Reasons Why Talain Cove in Mariveles is a Hidden Gem of Bataan

Unknown to locals and tourists, Mariveles, Bataan in indeed a haven of various coves. Talain Cove is one of those coves which is a very promising place to be enjoyed and explored. The cove is well enjoyed by the locals of Sitio Talain. It is not crowded so you can have the beach all for yourself. 

The cove can be reached thru an hour trek. The trail is covered with trees and shrubs. You may want to wear closed shoes or sandals for your own safety. During rainy season, the trail is muddy and slippery so be extra cautious. In our case, the trek was challenging because it rained a night before our trip. The trek was all worth it.

The fine gray sand will tempt you to walk on your bare feet as you stroll along the shore. Interestingly, the other corner of the cove is a rocky area where you can take pictures in a more dramatic way. Be careful when you stroll because the rocks are slippery.

Talain Cove is also a place where fresh water and sea water meets. Chasing Talain Falls made our trip more adventurous. The trek to waterfalls was about almost 2 hours. The trail was very challenging. The slippery rice paddies will get you dirty but it was fun. River crossing was also fun because you will choose a not so deep area in order for you to get yourself to the other side. If only I was able to record our trek, it would have been a worth sharing video. We enjoyed our stay at the falls for a couple of minutes before we went back to the shore.

After arriving, we spent more minutes swimming on the beach. We went back to the town proper late by riding on a small boat because trekking was not possible. The trek was not possible because it was raining and it was already dark. Thunderstorms and lightnings began to frightened us. Luckily, the waves at that moment were tolerable for a small boat to sail. We arrived safely at the town proper with a smile in our faces. Indeed, Talain Cove is a hidden gem to create great travel memories. 

Reasons Why Cove to Cove Adventure in Mariveles, Bataan is Very Memorable

A supposedly overnight hike to Mt. Natib ended up to a very unique cove to cove adventure in the town of Mariveles, Bataan. Due to bad weather condition, our organizers decided to cancel our hiking activity for our safety. One of the organizers is my friend, Rustan, who accommodated my first visit in Mariveles. 

I left home around 01:00 AM to catch the bus trip directly to Mariveles in Cubao at 02:00 AM. I arrived in town around 06:30 and went off the bus at Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) where our service jeep was waiting for us guests. The Oriental Bataan was our first destination. It is where we took our breakfast and the usual meet and greet session with my fellow tourists. 

We had the time to explore the hotel and I took advantage to take some pictures. The hotel was great, the attendants were very accommodating and the interiors were awesome. The swimming pool was well-maintained. I also like the style of their spa area and jacuzzi.

The Cliff Lounge area of the hotel was interesting. The hotel has also a place for team building activities. Our limited stay in the hotel was memorable. I enjoyed our stay even just for a limited period of time. 

From The Oriental Bataan, we went down to town proper of Mariveles for more adventure. We visited the KM 0 of the historic Bataan Death March. After that, we visited the various scenic views in town. We visited the Zig-Zag Road which gives you a Baguio City view feels. We visited various coves which has a scenic view like in Batanes maybe because of its lush green grass on top of the hills. 

The highlight of our tour was the overnight stay in the beach resort in Apatot Cove. The cove can be reached thru a hundred descent steps from the highway. Considering the bad weather, we still managed to enjoy our tour. We helped each other prepare our food for dinner. We had so much fun that night. The rainy weather made the event more interesting. We had some liquors and we had so much fun with the games that was prepared by our fellow tourists. We bonded so well that we enjoyed the night even without electricity. 

We woke up early the following morning for another adventure. We enjoyed our time along the shores playing with the sand and the dancing with the waves. We even recorded a short-video playing "Pak-Ganern Challenge". After breakfast, we decided again to trek for another cove. The view of the Five Fingers of Bataan was clearly seen at this point. The lush green grass at the hill made the place more inviting and refreshing. 

We packed our things happily. Our last destination was a visit to Balon Anito which is a mouth of a dormant volcano. You can really see bubbles coming up at the water surface. The locals call it a hot spring so we dipped our feet for a relaxing feeling. We ended our tour at Elong's Hapag-Kainan where we shared our different experiences about the tour.

Indeed, cove to cove experience was very unique and very memorable. Happy people does make the adventure even more interesting. I was lucky to have meet these kind of people that made the experience very memorable.

Experiencing Bataan Hospitality at Sky Hotel in Mariveles

I have mentioned on my previous post about how Mariveles has its own unique charm. If in case you have not yet read about it CLICK HERE. The town has many tourist destinations to offer and a day tour will not be enough to stroll the beautiful town of Mariveles. Take it from my experience, a supposedly just a day-tour in Mariveles ended up for a 2D1N weekend adventure. 

