Villa Escudero- A day tour

Villa Escudero Plantations was originally a sugar plantation but converted to coconut plantation. It's a 2.5hour ride by bus from Manila and it is just located after the arc of Tiaong Quezon


The plantation opened its doors as a resort in 1981offering village tours, museum tour, food and accommodations. One can experience Philippine culture and history in a beautiful rural setting.

The reception area is spacious and has this nice lighting in native materials.

After paying the fee at the reception they will give you stubs to the museum, carabao cart and food.. You can start your tour and  proceed first to the church turned museum. Bags and cameras are not allowed inside the museum.  However, smartphone is allowed for calls only and no picture taking or video recording.

A church converted into a museum houses a vast collection of religious artifacts, Chinese porcelain, antique furniture, ethnic clothing and costumes, memorabilia from World War II, clothes of Philippine presidents, butterflies.

After the museum, you will ride a carabao driven cart complete with singing female staff accompanied by a guitar played by a male staff. You will pass some rice fields and coconut trees and arrive at the pathway to the waterfalls where you will have your lunch.

They also have bamboo rafting activity. Labasin lake is about 30ft deep and you need to have a vest when doing the activity.

Two new large swimming pools are also available to adult guests. There is a small pool and water activities for the kids.

The resort is perfect for nature lovers; it is clean and well kept and lots of greeneries.

How to get to Villa Escudero:

Public Ride
Take a bus bound for Lucena at Buendia MRT station. Fare is Php140. Tell the conductor to drop you off Villa Escudero. Cross the main road and ride a tricycle to take you to the resort. Fare is Php50

Private Car
Drive all the way to Sto Tomas Batangas, turn left at the junction , drive all the way towards Quezon, passing SM City Lucena. Slow down upon seeing the Arc to Tiaong , turn left on the marker of the resort. Follow the dirt road to the reception.

Sol y Viento - Sun and Wind

It was a rainy weekend and we're already at Tagaytay road headed to Canyon Cove in Nasugbu. It was a last minute change of venue because of the overcast clouds and intermittent rains. We googled for the nearest resort and found Sol y Viento . We contacted them and we're fortunate that there was a rainy day off peak promo 50% on room rate. We got a cabana at Php3500 complete with indoor jacuzzi, queen size bed, TV, A/C, ref, microwave oven, coffee maker and a tiny kitchen.

Sol y Viento is located atop a hill in Pansol, Laguna. It is easy to find and the road is paved. There's ample parking. The reception area is nice and you can see Laguna de bay. The front desk staff was friendly and quickly assisted us with our reservation. Check in was smooth. A male staff drove us to our cabana via 4 passenger golf cart.  He was very courteous and friendly as well.

The room was spacious and clean. Bed was soft but firm and comfortable. Love the four pillows.

Aircon working fine. TV has cable channels. It has free wifi connection. Toilet and bath was clean and smell good. There is bidet which I like in a toilet. 

The jacuzzi area has a glass wall over looking the lush green hill. It has a nice curtain which you can adjust to your desired length.

Jacuzzi

Water bubbling

The water coming out of the faucet was hot and we waited for the jacuzzi to be filled for about 2 hours. The water was very hot and we had to ask the reception on how to cool it down a bit. We were surprised that after 20 minutes, a male staff brought us 2 sacks of tube ice. We were so happy and thankful that ice made the water a little colder and we're able to enjoy the jacuzzi. However, we found out there was no cold shower only hot. This was a let down because we were not able to shower off completely.

Outdoor, there were 3 swimming pools overlooking the bay and the mountains. The bay and the mountain views were refreshing.

 They also have this man made waterfalls but the water was a bit cold. 2 of the pools with hot spring while the big pool was really cold.

There was a mini team building area which has signs of not being used for a while.

There are other areas at the resort you can check out.

Restaurant is run by Barrio Fiesta. Food was a bit pricey though. Menu is your usual Filipino dishes and nothing fancy.

I commend all the staff who were friendly, cheerful and customer oriented. I love the Manong who brought us tube ice to cool down the jacuzzi.. I do hope they fix the hot & cold shower because it's all hot and no cold. Overall, it was a great weekend get away.

Shooting the Rapids

Pagsanjan  is dubbed as the tourist capital of Laguna due to its natural wonders and scenic spots. The most famous attraction of the province is its awesome waterfalls. Although the waterfalls is located at the town of Cavinti, it is popularly known as Pagsanjan Falls mainly because the boatride to the falls starts from Pagsanjan, passes through Lumban and then to Cavinti.

