Archive for April, 2009
Loreland Farm Resort, Antipolo Rizal
I was in Loreland Farm Resort last weekend, my first time to the place, for another company summer activity. The place is beautiful, it has quite a number of swimming pools in different depth and sizes, and different temperatures as well. It has lots of cottages and rooms to rest to, including the tables and huts all over the place. It also has sports facilities, spa services and adventure trek, that you may enjoy if swimming doesn’t complete your day. Loreland Farm Resort is surrounded by trees, which keep the place green and looking fresh.
Now I’m gonna share you my view of the place as I experienced.
Some Pictures
The Place
Loreland Farm Resort is located in upper Antipolo, few kilometers east of Manila. Antipolo is comprised by the province of Rizal. I never knew a lot about Antipolo back in the days, I only heard about it from a folk song. “Tayo na sa Antipolo, at doo’y maligo tayo. Kung sakaling kami’y perwisyo, pasensya na kayo’t kami’y namamasko”. That’s all it.
Anyway, going to the place took us about 45 minutes from Makati City. I recommend traveling in the morning when the street is not yet busy, and besides, the trees also glow greener when the sun is low. I’m sorry that I could never tell you how to get to the place because I was also lost. I’m totally not familiar of the path we took. But let me direct you to someone you need to know if there’s a place you got to go. It’s Mr. Map.
The Resort
Loreland Farm Resort is a beautiful place to be during summer or anytime you feel like swimming. It is open to the public so expect that the place is gonna be crowded. Perhaps, it’s because the place is good.
There are a lot of swimming pools all over from kiddie size, medium, deep, hot and cold, to anything you want except you’re looking for an olympic-sized pool. It also has sports facilities like basketball court, billiards, volleyball and of course, what I was there for, swimming.
There’s also a mini adventure trek down the resort, which I think could be very dangerous to anyone who’s not careful. The trek only has very low fence, like below the knee, and around it is a very deep ravine. I still managed to walk on the fence around the trek since I know where would I be if I fall… I’d be rolling down below and then straight to Medical City. Yeah, that’s how close Ortigas is from the top.
Along the trek are some religious images of Jesus Christ, Mary and more. I bet you don’t know who ‘more’ is. The end of the trek brings you back by the entrance. Are you tired of my messed-up write up yet? Ok. Upon finishing the trek is a Spa. I think there is. You may now relax, have a massage, take a nap while having a massage, then after that you’re suddenly wide awake because you have to pay for the service.
Now my views…
Loreland Farm Resort is a nice summer getaway. You don’t have to go very far from Manila, but experience the same hot summer. But of course it’s still different from being at the beach. I was satisfied by the facilities, except that the basketball court was converted to a parking lot. If only I had a chance to visit the Spa, I would be even more satisfied.
Well, I would still say it’s far from perfection. Maybe it’s because of too much crowd that goes to the place. This is a good sign, but people are all over the place. Yes, there are a lot of swimming pools but I swear it’s not enough for the number of people that were there. I wasn’t able to swim a lot because there’s no space. Rather I call it ‘standing’ pool, shall I?
The important thing is I find another option to go to when I feel like having a small vacation. I’d like to go back there someday, but maybe not during summer. Maybe some time when all the people don’t feel like swimming.
Final words, if you like having fun and adventure, Loreland would be perfect. But if you’re looking for some peaceful moment, then I can’t guarantee you’ll get it there. Or maybe come at night.
Happy 4th Anniversary to us
Four years ago today, we shared our vows under God, promised to love each other forever, and even death shall never take us apart.
Today we spend our special day at home, sharing the moment with our two daughters, in front of the TV with microphones on our hands, trying to beat each other’s videoke score. We usually celebrate outside, but we chose to be here instead. Car is broken as well as my pocket. 
But seriously, it’s best done at home.
We had special macaroni soup with very nutritious chicken liver. Which is one of my favorite by the way. We also opened two bottles of Pop Cola and we’re good.
But I sense something more is happening tonight. I caught my wife inquiring on some summer vacation websites in Batangas and Tagaytay, and I first thought we’re just gonna have a family vacation in the coming days. But then I caught her again looking for wedding packages. I don’t think she’s someone’s wedding planner now. I sense a proposal coming tonight.
So what should I tell her when she ask me to marry her? I’m not ready yet. My parents are strict. OMG.
Just kidding. I think I will have to setup some sound system tonight to play our love song. And I will ask her to dance with me, like we always do before. I kinda miss it. But wait, shall I get a bottle of wine or the left over Pop cola will do?
Shall we get back to my wedding story a little bit? The day we got married, is the happiest day for both us. One reason is not enough to explain it so I’ll perhaps not mention any. Because if I get started, it will be forever. However, though it’s the happiest, it’s really not how we planned it. We did not have our friends on our wedding day, we did not have the whole day celebrating the moment, many things were missing. A wedding that every little girl dreams is also what we wanted. If only we had the time to prepare. But the best thing is, it’s our day and we had no single regret about it.
Four years but the love is still fresh. Really. Like I always say, I miss her everyday.
To my wife, Leah, happy anniversary. I love you for always and it will never change.
