CATANDUANES: PURARAN’s Majestic Wave (From a Non-Surfer’s Point of View)

One of the top surfing destinations in the country today is Puraran in Baras, Catanduanes.

It is home to “The Majestic Wave” that top surfers from all over the world visit during the surfing season, July to October.

For non-surfers like us, we love Puraran Beach because the beach area is wide and not crowded, the beach-surfer food is yummy, and you can really smell and feel what clean air is all about. Just be careful because the island life in Puraran will seduce you to stay for a couple more days. 

Puraran is the top destination in Catanduanes — here’s a photo essay of our experience: 

CATANDUANES Series:

• CATANDUANES: PURARAN’s The Majestic Wave
• CATANDUANES Food You Should Not Miss to Eat 🙂
• CATANDUANES: Exploring the Catanduanes Isles in Bicol

For surfers, please read this:
When in Manila | When in Catanduanes: Surf Majestics (or at least try to) by JB Gamboa

ENROUTE TO PURARAN, BARAS

Puraran is about an-hour drive away from the capital town of Virac, Catanduanes.

You can ride public vans or join an organized tour to go to Puraran. Our friend Joseph Tutanes from Viga, Catanduanes was kind enough to give us a ride to the beach resort.

I was pleasantly surprised that the roads are paved all the way to Puraran.

You arrive at the town of Baras and Puraran is 5-kilometer away or about 10-15- minute drive.

You enter a gated subdivision, and drive down a long-winding road to reach the Puraran Beach resort.

We met with the friendly surfer Chris who gave us a warm Puraran Beach resort welcome and introduced us where the Majestic Wave is.

I had the pleasure of experiencing Puraran for the first time from my surfer friends Vic and JB.

We walked down to the vast beach area which was literally “cleared” by big typhoons that passed by the island of Catanduanes.

Chris points to us where the Majestic Wave is. From a distance the waves are small, but as you get closer you see up close how “majestic” the waves really are.

 

PURARAN SURF

There are two beach resorts in Puraran belonging to the Soria Family that  owns most of Puraran.

Puraran Surf Beach Resort is the pioneering resort established in 1985 and formerly known asPuting Baybay Puraran. If you need to know the history of and stories about Puraran, this is the place to stay.

PURANAN SURF RESORT
Majestic Puraran Beach, Catanduanes Island
Contact: Cristina Estrada Soria
Mobile Numbers: +63 915 764-9133, +63 949 134-3443
Email: pbbr_puraran@yahoo.com
Facebook: Puraran Surf Beach Resort
(formerly Puting Baybay Puraran)
Website: www.PuraranSurf.com

Puraran Surf Menu: Breakfast Menu | Snacks

Tita Celia Estrada Soria, the owner of Puraran Surf, is the wife of my mom’s first cousin, Tito Rudy.

If you need to know the history and stories about Puraran, this is the place to stay. Talk to Tita Celia about the story of how Australian Peter Sutton first visited Puraran in 1984. 

Warren Bolster is credited for branding the wave as “Majestic” in his June 1988 Reconnaissance Report from the Philippines for the Surfer Magazine.

“The relatively few who have stayed to explore the Philippines (mostly those tenacious Aussies), find the islands a top-drawer surf destination, comparable to the better areas around the world.

Now, consider what well-traveled Aussie pro, Matthew Pitts, says of the surf he got in various, barely-charted areas, just on the small island of Catanduanes: “I got a little better waves in Bali later on, but consider the crowd factor and potential, I enjoyed the Philippines more.” In the past year, Pitts has returned to Catanduanes three times.”

Start with Majestic by Warren Bolster
Page 130 | 131 | 132 | 133 | 134 | 135 | 136 | 137 | 138 | 139 | 141 | 144

(TIP: Puraran Surf has the original copy)

Here’s a view of the 3- storey dorm building that will be soon converted into a Korean School for English language.

This is a top view of Puraran Beach from the highest vantage point on the beach (2012).

Here’s how Puraran Beach looked like before.

I would recommend the beach front cottages in Puraran Surf .

(From left : James’ Cottage, Cedric’s Cottage, Cristine’s Cottage and Shandella’s Cottage. Check out the Cottage Rates)

Inside view of the Cristine’s Cottage’s (P1,000/night)  new family room.

As rest room is very important for any traveler. Here’s a view of the Cristine’s Cottage restroom.

Inside view of the Shandella’s Bahay Kubo (P600/night – max. 4 persons).

The rest room inside Shandella.

 

MAJESTIC PURARAN BEACH RESORT

Majestic Puraran is owned by Elena Estrada – Tanael, established in 1995 and managed by surfer daughter Aireen Tanael.

MAJESTIC PURARAN Beach Resort
Majestic Puraran Beach, Catanduanes Island
Contact: Aireen Tanael
Mobile: +63 919 558-1460,  +63 927 628 2251
Website: www.MajesticPuraran.com
Email: info@majesticpuraran.com
Facebook: Majestic Puraran Beach Resort

Majestic Puraran Short Order Menu

It has a younger surfer hangout vibe.

You can play billiards anytime of the day.

They have a cute bahay kubo set with a backdrop of rice fields and coconut trees.

There are 7 nipa hut cottages that cost from P500-P700/night depending on the season.

It has a simple bed with mosquito net and air-cooled by the Catanduanes breeze.

There’s a provision for electric fan and simple restroom.

Room building with 4 rooms, 2 are air-conditioned with their own restrooms.

There is a two- room  set-up with a common restroom (P400-P500 depending on the season)

 

MAJESTIC PURARAN DINNER

One of the highlights of our trip to Majestic Puraran was the yummy Catanduanes food served throughout our stay.

