Villa Escudero

Among the many perks of my Commed rotation are free weekends. So one Sunday, I went to Villa Escudero with the family, yay! It was a rainy weekend, though, but a weekend is still a weekend.

Experience the allure of Philippine country life at Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort.

A self-contained working coconut plantation, It was founded in the 1880s by Don Placido Escudero and his wife Dona Claudia Marasigan. Originally planted to sugarcane, the crop was converted to coconut by their son Don Arsenio Escudero in the early 1900s. A pioneering agro-industrialist, he built the country's first working hydroelectric plant to supply his dessicated coconut factory and Villa Escudero, where he and his wife Dona Rosario Adap built in 1929.

Their children opened the estate to the public in 1981. From its humble beginnings, the resort has become a prime tourist destination for locals, overseas Filipinos and a wide array of foreign visitors to the country. It has a worldwide reputation as a showcase for the Philippines' rich cultural heritage, offering a beguiling glimpse of its history, cuisine, dress, customs and natural beauty a mere two hours away from Manila.

[Excerpts from their website.]

Hacienda Escudero is confusingly located in the boundaries of San Pablo, Laguna & Tiaong, Quezon

Go coco loco!

The reception area

The Museum, which houses the Escudero's collections.
Too bad we weren't allowed to take photos.

Touring you around the hacienda via this carabao ride...

The Escudero's residence

Waterfalls Restaurant where you could actually enjoy lunch and be one with the waterfalls;
No thanks to the bad weather, lunch was served as the restaurant.

Buffet lunch was truly Pinoy.

Lake Labasin

Bamboo rafting at the lake

For longer stays, they have rooms for accommodation.

A very lazy outfit: Tshirt by Bershka; jogging pants and bag by Nike; Havaianas

Souvenirs!