Pico de Loro and a Very Special Day

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.

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. 

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.

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.  

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.

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.  

She enjoyed the sand more than the water :)

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.

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.  

Birthday dinner!

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!

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!  

No to waves!

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.

Taal Volcano- The Third Time

The third time I went to the Taal Volcano crater was when we accompanied a Thai friend, Sudthida and her mother.  She was on a short visit for a meeting and one of those in her “must-see-must do” list is the Taal Volcano crater. 

There are many individuals or businesses  offering a tour or a boat ride to the crater.  We opted for Taal Yacht Club as we have already tried them when we did our 2013 team building for around 40 persons, which they handled very well.   They are organized, easy to deal, they provide good customer service and most of all, they have fixed rates so there are no surprise charges.

We reserved a tour with Sonya, the caretaker of Taal Yacht Club who manages the bookings , the same person we talked to in 2013. You may reach TYC at +6343 7730192.  Alternatively, they have an office in Makati City which may be reached at +6328113283 or +632 8113183.

There are two options for the tour.  The first one is the  Regular Tourist Trail which leads to the crater view point or the rim of the volcano. It takes 20 minute boat ride to reach the dock in the volcano, and the entire tour will take around 3 hours. The second option is called the Secret Trail, the more difficult one leading to the lake crater itself, which was what me and I friends did way back in year 2000 or so, the first time I went there.  It takes 40 minutes to reach the dock by boat, and the entire tour will take around 5 hours. Considering that we have an elderly with us, we opted for the regular trail.

The view from the view point of the Regular Tourist trail

We paid the tour in advance (through bank deposit) and we were given a discount.  We paid Php2,400 instead of Php3,300.  The price includes 1 boat good for 5 persons, fees for the boatman and the  fee tour guide, entrance and parking fee to the yacht club, use of hut for 2 hours upon return from the tour, and shower!.  We also opted to rent horses at Php600 per horse.  Other expenses at the volcano itself is the municipal tourism tax of Php100 per person and the Php50 landing fee per boat. 

It was raining very hard when we left Manila and we were not very optimistic that the crater visit will push through.  But lo, the sun shone on us when we reached Talisay, Batangas, the jump off point for the  boat ride to the crater.   Everything was ready when we reached the Taal Yacht Club.  Our guide and the boatman were waiting for us.  

All throughout the 20 minute ride to the volcano, the water was very calm.  Upon landing at the volcano, our guide gave us a short overview of the tour before we headed for the horseback ride.  Each horse is accompanied by their caretaker, which they also refer to as guide.  I was assigned “Trisha”, a 2 year old beautiful, playful horse who stops every now and then to eat some grass- which I didn’t mind at all.  (I am however a bit disturbed that a young horse had to carry me on her back- it felt cruel that I vowed never to ride a horse again!).

We reached the rim where one can look down into the crater.  The view of the “island within a lake within an island within a lake within an island”, is beautiful as ever- and it was a good idea to opt for the trail to the view point, rather than the secret trail or the trail leading to the crater. I love the view of the green crater, superimposed in the view of the mountains and the bigger lake. At the view point, we spent a long time just marveling at the view, enjoying the cold wind, and of course, taking a lot of pictures- selfies or otherwise.

After the crater, the next stop was of course the Bag of Beans in Tagaytay, where we enjoyed a really good lunch.  We also dropped by the Puzzle Mansion, before heading home.

Our guests were very happy with the visit - it was their first time to ride a horse, and was their first time to be in a volcano.  Our guests were very amazed that they vowed to return to the Philippines to see the other places!  

Other information:

About the tour:

Bring some bottled water.At the view point, you will be offered to buy “Gatorade for your horse driv er/guide” at Php100 ($2 dollars) which is 60% more than the original price.  I handed my guide a bottled water which I brought with me, instead. 

About the horses:

According to the caretaker of the horse, there are around 200 horses in the island, and these are not owned by the residents.  The households are assigned a horse to take care of, and they are also provided with feeds and vitamins by the owner.  The horses work around 3 times a week, and for only one trip each time. (I still feel bad for the horses though!).