Little House by the Beach: Staycation in Lobo, Batangas

As it was nearing the end of the year, I decided to use up the rest of my booking credits. I had enough to book for a group room or house, and so aside from my boyfriend Hali, I also invited my sister and her daughter along. However, we agreed on a schedule a bit late so everywhere else is booked. Luckily, we found this Airbnb in Batangas, aptly named The Little House by the Beach.

The Little House by the Beach

The Little House by the Beach is a beach house located in Barangay Sawang in Lobo, Batangas. It’s about 2.5-3 hours from Manila.

Hali brought a car so the drive there was fairly easy. We took the south expressway on to the zigzag mountain roads that lead to the town of Lobo. We stopped for a quick lunch and then proceeded to the house.

To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting much because the photos in the listing for this accommodation were just the house front, which doesn’t really convey much. When we got inside though, I was impressed. It was that familiar love at first sight, like when I arrived at Ataalaya Farmhouse in Batangas or Narra Hill in Tagaytay.

The house features heavy wood furnishing, with nautical decorations. The kitchen features old-school setup with pans and pots hanging on the wall. The bedroom/living room is separated by a hanging curtain, but you can push it aside and watch the television in the bed. There’s a loft area, although it was empty.

Oh and everything was heavy. The furniture is made with heavy wood, and items such as utensils are durable and thick.

The restroom is also huge, with “treasure chests” that serve as containers.

Lastly, the front door is made of floor-to-ceiling glass so you are immediately greeted with the view of the ocean.

The house is elongated and every space was used well. Hali says it’s like a feature in Tiny Houses. As for me, I haven’t thought about my dream summer house yet, but if I were to describe what it would like, it would be like this. Only bigger, more secluded.

For the first day, we didn’t do anything much. The rest walked along the beach while I slept and watched television. The next day, we woke up early for a swim.

A lot of beaches in Lobo aren’t pure sand. This one, for instance, features a light grassbed that eventually extends to the coral area. It’s worth nothing that the water is shallow up to a hundred meters or so, so you will have to swim a little further to get to the deep part. That saying, the surrounding coral garden is near the shore, so you have to be careful not to touch the corals in the shallow water.

That’s another great thing about The Little House by the Beach and one of the reasons we chose it. It’s located along the Isla Verde Passage, which is the “center of the marine biodiversity in the world”. This passage is known for its coral communities and wildlife. (In a previous trip, I visited Pagkilatan in Batangas which is also along this passage.)

Anyway, during our morning swim, the water was cold and refreshing. The water eventually leveled down, so we just sat down with the water up to our chests. It was quiet and I was a bit surprised that there almost no other people lounging in the beach aside from us. In fact, upon observation this strip was generally quiet except for the loud morning radio from our neighboring house.

Later in the afternoon, we went back to the beach with snorkels and fins. I found out that my niece don’t know how to snorkel, so we grabbed a lifevest for her and accompanied here in exploring the coral area. The corals were healthy and alive and there were schools of different kinds of fishes. We even saw white and blue blowfishes. Personally, I find the underwater environment here better for snorkeling than the one in Pagkilatan.

Eventually, the calm ocean woke up, with waves making it challenging for us to continue. We went back to the beach house where we spent our last night eating and watching movies.

In general, I really loved this beach house accommodation. It’s a little expensive than most (as of our booking December 2019, it’s P6500 per night plus other fees good) but it was worth it. The location was quiet and beautiful, and the beach house was private and better than expected. Not to mention that it’s located along a healthy patch of coral garden.

Moreover, I was happy to finally bring along family. I rarely get to do this because everyone else has to either work or attend school, whereas I usually manage my own time — a perk of being a blogger (or as I tell myself, a software engineer in a sabbatical). As it was the holiday break, I get to invite my niece as well who I’d been convincing for a long time to enroll in freediving since she is a good swimmer.

It was a lovely experience and we’ll probably be back again.

Practical Info: The Little House by the Beach

How to get here

The Little House by the Beach is 2.5-3 hours from Manila.

• Option 1: From Buendia or Cubao, board a bus en route to Batangas Pier (P165, 2 hours). Get off at Batangas Grand Terminal and board a jeepney to SM Batangas (P25). Board another jeepney to Lobo town proper (P55, 1 hour).
• Option 2: From Buendia or Cubao, board a bus en route to Lipa City Grand Terminal (~P130, 1.5 hour). Board a van to Lobo town proper.
• Once in Lobo, you can either rent a tricycle to the resort. Travel time is 10 minutes.

Book your stay here

Update: Unfortunately, the original listing I booked is no longer available in Airbnb. But you can still search for this house in Airbnb under a new host.

The beach house has a bedroom, living room and fully equipped kitchen. There is also a back and front garden.

It is 10 minutes away from the town proper, where you can find a market and a handful of eateries

Things to know before you go

• Bring your own toiletries. Beach towels are provided.
• Lifevests and a snorkeling set can be rented for free. If there’s more than 1 of you, bring your own snorkel set, aqua shoes and/or fins.
• Be a responsible tourist and practice the LNT principle. Do not touch the corals or bring home any as souvenir.

If you have any questions about this beach house Airbnb in Batangas, let us know in the comments below. 🙂

What to read next:

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Love Airbnb? Here are other places for your staycation:

• Narra Hill (Tagaytay)
• Ataalaya Farmhouse (Alitagtag, Batangas)
• Lily Vacation Farm House (Jalajala, Rizal)
• Casa Belinda (Lipa, Batangas)
• Little House by the Beach (Lobo, Batangas)
• Our favorite Airbnbs near Manila

Are you into snorkeling and freediving? Check out these places:

• Pagkilatan (Batangas)
• Apo Reef (Mindoro)
• Apo Island (Negros Oriental)
• Moalboal (Cebu)
• Best snorkeling spots in Southeast Asia