Foods will always make every travel more interesting. After experiencing the lutong-bahay menu at Elong's Hapag Kainan, we tried Chicken Deli for dinner. It must be noted that the restaurant is a Bacolod Original. We ordered their best-selling chicken-inasal and halo-halo for our dessert. 

Chicken-inasal of Chicken Deli

Special Halo-halo of Chicken Deli

The like the interior of the restaurant. I felt like I was in Bacolod attending a MassKara Festival. The area is colorful and well-maintained. The place is also spacious, neat and clean. The crews are very accommodating too!

During my trip, we stayed at Sky Hotel. Sky Hotel is managed by Watchlife Workers MPC and is located at 179 Lakandula St., Poblacion, Mariveles, Bataan. The hotel caters tourists and travelers. Also, they allow transients and office rentals.

The hotel offers various room selections: single bed, standard room, family room and view deck. Price ranges from Php 1,000.00 to Php 2,500.00 for overnight stay. They also provide extra bed with additional charge. Breakfast is available upon request with a minimum of 5pax with unli-coffee and unli-rice. Rooms are well-ventilated, clean and fresh. 

Indeed, staying at Sky Hotel was a great choice for my Mariveles adventure. So if you are heading to Mariveles for a weekend adventure, visit Sky Hotel to experience Bataan hospitality. 

The Unique Charm of Mariveles, Bataan

Bataan is a historical province and also known for its Mt. Samat National Shrine as a major tourist destination in the province. Playa la Caleta, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar and Camaya Coast were the three beautiful destinations in Bataan that I have proudly visited. There are a lot of beautiful places to visit in this province and Mariveles is one of them. Mariveles is a first class municipality and is located at the southern tip of the Bataan Peninsula. 

Mariveles Municipal Hall

I have no idea how uniquely charming this town is until I met Rustan on social media. Rustan is a travel blogger. I have noticed his regular posts about his hometown so I got curious and wanted to visit the places he posted on his social media account. Luckily, he invited me to join a tree-planting activity initiated by the local government unit of Bataan but I decline because the call time of the event is too early. I wast not able to attend the event but I promised him to visit Mariveles on the same date.

Baywalk.

As promised, I visited Mariveles. I took Genesis Bus in Pasay City and arrived in town after a 4-hour ride. While waiting for my friend, I strolled the beautiful town. I visited their municipal hall, bay walk and their parish church, St. Nicholas Tolentino Parish Church. The 1729 parish church belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Balanga. Apo Kulas, the Patron Saint of Mariveles, arrived in the town through the Orders of Augustinian Recoletos Missionaries. 

St. Nicholas Tolentino Parish Church

I was very glad to meet Rustan. We had a great conversation and we were able to share our travel experiences to each other. I was honored to know that he is the person behind Bataan Weather Page. According to him, the page is already making waves in Bataan. I was able to validate the news when I searched the page on FB. Indeed, it is an active FB Page with a thousand of followers. 

Elong's Hapag Kainan

Bulalo for Breakfast!

We woke up early morning to visit other places in Mariveles. I feel grateful that I was able to gain friend who is also into traveling. I requested him for a lutong-bahay restaurant for breakfast and without hesitation he took me to Elong's Hapag Kainan. The restaurant offers varieties of Filipino foods from appetizers, main dish and desserts. The food is great and worth the price. I also love their interiors.

San Miguel Peak on the background.

After our breakfast, we took a tricycle ride to Brgy. Sisiman. Sisiman Bay is well known for local tourists. It is a public beach where bamboo cottages can be rented by picnic goers. 

San Miguel Peak is a landmark in Sisiman Bay. It is an ultimate rock mountain that stands 700+ feet high and can be reached thru trekking for about 30 minutes. The panoramic view of the entire Sisiman Bay can be greatly seen at the summit. For those people who are looking for adrenaline-rush adventure, San Miguel Peak can be a great playground for rock climbing and rappelling.   

Adjacent to the peak is a small hill which offers a greater view of the San Miguel Peak. The hill can be trek for about 20 minutes. On the way up, there is a grotto built on the hill and a steel cross on the hilltop. This hill might be well-visited by pilgrims during holy week season. We took time to rest on top of the hill while enjoying the view and the cool fresh air. 

I must say that my visit in Mariveles even just for a weekend is very memorable. You may want to consider visiting this town for an adventure you will remember. Mariveles has its own unique charm to capture everyone's heart. I will definitely visit this place once in a while.