Relaxing Weekend at Valentino Resort and Spa

A great yet inexpensive resort so close to Manila is hard to come by for a number of reasons. First, the Batangas, Laguna and Cavite areas are so commercialized it doesn't feel like you're leaving the city at all. Second, if you want a well-maintained resort, you have to pay a hefty price tag. And lastly, it is often over-crowded.

That is why I was worried my second visit to Valentino Resort and Spa would be a disappointing one. When I first went there last year, it appeared to be fairly new and everything was pretty and polished just like a new resort should. For the second visit (upon hearing they were charging more or less the same price as before), I worried that the place would be at least two of the three things I mentioned above. Fortunately, they proved me wrong.

Summer Fun at Teofely Gardens

I'm not a fan of hot springs in the sweltering summer heat. In fact, I'm not a fan of hot springs period. So when my family suggested that we go swimming one weekend, I knew I had to find an affordable yet non-hot spring private resort or else I'd be swimming in a steaming hot pool with the sun bearing down on me. I scoured the web for days, looking for resorts in the Cavite/Laguna area and I found the newly opened Teofely Gardens in Silang, Cavite.

Bicolandia Adventure: Journeying to the End of Luzon

In the last of the Bicol series, we went further down south and traveled to Matnog, Sorsogon. This is the jump off point for most boats that ferry people, cars and even trucks to and from Luzon and various Visayas Islands. But instead of getting onto the big ferries, we rented a large bangka and took a 30-minute ride to Subic Beach.

Bicolandia Adventure: Swimming with the (Whale) Sharks

Butandings or Whale Sharks are affectionately known as Gentle Giants. A nickname they rightfully earned thanks to their size and demeanor. It was my second time swimming with these beautiful creatures and it is even better the second time around.

NOTE: I don't have an underwater camera so I 'borrowed' a couple of pics I found through Google Images. Clicking on the pictures bring you to the source website

Bicolandia Adventure: Lignon Hill Trek

First ever official blog post, hooray!

A week before the well-deserved Holy Week vacation, me and 30 of my teammates went on a team-building in Bicol. Of course, this wasn't my first visit to Bicol. I went to Legazpi with my family when I was in high school and was fortunate enough to visit Misibis Bay before they built the resort and started charging sky high prices. The other time was last year, also with my teammates but there were just 15 of us at the time, and we were able to visit the Camsur Watersports Complex.

Since this was a 4-day trip, I decided to cut the blog up into 3 separate posts featuring the main highlights of the trip. Today's post is all about the majestic view atop Lignon Hill.