Our Taal Vista Hotel Staycation

What joy it was when I had a staycation in Taal Vista Hotel with someone special. After picking up Sue at the airport, we went straight to Coastal bus terminal where we got a ride going to Tagaytay. Got off the other side of the "forked" road. From there, we took a tricycle going to the hotel.

We arrived at the hotel around 10pm. Good thing valet service picked us up by the gate. Checked in and settled in our room.

Hotel lobby..

The room was just gorgeous! Ours was located at the Lake Wing. Talk about an overlooking view of the Taal Lake. But that was enjoyed the next day; for now, it was more of the city lights.

File photo: Taal Vista Hotel

Although tired from the trip, me and Sue went out to grab something to eat. Our initial plan was to go to McDonald's which is just across the hotel but unfortunately it was closed for renovation. We decided to have bulalo in Don Juan Bulalo Restaurant. Good thing it's open 24 hours. Perfect meal for a cool weather.

Back in the hotel, we simply tugged ourselves in bed while watching television until we fell asleep.

Rise and shine!

View from our room's veranda..

What a beautiful day it was to wake up with an amazing view by the veranda and a beautiful lady by your side. ^_^

After taking that much deserved bath, we went down to Cafe Veranda for our buffet breakfast. The day's menu was a mixed of Filipino and American cuisine. We had danggit, sausage, omelet, soup and lots of bacon. I was also introduced to the Cafe's chef, chef Edwin. He prepared us tawilis as compliment. Yum!

Breakfast was satisfying plus the factor that area was facing the Taal Lake view.

After that hearty meal, we went around the hotel premises and explore.

Get a vast view of the Taal Lake by the deck.

Viewing deck..

I was planning on taking a dip in the pool but I decided not to and just chill by the poolside because of the cold, foggy weather.

Pool area..

Gym..

It's almost an hour before checking out, we went back to our room, fixed our stuff, freshen up and checked out. Time flew so fast that the our stay seemed short yet we enjoyed our stay. Hope to come back for another relaxing staycation at Taal Vista Hotel.

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Wings of the World Officially Launched..

Early this summer, I returned once more to Jest Camp/Magaul Bird Park for another exciting launch. It was the day that they officially launched "Wings of the World".

Wings of the World will present talented birds show off onstage with cute stunts right before your eyes. And they were really cute. All I was saying during the show was "Wow!", "Ohhh", "Cute!"..

What a way to start the show..

Audience participation..

Who's the quickest bird in this game..

Jam packed with audience..

TV personality, Kat de Castro at the launch..

What thrilled me most was to be able to see an eagle gaze over the audience. 

And lastly, the finale showcased half a thousand of birds in one stage. How cool was that!

Wings of the World is included in the admission ticket to Magaul Bird Park located at JEST Camp Subic. Shows run during weekends and public holidays at 11am, 1:30pm and 4pm. During weekdays, it will be shown at 11am and 1:30pm. For more information, please visit, www.magaulbirdpark.com or call 047-2521489 or text 09177964668.

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A Day of Relaxation and Bliss at Cayet's Cabin Private Resort

I seldom have that chance to go somewhere and whenever I have that I would definitely grab it. And that's what I did when our group, The Road Trippers got invited by Cayet's Cabin to experience and enjoy its amenities. 

Original plan was an overnight stay but was changed to a day stay. Still it's a getaway.. A day away from non-work, out of town trip, I'm good.

I met up with ate Joy in Paseo de Magallanes around 8:30 am then started our road trip to Pansol, Laguna. We arrive I think 10-ish in the morning. And mind you, the place is serene! Imagine a resort surrounded with trees, potted plants and flowers. I already felt relaxed with the view.

Then there's the cabins made of stone as the base but has a touch of nature with the bamboo walls outside and capiz-made windows. Makes me remember those days when I was young, if you know what I mean.

And of course, a resort won't be complete without a pool. There's an option whether you want the pool water to be chlorinated or not; cold, luke warm or hot spring water. Nice! First time that I encountered such options.

First thing I checked upon arriving were the rooms. They have different rooms available depending on what's your trip. And it was in our room that I had bonded first. Yes, I did snooze a bit. Hahahahaha!!!

It not just the nature-like surrounding that amazed me. Every room in the cabin is accented with various decors -- Oriental, Balinese and Filipino. Antiques are also display anywhere in the resort. And some reminded me of my childhood.

Cooking is not a problem. Cayet's Cabin has a pavilion where the kitchen is located. Also, they have a videoke where anyone can sing their lungs out. Not only that the videoke is more of song choices but it have a sort-of 'dance central' thing. Talk about making those dance moves.

I enjoyed the stay in the resort -- splashed into the pool, snoozed in the room, took that time-out from being busy. This is just first of the few getaways The Road Trippers had in mind.

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Experience Extreme Up High in Tree Top Adventure!

Experience extreme adventure and extreme relaxation at Tree Top Adventure Baguio, the only motorized zipline in the Philippines and the only Team Building facility in Baguio. With seven outdoor activities and team building facilities, located within Camp John Hay, surrounded by pine trees and overlooking breathtaking views, Tree Top Adventure Baguio offers an adventure of a lifetime.
 

