Nasugbu

Nasugbu is a municipality in western Batangas, facing the South China Sea. It is a tourist area, with luxury beach resorts along the coast, and some hidden draws like its asukareras (sugar plantations, from Spanish azucarera) and mountains.

Understand
Nasugbu lies along the western coast of Batangas, facing the South China Sea. The town is a commercial center of western Batangas, with 134,113 people as of 2015, but is not as important as Balayan to the southeast, which is the traditional trading center.

The town lacks historical proof about its founding; the only proof about its early history is dated from 1852, by Jesuits. During the Pacific War, Nasugbu served as an entry point for the American liberators during the end of the war in 1945, and their arrival is commemorated since then.

Nasugbu grew its reputation for its beaches during the Marcos administrations between 1965 and 1986. Part of the municipality forms the Nasugbu Special Tourism Zone; luxurious beach resorts continue to grow in the area.

Nasugbu has a dry and wet climate, and temperatures in the municipality are suitable for sugarcane production. Temperatures in town can rise above in the summer (between March and May), so be prepared.

By bus
The town is served by multiple bus operators running from the Parañaque Intermodal Transport Exchange (PITX) terminal; trips take over 2 hours via Ternate or Tagaytay.

Sleep
Most of the resorts are around two bays north of town. The road to them winds through hills, and there is some risk of landslides or falling rock, so travelling there during heavy rain is inadvisable. The smaller town of Lian, just to the south of Lesugbu, also has some resorts.

Go next
Nasugbo is the departure point for ferries to Lubang, a group of islands that are off the beaten tourist track but have some fine beaches.