Casita Real: Tiny house living by the beach in Quezon
When was the last time you escaped from the city, walked along the beach to watch the sunrise, and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean waves?
With travel restrictions easing the past few months, it's been harder to find peaceful destinations to spend the weekends that doesn't involve long travel time. Beachfront destinations near Manila are in-demand once again among families. But if you're looking for some peace and quiet, the less-visited coastal towns in the province of Quezon offer a relaxing alternative getaway from the usual go-to spots.
The town of Real, located on the eastern shores of Luzon facing the Philippine Sea is known for its rural beach resorts. While most establishments here cater to backpackers and the weekend camping/karaoke crowd, you can also find a few pleasant family-friendly resorts and modern Airbnbs where you can spend the weekend.
Beachfront tiny house
Casita Real is a beachfront tiny house Airbnb located in Brgy. Tignoan, Real, Quezon. Roughly just a 3-4 hour drive from Manila, this cozy vacation home offers a quick weekend getaway from busy urbanites who just want to detox and recharge from the daily grind.
The 800-square meter property is located right along the main highway in Real with access to the public beach right in front of the house. The private gated property has a secure parking area where guests can park their cars or motorcycles securely next to the mini-garden and grove of coconut trees.
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Designed as a vacation home, Casita Real offers a great spot for couples and small families or barkadas. The main draw here is having an exclusive beachfront property where you can fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the waves. The place is pet-friendly too! The property allows guests to bring one pet, provided they are not allowed to enter the main bedroom. Guests bringing pets need to pay an additional pet fee and indicate it when booking via Airbnb.
Accommodations
Casita Real has one bedroom, a front and side porch, outdoor kitchen, dining and living area with a view of the garden and beach, and backyard camping spots. The property accepts a maximum of 8 guests, but since there's only bedroom, the more outdoorsy people in your group can enjoy going back to the basics by pitching tents and camping out instead.
The cozy bedroom comes with one California King size bed and two single beds (that doubles as a sofa with a pullout when not in use). The room can comfortably accommodate 4 guests, though you can probably squeeze in up to 5 as maximum, if you're traveling with smaller kids. The room's interiors are clean and minimalist with plants and wooden furniture and decor giving the place a homey beach vibe.
The bedroom also comes with creature comforts including a TV equipped with Netflix, HBO Go and Amazon Prime. Guests can also make use of a few old-school games like Chess, Scrabble and Monopoly Deal card games for extra entertainment during your stay.
Right outside the room is a front porch with an inviting hammock that guests will immediately gravitate to. The left side porch facing the beach which serves as the living room/sala area offers a shaded spot where guests can sit for breakfast or work if needed. For those who need a workation spot, Casita Real also offers a dedicated workspace with good WiFi connectivity.
The property comes with 1.5 bathrooms for guests. The main restroom is clean and modern and comes equipped with a shower heater system and good water supply. There’s also an outdoor shower area and toilet in the garden to wash off sand from swimming in the beach.
The garden has two concrete platforms near the beachfront, ideal for pitching tents and offers a secure private camping spot with easy access to a bathroom and other amenities.
Guests can also spend the night stargazing or just hanging out and bond with family and friends around the BBQ firepit.
Where to eat
The Airbnb propoerty has an outdoor kitchen with all the appliances you need to prepare your own meals, including a mini-fridge, a big oven, a gas fired stove, a gas fired grill, cooking pots and pans, as well as dining sets and utensils.
For many families and barkadas, part of the whole vacation/camping and glamping experience is getting to enjoy backyard barbecues. Those who enjoy cooking their own food can enjoy visiting markets in a nearby fishing village to buy fresh fish and seafood or have it prepared "paluto" style and dine in the Airbnb.
Guests can also get a taste of simple farm living by harvesting eggs from the chicken house on the premises, which provides guests with fresh eggs in the morning.
But in case you don’t want to prep your own food and deal with washing dishes, you can just drive to nearby restaurants or other beach resorts.
A few years ago, there weren't a lot of dining establishments to choose from in Real except for the ones in the main town proper, but just like many areas near Manila, new spots sprouted up during the pandemic.
You can now find a handful of open-air restaurants five minutes away from Casita Real including Appleton Little Paradise, a beach resort and garden restaurant that serves fresh seafood and wood-fired pizza. The resto is open to the public and walk-in guests even without prior reservations. Guests can enjoy meals like seafood platters, crab buckets, seafood kare-kare, seafood paella, pancit buko and more.
Another nearby dining option for breakfast or lunch is MAFE’s Butterfly Garden Cafe, a simple garden restaurant that serves fresh homecooked dishes including silog meals, bulalo, snacks, and more.
Trvel tips & things to note
- Make sure to bring your own toiletries at the Airbnb. Soap, shampoo and other toiletries for personal use are not provided.
- There is no lifeguard on duty at the public beach. While visitors can wade and play with the sand and waves near the shore, locals do not recommend swimming at the deep portions of the sea as the tide here is strong and current may be dangerous.
- For those who want to extend their stay in Real, other places to visit nearby include Balagbag Falls, Nonok Falls and the surfing areas are in the next village.
- For a more pleasant and scenic drive (especially for motorcycle riders), pass the Marifanta route that leads to Gen. Nakar and turn right towards Real at the Infanta marker rather than driving through Pililla-Mabitac-Siniloan route. This may be longer in terms of distance, but the drive is worth it. You could also opt to go for a scenic loop ride passing both routes going there and back.
Price
Casita Real's weekday base price starts at P5,000.00 per night for the first three guests. Extra guest fee is an P1,250.00 per person per night. The weekend base price is P6,000.00 per night.
Casita Real is located in Sitio Mahaba, Purok 2, Barangay Tignoan, Real, Quezon. Booking is on a per night basis with check-in after 3:00 pm and checkout before 11:00 am.