to our rented apartment unit.




Our unit was Apartment 5-C which has an air-condition, a twin-size bed, double-size bunker bed, a small closet and a veranda with dining table and chairs. The bathroom has a single shower with water heater. The room was quite small. Bed sheets were clean and the CR too, but the toilet had a problem when being flushed; nonetheless it was tolerable. My friends said there was a funky smell coming from the CR, but since I always have colds due to allergic rhinitis and the fact that I’m not super sensitive when it comes to odour (except if it’s super pungent) I didn’t remember smelling such.


 
 


I have no photo of the inside of the unit though, so I grabbed the one from their website. The place has signs of out-datedness when  it comes to aesthetics but in my opinion the place is well-maintained and clean, evidenced by the trash can placed in front of each unit and the staff also sweeps the resort grounds regularly.


photo from Llamar's website


No complimentary toiletries were provided but when we asked for bath towels, the staff gave us one each. When I requested for hot water to make coffee, she returned with an electric kettle  (with hot water) and spoons to be used as stirrers. But if you’re just there to use it for sleeping purposes, the place is pretty decent and affordable compared to other hotels and inns around the area. I really can’t tell if the aircon was not cold enough or the weather was just too hot and humid. The temperature that the aircon produced was totally fine with me, I get runny nose if it’s super cold.




If you’ll avail of dorm type rooms, a common CR and shower is available. You can also wash up at the outdoor shower before going back to your room to remove all the sand you have accumulated after a swim at the beach.




Bringing and cooking your own food is allowed and there is a cooking and grilling facility available near the pavilion. There are also cabanas that you can rent if you plan to eat what you have cooked al fresco and by the beach. I’m not sure how much the charges if you opt to avail of those. Food can also be cooked for guests but must be ordered in advance, as for us, we just walked to Kabayan Beach Resort to eat at their food court.


photo from Llamar's website

"bucayo", local delicacy made with peanuts, coconut meat and honey


Llamar Beach Resort is pretty much reasonable or worth the money you’ll spend to stay there since the resort is beach front, always clean and with helpful and courteous staff and owners. Well, I must say that we had a good stay at Llamar Beach Resort. Will we go back? There's a chance.


Llamar Beach Resort
Address: Brgy. Aplaya Laiya, San Juan, Batangas
Contact Nos:  +63917-8137799, +63923-6349963, 63917-5326775
Email: info.llamarbeachresort@gmail.com
Website: www.llamarbeachresort.com


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6 comments:

  1. Aw lovely pictures! Looks like a perfect hideaway for going on vacation! :)

    GIVEAWAY on my blog here:

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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment Ina, well it seriously is... and i'll check that giveaway for sure! I love joining giveaways!

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  2. hi Jen, thanks for sharing your experience. is it the type where there are videokes everywhere? and are the bathrooms clean? :)

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    1. hmmm... didn't hear people doing videoke from our room though, but if you go out to the beach the nearby resorts do run videoke rentals til around 10pm I think (mostly those near Kabayam resort). The bathrooms at Llamar are decent enough.

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  3. Hi Jen, I like your blog, your review is very helpful. You are not bias regarding your observation. I like your pictures, it best describe your idea and answer the question in my mind. Keep up the good works. |Thanks for sharing your experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear anonymous thank you very much for your kind words! :-)

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