At night, you can hang out with the residents who decided to relocate here to make Puraran their home.

Meet Cones del Barrio, Clayton O’Donnell, and Tomas Cyr, each of them has his own colorful story to tell about how they fell in love with Puraran.

You can play with a round of billiards while waiting for dinner to be served.

Dinner is served with its own unique “concoction” of this Squash soup.

Fresh vegetables available in the market.

Grilled fresh seafood and …

… Fresh lobsters if you are lucky 🙂

A memorable dinner indeed 🙂

At night, Cones would organize a bonfire group on the beach to get to know each other better to cap the awesome day at Puraran.

My favorite is exchanging surfer war stories with friendly local surfer dudes.

Don’t forget to watch the awesome surfing video by Brock Larsen and Jason during the recent peak surfing season in Puraran (2012).

Presenting the Majestic Waves of Puraran, Catanduanes!

For Surfers, here is the Majestic Waves Puraran Article of JB Gamboa for When in Manila:
 When in Catanduanes: Surf Majestics (or at least try to) by JB Gamboa

Meet the friendliest dog in Puraran, who would often play and make  kalabit with you.

 

PURARAN MORNINGS

Make sure to wake up early at around 5am to watch the sunrise at Puraran.

As the sun rises, you’ll feel this surreal moment of thanksgiving and appreciating the beauty of nature around you – a perfect yoga moment.

We love just hanging out and watching the sunrise with the onshore winds blowing around you.

(Note: Onshore wind season comes in the months of November to February).

It is best experienced with your favorite cup of coffee.

After sunrise, Puraran Surfer resident Clayton pumps air into his kite surfing canopy.

It’s like a large wing when flown and glides like a kite.

This is the first time I’ve seen kite surfing up close.

It was entertaining to watch and how I wished I had brought a long lens with me to capture the moment.

Puraran breakfast is also something to look forward to.

Simple Egg Omelet served appetizingly pizza-style.

Daing na isda with tomato salsa.

Thanks to our companions during the trip for the fun morning at Puraran. 

After breakfast, it is time to SURF!

JB and Vic Gamboa with Chris and the local Catanduanes Surfer dudes 🙂

Check out Majestic Surfwear from The Cinematic Studio

Thanks to Aireen Tanael who manages Majestic Puraran and cooks the yummy Catanduanes food!

BALAKAY PURARAN VIEW POINT

For non-surfers, you can consider to do a short hike to the Balakay Point to get a good view of the Puraran Cove. 

The jump-off hiking point is 15 minutes by car from the Puraran Beach resort.

The hike is about 30 minutes to the topmost point.

There’s a hiking trail that passes through a private property.

I would not recommend hiking here if it is raining. We had a difficult time during our hike because it rained the night before. Our slippers were always slipping through the mud.

You can view the other surrounding islands in Catanduanes.

Meet the Catanduanes Tourism Advocates (Photo L-R):

• Carlo Romano – Catanduanes Surf & Turf trip is his brainchild based in San Andres, Catanduanes
• Zylah Pereyra – One of the Best Tour Guides in Catanduanes
• Joseph Tutanes – Entreprenuer and 4×4 Enthusiast based in Viga, Catanduanes

Before going for the final push to the Balakay View Point.

Make sure to bring water, camera and proper hiking shoes if possible.

You can see Puraran Beach in the distance and this viewpoint looks like Batanes.

Hooray for Catanduanes!

Overall, we want to go back and spend an entire week here. It’s the perfect place to escape and live an island life . . . less crowd, wide beach area, shore winds a-plenty, clean air and food cooked with love.

Your surfer friends would truly enjoy this place. 

PURARAN BEACH RESORTS

MAJESTIC PURARAN Beach Resort
Majestic Puraran Beach, Catanduanes Island
Contact: Aireen Tanael
Mobile: +63 919 558-1460,  +63 927 628 2251
Website: www.MajesticPuraran.com
Email: info@majesticpuraran.com
Facebook: Majestic Puraran Beach Resort

PURANAN SURF RESORT
Majestic Puraran Beach, Catanduanes Island
Contact: Cristina Estrada Soria
Mobile Numbers: +63 915 764-9133, +63 949 134-3443
Email: pbbr_puraran@yahoo.com
Facebook: Puraran Surf Beach Resort
(formerly Puting Baybay Puraran)
Website: www.PuraranSurf.com

Getting There

Manila to Virac
BY LAND: RSL Bus Lines has daily Manila to Virac trips.
BY AIR: Cebu Pacific has flights to Virac on Mondays, Wednesdays and the entire weekend.
BY SEA: From Tabaco City, a ferry boat transports you to Virac or to San Andres Port. Trips are available daily. 

Virac to Puraran
Jeepneys and vans are available for hiring at the Virac pier. Trips are between 6 am and 6 pm. From Baras, hop on a tricycle to Puraran. 30-45 minute travel.

MAJESTIC CATANDUANES Series:

• CATANDUANES: PURARAN’s The Majestic Wave
• CATANDUANES Food You Should Not Miss to Eat 🙂
• CATANDUANES: Exploring the Catanduanes Isles in Bicol

 

 

 

Live an Awesome Life,

 
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If you have tips on awesome food and travel destinations, please email me at anton@diaz.ph.

Full Disclosure: Our Catanduanes trip was courtesy of the Catanduanes Surf and Turf Area 052 in partnership with Route +63 Travels. 

I wrote this blog post myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I have no business relationship with any company mentioned in this post or any organization promoting it.

As a policy, I don’t receive compensation from food and travel places we feature in the blog. 

P.S. Thanks to Route +63 Travels for this maiden Catanduanes trip (Arwin Atentar, Florence Adviento and Cherryl Si)!