Viaje del Sol | Around and About - Day 1

3^rd stop: Kubli Springs

Still full from the delicious meal at Kinabuhayan Café, we went straight to the nearby Kubli Springs for some nature tripping. One of Jay’s assistants was kind enough to lead the way and he also served as a tour guide. A few minutes into travelling from the restaurant, we were already out of the concrete roads and heading deep into the woods. From the distance, we could already hear the sound of the flowing water in the spring.  

You can’t really expect to see much from here. I mean, the point is being one with nature, right? Or something like that. Anyway, the spring was clean and well kept. Our guide said its okay to take a dip but we opted not to. We wanted to, especially with the hot weather that day, but there were no changing rooms and we weren’t exactly prepared. So we just took a stroll around the spring and enjoyed the feel of cold water on our feet.

After lots of photo ops, we decided to say goodbye to the lovely Kubli Spring and move on to our next destination.

4^th stop: Carlito’s Workshop

Now this is a sad part of our trip. It took a while before we reached Carlito’s Workshop. We had to go back and forth the highway a few times and there weren’t many people to ask around for directions. Unfortunately, no one was opening the gate when we finally arrived. I called Carlito’s phone a few times but didn’t get an answer. I think we waited for a good 30 minutes before we decided to leave. And just a few minutes after we left, Carlito was texting me and asking us to come back. But we just weren’t feeling it anymore.

It’s just too bad. I was really looking forward to this part of our trip where we get to see his works. Bronze sculptures, ain’t that cool? And you get to meet the man who made it. I also read somewhere that he serves good coffee and snacks, it would’ve been the perfect timing. Oh well, I just thought at least I had somewhere to go to when I come back to San Pablo.

We went back to Casa San Pablo to get some rest and prepare for dinner.

5^th stop: Sulyap Gallery Café and Restaurant

You get more when you expect less! That’s how we felt when we went to Sulyap Café. I think we kind of agreed that this was one of the highlights of our trip. Just goes to show how a simply awesome meal can make an entire trip worthwhile.

It’s a few corners away from Casa San Pablo which is very convenient. I’d recommend this to anyone who’s staying in Casa San Pablo. In fact, I'd recommend this to anyone who visits San Pablo City, period. It’s small restaurant within a compound. Also inside this compound is a museum but it was already closed when we were there. So maybe if you have lunch here then you could also museum.

So anyway, just like I said, we didn’t really expect much coming in the restaurant. We just went there to have a proper meal and get on with the night. But as it turns out, the place was really lovely and the food was really great! There were lots of antique displays and paintings which is quite common in this province. Probably part of the owner’s collection or something. It’s like their thing. Plus, it adds to the Spanish feel of the restaurant. Very classy and romantic. The menu consists of regular Filipino dishes. I don’t know if we’re just lucky but everything we ordered was just delicious. Highly recommended restaurant!

After an awesome dinner, we went back to Casa San Pablo with happy tummys. We considered going out into the town for some drinks, but we decided to just stay in and order a couple of beers to end the night. The restaurant in Casa San Pablo closes early but the staff were kind enough to let us order as much beer as we can, and stay out till we’re done, even after they've closed up. I just love the friendly people of San Pablo City.

Coming up next is all about the 2^nd day of our Viaje del Sol trip. Till then!

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Viaje del Sol | Jay Herrera and Kinabuhayan Cafe

2^nd Stop: Kinabuhayan Café

One of the things I was really excited about our trip is the lunch at Kinabuhayan Cafe. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Jay Herrera’s Restaurant. It was even featured in Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, or so I’ve heard. As mentioned in my previous post, it’s a requirement to make reservations and pay for downpayment prior to coming here. I think it’s because Jay has to buy ingredients and prepare the dishes especially for the customers that are scheduled to come in. I don’t think he cooks meals for walk-in guests.

From Casa San Pablo in San Pablo, Laguna, we went back on the road headed towards the famous Kinabuhayan Café in Dolores, Quezon.  Travel time took about 30 minutes (as far as I can remember). We got a bit lost along the way, but just a tiny bit. On Jay’sFacebook page, he gave instructions on how to get to his place. And one tip you should really follow is that if you get lost, and you probably will, you should just ask for Jay Herrera and everyone will know where to lead you.

