The Roaring Rapids of Pagsanjan.

In recent years, Pagsanjan has become the leading travel destination spots in the Philippines. About 700 tourists from all corners of the world visit Pagsanjan daily (reaches 1,000 on summers). The tourists are ferried to the enthralling Pagsanjan falls in native bancas paddled by expert boatmen. They all experience a exciting memory of adventure, seldom surpassed in their lifetime. It is on this return that one has to shoot the rapids … an unforgetable thrill of a lifetime.

Before reaching the gorgeous Pagsanjan falls, one may behold many mini-falls, especially during rainy days. The first of this mini-falls is the “Talahib falls”. Farther are the “Kaluykuy” falls and the misty “Bridal Veil falls”. The other mini-falls, numbering more than nineteen during rainy months, have no names. Pagsanjan Falls Lodge and Summer Resort is a major launching point for boat rides to the great falls…beginning where most other journeys end. The first resort built in this Laguna town of folk rites and sweet lanzones; it offers first class amenities in rustic surroundings.

Where is It?

About 102 kilometers southeast of Manila, the tranquility of Pagsanjan town is bounded by the Municipality of Lumban in the north, the Municipality of Cavinti in the south, the Grand Canyon of the province of Laguna in the east, and the municipalities of Sta. Cruz and Magdalena in the west.

Come across The Farm at San Benito!

Serving people claim what is rightfully theirs is exactly what The Farm at San Benito is set up to do. We have assembled a team of experts in various healing modalities, from medical doctors, massage and bodywork therapists, living food chefs, fitness consultants, colonic therapists, meditation teachers, organic gardeners, visiting experts in a variety of holistic fields, and other specialized practitioners to help you on your healing journey.

No matter where you are on your path, whether the picture of health or experiencing any sort of health challenge, we at The Farm are here to help you maintain or regain the perfect health you desire.

Our staff of experts is able to assist each individual by concentrating on the whole person: body, mind, and spirit, in order to identify the cause of any particular disease. The actual “work” is done through the introduction of an optimum health-supporting diet, physical detoxification programs, mental detoxification, and reconnecting with one’s higher consciousness in order to release negative emotions and childhood conditioning.

Where is The Farm at San Benito?

The Farm is located on the outer edge of Lipa City, Batangas. To get to Lipa from Manila:

Take the South Luzon Expressway south-bound and exit at the Lucena/Batangas City ramp. Follow the National Highway west-bound. Shortly after you pass the First Philippine Industrial Park you will reach the entrance of the STAR Tollway. Turn right to hop on the tollway for a quick ride south all the way to the end Tambo exit. •From the toll booth turn right towards Lipa City proper. At this stage you will already start seeing signs pointing you in the right direction towards The Farm at San Benito.

The Chocolate Hills.

Nearby to the little village of Loboc on Bohol there are the Chocolate Hills. It is about 25 kilometers away, so for the sporty people it is possible to do this on a mountain bike. The Chocolate Hills are a strange phenomenon. There are about 1270 of these hills, which are almost of the same height, overgrown with grass. At the end of the dry season the grass turns brown, so they look like chocolate hills. A cruise along Loboc River will take passengers upstream passing by large vegetations of palm trees, coconuts and other tropical flora. Another show up is the visit of smallest monkeys on earth known as “Tarsiers”. Sure enough, the Chocolate Hills are everything they are made up to be: beautiful, eerie, and nicest when the sun comes up.

Where is It?

If you come via Manila, you’ll probably want to take a connecting flight to Tagbilaran, which takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. It is also possible to take a boat to Bohol, but will take 25 hours, and is only advisable if you have plenty of time and enjoy a trip on sea. If you come from Manila, you can also go to Cebu by air, and then continue by boat. There are numerous daily flights from Manila to Cebu. The flying time is about 50 minutes. The transfer by taxi from the airport to the pier takes about 30 minutes in normal traffic conditions. The following airlines fly on the from Manila to Cebu: PAL, Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, Asian Spirit, Astro Air, and Grand Air.

The Dos Palmas Beach in Palawan.

Dos Palmas, an upscale beach resort in the Puerto Princessa area of Palawan. It’s far enough away to give you the peace and quiet you need to refresh your spirit without any distractions. But it’s well-located, so that you can have your pick of activities. Rich diving spots, abundant with Palawan’s famed marine life, and well-trained staff of activity coordinators will assist those in pursuit of an adventure-filled, active vacation. A Marine Sports Center near the main beach offers a wide array of marine sports equipment for diving, snorkeling, and other water sports. You can go to sleep to the soft whisper of the waves in one of our romantic Bay Cottages, built offshore and over the water. Explore the beautiful coral gardens of Honda Bay and swim with colorful schools of fish at Helen’s Garden.

The ride to Dos Palmas…

Dos Palmas, sun-bathed and sea-sprayed on Arreceffi Island on Honda Bay, is barely an hour’s boat ride from the Santa Lourdes Wharf in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Guimaras Province of the Western Visayas region.

Guimaras Island is the youngest and smallest of the six component provinces of the Western Visayas Region .The province is composed of five municipalities, namely: Jordan, the provincial capital; Buenavista; Nueva Valencia; and the newly created Sibunag and San Lorenzo. Guimaras occupies about 3% of the region’s total land area. It has 8000 hectares of mango where some 50,000 of these trees are planted. It has also been proclaimed as the “island to watch” due to unspoiled natural beauty as for its potential. Guimaras’ largest event of the year is the Mango Festival. The variety of mangoes produced are also best for making dried mangoes. The people of Guimaras is considered as Ilonggo and their language is Hiligaynon as it was once a sub-provice of Iloilo. Hiligaynon is the major language spoken although the people can understand and speak Tagalog and English.

