Mama turned 72 ! She wished for an out of town trip with her grandchildren on her birthday, she gets it!
Pico de Loro was the choice because it has a beach, it can be reached by car and it has a country club offering different activities, for guests of all ages- very ideal for family. It is not an inexpensive choice but hey, it was a very special day.
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| Our birthday girl :) |
When I googled Pico de Loro- I was a bit confused because the search returns information about Hamilo Coast and about Pico Sands. I later figured out that there are 2 options for accommodation at Pico de Lord. One is to book a unit in any of the Hamilo Coast condominiums, which are rented out by their owners via Airbnb. The other option is to book a room with Pico Sands Hotel.
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| Pico Sands Hotel lobby |
Airbnb is a cheaper than the hotel, however guests need to pay additional Php 1,200 per person, to be able to use the facilities. The rooms with Pico Sands Hotel, on the other hand, include use of facilities plus buffet breakfast. Renting with Airbnb would be good for small number of guests. However, since there was 9 of us, we found it more cost effective and convenient to book rooms with Pico Sands. I would also like to mention that each booking at Pico Sands Hotel entitles Philippine Airlines Mabuhay card holders to earn 500 miles- guests only need to present their card upon check-in.
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| By the kiddie pool! |
I did the reservation through the Pico Sands Hotel website, and 7% of the price was required to reserve the room. I booked 2 De Luxe rooms, and since it was long weekend, each room costs Php13,300 for 2 adults and 2 children, or 3 adults and 1 child. An additional Php2,200 is charged for additional adult guest, for the breakfast and amenities.
My brother, his fiancé, my mom and myself arrived at 11:30- too early for the check-in time, which is 2PM. We did check in anyway, though rooms were available only by 2 PM. We were given a wrist band each, so that we will already be able to use the facilities, including the country club.
One of the most prominent feature of Pico de Loro was the man-made lagoon, in the middle of the hotel and the condominiums. I heard that the lagoon is both of aesthetic purposes, and also it is where the waste water is treated.
We took pictures of the lagoon and then went to the pool side, which is right in front of the country club. There is a pool side restaurant, Lagoa, and we decided to have lunch. The price at Lagoa is surprisingly normal at an average of Php400- for a dish which is good for sharing. And we found the food really good! I would recommend guests to try their shrimp and squid cooked in coconut milk dish.
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| Such at Lagoa! |
After lunch, we did a round of the country club. There are a number of amenities, which will be enjoyed by everyone. On one side of Lagoa restaurant, guests will find the basketball, badminton and squash courts. There is a room for table tennis on the ground floor and a gym on the 2nd floor. On the other side of Lagoa, there are bowling lanes and billiards in one room, and videoke rooms across it. There is also a big play room for kids, There are also tables for chess and even mahjong.
At 2 PM, we went back to the front desk and our rooms were ready.
Both rooms are on the 3rd floor and facing the lagoon. A De Luxe room is around 37 square meters and has a balcony. It has the usual amenities (TV, airconditioning unit, towels, toiletries, bottled water, and coffee and tea set) plus beach towels.
Mom, brother and soon-to-be sister in law rested, while I waited for my other brother and his family. When they arrived, I went down to get their wrist bands for them, and to handed them their key. My nephew wanted to play table tennis right away, however, it was fully booked so they reserved for the next day. They opted for the beach, instead, while we chilled at the pool side, with our fruit shake.
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| By the pool side |
By 5 PM, we took the free shuttle to go to the beach. The shuttle picks up passenger from the hotel, and from the condominiums. When we get to the beach, we were happy to see my niece and nephew enjoying the sea, and the sand! We waited for the sunset at the beach side,. Unfortunately, the sun set behind the mountains today…so, no beach sunset shots for me.
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| She enjoyed the sand more than the water :) |
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| Beach! |
By 6 PM, we took the shuttle back to the hotel, only to find out that it is actually very close to the hotel, and we could just have walked. We freshened up and prepared for dinner.
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| The not-the-birthday girl ready for dinner. |
We had dinner at Lagoa restaurant and our birthday dinner consist of crispy pata, sinigang na baboy, kare kare, the shrimp and squid in coconut milk (again), ribs, and Jalin Jin , a Korean dish. And yes, all were good! We did enjoy the food, and the after dinner chatter.
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| Birthday dinner! |
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| The three victors: Victoria, Victor and Victor Miguel |
We woke up the next day to very strong rain the next day.
We started the second day with buffet breakfast, at the restaurant downstairs. Breakfast can be taken at Lagoa. For breakfast, there’s the bread station for the toasts and bread, cheese, butter and jam. Then there is the fruits and salad station, as well as the cereal station. There is also the main course station. During our visit, there was adobo, sausage, and bacon, among others. Outside is the egg and pancake station. Overall, breakfast is ok but not exceptional. I did love the cheese though!
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| Breakfast in pj's |
After breakfast, we went to the country club to play table tennis. I was surprised to find that my nephew is now very good with it! When the weather improved and after table tennis, we went for a quick swim at the beach. Because weather was not good, the waves were pretty big, and strong - so we gave up after 5 minutes in the water!
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| No to waves! |
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| Blue, green and pink- and mostly gray. |
We had a quick walk by the lagoon, before heading back to our room to take a shower. Then we packed our stuff for the 11AM check-out.
Overall, I am happy with the Pico de Loro experience-despite the weather, and the beach. I’m glad that mom’s wish was granted and she had a weekend get-away with her grandchildren.
