Living in Manila can get really stifling and nothing would solve this problem more than a weekend trip to the beach. My friends and I took advantage of the first long weekend of 2012 and booked ourselves a weekend at Virgin Beach Resort.

Initially, I thought it was way too pricey for my taste. But when we got there, I could see what we were paying for. The resort isn't too far, well for Manila standards anyway - only a 2 1/2 hour drive away. The resort had a long, stretch of the beach to itself, which guaranteed peace, quiet and privacy. Though it was fully booked that weekend, the place wasn't crowded and we barely heard from the other guests.

The beach was clean and nice to swim in. Even with my spoiled self used to living in Cebu and Boracay, I must say that the beach was really decent. There are lots of lounge chairs and beach beds for use also. Unlike other beach places, I love that nobody played any kind of music. The place is so perfect for relaxing.

The rooms were quiet, comfortable and clean, although there was no hot water in the shower. Maybe it wasn't working that time.

Service was commendable. The people there were very polite and alert. They were quick to help with whatever we needed and were very friendly.

Food was.... not bad. But it wasn't fantastic either. The beef tapa at breakfast was definitely memorable, though.

I would probably come back to the resort for another quick trip, although I wouldn't say I would do it often. It's pricey, but with the relaxation value, it was pretty worth it.

My husband and 2 kids (ages 9 and 3) absolutely loved our stay! We stayed overnight from Fri-Sat and the place was almost empty. The white sand, quiet and serene surroundings was enjoyable. We arrived at lunch time, had a delicious meal (note that overnight stay comes with fixed set menu of lunch and dinner for Day 1 and breakfast for Day 2) then swam all day at the beach. By 5pm, we asked for massages and 2 ladies (who came from outside of the resort) gave us 1 hour massage for Php300 which was really worth it. Dinner was good too and we ordered a bottle of wine for our room. The next day (Saturday), we had a delicious Filipino breakfast. We took advantage of the almost empty resort and swam at the beach. The sand was white, the water was clear and warm. We checked out at 11am then stayed at the bed parasols. By noon, we had around 15 friends come and we had lunch buffet for Php800 each. We all went back to the beach after lunch and left around 5pm.

I wish they had jet skis, a pool and more activities around the resort for the kids but the whole ambience of the place was a quiet and relaxing retreat from the city life. All in all, we had a great time and we will definitely come back!

We visited a number of resorts in Laiya along the road before we ended up in Virgin, including the famed Acuatico (high end yes, with nice pools but hmmm) and Palm Beach (too many people and bad beach front).

Virgin, by far, has the best beach front. Good sand, nice cabanas and though the sand isn't really white, it is probably one of the best that you will get so close to Manila.

The rooms are nice, though the door to the bathroom is a little noisy. The airconditioned rooms doesn't have screens on the windows so you need to keep them closed. Lighting is not so good for reading indoors, but then again, what are you doing indoors when you can be lounging at the beach? Rooms are clean, beds are comfortable and the toilets are clean. No hot water, but it wasn't really an issue.

Service was excellent. The staff were very helpful and attentive.

Two issues:

Bees tend to gather around the outside light of your room once it gets dark. No one got stung but there was a constant worry that someone would (especially one of the children in our group)

Food- out of three meals, which cost 1400 (set buffet) only one meal was good, breakfast. Lunch and Dinner, which did have a variety of food served was not too tasty, and was even salty (or too sweet). Breakfast was really good, so this sort of made up for the two not so good meals. My cousin ordered al a carte and even that was not so good. So its not just the buffet, its the food in general. It just needs a little improvement

I would still recommend to go to Virgin as we really enjoyed the overall experience :)

I was here for 2 nights attending a friend's wedding, so I can't tell you much about the prices, etc.

However, what I can tell is that this place is very well kept, and has a very tranquil setting - the low density of accomodation in the large area makes it feel like you have the whole place to yourself - and the long stretch of beach will give you ample space and privacy.

I noticed a few types of cabanas and casitas, ranging from bamboo ones to some pretty modern looking ones. The ones we got was spacious, with a large bathroom as well. We felt the room was very nicely appointed!

One thing you will definitely not be at this resort is connected. There are no TVs, no phones, and no Internet access. The wireless that was supposed to be available at the pavilion didn't work.

All in, this place is quiet, and helps you get off the grid. I can't tell if it's expensive or otherwise, but unless its extremely highly priced, I'd say you should give this place a try.