After a few hiccups in life the past two months, my body was crying out to destress. So finally last July we pushed in redeeming the Ensogo Voucher I bought for an overnight stay for two in La Traviesa Hotel Resort in Gen. Trias Cavite.

Booking: I originally sched this on June, however, since Jarvis The Car was not available I had to moved it to the next month. I have to be honest though that contacting La Traviesa is not easy as 1-2-3 compared to other resorts -- they don't respond to emails and the mobile number is out of reach at times. So make sure to do your booking in advance. 

But once you get a hold of them, the staff are polite and accommodating. For me though, after my phone calls with them I would usually text to summarize our conversation and request for confirmation just to make sure. This I learned from past travels to have details in black and white.

It was also the weekend after Typhoon Glenda so I double-checked if they were affected and got a confirmation that the resort is operational so off we went.

Getting There: Although we are familiar with the area since my then-boyfriend-now-hubby used to drive there with our motorcycle back in the days, hubby still keyed in the destination in Google Map in his smartphone and turned on the navigation feature. So from Alabang we took Daang Hari turned left to Aguinaldo Highway. Turned right to Governor's Drive, passing by Lyceum and upon reaching Manggahan Junction where Baliwag, Municipal Hall and  Mcdo are, we turned right again... The navigation was actually spot on! La Traviesa Resort is on the left alongside the residential houses.

Check-in: We got there early, around 11 AM. I was hoping we could check in early but the staff-in-charge said that the room will be available at 2 PM. It was fine with us since we are still planning to have lunch anyway but I requested the staff if I could see the room first. She escorted me to the room facing the backyard, she was explaining that all rooms with garden view is already booked for the night's evening party. She also mentioned that they still have to dust out the room that is why we have to wait awhile. When she opened the door of Room 106, I was pretty happy with what I saw -- the room was spacious with 2 double beds with nice bedsheet. Yeah, I have a fetish for nice comforters hehehe!!!

I returned to the waiting area and reported to hubby na sulit ang voucher namin dahil pasado sa standards yung place. We then agreed to have lunch at their in-house dining area. Passed 1PM, we were notified that the room was already ready.

Accommodation: Beside the nice bedsheets, the ambiance has a feel of a Spanish-inspired villa with furnishing made out of capiz and hard wood. I am a frequent window-shopper at the mall in home decor section so I do appreciate that the tables and chairs inside are not the so-so type. Hindi naman high-end pero indi naman din sya mumurahin kaya I appreciate the effort.

You can cozy up comfortably inside the room because it has a split-type air condition unit, personal ref, 2 bottled water, electric kettle, Cignal cable TV and good functioning bathroom with free liquid body wash and shampoo. You can keep your belongings inside the big cabinet and some wooden hangers are available.

The room is as big as our apartment unit, so it was actually more than enough for the two of us. It can accommodate 5-8 pax at the most. But if you have that many people occupying the room, you might have some problem finding a spot to hang your wet clothes.

Food: You may bring in food inside as long as it does not require electricity to cook it. You may check with them if grilling is allowed. But for us, we just brought in chips and drinks to much on and just availed what they have in their menu -- lunch, snack, and dinner. While breakfast is free since it was part of the room rates already, we only paid a little over 1K for the food during check-out.

Recommendation: The place is really for private parties and small gatherings of family and friends. An option if you are looking to have a quick deep in the water and just have a breather. Aside from the pool area, there is a videoke and a spa area. We actually shared the poolside with Korean and Spanish family. I think they did not even checked in at all, just rented the cottage and took a swim. Perhaps they are living nearby since it is near Economic Zone where many companies owned by foreign investors.

La Traviesa Resort

Gov. Ferrer's Drive Gen. Trias Cavite

A few months ago, we learned about the BF Homes route near the subdivision gate via Alabang-Zapote road. We were excited about it because a lot have been said regarding the Aguirre St. for its line-up of home grown establishment within the area. For foodie like us, it was an alternative choice from the usual dining at the mall.

One weekend in June, we came back from Makati and decided to grab a quick dinner there before heading home. It was only our 3rd time to explore the area when the unfortunate incident happened...

My usual double-lock-and-check-kinda-hubby became quite complacent seeing that the village have several guards around the vicinity -- from the different gate points, going around and in most establishment. Our chosen resto had full parking already so we parked just a little few steps away at the side street. After our 45-minute dinner, sarap pa ng tawanan namin pabalik ng car. 

Upon riding the car, hubby immediately noticed something odd at the passenger's seat. I looked at his worried face and asked why -- "Basag yung salamin natin sa likod... at nawawala yung bag ko!"

He was referring to the camera bag, which he usually puts at the trunk but that time he didn't, containing his DSLR camera, iPad2, lens, SD Cards and card reader. It was black and discreetly hidden under my seat and not too exposed. Two-years-worth of gadgets na gifts and pag-iipon. But to cut the story short, we had the presence of mind to report it immediately to the Village Security Staff who assisted us in the process and escorted us to the police station in the next days. 

We were carless for a month as we wait for the insurance claim to get approved and for the casa to make the repair. Lesson-learned (an expensive one) from our end. On the same night, while hubby is filing the reports, I was already busy changing passwords of the accounts in the iPad2.

Thank God it is over! I am happy that we survived it without any scratch and our teamwork just got stronger minus the blame game. Now, when hubby enters the village and gives his name the guards they would reply --- "Ah, yung BASAG-KOTSE"

Ingat po palagi...