The delicious aroma of freshly grilled pork barbecue wafted throughout the resort. That’s our dinner, being cooked by the Blu Serenity Villa butler. Twilight was at hand. I was taking photos as the sky glowed electric. My wife and kid was at the pool, enjoying its warm spring waters. After almost two years, we’re finally on a staycation.

BLU SERENITY VILLA IN LOS BANOS, LAGUNA

We travelled all the way from Malabon City to Los Baños in Laguna to finally have a respite from the humdrum life of the Covid19 Pandemic. This is actually the first time that Akira will experience a staycation. Well, we did have one at Luxent Hotel before the pandemic forced everyone inside their homes, but he was just a few months old back then and he really wasn’t able to enjoy it. Not counted.

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Excuse me for a moment, I told my companions after looking through one of the floor to ceiling windows of Seda Hotel Nuvali’s Club Lounge. The sun has set without fanfare but I was still itching to shoot one of the most handsome structures that have recently mushroomed at the Nuvali Complex. I quickly raced down, hoping to capture it during the blue hour. The weather has been quite erratic the whole day and as I set my tripod near the hotel’s pool area, it started to drizzle.

Seda Nuvali is a four-star, 150-room hotel situated at the heart of Nuvali, an eco-city complex in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It sits right beside a man-made lagoon and is bordered by numerous trees, art installations, restaurants and shops.

The complex has been around for quite a while now, but this is actually the first time I’ve visited it.

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From a wooden bridge, I saw ten huts fronting a part of Laguna’s Lake Caliraya. The sun was baking us alive, so with brisk strides, we quickly crossed the bridge and headed for the nearest shed. This is gonna be your home for the night, a guide from Mountain Lake Resort Caliraya cheerfully told us.

Right outside the huts, I can see some obstacle courses I usually associate with military trainings.

Oh no. I totally did not sign up for this.

Some weeks back, I received an invite from Mountain Lake Resort (formerly Caliraya Spring’s Mountain Lake Resort). I asked some friends to join and was able to gather nine bloggers. From Cubao, we boarded a bus ₱150.00) bound for the town of Sta. Cruz in Laguna. Another tricycle ride later (₱250.00) and we were at the gate’s resort waiting for their van to pick us up.

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I came across the St. John the Baptist Church while searching the net for interesting places to visit in Calamba. Being right across the Rizal Shrine, I found no reason not to check it out, being obsessed by old church architecture and all.

The church is made of unpainted adobe walls with a curving pediment, two belfries tower over both its sides giving it a symmetrical appearance. The whole structure is surrounded by huge trees and gardens filled with somber concrete statues depicting scenes from the Gethsemane Garden.

“Tambay muna tayo sa bahay ni Rizal (Let’s hang out at Rizal’s pad for a while).” I never thought I’d get to have a conversation where that phrase would actually be used.

We were chowing down mouthfuls of Chicken Joys and Jolli Spaghetti one afternoon in Calamba after doing a shoot in a Coke bottling plant. I was thinking since we’re in Canlubang already, why not check out its sights? It’s been years since I last visited the Rizal Shrine, the actual home of our National Hero, and it’s also been some time before I last read up about it on the net.

The weather only worsened as we stopped at the plaza across the St. James the Apostle Parish in Paete. Raindrops peter-pattered on our van’s windows as we hesitated in shooting or waiting it out. The afternoon however was winding down and we were still hoping we’d make a sort of sunset shoot at Lake Caliraya through some miracle.

With cameras tucked under our shirt, we made a dash for Paete Church’s 12-foot high doorway.
The church is solidly made of adobe stones with egg whites for mortar. Founded in 1580, it was rebuilt after earthquakes and calamities in the years 1717, 1880 and 1937.

Paete church was constructed in the Baroque style with numerous bas reliefs, the most prominent of which is that of St. James riding a horse over the dead bodies of non-believers above the arched entrance. Its stone carvings almost remind me of old Inca ruins I’ve seen on travel shows.

Like the church’s façade, its interior is also finished with rough adobe walls. Its wooden barreled ceiling, colorful stained glass windows and faux chandeliers somehow complete its old world look.

It was almost lunchtime when the sky finally fell. We had to take shelter at the nearest food joint and ate our way through the massive downpour.  We resumed our visita iglesia as the rain abated; next on our list was Laguna’s San Pedro de Alcantara Church or Pakil Church for short.

Like most old churches, Pakil’s own has survived through fires and earthquakes through reconstruction. The structure was initially made from bamboo in 1676 and was later upgraded to a stone church a half century later.

The church houses the Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de Turumba (Our Lady of Sorrows of Turumba) which was enshrined there in 1788. The oil painting is really quite small, almost bond paper in size and depicts Mary in pain as a dagger pierces through her heart.

