Casa San Pablo

It was a sunny Saturday morning to begin with... the air was cool... I left my place to fetch Lis at around 6:30am. We were excited to reach our destination - Casa San Pablo. The place has have numerous write-ups, famous for its scenery and ambiance, it's a filipino style bed and breakfast anyone will surely enjoy. Nonetheless, we started this little adventure around 8am. Esda was a breeze and we arrived at Batangas in 2 hours. We were greeted by the guard at the entrance and led us to the main parking area.

We had the day all to ourselves, no worries, (no work!), just pure relaxation.

It was drizzling when we arrive at the reception area. Unfortunately we weren't able to get our preferred room, but the room we got was cozy though. It has a twin bed and a bathroom. It was nice, in a modern filipino kind of way. After settling down Lis set off again with her handy dandy camera to take whatever pictures her eyes feasts on. But there's a problem. We're hungry. In our original "masterplan", it states that we will have our breakfast at Kusina Salud (another Filipino must-go-to), yet circumstances led us to accept that this it but another adventure for another time. In other words, we were late in our schedule :P


We had a huge serving of what seem to be a Filipino-style spaghetti w/ toast. It was sweet start for turns out to be brunch already. Lis had her photoshoot after while strolling the vicinity. A gift shop was located on the second floor but was open only upon request. They had souvenirs, novelty items and the likes. The pool was unavailable, darn. Owell. We spent most of the time appreciating the scenery since there was nothing much to do.


Lunch was served Laguna style. We had Bulalo, yum :) After spending some time at the garden, it dawned to us that there were few guests for the day. Though perhaps most of them are enjoying the Viaje Del Sol experience..


We left around 4pm. Hoping to atleast visit the popular Kusina Salud. However, after driving around, it seemed that the directions given to the "driver" (Aaron) weren't quite clear, so we had to decide to head back home instead.


One advice though, go home when there is still daylight. The road was pretty much pitch black. We arrived at anila around 7. Whew!

Casa San Pablo

San Pablo City

http://www.casasanpablo.com/

0917-8126687, 0917-5268628

Rates:

Php1000 for day trip (w/ lunch and am&pm snacks)

La Luz, The "Light" Beach Resort

This was our first beach outing right after college. We've been wanting to do this ever since but hadn't had the time with all the thesis and job applications. And since all four of us have quite settled in our own jobs, it wouldn't hurt to give ourselves a little getaway.

We stayed here for 3 days and two nights from March 30 - April 01. Meeting place was Petron SLEX. We had our breakfast on the way () while Den & Jess had theirs at Mcdo. Around 10am, we all grabbed our coffee (c/o Starbucks) and left for La Luz. After a few big turns and rough roads, we arrived at the resort around noon.

La Luz has have types of rooms: Standard, Deluxe, Junior Premier, Premier and the Premeir Loft. We had the privelege to stay at one of their deluxe rooms which is on the 2nd floor of the Ipil Cottage. its own private bathroom and balcony. The room was actually for 3 persons and maximum of 6. It also came with a private deck which is perfect for board games and bonding moments (although we didn't had time to use this=P). Each room has its own ceiling fan and is not air conditioned.

Another thing at La Luz is that all guests are required to avail of their food package. Its Php900 per peson inclusive of lunch upon arrival, afternoon snack, dinner and breakfast the next day. Every meal is buffet style and mostly consist of Batangas cuisine. From experience, their food is definitely exquisite and satisfying! No matter how full you are. you'd be wondering what they'll be serving for the next meal.

Relaxation is their main goal here at La Luz. They have cabanas where you can stay during the high afternoon sun or have your massages by trained staff (Php250/hour). Since La Luz is known as a snorkeling site, the sand is not as fine as of Boracay's. It was quite hard to swim too because of the rocks. One fun thing to do in the water is stay near the shore and catch the splash of the waves one after another. Other services they offer are: boating, kayak, diving, volleyball, hiking, bonfire and board games.

There's also a huge rock along the shore where you can climb up and see the whole shore (this is perfect during sunset). We climbed up during our last night, took a few pics and also had the privelege to see how the resort prepares for a private dinner for two on one cliff rock on the very secluded side of the resort. It was so sweet!

Rates:

Room Price Capacity per room Description
Standard 1,800 max # of 6 (Fan, 2 Semi-double beds)
Deluxe 2,300 max # of 6 (Fan, 3 Semi-double beds)
Junior Premier 2,550 max # of 4 (Aircon, 1 Queen Size bed)
Premier 3,300 max # of 6 (Aircon, 2 Semi and 1 Double bed)
Premier Loft 4,100 max # of 10 (Aircon, 5 Semi and 1 Double bed)

Food Package
Php900 for overnight
Php700 for daytrip

How to get there:
http://www.laluzresort.com/directions.html - here's the detailed directions to La Luz
There are also instructions if you want to take public transpo to the resort.

Addtl tips:

- Bring swimming shoes
- La Luz accomodates private dinner for two