Leo’s Leisure Park, Bacolor Pampanga
One of the most heard summer spots in Pampanga is the Leo’s Leisure Park and I was able to have my first landing on the place last weekend with my teammates for our summer team building activity. It was also my first time to set my feet on Pampanga’s ground. Or maybe technically not because I’ve been to Shell Complex in NLEX a couple of times, but you know what I mean right? The place is approximately 15 mins travel from SM San Fernando.
What we found at Leo’s Park
Upon entering the place, the mini golf course welcomed us. There are also lambs and horses by the entrance. Apart from the golf course there also were obstacle courses perfect for little adventures or sports fest. At the far end of the farm is a zoo, but I cannot tell you what animals they have there. But I heard some birds tweeting, and ostriches shouting. There were also ducks by the lagoon. In the lagoon, you can do fishing, boating and rafting. I would not advise swimming though. Surrounding the lagoon are different kinds of trees and bamboos. There’s also a tree house at the lagoon side.
They also have 2 swimming pools. One of the pools is a regular pool, with a depth of 4 ft, and area of approximately 80 – 100 sq m. It has a mini falls on the other end, elephant statues at one corner, and a hut at the center where you can rest if you are tired of the suns heat.
The other pool is supposed to be the ‘Batis Pool’, which I assume should have continuous flowing spring water. However, it’s not setup when we get there.
Leo’s Leisure Park also has rooms you can rent. They also have villas at the far end but I missed to check. Apart from rooms, they also have open function rooms where you can spend time for some videoke moments. If you plan to make some barbecues, they have grills available.
How to get there
Warning: I’m not familiar with road names so I’m just going to provide the exact location for now until I have the directions.
Leo’s Leisure Park
Km 79 McArthur Highway, Calibutbut, Bacolor, Pampanga
In My Opinion
The experience I had of the place is far from what I expected. I think the management missed to properly maintain the place.
- First, the ‘Batis Pool’ is not a pool anymore. It is now populated with frogs and tadpoles.
- Second, the swimming pool is not clean. There are stuck mud on the floor. In all pools I have been to, I can open my eyes under water. In this pool, I can but I feel sands when I blink.
- Third, the water in the bathroom is too weak. And if somebody turns on another faucet, the water in the bathroom becomes just like falling teardrops.
- Fourth, they should fix every single cottage in the place.
- Fifth, the place is promising but lacks proper maintenance. I’ve said that. They should work on beautifying the place because the wonder it once have is now gone. They should work on bringing it back. Put every pieces back together, please.
- Sixth, they should have their own videoke machines that every visitor can use. What happens currently is they rent machines on third party for visitors, and then visitors own the machine ‘privately’ for a period of time they are there. Other visitors who want to sing could not use the machine and can’t do anything but listen. In short, I want to sing too.
- Seventh, staff/personnel are accommodating. They are the best assets they have there. Hats off to them. At least they should have proper maintenance of those assets.
DISCLAIMER: All opinions above are solely based on the experience I had when I was there.
( photos)
1 January 1970
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Note: To see the pictures in the original Picasa album, click here
Photos will be uploaded soon are now posted and this article ends here. But if you want to continue, go on.
Team Experience
I’m afraid I will run out of words if I try to describe it. But let me try. Wonderful, fun, amazing, I got new found friends, perfect, what else?
I mean, forget Leo’s Park. Forget the place. I have the team around and that’s enough. Wait, erase that. I have the team around, but it’s not complete. Two of my teammates were missing. One wasn’t able to come because she’s not in good condition. The fact that she’s one of the most excited for the event, she is now the most deprived and frustrated 
. Well, health is a non-negotiable factor and it’s still best that she chose to rest herself and feel better.
But how about this? Another teammate who specifically volunteered himself to organize the event, helped us get to the place, and then left us right after for a personal side trip that caused us missed most of the activities listed on the itinerary. How about that? Well, nevermind the activities, what we really missed was the fun he should have brought us if he was only there. In short, we missed him. Forget all this drama. He came back actually 
.
Despite the absence of the event organizer, the team still managed to enjoy the time and place together. We had several activities not on the itinerary and then realized that it’s our new itinerary. We had boat race, mini swimming relay and rafting adventure. However, we still cannot proceed with our group presentations because of the missing man.
While having dinner, like I said, the missing man came and proceed with the presentations right after dinner. Actually, he’s my partner and we started to delight the eyes of our spectators with our magic card show. That’s another first experience for me – To perform as a magician.
After the presentation, we had a session like open forum/recollection/retreat we all did back in college. Something like that, but all are work/profession related. Not!
Of course there’s someone who shared his personal life to the group, what runs through his family, etc. His story was long, but it all goes down to his main agenda. Finding the right ‘ninang’ for the wedding. And that man is actually the happiest man at that moment, when morning came, and when we got off the place. I’m sure he’s happy until now.
All in all, it’s one of the most fun and successful team buildings I have been. And I can’t wait to have another one with them.
Hassle Free Trip Tips to Batangas
I posted an option on going to Anilao Batangas before, and I want to share some tips from a fellow Batangenyo blogger Macuha.com, on how to make that option hassle free. He pointed few tips from time of travel to gas prices that are really worth checking out.
Few tips to add:
- Take Tagaytay route
- Perform Car inspections
- Drive safe