Rizal

7 Amazing Reasons to Experience Masungi Georeserve’s Night Trail

Posted on August 31, 2017

Since opening to the public as a nature park in late 2015, Masungi Georeserve in Baras, Rizal has attracted nature-lovers with its 1,600 hectare forest dotted by 60-million-year-old karst formations. It always comes as a surprise to find a lush rainforest ecosystem like it only an hour’s drive from Metro Manila. Originally intended to be developed into a government housing complex, the deforested area off the Marinina-Infanta Highway (Marcos Highway) was overridden by stone quarrying and illegal logging in theRead More

Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens Spa & Suites: A Superb Getaway from Metro Manila [UPDATED 2018]

Posted on February 18, 2015

[Author’s Note: This blog review was originally posted in February 2015, and updated in November 2018.] Located within the sprawling Loreland Farm Resort, 4 km from the city center of Antipolo, Luljetta’s Place Hanging Gardens Spa & Garden Suites is situated along a mountainside with impressive views overlooking grassy hills and, in the distance, Laguna de Bay and the Metro Manila skyline.  Set in garden terraces filled with flowering plants and linked by a maze of stairs, their amenities include two smallRead More

Higantes Festival (Angono, Rizal)

Posted on April 12, 2009

Religious revelry and local fanfare characterize most festivals in the Philippine islands. One such festive celebration occurs a stone’s throw away from Metro Manila. Every November 23, the lakeside town of Angono in Rizal province wakes up to a big and bright celebration in honor of the town’s patron, St. Clement. The “higante” tradition of Angono began last century, when the town was a Spanish hacienda. The hacienda owners concerned about costs prohibited all celebrations except for one annual fiesta.Read More