It was said that the image was found by fishermen from the boat of shipwrecked missionaries crossing the Laguna de Bay, the icon however was unable to be lifted by the local folks. The parish priest, notified of the incident then gathered his people to fetch the image and as they began lifting, the people started singing and dancing.

The sun’s rays were slanting down the old stone gates of the ancient burial place as we boarded down from an almost hour-long jeepney ride from Liliw Church in Laguna. The renowned Underground Cemetery of Nagcarlan closes at four in the afternoon and we arrived thirty minutes after the said hour.

The gates were still open however, and we quickly marched our way inside lest we miss our chance to visit this place. Halfway through the promenade, we met the landmark’s caretaker, people from the National Historical Commission, I think. We asked if we can roam around the place a bit before they closed for the day and they unsmilingly obliged.

I personally think that the people in charge of this place could be a bit more warm and pleasant to their visitors, a little smile wouldn’t hurt.

Aside from the flourishing shoe and sandal industry that made Laguna’s municipality of Liliw famous, hidden on another one of its many alleys is a massive brick church that would make the populcace of any town proud to have in their district, the Lilio or Liliw Church.
 
The Baroque-styled St. John the Baptist Cathedral was built during the Spanish period, 1605 to be exact. And like most of its kind, earthquakes have rattled and shook its foundation throughout the centuries. One particular quake during 1880 finally took its toll on its posts and lintels and brought it to ruin. It was reconstructed eighteen years later, but was met with yet another disaster, fire scorching a part of it.

Swimming, trekking and running around Taytay Falls did take its toll on our tummies, so noontime found us lazily chugging along the road to Liliw, Laguna. We already have one eating place in mind to restore all those lost carbs from the waterfalls of Majayjay, Café Arabela.

Located on one of the sidestreets of Liliw, this restaurant has been making waves not only on the small community of Liliw, but through the metro people as well. The resto is owned and operated by the husband and wife tandem of Bobby and Tonet Camello whose love of cooking (and eating) created the foundation of the place.

Popularly known as Majayjay Falls and lesser known as Imelda Falls, Taytay Falls as it is officially called is one of the many waterfalls located in the province of Laguna.

Located on the 4th class municipality of Majayjay, Taytay Falls is a popular destination among local folks and in recent years even people from far off places. Picnics and overnight camping are the usual activities here besides the obvious dunking in the cold water of its moderately deep catchpool.

After quite a long hiatus, my officemates and I finally hit the road again. Tired of seeing the cube farm day in and day out, we decided swimming on freezing cold waters under a waterfall isn’t such a bad idea.

Leaves were filed and restdays swapped, a few backed out but it didn’t stop new faces from joining the trip.

So come a cold Saturday dawn later, we were all queued up on HM Transport’s station in Cubao, boarding their coach to Sta. Cruz, Laguna. Their buses looked pretty good and it cost us Php150.00 for the fare. Buses leave the station starting 4am and every 30minutes afterwards.

Eating a buffet lunch with your feet dangling down on a rushing stream, sunbeams streaming down the canopy leaves and a gigantic waterfall just a few yards away from you is what usually comes to mind when one mentions the famous resort in Laguna, The Villa Escudero.  

Villa Escudero was founded during the late 1800’s by Don Placido Escudero, a Spaniard; and his Filipina wife Dona Claudia Marasigan.  Originally a coconut plantation, a resort was added later and was opened to the public in 1981.  The Escudero’s still live within the villa in a gated garden mansion.

Got nothing to do on a lazy weekend? San Pablo, Laguna’s largest body of water, the majestic Lake Sampaloc is just two rides away from the hustle and bustle of Manila.

Take a San Pablo bound bus from any of the bus stations in Cubao and ask the driver to drop you off at San Pablo Medical. From there get a tricycle to drive you to the Kapitolyo.  In a maximum of three hours, you’re there! 

Sampaloc Lake is the largest of the famed seven lakes of Laguna. Situated at the back of the San Pablo City Hall, it has since been redeveloped as a park for the local people. A paved roadway ran along its bank where joggers and bikers frequent during the mornings and afternoons. Café’s, restaurants and inns offering good food and quite respite can be found along its roadway, all with a complete view of the serene lake.

It was years ago since I first heard about a quaint little resort at the heart of San Pablo, Laguna.  I have pretty much forgotten about it until just about recently when having ran out of places to go to near the metro; I rediscovered the place called Casa San Pablo.

With our vacation leaves approved, cameras loaded, and bags packed, we headed out to Laguna first thing in the morning right after work.

Locating the place was a breeze as there was detailed instruction in the resort's website on to how to get there. We boarded a Lucena bound bus in Cubao and asked the driver to drop us off at San Pablo Medical. The ride took about three hours, which could have been cut down to two if not for some heavy works being done at the South Luzon Expressway. After boarding down, a five minute tricycle drive took us straight to the gates of the Casa.