Travel + Leisure: Your quick guide to travel in style and a slow living lifestyle.

When in pantry, I and the team always planning on where are we going, traveling up north or down south, by land, by sea or via plane. Wherein most of the time, didn’t push thru. With that, we’re just laughing out loud on our plans and tease ourselves that we’re Team Drawing. Well, just like an architect who has a plan and draw it.

However, that was not the case last week. As we started to plan to go to a place where we can have a coffee while sitting on a veranda with a relaxing ambiance. A place close to nature and yet within a budget. Then, when we went back to our table, browsing and searching for a place was our first agenda.

Seems like a plan, huh?

So, the search goes on… what to look for?

Goal:

~ To drink beer or liquor from sunset to sunrise. (In tagalog, hashtag walwalan.)

~ Have a coffee in the veranda with a relaxing view.

Requirements:

~ Swimming pool

~ With a veranda, of course!

~ Relaxing view, more of nature.

~ Cool weather

~ Within a budget, approximately Php1,000 per person.

And voila, we’re heading to Villa Filomena in Indang, Cavite.

Well, that’s our not-so-concrete-plan the day (Thursday) before the agreed day (Friday). Almost everyone shows support though and that’s already a hint that I’m off to somewhere, a spontaneous trip that connotes an adventure.

The day has come! It’s Friday.

“Bessie, travel time would be 6-8 hours going to Indang, Cavite from Makati. Plus, the traffic because we’re going to depart after-shift which is around 2-3 in the afternoon and its Friday. Plan B?”

“Ok, sure! Antipolo or Rizal? 2-3 hours away from Makati. Tagaytay? Public transportation is not a problem. Hmmm… 2-3 hours away from Makati, too. Or somewhere near so others with shift the next day can join us. Decide.”

And voila, after several calls and exchange of messages, we’re heading to Oyster Forest Life Resort in Silang, Cavite. An estimate of 5kms away from Tagaytay rotonda. Hooray!

The Resort

Oyster Forest Life Resort is hard to find! Gee… there’s no signage, the waze app and google map provides a wrong direction. That’s the struggle of driving at night. Luckily, others were already at the resort and still able to answer my calls and gave me the right direction – a big sigh of relief!

The resort has 10-12 villas with 2 bedrooms, a swimming pool, trees around, and flowering plants. However, it was not well-maintained. It’s an OK place for a barkada getaway with a goal such ours. Who needs the pool and ambiance by the way if you’re drunk, right? The important thing is that you’re having fun and enjoying your peers’ company.

We booked a Villa that’s good for 8 persons for only Php3,300. So, who are we to complain? All-in-all, the total expenses were only Php650 per person which includes accommodation, beers, liquors, and foods. By the way, the resort also has a falls which we weren’t able to see because of the trees that blocking the concrete stairs and not-so-safe trail.

Most of the guys, woke up late that’s why the sunrise and “Have a coffee in the veranda with a relaxing view.” goal wasn’t push thru. Instead, we just had a photo ops and decided to have coffee at Starbucks, Tagaytay with an stunning overlooking view of Taal Lake and Volcano.

To sum it up, it turns out well as planned. Good job, guys! Where are we heading next?