Atlantis Puerto Galera
February 12 - February 19, 2022
Inclusions:
- 7 nights deluxe room double occupancy.
- Room upgrades are available.
- All meals at Toko's Restaurant.
- Coffee, tea, iced tea and filtered water are available throughout the day. Breakfast drinks, Italian and specialty coffees are included through breakfast and available for a fee thereafter.
- Unlimited scheduled boat diving - up to 5 dives a day including night diving.
- One Verde Island day trip.
- Unlimited FREE Nitrox. ($216 Value, only when you travel with Scuba Center Temecula)
- Unlimited internet access.
Exclusions:
- Atlantis provides roundtrip transfers from Manitla to Puerto Galera at $100 per person (can be paid at time of reservation). This package includes round trip air-conditioned van between Manila and Batangas, private outrigger boat between Berberabe Dock in Batangas and Sabang Beach in Puerto Galera, personal airport “Meet & Greet”, and luggage assistance. This rate is subject to change and applies when 4 to 15 people are traveling together on the same transfers otherwise a different transfer rate may apply.
- Additional day trips to Verde Island at $98 can be arranged and paid at the resort. Rates are subject to change.
- There is a tourist tax (for those aged between twelve and sixty). The 2019 rate is 110 PHP approximately $2.00 per person. This fee is paid at the resort at check out and subject to change.
- Land excursions can be booked and paid for at the resort. Rates are subject to change.
Cash Price Available:
- Visit the store or call for cash price
Payments:
- $500 non-refundable deposit due when you sign up
- 2/3 total payment due by September 15, 2020
- Full payment due by January 8, 2021
Availability: Contact us for booking information
Puerto Galera is well known for its numerous scuba diving sites and has some of the most diverse coral reef diving in Asia, located at the very heart of the ‘Coral Triangle’. The area also features numerous pocket beaches and stunning tropical scenery. Atlantis Puerto Galera is beautifully built into the hills of Sabang Beach, Puerto Galera with a beautiful beach front location and centrally located minutes from the Puerto Galera’s prime dives. In many travel guidebooks and magazines, Atlantis is described as one of the most outstanding resorts in the Philippines and the Grand Dame of Puerto Galera resorts.
Puerto Galera, one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the Philippines, was founded in 1574, becoming the first provincial capital on Mindoro Island. As early as the 10th century, Chinese, Malay and Indonesian merchants were already doing business with local traders, and Puerto Galera is where they replenished their provisions.
More recently, in 2005, Puerto Galera hit the international tourism limelight when it was given “The Most Beautiful Bay in the World” award by UNESCO, only the third bay in Southeast Asia to receive this prestigious rating.
Puerto Galera was founded in 1574 as the original capital of Mindoro; Calapan is now the provincial capital. The town was popularly known as “Puerto Galera” (Port of the Galleons). Spanish galleons coming from Mexico and Spain used the presence of an excellent natural port to take refuge during stormy weather. The bay remains a refuge for ferries and other vessels during storms to this day.
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines (In past times, it has been called Ma-i or Mait by ancient Chinese traders and, by Spaniards, as Mina de Oro (meaning “gold mine”) from where the island got its current name). In 1942, the Japanese air force and naval auxiliary occupied the town. Mindoro’s Mount Halcon rises to 2,586 meters (8,482 ft) and is the 18th highest peak in the Philippines. Its slopes have earned it the title to be the most difficult mountain to climb in the country.
Sabang is one of Puerto Galera’s twelve coastal districts (or Barangays). On December 26, 1973, PD 354 was issued by President Ferdinand E. Marcos making Puerto Galera a reservation area under the Man and Biosphere Program of the UNESCO. Most people who refer to diving in “Puerto Galera” are actually talking about Sabang Beach as the prime diving spots are located in Sabang.
While English is spoken by most and thought in all levels of education, the principal language is Tagalog. Mindoro Island is separated from Luzon by the Verde Island Passage. Waters are flushed by the current of the West Philippine Sea, claimed by many to be the center of marine biodiversity in Asia. This is resulting in strong currents of up to 6 knots making the area well known for its spectacular, exhilarating drift dives. Puerto Galera boasts over 180 species on nudibranch as well as numerous fish and turtle species.
Behind the beaches are the huge and generally unexplored mountain ranges of central Mindoro. Mangyan tribes are scattered over the mountain sides - some of the more remote tribes have virtually no contact with the outside world. Of the eight tribes on Mindoro, the Iraya are the largest. They are based in the Puerto Galera area.
Jeepneys are the most popular means of public transportation in the area (and in the Philippines). They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. They have become a ubiquitous symbol of Philippine culture.