It’s been 4 months since I last landed my feet in my beautiful country, the Philippines. Every memory I had there was still fresh. The clear vision of the green lashing trees combined with the distant sound of the singing birds and the river’s calmness play a constant preview in my mind. Thinking… that! That was the exact scene when I decided to visit a resort in Laguna.
A well appointed resort should be on anyone’s travel list especially when they are planning to visit the southern part of Metro Manila. I wanted a nature touch, a relaxing one, so I scheduled a quick escapade away from the busy city. Good thing, a blogger friend of mine has been generous enough to join me on this little adventure.
We found a place located in the city of San Pablo, Laguna which is quite close to the province of Quezon. There are many selections.If I am not mistaken, it is a 2-hour bus ride and maybe, an hour and a half if you are driving a car from Manila. What makes these resorts special is what they exceptionally offer – village and museum tours, buffet food in the waterfalls and cozy accommodations. By the way guys, as much as I wanted to share all the photos I have on this place, I’m afraid I won’t be able to do that because I accidentally reformatted my memory card. I’ll just try my best to share my story through words and show you some of the photos I have kept. Please bear with me.
The first thing that greeted us in the resort was the famous thirst quenching drink it serves – “Sago’t Gulaman”. Normally, you can drink as many as you can, so I had three. This is actually a good way to prepare our body for the upcoming activities, starting with the cultural experience – the museum and village tours. We headed towards the “pink cathedral”. Imagine a church covered in pink paint and its pillars in white. Don’t be mistaken, as it was not really a church but inside of it was a museum wherein, it showcases the vast collections of the Escudero family from all over the world. They have even managed to preserve the old furniture, household utensils and other stuff dating back to the Spanish period. Next was the village tour. We rode in a carabao to see the personal home of the owners, some houses and chapel while listening to live Tagalog folk songs. I swear, I can really fall
asleep because of the woman’s golden voice, adding the cool breeze coming from the trees. It was pretty amazing how generous the owners of this resort are because the houses that we saw were actually the houses of their employees and its families. No wonder why the smiles of the staff of the resort, who by the way wore traditional Filipino attire, are from ear to ear as they were really taken care of.
Let’s now go to my favorite part – the buffet meals! The venue where lunch was served really surprised me. Why? Because lunch was served in front of man-made waterfalls. Tables were placed in the river and we ate with water underneath us about half a knee deep with some fish swimming. Traditional Filipino food was served in a banana leaf and we had a sumptuous feast. This really gives a unique experience. After we had our meal we proceeded to the restaurant area, where they have a large stage to accommodate the cultural presentation. Unfortunately, the presentation is only available on weekend.
So for us not to waste our free time, we have decided to visit the pool area which is huge. Since I cannot morph into a mermaid because I didn’t bring any extra clothes, we have stayed at the rafting area. Only 2 people can accommodate in each raft but my friend was wearing rubber shoes that time plus he had experienced it many times so I ended up rafting alone. At first, I was a bit scared because one wrong paddling and poof, I will be soaking wet. But that single thought never really bothered me so I paddled and paddled while I witnessing the nature’s beauty and tranquility. It was so relaxing.
As much as I want to stay in the resort and experience its cozy room for a night, I can’t because I have planned another itinerary, this time an international trip which I’ll be sharing with you as well. With that, my friend and I drove back to Batangas where he picked me up and I went back to Manila by bus with some delicacies like Cassava cake and “Pichi –Pichi” which is really a take-home. All in all, it was a quick trip but loaded with treasured memories to treasure on. For the record my record was the Escudero.
geninealyssaAugust 24, 2017
Oh Jim, you have no idea how much I miss my Suja family. Glad to be back ☺
X A MoranAugust 24, 2017
Lunch in the river..how romantic….
geninealyssaAugust 24, 2017
Hello Moran. Believe me when I say it is more than romantic, it was a fantastic experience.
Kate D SaranAugust 24, 2017
Love the imagery…….
geninealyssaAugust 24, 2017
Thank you Kaye. You will even love it more once you see it ☺
Jim CottreauAugust 24, 2017
Welcome back to Suja, you were surely missed. You whet my appetite to visit the Pines. Shame on you. 🙂
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
Thank you for the warm welcome Jim! Glad to be back!!!
Joe HolderAugust 24, 2017
The Pines has been on my bucket list for ages. Love stories from there…Thanks for sharing.
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
Thank you Joe. ☺
Alexina KellyAugust 24, 2017
Fresh…new……interesting..5*
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
Thank you Alex ☺
Marcus RogersAugust 24, 2017
What is there, not to love about the Pines?
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
That was my question too ☺
C. LaFranceAugust 24, 2017
Welcome back. Missed your stories.
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
Thank you dear. Guess i have to post more stories ☺☺☺
Mary WilsonAugust 24, 2017
Stunning place to return to nature.
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
Couldn’t ageee more, Mary!
Suja Travel (@SujaTravel)August 24, 2017
Welcome back, your absence was sorely missed. Always like the youthful exuberance when you write. You make the setting come alive.
Well done !
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
I love to be back. I miss this family!!! ❤
L. ShelbyAugust 24, 2017
I remember your story on paragliding….welcome back.
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
This time… it’s bamboo rafting. ALONE. Haha . 😅
Kayla GriffinAugust 24, 2017
That is one cool tour bus..:)
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
Oh yes!!! Hope this bus will bring me to other places.
James MarchAugust 24, 2017
Travel stories about returning home have a real impact., The heart of the writer emerges.
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
You got it right! Nothing beats your home country. Thank you for the nice words.
Martha R ReynoldsAugust 24, 2017
Wonderful story, engaging and from new eyes. Well done.
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
Your words melt my heart. Thank you, Martha.
suzpilapilAugust 24, 2017
Genine!!! You have turned back my time…thank you.
geninealyssaAugust 25, 2017
Don’t you miss our home country? 😅