Fastest route.

The fastest route to the province is by means of a pump boat which is about 10-15 minutes ride from Iloilo City.

The Hundred Islands in Pangasinan.

This National Park covers a land area of 1,884 hectares with 124 islets (during low tide and 123 on high tide). However, only three (3) islands have been developed for tourists namely: Governor, Quezon, and Children’s Island. Of the three (3) Islands, only the Governor’s Island keeps a Guesthouse which is ideal for family use. The bahay kubos at Children’s Island are for budget travellers as it consists only of screened bedrooms with kerosene lighting and one (1) drum of fresh water and linens. Quezon Island is for picnickers and campers. Hundred Islands was established as a park on Jan. 18, 1940 under Proclamation No. 667 issued by the late President Manuel L. Quezon making it the first national park, and in whose honor the biggest of the islands was named. The islands are mainly composed of coralline limestone, characterized by a wide reef flat. A highly diverse ecosystem supports a variety of marine and terrestrial floral and fauna and wildlife resources while various marine resources such as sea grasses, corals and numerous fish species abound in the waters.

How far is it?

The Hundred Islands National Park in Brgy. Lucap, Alaminos City, Pangasinan is 250 kms. from Manila.

Cebu City’s Waterfront Hotel.

Perfection at its peak! The Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, a five star hotel, the largest hotel and convention and exhibition centre in Cebu. The enormous foyer of the hotel is dominated by a spellbinding ceiling mural- a 50m-by-30m recreation of explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s world map, so high and so detailed that youd need Ferdinands telescope to read properly. The Hotel consists of 562 guestrooms. All our rooms are fully carpeted; central air-conditioned, equipped with IDD phones, cable TV, minibar safety deposit box, shower and bath, and has an unobstructed view of the city or the mountains.

Itinerary.

The Waterfront Hotel is a 30-minute drive from Mactan airport. The hotel is easy access within 5 minutes to financial district, shopping malls, and golf course and within easy reach from the sandy white beaches.

A quick visit to Vigan in Ilocos Sur.

Vigan is located 408 kilometers north of Manila on the National Highway on the western side of the main Philippines and includes area of the China Sea as a buffer zone on the western side of the town. Local and foreign authorities describe Vigan as a “place like no other”. Its uniqueness lies in its historic townscape which is an architectural blend of Asian, European and Latin American influences. Vigan brings images of antiquated houses, cobbled narrow streets, calesas and friendly faces peering out of large windows; a place where “time stood still”. Yet, despite all the romantic images this place provokes, much is still unfamiliar about Vigan.

The name came from the Ilocano word “kabiga-an” pertaining to the plant “biga” abounds. Biga is a tuberous plant (alocadia indica) that once grew along the banks of its rivers. Today, Vigan was recently included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List and soon to become a city. In partnership with the government of Spain, the Vigan Master Plan is in the process for the revitalization of the historic Vigan.

About Pearl Farm in Davao.

A great Destination for Island Hopping.

Situated on the quiet side of Samal Island off Davao City in Southern Philippines. Located by the hillside cliff covered with lush vegetation, a beautiful area transformed into a world class resort fringed by white sand beaches. This 11-hectare spread was once a pearl farm, where thousands of white-lipped oysters, transported from the Sulu Sea, were cultivated for their pink, white and gold pearls. Today, the resort beckons with the promise of a relaxing private retreat, under the care of our friendly, charming staff.

Samal Houses Abound

Air-conditioned rooms are housed in 19 Samal Houses and six Samal Suites. There are 15 hotel-type rooms at the hiltoop Balay 1 and Balay 2. Each room was individually designed, and decorated with fine samples of the arts and crafts of the tribal peoples of Mindanao. Rooms are built to fit around the island’s contours and all of them provide a panoramic view of the sea.

Services and Amenities

Maranao Pavilion: Guests can savor fresh seafood from surrounding waters, as well as exotic fruits such as durian, santol, papaya, green mandarin, mangosteen and mangoes from the plantations of Davao.

Recreation: Jetskiing, hobie cat sailing, scuba diving; an exciting variety of activity awaits the water sports enthusiast. For drier pursuits, there are two tennis courts set amidst lush tropical flora.

The famous Dakak in Dipolog

Dakak Park Beach Resort is located near the provinces of Cebu and Dumaguete. It is situated exactly in Barangay Taguilon, City of Dapitan, 15 minutes away from our national hero Jose Rizal’s place in exile. The resort boasts of 15 hectares of wooded land, a natural reservoir for native plants and animals’, providing the ideal setting for a 750-meter private beach blanketed with powdery white sand and its hottest attraction is fast becoming a popular dive spot.

Travel aide to Dakak.

Philippine Airlines flies five times a week to Dipolog City from Manila while other connections from the provinces may be made via Cebu’s Mactan International Airport. Asian Spirit also offers a daily connecting flight to Dipolog from Cebu. Flights from Manila take 65 minutes while from Cebu it take a mere 45 minutes.

Superferry makes two trips from Manila to Dipolog a week. This normally takes 2 days travel Supercat is waterjet travel made available from either Cebu or Dumaguete to Dipolog. Trip from Cebu takes 5 hours and the trip from Dumaguete two hours.