My wife and me are not so young anymore but we travel at least 2 times ayear to asia or the Caribbean. Encenada in puerto galera is the place we love most. Very friendly staff, always looking after us. Everyday they clean the beach. The cottage we stayed in is not luxurious, with no hot shower, tv or ref but the over all natural atmosphere made up for the material things we don't need anyway. The food is good and price reasonable. The beach is sandy and water is clear. The rooms looks newly repaired and the cleaning lady is honest when she saw my wife's camera left under the bed she retuened it to us before we could ride the jeepney out. We stayed for 28 days and we are going back in November again instead of India. Jan and Erika

i went there last may 2009 with a group of friends. it was almost 30 minutes tricycle trip from white beach, located in muelle. you can book a boat ride from batangas pier straight to muelle at the same rate. quite far from the nightlife and all. at first we thought that the trip was very relaxing, away from disturbance, not until we ordered lunch. we were presented this menu full of expensive items.when we haggled for a cheaper rate, they have another set of menu to provide. but it was still expensive! we had no choice! we were trapped! we ordered sisig for P200+++ but to our surprise, it was more of like an instant sisig in can! whew! we placed in every seasoning we got but much to our dismay, it didnt work out.

then the rooms. we reserved 2 rooms. much to our dismay, one of the room's aircon was not working, bathroom lights also did not work. we had to use only 1 room for 2 nights.

dinner buffet was served for P250 pax with live band. food was totally disgusting.

good thing there's dolphin bay beside encenada where they offer BETTER rooms, GREAT food, SUPERB experience at sunset cruise.

If you are looking for 5 Star Fash Accom then clearly this is not the place for you. Same goes if you can't stand the native manyana atmosphere.
But for me I love the place. Quiet peaceful and I can relax.
If I want a beer or meal all I did was clap my hands and staff came running. Yes literally - they are too eager to please.
The restaurant has a deck strecthing out towards the sea amongst palm trees with real coconuts. Whenever you want a coconut or pina colada - No You don't have to climb a tree; but really, that is what they have the staff do to oblige. You don't get that at the Ritz now do you!
Okay so what if the rooms are very basic. I can live with that - but the beach and idyllic tropical environment make up multifold for in room tvs.

Regarding transport - private car or taxi can be arranged by contacting the resort at their Manila Office. The SiKat bus line is like most Local bus companies there. By the way the SiKat is not invovled with the resort other than it takes passengers to Puerto Galera every day (Starts off as a bus and then at Batangas Pier changes to a Ferry ) - some of the SiKat passengers stay at Encenada - and regulars dont mind the SiKat transport.
I go to the resort atleast once a year - and usually hire a provate car from Manila. If you are not familiar with bargaining in the thrid world I do suggest you get a resort guide or Encenada Staff to assist you arrange private car transport to and from Puerto Galera

My husband, his officemate and I went to Encenada Beach Resort. First, NEVER BOOK WITH SI-KAT because the aircon in their bus is not working well. Despite it being "air-conditioned," it's hot, humid and feels like there's no air inside the bus. And the lady conductor has this haughty attitude. She's nice and friendly to the foreigners but kinda snobbish with the local tourists. She only became nice when the bus overheated. Arriving at Encenada, the location was actually not bad. My husband found the water clean. But their rooms are a big disappointment (especially for the price that we paid!) Everything inside the room cried for renovation. My husband and i stayed in one of the cottages. It was a little bit better than the "hotel room." but i can say that the room was sorely in need of better care and renovation. There were actually three holes on the wall of our room! Our air con was one of those japanese surplus aircons and it was not that cool. During the day, it's as if there was no aircon inside the cottage room. There was one very old electric fan and a mirror. There wasn't any table or chair inside the room to put your things on. There is no TV in all the rooms. The bathroom was spacious and relatively clean, but there's just the functional things. A toilet, a shower (and no, THERE ARE NO HOT WATER AS THEY HAVE ADVERTISED IN THEIR WEBSITE) and a small sink. Tiny sink. that leaked. I feel that the rooms could look better and it's such a waste because they have a very nice location. The buffet...i don't know if i could call it buffet because they just cook for maybe 20 persons or less. The food isn't bad, but calling it a buffet was kind of misleading. The manager of the resort was always sitting at the resto and she doesn't like it when there's a lot of food brought out. She watches her guests eating. She doesn't make any of her guests feel very welcome or does she try to accommodate the needs of her guests. In fact, she scrimps on her guests, which is unfair because we all paid for our stay. Their brewed coffee was no good, either. There are no tours, no free trips to the town, no beach activities organized by the management to ensure her guests would enjoy their stay. No jet ski, no banana boat, no boating, no island hopping, nothing. You're on your own. I did notice that she would be friendly with foreigners. The price in their menu is also obviously for foreign guests as they range from P150 - P250++ for anything. Their juices are likewise at the same price for 5-star hotels here in Manila. Their things are either old or dilapidated. The manager obviously does not see to it that things are in good working order. The staff are overworked and underappreciated. They are very friendly and accommodating to guests, though.
Later, we went to the next door resort and we were blown away by the difference in their facilities and their room accommodations. Also, the manager in the next door was very friendly and accommodating.
While the location of this beach is ideal and nice, the accommodation, the manager and the service was just not worth the price they asked for. You'd think we paid for a Boracay-quality room. I agree that it's a 1-star accommodation and i think they should reprice their rates because it was just not worth it. My husband and i stayed at BORACAY REGENCY and the price difference was only P4,000! The service was excellent and we had a most enjoyable stay because of the friendly service and great assistance.