Pico De Loro - A Piece of Heaven on Earth

Last 2013, I have been to only a couple of places (tourist spots for that matter) here in the Philippines because I have become very busy with my new work in Taguig. As compared to 2012, where I had an active lifestyle, my vacation days last year were mostly spent on bumming around.

For the first quarter of the year, my high school friends and I went to the far-flung island of Laiya Batangas. On my mandatory leave, I went solo backpacking in the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio City. And to cap the year, I finally took a superb relaxing getaway in the beautiful island of Cebu.

Being the natural adventurer that I am, I promised myself that for the coming years ahead, I will take time to once in a while treat myself by traveling and visiting wonderful places here in the Philippines or abroad. 

So as a start (Yes, I am setting my hopes high here.. :p), this January 2014, my high school travel buddies and I went to another beautiful place -- Pico de Loro in Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu Batangas.

Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club is a private beach club owned by the Sy's. The only way to access this private place is to own an apartment unit or know someone that owns a unit and have them endorse you to the country club or book a room at Pico Sands Hotel. As for our trip, we were endorsed by Ms. Mary Jean Ner (unit owner) to the country club. Thanks to my surfing skills I found her contact in the internet! Hahaha

We rented Ms. Jean's unit for our weekend stay in Pico de Loro. It's a standard room (good for 6 pax) with aircon complete with kitchen amenities. To maximize the use of these free amenities and also to save us a few bucks, we brought with us food and drinks to share since the food in the Country Club are quite pricey.

Pico de Loro has a lot of things to offer to its visitors considering its vast land area of 37.5 hectares. For indoor activities, one can enjoy the Country Club's facilities. These include the badminton, basketball and table tennis courts. For those seeking family bonding, they can avail the KTV hubs, or the bowling and billiards room. For those health conscious visitors, they can do biking and jogging around the area.

Here is a photo of the Country Club's badminton court 

There is also an infinity pool inside the Country Club. I think this is the highlight of every visitor's stay in Pico. =) The water in the pool is very clean and also very refreshing! Several sunbeds are also available for those who want to sunbathe or to enjoy the view of the infinity pool. 

This is how the infinity pool looks like in the morning.

This is how it looks like at night.

One's trip to Pico can be considered quite a luxurious one. But, I guarantee you, in Pico, you get what you pay for. The registration fee of Php 500, not only allows visitors to enjoy the pool in the Country Club but also they get free access to the beach. From our unit, we were fetched by the shuttle (free of charge) that took us to the beach club.

Here are some of the photos of the beach.

The sand in the beach may not be as white and powdery as that of Boracay but they are definitely fine. Several activities are also available for those staying in the beach. There's banana boat, scuba diving, kayak and jet ski. If you're up for more adventure, you can rent the water taxi and tour the 13 coves around Pico.

Here are some of the things that my friends and I shared during our quick stay in Pico.

Sunset in Batangas is Love.

View from the infinity pool. The lagoon and the condo units.

Quick stop at the Kabyiang Tunnel.

Our beach photos. 

Pictures from our unit. 

We just love the water.

Loving the 4S. Sky. Sun. Sand. Sea.

That's me and Joyce enjoying the sunbed. 

And finally, before heading home, quick stop at Summer ridge Tagaytay.

The Face Shop - Chia Seed Watery Lotion (A Review)

Want to keep a healthy and moisturized face anytime of the day? Try The Face Shop's Chia Seed Watery Lotion for a long lasting moisturized and healthy glowing skin!

Chia Seed Watery Lotion (a toner) comes from the Special Care category of The Face Shop's line of skin care products. 

It comes in 125ml bottle (a slightly heavy and bulky packaging) with a very hygienic plastic pump on it.

Product Info:
It contains chia seed extract. 72.7% is used instead of water.
Gives moisture to skin to get back its vitality.
Non-sticky and absorbs quickly.
Provides nutrients to give moisture.
Shields and moisturized the skin for long hours.

I have been using this product since last year and I must say the results are really very good. I used this also after I washed my face with Laneige Multi Cleanser. The product is not strong also since main ingredient is chia seed extract and not alcohol. Dirt still come off the cotton even after washing my face thoroughly which is a good indication that the product really does its job of cleansing. Leaves my skin so soft and clean when I wake up in the morning!

Verdict:

The Good
1) Keeps your face moisturized for long hours
2) Smells really nice, very calming
3) Absorbs and dries quickly
4) Does not have a sticky feeling after application
5) Leaves skin soft and clean when you wake up in the morning!


The Bad
1) Quite pricey at Php 995 per bottle (but it is really worth the price!)
2) Quite heavy and bulky


Would I recommend this product for everyday use?

Yes, I would definitely recommend this one! 

Home Away from Home - Baguio City (Day 3)

How do I tell what happened on my last day in Baguio? :)

In the morning of my last day in Baguio, went to Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral along Session Road. Then pray for personal intentions and then took a shot of the church's facade.

Here's the shot of the Cathedral's facade. 

Then, went again to 50's diner for breakfast and after that headed home to freshen up.

Paid a visit to Philippine Military Academy via Loakan Road. Luckily, there was an honoring service for an official of Philippine Air Force, (I think a retiree.) so the plebes and other selected students of the academy are all lined up for the parade. :)

Here are some of the shots from the honoring service.

The Officials.

Of course, my visit will never be complete without a photo op with the cadets! Here they are! All snappy in their cadet uniform!

I also took a shot of the basic trainer plane of the Philippine Air Force Pilots. The SF 260 M Marchetti.  

After the ceremonies, went to SM Baguio to have late lunch. But instead I found myself sitting in Starbucks munching the famous raisin bread I bought from the Cordillera store inside the mall. 

It was the best tasting bread ever! No joke! I am not a bread-type of person, but for this one, I am willing to be converted! Hahaha

Here is the raisin bread I am talking about.

full of raisins!!! it's soo yummehh!

Stayed for a while in the coffee shop until my departure arrives. By 16:00 went back to Victory Liner to get my ticket and then boarded the bus going back to Manila.