TBK Travels - The Philippines, part six- Staying at Villa Escudero

Another group of tourists arrive

Back in 2013 Kuya Vin and I spent a very relaxing 3 days at Villa Escudero and I really would recommend this resort and working plantation as well worth a visit if you have not been. It’s a 6-hour drive south of Manila so I suggest you stay overnight although you can go on a day trip and many coaches arrive daily , especially at the weekend.

I have covered our arrival and departure in a separate blog so here I will focus on what there is to do once you get there. It is just like stepping back in time!

I learnt a new Tagalog word as soon as I arrived to add to my long list of animals I had met on previous visits. To Pusa, Asoo, Ghekho, Palaka, Bull Bull( opps no that’s the Bahraini name for a bird that means something completely different in Tagalog) I added Caribou ( the name of a coffee shop in Bahrain)  . It is like an Ox and they are used for a lot of the farm work as well as pulling the cart loads of arriving and departing tourists around the plantation. When they are not working they enjoy sitting in the water in the shade! Typical Phillipino!

On the carts the Caribou have a name plate hanging above their tail and the one that delivered us to our room was called “Sexy”! Maybe I need to get my eyes tested because I could not see anything remotely sexy about a Caribou's backside!

We arrived in time for lunch which was served in the restaurant at the foot of the Damn with cold water running over your feet as we ate. The waiting staff were very helpful and provided serviettes and beer (in those days I drank alcohol) and ensured we had plenty to eat. The food was,  of course, traditionally Filipino and, being a working Banana plantation, served on Banana leaves! For the Phillipino's they had hung shades over the restaurant so they did not get too much sun and look like they had come from the Provinces or Mindanao. However the tourists and kids enjoyed sunbathing, paddling and splashing in the water from the damn and, of course, indulging in the Pinoy national pastime of taking selfies.

Kuya Vin's lunch - day one

For my technically minded and environmentally friendly readers ( like Kuya Dino)  the Hydro electric plant , powered by the dam, was one of the first to be built in the Philippines and supplies the resort with electricity. After a very enjoyable lunch in the sun we headed to the cultural show which is performed every Sunday by the staff and families that live and work at the Villa. It consists of singing and dancing, and a little theatre, illustrating the many influences on the Philippines over the years. It was amazing to see the Spanish dancing compared to the more traditional and highly dangerous bamboo dances where the kids jump in and out of the beating bamboo canes with incredible agility, timing and speed.

Being Filipino they are always smiling and laughing too. We later found out that the brightly colored costumes indicated which area of the resort they worked in. Yes everyone performing works at Villa Escudero! We also learnt that the original “theatre” burnt down some years previously to be replaced by the current more modern one. In fact, while researching these blogs, I found out that since we left in 2013 they have replaced all the swimming pools at the resort. It is good to see a tourist destination that keeps reinventing itself and adding new facilities. This is in sharp contrast to the Ayala group who tripled the room rates at El Nido Cove over 5 years and did no maintenance on the decaying facilities. When the pump on the pool went, before they finally closed the resort, they just said the pool was closed for Maintenance ( a lie) and did not tell customers in advance there was no pool available or reduce the room rates.

As well as the dancing we listened to the beautiful singing and guitars of the strolling players who accompany you in the cart on the way in and out each day and paly music at each bedrooms each night. They showed us how to weave the banana leaves into various gifts and everyone received one to take away as a lasting souvenir of their visit to the Banana plantation. As if that wasn’t enough there was a chicken ( manok) flight, and dancing with lit candles on their heads! After the fantastic show we decided to treat ourselves to my favourite Pinoy summer dessert, Halo Halo!

 

As we ate we watched the kids rafting on the lake past our villa, swimming, running around, and generally having a lot of fun. Eventually, exhausted, we returned to our room to lie in the sun. Sadly I was not light enough to swing on the hammock (max 200 lbs.) so I left that to Kuya Vin and went to sleep on the outside bed! We woke to the sound of music as the strolling players bought us water and fruit and when I pointed to Vin’s Birthday cake, which we bought from Manila, they started playing Happy Birthday to him in Tagalog!

 

After dinner we went to sleep but of course I awoke in the early hours and sat outside watching the sun rise over the lake. Then we walked up to breakfast and had a swim before the day trippers arrived. However we had to hide under the bridge when it started raining! After the rain stopped we went on a site tour and took lots of photos.

I know John Jaworski would have loved the pink museum so I bought him a pink fridge magnet! Later it was time to check out, check back in, and head to the restaurant by the dam for our second lunch in the water. 

If you have ever watched the excellent movie “Groundhog day” you will know how we felt as day turned into night and we did the same things all over again!( see how I worked in one of the few movies I have seen there Phil!)

Sunrise over the lake- taken from our room in the early hours

On the second day we ditched our Caribou "Sexy" and upgraded to an electronic golf cart for an official guided tour of the whole site, including the staff village. Here we saw the working Caribou on the plantation and were able to identify the various staff members going about their duties from their brightly coloured uniforms. We even recognised a few from the cultural show at the weekend. Exhausted by our exploring we returned to the villa for another nap and then back to the main hall for another halo halo!

Our tour of the resort in an electronic golf buggy

Later on, refreshed by our sleep we headed off for another walk to take some amusing photos. The funniest was when I pretended I was getting married in their huge wedding hall! The final morning we had a special Pinoy and English breakfast as we were the only guests! Vin did a great job tidying up the room and packing, and we had another wander around before it was time to head back to Manila with our driver.

Here comes the bride

When we checked out the front of House Manager asked if we had enjoyed our stay and Vin said he just missed not being able to charge his electrical devices, watch TV and use the internet. She pointed out they had a new café with Wi-Fi. I cannot believe I forgot to tell you about that Kuya Vin !!

This photo is still on my wall  nearly 10 years after our visit

My special thanks to our driver, the Escudero family for their amazing hospitality and the amazing staff at Villa Escudero. 

I hope one day I will return to recharge my batteries.

Until then , this is the British Kubayan signing out from a very Filipino venue.

Ingat po, Kita kits xxx

Maybe I could get a job as a Caribou when I retire?