What I wished for was a quiet birthday and I got exactly that. My birthday was the 3rd week of November but by the end of October, I was still not sure where to go. At first, I was hoping to go to La Luz (where I spent a previous birthday) but when I called them, they said they were fully booked (damn my procrastination!). So I browsed through the internet and found Balai Sa San Juan instead.
Balai Sa San Juan is located just a couple of minutes away from the town proper in San Juan. Going there is an adventure in itself since you have to follow their direction to a T. Luckily for us, the resort has given us very specific directions.
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| .... turn left at the sign that says "Hangover" |
A word of warning, though, the road going there can be rough and isolated. The last few kms were unpaved and I could just imagine that if it was raining that time, we could have easily been stuck in mud.
When we arrived at the place, it was huge - about several hectares. Unfortunately, the main reception/club house was located a looong way from the parking lot and we had to walk on under a very hot sun. Thankfully, one of the resort employees helped us carry our bags.The clubhouse as well as the cottages we either on a palaisadan (fish pond) or near one.
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| clubhouse /main reception area - view from the parking lot |
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| walkway to our cottage |
After registering at the clubhouse, we walked through a sturdy walkway (we peeked underneath and it showed concrete reinforcement) to go where the cottages were located. However, going to our cottage itself can be a little bit of a balancing act since you need to go up and down stairs made out of bamboo.
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| Our cottage |
The rooms were simple and basic; 2 double side bed, aircon, bathroom and sliding doors to the deck. Most of the cottages had a deck where you can relax but we were lucky that ours were over one of the palaisdaan and had an unobstructive view. No TV, though, which is a shame. The afternoon was so hot with no breeze at all so we put the aircon on high, opened the sliding doors, turned on the wall electric fan (thank you) inside the room so that some air would drift over the deck.
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| double bed |
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| deck with a couple of chairs |
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| view from the deck |
Did I mention that the resort was quiet? I think we were one of only 2 groups visiting the resort.
Soon it was time for lunch and we walked again to the clubhouse (where all meals are served). The meals were pre-paid and included in the resort charge, like so many of the resorts in Batangas. We didn’t mind since we didn’t like cooking anyway. The food was simple but very good (healthy too, mind you) - served buffet style.
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| ready for lunch! |
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| Pininyahan na chicken |
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| fried bananas in brown sugar - just the right blend of sweetness and softness |
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| fried tilapia - wonder if they get this from their palaisdaan? |
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| chopsuey |
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| even evileeny liked it |
After lunch, we decided to go to the beach which was a couple of steps away from the clubhouse. There were several nipa huts for the use of the guests. The beach was basically deserted but we really didn’t feel like swimming. The breeze was amazing, though – almost lulled me to sleep. I was thinking it was a shame that we didn’t bring any board games to pass the time since it was too hot to swim and too early to drink ;p
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| beach view from one of the nipa huts |
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| Found a group of dikya (jellyfish) on the shore - makes you think twice about swimming |
After a quick nap at our cottage, it was dinnertime at the clubhouse.
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| soup, porkchop, grilled fish, vegetable |
Again, the food was not high end. It was simple but tasted good and we had plenty. Of course, the main event of this little out-of-town romp was the drinking.
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| tequila, chips, dips, beef jerky |
The resort had a corkage fee for every bottle (yes, including softdrinks) so we hid our illegal tequila bottle in our bag until nightfall. Unfortunately, I misjudged my friends’ ability to drink and we soon found ourselves with an empty bottle.
We wanted to order beer at the clubhouse but there was no phone. My friend, Tina wanted to go walk over there but we weren’t sure if walking up and down through narrow walkways on top of the palaisdaan would be safe. We couldn’t find a resort employee wandering around and so we just toasted to my *bleep* birthday and called it a night.
The next morning, we walked around the resort before breakfast.
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| pre-breakfast snacks. healthy, no? |
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| hot, piping, pandesal |
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| beach in the morning |
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| little stone church |
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| 'deserted' island where the church and yoga house was located |
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| funny sign |
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| no frills pool beside the clubhouse |
Soon it was time to go. Although the resort felt too quiet at times, I had a great time thanks mostly to the friends I was with. I did wished for a stress free, relaxing weekend :)
PLUS:
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- Place was affordable – accommodation was P3900 (3 pax) plus P950 per pax for the meal package (lunch, dinner, breakfast). Although I felt that P950 was a little bit high for the kind of food given but since it is eat-all-you can, I guess it's okay.
- There were no hidden charges – I hate it when resorts charges you for ‘extras’ such as use of nipa huts, parking, etc.
- The food was simple but very good (tasty). I enjoyed the home style food and eventhough we were the only other group, the food was enough for all. All meals had about 2-3 viands and includes unlimited coffee, hot tea (lipton, I think) and juice. Extra orders such as softdrinks and beers are reasonably priced (beer cost P45).
- Place was quiet. If you want relaxation, I think this would be a good place. I could just picture someone staying here to finish an article/book or even studying for a board exam. The place had a zen feeling to it.
- The staff were very accommodating and friendly. They were attentive to our needs and tried their best to help us. Bonus points for the person who helped us with our bags but did not expect us to tip him- although we did feel guilty afterwards since he lugged 4 heavy bags by himself.
- MINUS:
- · There are limited things you can do in this place. Since there is no TV, all you can do is either nap or go to the beach, which wasn't so great either. You'd have to come up with ways to entertain you and your friends.
- · The food is limited. If you don’t like the food, there is nothing you can do much about it since the place is pretty isolated from the town center. Also, you’ve paid for the food beforehand.
- · There's no phone inside the cottage. If you need to ask or request something from the resort, you have to walk all the way to the clubhouse. Not good if it’s already dark since the pathway going to the clubhouse is unpaved.
- The road going into the resort is a little rough. So be prepared for a little bit of a bumpy ride in the last few kms.
- BUDGET-METER : Not Bad. Accommodation P1300 (P3900/3), meal package P950, gas and toll P500 (P1500/3) = P2,750/person
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