For the thrill seekers who want to experience extreme adventure, you might want to experience our Tree Drop in which you’ll be suspended 60 feet above the ground, mission impossible style and you’ll be falling as fast as 2 to 3 seconds. This Tree Top’s most extreme activity costs Php 150.00 only and this is one way to really quench your thirst for adrenaline rush. You might also want to try our rides done in pairs: the Superman Ride and Silver Surfer. As the name implies, you’ll be ziplining, Superman Style, 200 meters long, 150 feet above the ground, but instead of doing it just forwards, you would also be ziplining backwards. Silver Surfer is a 60 degree diagonal motorized zipline in which you’ll be standing on a specialized platform and you’ll be gliding up and down for three cycles. Expect that there would be stops and swings for every cycle. For Php 300.00 and Php 200.00 respectively, you could experience what superheroes feel as they fly and glide through the air.

Canopy Ride

Skywalk

 

 

 

For those who want to experience extreme relaxation, you could try the Canopy and Funicular ride which costs Php350.00. The Canopy is similar to the concept of cable cars, but instead, you’ll be seated on cable chairs in which you’ll be transferring from one station to another until you complete all eight stations. When you reach the station four of the Canopy, you would walk for around 2 to 3 minutes to be able to reach the connecting ride of Canopy which is the Funicular ride. This ride is similar to the concept of elevator, but, instead of standing up, you’ll be seated. This is at least a way for you to conquer your fear of heights. But, if you really have extreme fear of heights, you could just avail the Trekking and Skywalk in which you would walk around Tree Top’s area and go up the skywalk area, or the viewing deck in which you could see the mountains of Itogon, Benguet or what they call the old Baguio before. You could stay at the Skywalk areas long as you want to take pictures and feel the cold breeze.

If your company plans to have a convention or seminar at Baguio, you might want to experience our Team Building Activities which includes two high element activities (Tree Drop and Silver Surfer), five low element activities, boodle lunch and facilitators for just Php 800.00 per head only.The activities would really challenge each member and how they work with their workmates. Work and play, as the cliché says!

Tree Drop

You might also want to try another branch of Tree Top Adventure Subic located at the JEST Area, Upper Mau Cubi Point Subic Bay Freeport Zone. For more information, you could contact (074) 442-0800 or 0932 404 1112. You could also visit our website www.treetopadventureph.com. To be more updated, you could like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/treetopadventurecamp and follow us on Instagram @tree_top_adventure.

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Building a Community of Opportunities

All the while, when I think of Gawad Kalinga it's about building houses in a community. They do build houses but I never thought they are more than just that. And that's what I discovered when I visited GK Enchanted Farm.

The GK Enchanted Farm is Gawad Kalinga’s platform to raise social entrepreneurs, help the local farmers and create wealth in the countryside. The man behind the continuous success of Gawad Kalinga, Tony Meloto mentioned that the road out of poverty is to provide decent homes; then teach them how to become enterpreneurs. And that's the main purpose why GK Enchanted Farm was built.

 

The place is not just a farm but a community. Farm because of the freshly picked greens and fruits; community because of the families and staff that work together to built better opportunities.

Going there was quite a challenge. The time I got the invite, I immediately checked how to get there since Norzagaray is a few kilometers away from where I lived. But with the several rides and turns, I doubted that I could commute. So instead of commuting, I took advantage of the shuttle service. I could, at least familiarize myself on how to get there..

It was an early call time. We left Enchanted Farm Cafe in Quezon City around 7am and arrived at GK Enchanted Farm few minutes before 9am. The place is huge. One thing I noticed at once was the foreigners of different nationalities in the area. They're actually volunteers that came all the way from different parts of world to help out in the farm's advocacy. There we got to meet Clementine, Leslie and Fabien, to name a few among the social entrepreneur mentors in the farm.

Leslie is no stranger in our country, she's a Filipina who has a good life in New York but chose to go back and do what she has been doing now.

Now back to the farm..

The buffet (from breakfast, to lunch and then dinner) are guaranteed fresh. All ingredients came from the farm. Talk about health and nutrition.

During our stay in the farm, we got to know and learn more about the different social entrepreneur opportunities that anyone could willingly have.

PLUSH AND PLAY

Plush and Play's current designs..

One of the staff in action..

GOLDEN DUCK

In the process of making those golden eggs..

The finish product..

 
BET ON HAMLET

Dimsum making..

Finish product.. These taste good!

GOURMET KESO

Yummy!

GK Enchanted Farm is just about learning but there's also exploring.. We were toured around the farm.

The Bamboo Palace

Lifebank Center for Bayanihan Economics

Oasis - Yes! They'll have a spa and wellness center..

Hyundai Center

Some of the houses in the community..

Not to forget a bit of relaxation.. Enchanted Farm has a swimming pool and it's an infinity pool..

On our last day in the farm, we learned a few farming 101.

Learning to transplant a seedling..

Removing weeds and grass from the crops..

The whole experience was like a mini immersion in the community. We stayed and got to interact with the families living in the area. I encourage you to visit GK Enchanted Farm whether it's for relaxing, learning, road trip etc. Drop by and get inspired by their vision to help people help themselves.

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