For range within easy reach of Manila. The province holds the Anilao dive coast, the Spanish-colonial town of Taal beside its volcano lake, beaches on the western shore and the wellness hills of Lipa, all within a two-hour drive of the capital. It works as a weekend away or as a first or last stop on a longer trip.

How do you get to Batangas from Manila?

By road, about two hours on the expressways to most of the province, longer in weekend traffic. There is no commercial airport in Batangas, so most visitors fly into Manila and continue by car, and a driver makes the coast, Taal and the hills easy to combine.

When is the best time to visit Batangas?

November to May, the dry season, with December to February the coolest months and March to May the clearest water for diving at Anilao. June to October brings rain, the occasional typhoon and greener hills.

Is Batangas good for diving?

Yes. The Anilao coast on the Calumpang peninsula is known for macro diving, with dozens of sites and healthy reefs a short boat ride out, and it draws underwater photographers from across Asia. It is also the closest major dive area to Manila, about two and a half hours by road.

What is there to do in Batangas besides the beach?

Tour the ancestral houses and basilica of Taal, look out over Taal Lake and its volcano, hike Mount Batulao or Gulugod Baboy for views over the coast, and spend a day in the Lipa hills among the coffee farms. The food is a reason in itself, with bulalo and lomi the local dishes.

Boutique Hotels in Batangas - Anilao, Taal & the Lipa Hills

Where to stay in Batangas

The Farm at San Benito stands on a 52-hectare estate below the Malarayat mountains near Lipa, 90 minutes from Manila, a medical-wellness retreat with integrative doctors, structured programmes from detox to recovery, and plant-based kitchens. It suits a health programme or a quiet green base at either end of an island trip, and members book it at rates we hold for the Club. Divers base themselves on the Anilao coast, and beach-goers on the western shore around Nasugbu and Calatagan.

When to go

November to May is dry, with December to February the coolest stretch and March to May hot and bright, the months of the clearest water at Anilao. The rains run from June to October, with the odd typhoon, when the hills are at their greenest.

Weekends fill with visitors from Manila, so weekdays are quieter everywhere, from the dive resorts to the roads.

How to get there

By road from Manila, about two hours on the expressways to most of the province and longer in Friday and Sunday traffic. Batangas has no commercial airport, so Manila's Ninoy Aquino is the gateway, and a car with a driver is the practical way to move between the coast, Taal and the Lipa hills, since public transport is slow.

What to eat and where the locals actually go

Batangas is beef and coffee country. Bulalo, a broth of beef shank and marrow, is the province's dish, served at roadside restaurants along the highways; lomi, thick egg noodles in a rich soup, comes from Lipa; and kapeng barako, liberica coffee brewed strong, is drunk sweet.

In Taal, the market sells the town's embroidery and the balisong, the folding butterfly knife that has been made there for generations.