Shooting the rapids is an experience where you ride a boat and the boatmen will steer it against the rapids going to the waterfalls. It takes around 1 hour to reach the waterfalls but going back is much faster at around 45 minutes because the boat is no longer moving against the rapids. During summer,  it is advisable to wear your rashguard and bring hat or umbrella as it gets very hot.

Starting from still waters, the ride eventually becomes rough. The boat will pass between rocks and boulders but the skilled boatmen are able to steer the boat safely. The boat/banca has two boatmen - a navigator and a pilot. The navigator expertly paddles the boat, does the maneuvering and lifting of the boat upstream against the rapids.

On the way to the main waterfalls, you will see lush trees , vines, ferns, wild orchids. When it's rainy season, you will be able to see several smaller falls. There are two to three stops for some picture taking session. The boatmen can also take your photos.

At the end of the river, you will hear the roaring sound of the majestic waterfalls . Upon getting off  the banca, the glorious sight of the waterfalls is surreal. A bamboo raft  which can carry 10 people will take you through the cascading waters into a hidden cave. The thunderous waterfalls is like you're experiencing a category 5 typhoon.

After your water adventure, drop by Aling Taleng's halo halo to sample their menu.

The experience is memorable. Shooting the rapids is truly a thrilling adventure.

Tips:
1-Pagsanjan can be reached via bus or private car. Bus station can be found along Buendia corner Taft Avenue . Sta Cruz bound buses cost P140 one way. Stops at Sta Cruz terminal and get a jeepney bound for Pagsanjan for P10. Via private car, take Calamba exit, pass Pansol, Calamba, Bay , then to Pagsanjan. Travelling time is 2-3 hours depending on the traffic. Note that the public buses stop to take on passengers along Laguna.

2- Go to the Tourism Office for assistance. Beware of people who will offer you tour and paying more. There is a standard fee of Php1250 (rate as of May 2015)
3- With the skill and hard labor of the boatmen, one can be generous; tip of Php500 per boat is alright.
4-Bring bottled water, plastic bags, sunblock, extra clothes, water proof camera; wear beachshoe
5- Do not be a litterbug; respect the environment
6-Sample the local food; get halo halo from Aling Taleng after your boatride
7- There's another way of getting to the waterfalls-  rapelling and hiking  via Cavinti which is cheaper but no shooting the rapids. I like the one with the boat ride.
8- DOT accredited landing point is Casa Bianca. Contact for Tatay Dolan at 0917 4029656. He's a retired boatman.

Scenic Laguna- Dalitiwan Resort

Inspired by a blog written by a mom who loves to travel on a budget, we searched for Dalitiwan Spring Resort. After several wrong turns we finally found the resort.

We got a room for Php2400 which we found to be unreasonable considering the lack of basic amenities. The room most likely has not been used for months . The water that came out of the faucet and toilet flush was so dirty and blackish. The caretaker informed us that water would become clearer later. We left the faucet on for more than 15 minutes until it became clear. We flushed the toilet several times until the water was no longer muddy brown. The caretaker put on fresh bed linens and pillow case. There's one stand fan, no aircon, no TV, no hot water, no table inside the room nor cabinet to hang our clothes. While there's a big table and some plastic chairs outside the room, they're all dusty.

The great consolation was the view and the nature it presented.

There's a big swimming pool but there's no restaurant. The water in the pool was iced cold. I understand that the water comes from Mt Banahaw. It is natural, unchlorinated but super cold. I admired some guests who were able to swim despite the cold water.

All visitors bring food or can cook food that's why there's no need for restaurant. But I believed that the resort should have a small store where small stuff can be bought.

There's a hanging bridge where one can cross to the other side of the brook. Water cascading was nice to behold.

 There's a waterfall; underneath you can bathe and feel the water pouring on you. Again, it's ice cold.

I took several shots of the flowing waters at slow shutter speed for a nice smooth effect.

We had pizza and cup noodles for dinner. Good thing we brought cup noodles, water, an electric kettle  and the usual stuff when going out of town.

Since there's nothing to do or watch or listen to , we decided to sleep early. It was cool at night. Luckily, some guests arrived and staying overnight.So  we were not alone. They occupy the room next to us. I prayed and hoped that they would not make loud noises. and they didn't.

As the dawn broke, I woke up and freshened up. It's not yet breakfast time so I gathered my camera and tripod went down the stream to shoot while there was no crowd yet.

 
After breakfast, since we would not swim and there's nothing else to do, we checked out at 9am and headed to the rest of our destination- Cavinti, Lagos del Sol, Lake Caliraya, Paete, Los Banos, Tagaytay and finally, home.

Notes:
I don,t recommend staying overnight; a day tour is sufficient. entrance fee is 150 per head for adult, bring all the food you can bring. but if you do , dont complain about the lack of basic amenities and just enjoy nature.