Second to the last week of August, hubby was projecting that he will be busy at work when Ber Months come in so pumondo na sya...he treated me to an out of town trip. It was 100+km away from our home going to the south.

This is the farthest we drove our Chevy Spark, Jarvis The Car, so we had to take a photo at Caliraya Springs' Entrance Gate. There was a zigzag part of the road so I commend hubby for getting us safe and sound. Good job, Beb!

We stayed there for overnight in a standard room with plated breakfast. We got the voucher from Living Social PH (also known as Ensogo) group buying site. It also included free use of other amenities. But the main offering of Caliraya Springs Laguna is its Golf and Country Club area with nature's cold breeze coming from the nearby mountain.

Surprisingly, I got so many likes in FB for this photo of mine holding (I assume a kid's) golf equipment. I have no idea how to play it so I just took a pix for my OOTD. Hehehe!

After having our lunch at their cafe and checking in, we changed to something more comfy to go see their activity area. We asked for a shuttle ride going there. Medyo mabato yung daan papunta but if you want to sweat a bit before hitting the pool pede din naman. 

It started to drizzle so were not able to try out the kayak, boat and zip line because it was slippery. This part can be used for team building and beside it are some Nipa huts that big groups can stay in. Pero ang setup nya is kutson sa floor. 

Beside the hanging bridge is you can also find the swimming pool. It was fun crossing the bridge lalo na kung takot ka malaglag. Pero medyo madulas nga sya kse umuulan so be careful if you have kids with you.

We explored a little bit and found the docking area. I believe the boats we found are for renting para iikot ang mga guest around the lake. It was under construction at that time, mukhang naaffect nung last typhoon. But I saw in the brochure, it was functional...I guess especially pagsummer and mas maraming guess.

The next morning we tried biking around the golf area using the resort's bike. It is not in tiptop shape so if you are a bike enthusiast better to bring your own gear pero kung bike-bike lang okay na rin.

I will be lying to you if I won't say that the Main Hall needs a major paint job. How do I put it... let us just say na mababanag mo talaga that before it used to be with grandeur and opulence. But it is something that can be easily addressed if the management would really like to.

Ang sa akin lang is, it is a looong drive especially if you are coming from Manila, say Cubao or QC and you will actually pass by a lot of other resorts before reaching Caliraya Springs. So sayang naman if you would end up in a so-so place. But like I said it can be addressed. But staff are friendly, attentive and hospitable so thumbs up for the people working there.

For us, the fresh breeze and the company of each other is enough to make our time worth while for this quick break.

Mountain Lake Resort

Caliraya Springs in Cavinti Laguna Philippines

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For Mom-In-Law (MIL) Mother's Day  and Dad-In-Law (DIL) advance birthday celebration, we treated the folks to a walk to another Ayala project in the south - the posh Nuvali Sta. Rosa Laguna. We reached the place at around 11 o'clock, except from the expected summer heat, it was perfect since there are still not a lot of people going around and more parking slots.

We parked at the Solenad 1 side which boast the "gigantic" kois in the man-made lagoon. After feeding the fishy-fishy (Fish feeds cost Php 15.00 from the nearby booth). We crossed the bridge by foot to get to Solenad 2 where you can find more restaurants, aircon shops and Robinson's supermarket which gives a Boni High St kinda vibe. The Yaps decided to dine at LZM Restaurant since DIL was missing in action when we first tried their Tagaytay branch last Holy Week.

Daing na bangus, Calamares, Sinigang na baboy

We then waited for the electric shuttle to explore the other parts of the property. Most of the amenities are for free. The drivers are also trained to give the guest a quick tour and brief description on the upcoming developments. Bike rides are also encourage within the vicinity.

Round trip Boat Ride Php30/head minimum 6 pax/trip,
FREE: Electric Shuttle | Playing around the museum | Picture taking at the Electric Scooter | Car Parking

Mas enjoy siguro kung mas malilim so you could walk around freely with less sun and heat. But just the same I thank the Lord for the provision and this bonding moments with the family. Too bad I was not able to capture the architectural designs of the buildings -- love, love the lines and natural lights in the structures.

Me in my Greenhills ensemble,
Mixmi Errand Sling Bag,
Suelas Impresso Flat Shoes and
Black/White Kimono by J.Dela Cruz

Today is a holiday, remembering the 115th Death Anniversary of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. We on the other hand booked to R&R Resort Spa to deep into their pool with natural hot water coming from Mt. Makiling which is coincidentally located at Rizal's hometown -- Calamba Laguna but in Pansol to be exact.

Our reservation was for a private room with TV. Paid the 50% deposit via their BPI account a week before and paid the rest of Php 1,600 upon our departure. We were ushered to an air-conditioned room at the 2nd floor named as Mayon 2 located at the end of the property passing through the cabanas. The stairway is a bit steep with plants on the side so be careful if you have small children with you. The interior is very cozy featuring a king-sized firm bed, sky-lit tiled bathtub, round table with a pair of mono block chairs. It has built in closet with hangers (no locks) and the bathroom has 3 white towels, an ample of toilet papers, bath soap, shampoo and conditioner.

I am not really a fan of the green-painted wall. Their website features a white one though which I think is more cool in the eye. They brought in this teenie tiny 14''-ish TV to my disappointment since they have cable antenna. What I do love is the draping overhead, the bathroom shell curtain, and the wood work is just superb.

Each cabanas have mini private pool so we were the only ones using the main pool. Considering it is a hot spring we expected hot water in the pool but it wasn't. It was warm but not hot. I was already wandering if I misread their advertisement if it says 'non-hot spring' pool. But as I swam around the pool I found this pipe filling up the pool with 'some' hot water. So for our morning swim, we stayed in a warm spring pool. But at around 11:30 am, that pipe started gushing out more water this time turning the pool water hot. Unfortunately we already went out of the pool to have our lunch. When I returned during the afternoon for a second deep, true enough it turned to a hot-spring pool. Too bad, we weren't able to enjoy it from the start.

Just being silly before our departure