If you visit Villa Escudero, prepare to taste
the country life for your whole stay—in Filipino style.
It was supposed to be a mini reunion with my
closest friends from high school but it ended up with a mini road trip with Jog
and Mike. This is totally different from the rest of my trips because this is
the first time I drove from Cavite straight to Quezon (walang Marc, walang
Joseph)!
How to Get There
The easiest way to get there is via SLEX.
Since Bacoor was our starting point, the nearest SLEX entry point is via
Alabang.
Actually, we have miscalculated our travel
because we came too early at the resort. Not bad because I did not have to
worry about my driving. Our initial call time was 5:00AM but since Jog and I
woke up late, ggrrrrrr, we ended up
reaching Mike’s house at 6:00AM. Hahaha! From Bacoor, we took the Molino Road
going to Daang Hari. From there, we arrive at the gate of SLEX in Alabang. Toll
fee is P95.00 until Sto. Tomas exit. And because we were chatting all the time,
we missed the (50A) Sto Tomas exit, so we had to head straight at Star Toll.
However, it made our travel shorter than I have planned. From Star toll exit, we paid an additional of
P25.00 and then we looked for the Pan Philippine Hiway until we reached Quezon
“Welcome” arch and turned left right away. Hindi nyo mamimiss yung “Villa
Escudero” signage sa kaliwa ;-)
As early at 7:50AM, andun na kami!
If you are bringing car to get there, here is
the driving instructions I took from www.travelsmart.net
- Take
the South Luzon Express Way (SLEX)
- Exit
at 50 A (Lucena exit) (sa
kakakwentuhan namin, na miss din namin yung Exit 50A!!!! Nyahahaha!)
- Turn
left at Sto. Tomas junction (Nakabalik
naman kami dito hehehehe!)
- Head
straight South. By pass the towns of Alaminos and San Pablo
- Slow
down upon seeing the Quezon Province Boundary Arch. The Villa Escudero
entrance is immediately to the left.
- Follow
the instructions of the gate officer when turning into the Resort.
Parking
When we arrived at the resort, there were already
around 15 cars and vans there. I didn’t have a choice but to park under the
trees and maalikabok sa parking, sobra. Parking entrance is at the right side
of the welcome hall.
Also at the parking area is a mini Pasalubong
store where you could buy puto bumbong, pulburon, and other yummy sweets from
Laguna.
Welcome
Area
There were gulaman drinks, served by the ushers
wearing baro’t saya, waiting for us at the hall. Gutom na gutom kaming tatlo!
Hahaha. Buti na lang Mike brought pandesal! Wooohoo! We missed Jollibee and
Mcdo along the way… ambilis ko kasi mag drive at kwentuhan kami nang kwentuhan!
The welcome area is where you pay your
entrance fee as walk in customers OR where you get your tickets if you have RESERVED
for overnight stay. By the way, credit cards are accepted and the Day Tour fee
during our visit was P1,500.00 per head. This includes buffet lunch, cultural
show, boating, carabao/horse ride, visit at the museum and access to pool. The complete rates information can be found
on their website at the end of this post.
This is also where we first met some of the
statues depicting Filipino cultures. These statues are EVERYWHERE! Hahaha! I
sometimes thought they were real people in the gardens!
Carabao Cart Ride
As soon as you get your tickets and confirmed
your accommodation information at the Welcome Hall, you will start to
experience the Philippine country life right away. We opted to visit the Museum
in the afternoon before we leave the resort just to keep away from the crowd
who were already there… so we headed straight to the Carabao Cart area. We were
warmly welcomed and taken around by a carabao-drawn cart until we reached the resort
proper – with someone at the back singing kundiman songs and playing guitar.
The Resort Proper
There were several
areas that are still under renovation and the drop off point at the resort
proper is one of them. Just follow the path way and you will reach the River
area.
Boating at the River
It was around 10:00AM and the sun was just
about starting to give its magnificent heat. The bamboo raft or balsa only has
two seating area on it so I volunteered to just took the pictures of the two of
them and look an eye of our things.
Another thing… I HATE bodies of water in
color green. O_0 Hahaha! Parang may crocodile na lalabas. That’s also the
reason why I am not a fan of swimming at the falls. So I watched them paddle
across the calm river until they were almost too small from my view. Pagbalik
nung dalawa, mga nakasimangot… may ugly smell daw yung vest na suot nila. But I
think other than that, mukhang enjoyable naman ang boating ^_^
Café Inigo
You don’t have to worry about getting hungry
inside the resort because they have a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch,
miryenda and dinner meals at the resort. The resto is overlooking the river
which makes your dining very dramatic! Hmmm.
Pool Area
They have two medium-sized swimming pools –
one for the kids and the other for adults. The adult pool has a slide but we
did not try. This time, Jog watched over our things while Mike and I take a dip
into the pool. This was also the time Mike and I had a chat with the latest
about our lives, reminiscing old memories and even sharing our future plans. Wala kaming picture kasi tong si Jog!
Buffet Lunch at The Falls
Since we were very very hungry, the buffet
lunch was the MOST anticipated event in this trip. Hahaha!!! Hindi ako pwedeng
magutom!!! By the way, buffet lunch starts at 11:00AM. But if you were not able
to reserve your visit, based on their policy, you will only be allowed to go to
the buffet lunch area at 1:00PM. Uunahin kasi nila yung mga nakareserve and you
don’t want to get hungry, trust me!
The food is just OKAY. They have grilled
eggplants, singkamas, sliced tomatoes, green mangoes, rice, pansit, chicken
tinola, beef caldereta, grilled pork, grilled tilapia, chicken inasal and
ginataang gulay. I would say they all tasted flat. Honestly, na miss ko ang mas
masarap na luto ni Ate Dollyn. So if you want to make the most of this buffet
lunch… get FULL and appreciate the cold water coming from the man-made falls
that rushes to your feet while eating and chatting with your long lost friends…PRICELESS!
They sell buko juice for P30.00 each. J
The Cultural Show
The cultural show was the best experience in
Villa Escudero. Nakalimutan ko na hindi ako masyadong nag enjoy sa pagkain nung
lunch. ^_^ The performers are oozing with dancing talents. Mabubusog talaga
yung mata mo sa panunuod. There were a lot of colors dancing at the center
stage and the costumes are amazing! Kumbaga hindi tinipid.
Surprisingly, all performers are the same people
who ushered us earlier that day – the girls from the welcome area, maintenance
guys, cart singers, museum ushers. Ang galing! Thumbs up! The cultural show was
held at the wedding Hall while the original venue is under construction.
The Museum
Last from our list was the museum. The Familia
Escudero are true travelers and collectors! I was drooling about their travels
and collections – they truly set the history from their large collections of
artifacts not only from the Philippines but also from the whole world! Pictures
are not allowed inside.
I had a great time reconnecting with my old
friends. It would not be possible without our experience in Villa Escudero.
However, there is a very small chance that Iwould go back to this place very
soon. J
Formore information,please visit their site: http://www.villaescudero.com
Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort
San Pablo City, Philippines
Manila Office
1059 Estrada Street, Malate 1004 Metro Manila
Telephone Nos.
(632) 521-0830
(632) 523-0392
(632) 523-2944
Fax Number:
(632) 521-869
E-mail: info@villaescudero.com
Provincial Mailing Address
P.O. Box 4 San Pablo City 400, Philippines