It’s easy to spot the restaurant when we arrived in the right alley. His cottage is huge and it stands out among the concrete structures around.  When we arrived at his door, Jay greeted us and immediately starts making conversation. He’s a great host, really kind and friendly.  He asked us to wait while he prepares our lunch. I didn’t mind waiting because it gave us time to explore his place.

The main cottage is where I think he lives. We went up the cottage and I was quite surprised to see that it’s completely furnished and modern. He even had a bath tub fit in the bathroom. He’s old radio stuff was still there. As it turns out, he was some sort of radio jock back in the days but he had to quit for some reason I don’t remember.

There are a couple of two story cottages in his garden for overnight guests. There’s a sitting room/dining room on the lower floor and beds on the upper floor. He has landscapes set up there too. There are other interesting artifacts around the corners of his property. It’s a common trait among all the places we visited in this province.

When Jay finally served our food, my first reaction was, “Ooh that’s pretty!” and the next thing was, “Is that edible?” But Jay immediately explained that everything on the plate was indeed edible. I forgot exactly what he called it, but it was Condon Bleu-ish, on top of a Risotto-ish dish served with fresh garden salad (as in, freshly picked from his garden). I was a bit skeptical but I did eventually eat a few flowers and leaves (or was it grass?). I just considered it part of the food adventure!

But the food adventure didn’t stop there! He also served dessert with more plants. I’ll describe it as I remember it – fresh melon on top of caramelized sweet potato with cream and a few more stuff from his garden. It was good actually. All the ingredients in the desert are a perfect combination of sweetness from the fruit and sourness of the berries.

All in all, it was a great food trip. The food was plenty for me but others cleaned their plate. The food tasted good what with all the plants included. To be honest, for Php750 per person, I think it’s a bit overpriced. They could’ve at least served drinks. I also thought we’d be eating at Kubli Springs which would’ve been awesome. I imagined it would be in his backyard or something because they’re almost always associated together. But we didn’t visit Kubli Springs until later that afternoon. But I'm still very thankful to Jay for being such a kind host to us. Even though my expectations were not met, I still had a wonderful time. 

The rest of our first day on our next post.  

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Viaje Del Sol | Casa San Pablo

Alright, I know it took me soooo long to write the next installment of our Viaje Del Sol trip. I've just been busy with... well, a lot of things. Anyway! I have every intention of catching up to all my adventures since my last post, so here we go!

1st stop: Casa San Pablo

Welcome to Casa San Pablo!

We left Manila around 9am and arrived at our first destination by 10:30am. The place is fairly easy to find, just follow the instructions on the map provided upon reservation. It’s pretty accurate too so no need to worry about getting lost. They have a small for parking space that can fit around 10 cars (given that all of them were parked well). There weren't too many guests at the time so parking wasn't a problem for us.

We headed straight to the lobby where we were welcomed by the owner, Mrs. Alcantara. It was a bit too early for check-in but she was kind enough to let us in anyway.

One of the exciting parts in visiting Casa San Pablo is choosing among the 18 rooms. Each of them has a unique theme and character, with different bed configurations and bathroom amenities. Descriptions and photos of each room are posted on their website. They'll ask for your choice of top 3 rooms upon reservation and let you know which of them is available on the date you’re expected to arrive. Their overnight rates are per person, so it doesn't matter if you’re a small group who wants a big room, or a big group who wants a small room. As long as the room is available, it’s yours! Ain't that fun? Our top 3 choices then were...oh wait, I forgot our top 3 choices. Anyway, we ended up with Room 6! It has a bunk bed, a single bed and 2 bathrooms. There's also a loft with 4 floor beds that we didn't really use.

photo courtesy of Casa San Pablo website

photo courtesy of Casa San Pablo website

map of rooms

I couldn't say much about the room we got. It was clean, simple and old. Or at least it smells old. Our room is located on the 2nd floor of the main building. There's an outdoor deck just outside our room, but it’s not a somewhere you're gonna want to hang out.

Our room is located on the 2nd floor of this building

Tip: Get a stand-alone casita. Its separated from everything else so you're group can have the privacy you need without bothering anyone else nearby.

