Back to Nature at Villa Elma ~ Lucban Quezon

For my birthday weekend, we went on a family road trip to Kamay ni Hesus Shrine (a well-known Catholic pilgrimage site).

As it was quite a long drive back home to Manila from Lucban, Quezon Province, so my husband and I decided to stay the night at Villa Elma.

Villa Elma is a scenic nature park with bed and breakfast, located at the foot of Mt. Banahaw.

We stayed at the Log Cabin.  This accommodation is good for 6+ guests.  There is a room upstairs with a queen sized bed and a sofa that converts to a bed on the ground floor.  There is a small restroom downstairs and full bath on the 2nd floor.

 

Only the upstairs bed room is air-conditioned, but it was okay at the ground floor too, as weather at the foot of Mt Banahaw is fresh-cool.  It felt like we were in Baguio.

The room upstairs is nicely decorated ~ adorned with paintings and other work of arts.

There is also a veranda upstairs.   

Our window opens to this delightful view (Yes, I wanted to take this papaya tree home with us).

Chickens roaming around ~ This is rural living!

It was raining a bit (and the steps slippery)  during our stay so we never got to visit the rest of Villa Elma.   

The cold weather is perfect for snuggling (bring a light jacket).

FINAL VERDICT:

1. There was very little to do at Villa Elma. There is no television and no wi-fi (we brought our own, but signal was intermittent). You might want to bring board games to pass time, if you have kids along ~ A true "no-gadgets" weekend.
2. Villa Elma boasts meditation and prayer areas  and a brook to go swimming, but since the weather was off, we did not get to see these.
3. Weather is wonderful.  We loved the cool mountain breeze, especially when we woke up the next morning.  We felt so rested and relaxed.
4. Food options at there restaurant is limited.  You can bring in cooked food though or go out to buy food or just eat out. Villa Elma is about 10-15 minutes drive the town proper.
5. As you are one with nature, expect to see lots of bugs and insects around.  Though the room upstairs was clean, there were a lot of ants down stairs.
6. The bathrooms were clean too, however, I cant seem to make the hot and cold work.  We had to take cold showers. 
7. Staff were nice and very accommodating. 

Villa Elma
A. Mabini Street, Brgy. Palola,
Lucban, Quezon Province
​

Tel No. +639955045385

Email Address. info@villaelma.com.ph

Website: Villa Elma

Bakasyunan Resort Tanay Review

We were looking for an easy 1-2 hours get-away near Metro Manila to unwind and catch up with family friends.
As we live in Taytay, our default go to place is the hills of Tanay, Rizal.

Resorts abound in Tanay, so choosing one that fits our requirement was a bit of a challenge.  

We wanted a place with a back to nature ambiance with panoramic view, but with the comfort of a hotel. This led us to "Bakasyunan Resort".

The resort sits on a 15 hectare property with a view of the Sierra Madre mountains and Laguna de Bay.  

We booked 2 Carneros Inn.  The Carneros are private rooms located a few meters away the main pool.  The rooms have 2 Queen sized beds, perfect for a family of four (4).  

I am so sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the room interiors.  I got this picture from Bakasyunan website instead.



Our room is clean, but was in need of upgrading, especially the bathrooms (the hot and cold shower wasn't working and so is the bath tub).  


The air-condition was freezing, which was great since we were there on a humid-hot day.

There is a TV, but channels are limited. 


It is a huge resort with facilities for team building activities. 

There are also plenty of activities for families to enjoy, so you really don't ran of things to do.  My boys enjoyed playing mini-golf.  

FINAL VERDICT:

• We managed to have fun.  Our boys enjoyed the resort's outdoor activities.   
• The price is reasonable.  Our package came with Dinner and Breakfast. Food quality is good and servings hefty.   
• Since the resort is just 1.5 hours away from our place and with light traffic, we got to spend more time relaxing than travelling.
• Tanay weather gets a bit chilly at night, so expect cold pool waters for night swimmers.  

• As it is a huge resort with steep terrain, PWD and Seniors might find it difficult to navigate.  If you are travelling with those requiring special assistance remember to mention this during booking/reservations and request for a room closest to the main building.  

For booking inquiries check Bakasyunan Resort Tanay website: www.bakasyunanresorttanay.com or contact them through:

                      
Tel No.: 7064509
Mobile : 09175755116/09989942513/09178303438
Email :bakasyunanmarketing1@gmail.com

Luxurious Staycation at Conrad Hotel Manila

If you are looking for a luxury staycation overlooking majestic Manila Bay, 

then Conrad Hotel is just the hotel for you.  

The Conrad Hotel Manila is just a short stroll to SMX Convention Center, MOA Smart Arena or the Mall of Asia ~ perfect location is perfect for shopping, dining and recreation.

You get a VIP view of the Manila Bay.

As we were early for check-in, we registered first and left our bags at the hotel before heading to the S Maison mall located inside hotel.  My boys wanted to watch a movie at the Directors Cinema.  

Look at who welcomed us when we got into our room :P

The Twin Premier room we booked is spacious at 60 sqm.  Design and décor was very stylish.

Check this elegant armoire cabinet that hides from sight the mini bar and espresso machine.

