Great service and food but very shabby rooms and the beach is awful. Rough sand, filthy water, very few activities, snorkelling on the nearby reefs was very disappointing. It may be better in Winter (we stayed in Summer) and may be acceptable to Manila residents fleeing the noise, dirt, crowds and pollution for a weekend. I'm an expat having lived in Phils for a long time and would recommend flying to Panglao instead as the journey time is equivalent and the experience will be better.

Reservation is easy with a Manila number you can call.
Going to Laiya is a breeze, compared to 2 years ago, when the roads were rough. Travel time is about 2.5 hours from Manila.
Staff - courteous and friendly.
Food - the buffet is yummy. Their tuna sashimi has not gone through refrigeration and is very fresh. The desert, mango cream something, is to die for. The dinning room on the second floor has a very nice view of the beach. The tall sampaloc trees are very lovely.
Beach - although the sand is not powdery, the water is clean and nice.
Rooms - cramped, air con too small to keep you cool. The beds are made of bamboo and the beddings are basic, minimum, more of the low end. They have these towel hangers that are made of twigs that stick out and could be dangerous as they stick out and you could bump your head or chest on them if you're not careful. Lights are too dim for reading.

I checked out the reviews and blogs before settling on Balai sa Laiya as our summer destination with the kids. It was really worth the research.
Balai was everything that the reviews say it was:
(1) Reservation is a breeze and efficient. I would suggest reserving ahead of time coz the rooms are limited and reserving the seaside rooms is so worth it. If you are not sure, ask the reservation lady, as she is quite knowledgeable and helpful.
(2) Travelling to Balai - the directions that was sent to us with the reservation confirmation was easy to follow. Travelling to San Juan, Batangas from Quezon City is an easy 3 hour drive, especially if you leave early morning to avoid the city rush. There are directional signs from STAR Highway.
(3) Accomodations - quaint and modest, but clean. I loved the porch where you can laze around staring at the beach, the bamboo slatted floor that helps to make the sand "disappear" from the kids' feet before they start jumping on the bed, the large common areas where kids can run around, play and keep themselves busy while you lounge over lunch/ breakfast, and the hot/cold showers. For travellers like me who are nitpicky about the bathroom, I'd say it's simple but clean.
(4) Food - we travelled with some relatives who are "foodies" and they enjoyed the food. It was Filipino comfort food at its best. The kind your lola or mom would pack for a trip to the beach... and more. Yup, the mango crepe was great. Best of all, if your travelling with kids, I'm sure they'll find something they'll like every meal. Its worth every last cent of the buffet cost and, as a mom of three, I enjoyed that I didn't have to worry about meals, and just enjoyed having fun with the kids. Soda and juices aren't free, but the price was ok and they had mineral water and coffee for free. Best if you pack some drinks in a cooler for drinking at the beach. Pack chips and snacks too.
(5) The Beach - the sand is nice, though, not the best. I brought boat shoes for the kids instead of flip-flops, and they liked that since the sand feels quite rough at first. But if you only have slippers, that's ok too for after a few hours, your feet will get used to the sand. The swimming area is not too wide coz the shelf drops right away, and that's ok too since the kids just like wading in the water or just "jumping" the little waves. Besides, I wouldn't let them go far anyway. Balai has a lifeguard to check on the swimmers too. They have cabanas on the beach for guests to use for free. So you can stay at the beach even at noon time and be comfortable. The kids also have some shade when they play in the sand.
(6) Service - the whole staff was excellent.
(7) Activities - aside from swimming and playing in the sand, the kids went up and down the tower, played on the swing, tried billiards and sungka and roasted marshmallows sa bonfire (bonfire has additional charge of P150). We also hired a boat in the morning and went snorkeling. There's also banana boating and diving for the yuppie crowd.
There are other resorts along Laiya beach, some with infinity pools, first class accomodation, etc, but Balai has everything a family with little kids needs for a fun and relaxing vacation, at a great price.

Our stay at Balai was wonderful. It definitely exceeded our expectations! The resort's theme is native and back-to-basics. I love the nipa huts! The rooms were small but they were very clean. Smelled like fabric softener. There were two double beds and they also provided clean towels. The bathroom was nice. Spacious, clean and has hot and cold water. They also have those traveller soaps and shampoos in sachet. We didn't use them since we brought our own. Didn't know they would provide that.

The staff were polite and friendly. They answered all of our questions and took good care of us while we were there. Meals were served when we wanted it since we were the only guests and the servings were more than enough. The other reviews were correct. The food is what makes your stay worth it. Dea, the cook, is amazing! Someone should pirate him and bring him to the city. Hehe. Kidding.

The beach is not sugary, like Boracay. It is white though but more gravelly/pebbly. The water is clean and clear. You can see fishes swimming arpund you! Better than Boracay's... almost as beautiful as Moalboal's water in Cebu. There's no TV or radio in the rooms so you have to keep yourself preoccupied. There's sungka in the dining hall, billiards in the reception area and a couple of novels/magazines lying around. I love the dining area! Breezy and relaxed. The chair was too high for my daughter though so she had to eat standing and used the chair as her table. Cute.

Overall, an amazing experience. Not bad for our first family outing. The commute wasn't too bad as well. It was around 5 hours from Laguna but we enjoyed the trip. The directions on the site are accurate. If you're not sure, you can always ask the locals.

See you soon, Balai!!!