Stand-alone Casitas are highly recommended

While they were preparing our room, we took the chance of exploring the entire B&B and it was just then that realized how big it was. It’s surrounded with lots of aguho trees, palm trees and other pretty, green trees and plants. There a couple of swing sets in the garden between the main building and the owner's private home. It’s cute and looks very cozy, like the one's you see on TV. Too bad I didn't get a chance to see the inside.

Owner's private home

Each corner of the entire place is decorated with unique pieces that are part of the owners' collection. It gives an antique vibe that's perfectly combined with that nature feel.

We weren't able to check out the pool and other parts of the inn because we were mostly out on the road. After settling our bags and resting for a while, we headed straight to Kinabuhayan Cafe for lunch.

More on that in my next post. Till then! :)

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Viaje Del Sol | The Plan

My first blog for 2013 is dedicated to my birthday weekend retreat!

It has always been difficult for me to make big plans for my birthday since the Christmas holidays has just passed and most people are still recovering from the hangover and expenses (or maybe that’s just me?) And I’ve also recently transferred to a new company which means I didn’t have any paid leaves yet. With these constraints to consider, what we needed was a “quick weekend getaway on a budget”. That meant no airplane rides and/or luxury resorts. That meant: road trip. And we had the perfect place in mind.

Viaje Del Sol is Spanish phrase that translates to “Way of the Sun”. A group of entrepreneurs came together to promote their local tourism by creating this map that leads to the different tourists spots in the provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Quezon.  You can find the complete list and details of each destination through their website. I found this trip very interesting because it features a different mix of culture and arts, local cuisine and nature tripping.

The first challenge in planning a Viaje del Sol trip is choosing among the 19 destinations in the map. That does not include other interesting spots to visit along the way. The “dora the explorer” in me, of course, wanted to visit as many as I can. But previous experiences suggest that we should keep it to a minimum and make it realistic. We are not in the amazing race. And it’s just a few hours away from Manila so we can always come back anyway.

After a couple of modifications in our itinerary, we finally came up with this:

Day 1:

Casa San Pablo

Kinabuhayan Café

Kubli Springs

Carlito’s Workshop

Sulyap Gallery Café

Day 2:

Casa San Pablo

Lake Pandin and Lake Yambo

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

Tsinelas Street in Liliw, Laguna

Café Lago and Sampaloc Lake

Colletes (Yes, colletes is included in the map)

The next part of this challenge is reservations. Almost, if not all, establishments in the Viaje del Sol map requires a reservation. Some of them would ask for a down payment or a full payment, while others just need a notice. Here’s our reservation experience for each:

Casa San Pablo:

• I think my friend called or texted them through their mobile number which is available on their website: Globe: +63917 812 66 87 and Smart: +63920 967 52 77
• Once we’ve confirmed that our chosen room was available, we deposited the FULL amount to their BDO account
• They sent a confirmation letter via email along with other helpful guides
• Rates for overnight stay with breakfast is Php1500 per person 

Kinabuhayan Café

• I was able to contact Jay Herrera through his facebook page. I sent him a private message to ask for a reservation and he replied after a few days or so.
• You can contact him directly through his mobile#: +63 916 221 5791
• He asked for a 50% deposit to be paid only through GCASH
• Rates for a lunch meal is Php750 per person

Carlitos Workshop

• I found Carlito’s mobile number somewhere in the amazing internet world: +63 919 837 7755
• I just texted him that we’re coming and he replied quickly with a yes.
• Entrance Fee is Php150 per person

Sulyap Galery Café

• I just made reservations through their website and they confirmed via email.
• Meals are around Php500 per person

Lake Pandin and Yambo

• Again, I came across Aling Sion’s mobile number in the internet: +63 929 978 9565
• I just texted her that we’ll visit Lake Pandin at lunch time. She didn’t require any down payment.
• Balsa ride with lunch is Php360 per person

Café Lago and Sampaloc Lake

• We didn’t make any reservations because we weren’t sure if we’d still have enough time. But for a tour at the Sampaloc Lake, you can contact Mandy through his mobile#: +63 917 501 6694

Oh and one more important thing. We tried to look for an actual copy of this map in the bookstore but couldn’t find any. Most of the pictures I found in the internet were blurry and unreadable except for this one: 

Randomly found this photo in the internet. Photo credits to the owner. 

I hope this helps! Up next is my post about the first day of our Viaje del Sol trip. :)

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