I can already smell brewed coffee. 

My boys checking the city view outside.

Comfortable beds with nicely laundered and soft linens.

Even the bathroom is so fancy.

Look, part of the mirror is actually a TV.  So you can just go relax and soak in the tub, while watching.

 

Toiletries are of very good quality too...

The room package comes with buffet breakfast at the
Brasserie on 3.

It has a  vibrant atmosphere with indoor and outdoor terrace dining.  Would be nice to dine here during a Pyro-Olympics show.  

FINAL VERDICT:

What is not to like?

Price is a bit expensive, but that is expected from a Hilton Hotel franchise

Note that this hotel spells luxury inside out.

You are pampered the moment you stepped out your car.

Staff are wonderful and efficient

Location is great.

So Yes, would definitely stay here again! 

For inquires and reservations:

Check out Conrad Hotel's website

CONRAD HOTEL MANILA

or Call TEL: +63-2-8339999

CONRAD HOTEL MANILA

Seaside Boulevard corner Coral Way Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, 1300, Philippines

DAY 3 - DIY Nara WALK (and some shopping)

For Day 3, we decided to go deer hunting (although it felt like we were the hunted by the thousands of deer roaming the whole of Nara Park).

Nara is Japan's first permanent capital, full of historic treasures and old temples.  It is also home to hundreds of free roaming deer, which they call as "Shinto" or messenger from the gods. 

For our Nara day trip, we bought the 1 Day Kintetsu Rail Pass (Adult Rate is Y1500 and Child Rate is Y750) from the airport. 

This pass gave us access to trains leaving/arriving at the Osaka-Namba Station via the Kintetsu Line and Nara Kotsu buses traversing the Nara attractions via a bus loop.  

(Tip: You can only use the free train via the Kintetsu Line and it only covers regular trains, use of the Limited Express requires additional payment.)

Our first stop is Kofukuji Temple which is a short hike from the Kintetsu Nara Station.  Kofukuji used to be the family temple of one of the most powerful clan in Nara.

Welcome to Japan's "Deer Country ~ Nara Park"...

(TIP: Deer crackers are sold everywhere in the park.  Deer would bow to be fed these treats).

From Nara Park, we made our way uphill to Todaiji Temple "Great Eastern Temple".  It is one of Japan's most significant temples and is a known landmark of Nara.

There was an ongoing event the day we came and the road leading to Todaiji was festive and lined with street food vendors. 

It was nice to see this parade of locals in traditional costumes.

The grand Nandaimon Gate leading to Todaiji Temple.

Inside the gates...

While there, check also the Todaiji Museum and the Nara National Museum, they have the best treasured collections of Buddhist artifacts I have seen.  We entered both, but we were not allowed to take photos. 

The best part of today's tour is the side shopping...

I got here Japanese folding fans "Sensu" for Y800, hand towels "Tenugi" for Y600 and deer themed key chains priced as Y150+.

There were lots of snacks and sweets, but I think it is cheaper to buy these at the airport after clearing immigrations (where it is duty free and stuffs bought inside are excluded from your carry on baggage allowance).  

Hubby who loves strawberries, just can't say no to these plump strawberries. He said "they (yes the strawberries) were calling his name)".  He bought 2 packs and ate them on our way back to Kintetsu Station.

We spent about 4 hours roaming Nara, before heading to our next destination "Namba Walk" for some souvenir shopping. 

We got on the bus going back to Kintetsu Nara Station and took the train back to Osaka-Namba.

Our "Namba Walk" stops:

We first went to Bic Namba to scout for Nintendo Switch, which we found was 50% cheaper in Japan compared buying the unit in Manila ~ unfortunately it was out of stock.

With so many food options in Osaka, deciding where to eat could be overwhelming. Here is a tip: If you are not sure what to eat, just follow the crowd.

The crowd led us to: 551 Horai

We got some pork buns for take-out and they were delicious (Warning: also quite filling).

Crowd also were lining up at Rikuro's.   Rikuro serves freshly baked cheesecakes which is said to rival Pablo's.

There were really good (light and fluffy) and quite liked it more than Pablo's, which is too creamy and sweet for my liking. 

My husband liked Pablo's more though (There were no Pablo's nearby, but chanced on some premium Pablo's cheesecake at the airport).

Can't go home without having Takoyaki (There were so many to choose from, it was crazy. We bought this from Takoyaki Douraku Wanaka)

Cosmetics and Beauty Products Shopping Haven ~ I literally went gaga.  I bought so many (for personal consumption) I lost track counting (and budgeting). I bought these precious at Sugi Pharmacy.

(I will write about my beauty loots in a separate blog).

We needed an additional luggage for our loots and dropped by

Jaguar Kaban -ten for bags. They were one of the cheapest I found about in the area.  I got an Anello bag and a luggage (to carry my Osaka loots).  My Anello cost Y4000 and the luggage bag (hand-carry size) about Y3500 (inclusive of tax) ~ not bad.

Let me end our Day 3 with a tip:

When shopping always go for tax free stores. 

I love our Osaka Day 3.

I hope you didn't miss our Day 2 Osaka City Adventure ~ please click the link below:

Day 2 - Osaka City Adventure