Nowadays, you cannot just book and go because there are so many things to consider and it is kinda stressful so even I wanted to travel, nawawalan na ko ng gana especially when we experienced a canceled booking. Sayang ang non-refundable reservation. Moving on, just this month, my husband wanted to travel on his birthday, I suggested a farm in Laguna but there was no overnight trip. Fortunately, he found Gina’s Garden and Farm.
There was no available room on his birthday so extended birthday celebration na lang. He booked the Orchid Room PHP6,000 and paid the 50% downpayment. You can book via AirBnb or Facebook page. The owner sent us a list of information about what to expect, what to bring, and Guest Certification that we need to present at the checkpoint (2 checkpoints).
Fast forward to our trip, we left the house around 7AM, fetched our in-laws, and off we went to Gina’s Garden and Farm which is located in Real, Quezon. Travel time is 3 to 4 hours and we traveled via Marcos Highway and it was our first road trip there so we’re kinda surprised. I’ve been to Baguio and Sagada pero feeling ko mas maganda ang scenery dito. My brother-in-law said, parang broccoli ang mga puno. Hehehe!
After we passed the two checkpoints, we started looking for a restaurant because there is no restaurant at the AirBnb. We had early lunch at Riders’ Rest Stop and after eating we immediately went to Gina’s Garden. Check-in time is 2PM but we’re lucky because our room is already available so we were able to check-in at 12NN.
Gina’s Garden and Farm Orchid Room
Here is the Orchid Room, we love our room because we have 180 degrees mountain view, a private bathroom, kitchen, inflatable pool, one double bed, and one bunk bed which is more than enough for 5 persons.
For the kitchen, there are gas stove, cookware, and utensils that you can use but we brought our own. Since there is no fridge, we did not bring a lot of food and I made sure that our food are easy to cook and prepare.
If you don’t want to cook, you can buy food at the restaurants which are just several minutes away or you can also order food for delivery at Hungry Tummy. There is a menu and contact number at the farm.
After several minutes, the owner tour us around the garden and informed us on what to do and where to go. We are aware that there are assigned areas for each guest but we have no idea na you have to reserve din pala so we settled na lang kung ano available but you are free to visit those areas if it is available, alis ka na lang kapag dumating na yung nakareserve. #socialdistancing
There are children's books, board games, archery, and dart equipment that you can use for free. I’ve seen some games inside our room too like Jenga at cards. You can have a bonfire or watch a movie too.
Pinlac Falls
Pinlac Falls is one of the falls that you can visit which is located in Infanta, Quezon. It is more or less 15 minutes away from the AirBnB and going there is not difficult. PHP30 is the entrance fee. What nice about these falls, there is no long walking or trekking from the parking lot.
We plan to take a dip at the inflatable pool after our waterfalls trip but we’re shocked when we opened the cover na wala pala tubig yung pool. Toinks. We saw the staff drained the water and we thought, lalagyan na rin nila ulit pero hindi pala. So make sure to check the pool kung may water kasi ang tagal din magpuno e.
Dinner Time
Anyway, we just prepared for the next meal, for dinner we’re going to grill. Our mini version of samgyeopsal. The staff prepared our grilling place and we brought our food, cookware, and utensils to the garden. For dinner, we had Meltique beef, mushroom, and salad.
We planned to have bonfire pero we felt tired na so we canceled it na lang so we can rest early.
Breakfast Time
For breakfast, we had Vigan Longganisa, fried rice, scrambled egg, bread, and coffee. Actually, we have leftover food pa that we can eat for our lunch but we decided to eat lunch outside na lang so we can pack our things na after breakfast.
Trekking and Duck Feeding
At 8:30AM, we started our morning trekking and duck feeding. I thought it is just an easy trek kasi nagpunta nga kami ng falls and madaling lakaran lang. But I was wrong, yung 15 minutes trekking feels like forever. Useful talaga yung tungkod namin. I was exhausted after the trekking and my legs are in pain for two days. Grabe talaga, ito yung nagagawa ng stuck sa bahay, hindi na ko sanay maglakad at lalo na magtrek. Ako lang naman ang ganito, wala naman problem yung iba ko kasama. Hehehe!
And of course, after our trekking we finally used the inflatable pool, nakakarefresh ang malamig na tubig. Laking tulong sa sakit ng katawan ko.
We only booked for an overnight trip, mas okay sana kung 3 days and 2 nights but we’re thankful for this trip because, after more than a year of no travel trips, we finally had a chance. It was indeed a breath of fresh air. I consider this a memorable trip because even there is no electricity, no wifi and no mobile signal we had a great time. I love this nature tripping. Sometimes you have to disconnect in order to connect with what truly matters.
"There is no wifi in the forest but you will find a better connection."
Some of the things that you need to consider before booking
1. The accommodation is powered by a generator from 6PM to 5:30AM. So don’t forget your power bank.
2. The weather is much colder than Tagaytay which is true kasi wala kami electricity during the day pero hindi kami nainitan.
3. Water is natural spring water from the mountain.
4. Cellular or wifi signals are weak.
5. Bring your own towels and toiletries.
6. Bring your own drinking water, cooked or uncooked food, and dishwashing soap and sponge.
7. The place is near the mountain so expect some insects, don’t forget to bring some insect repellent lotion.
Check-out time is 12NN but we left early so we can eat lunch at KM 90 Eco Park and Restaurant.
Gina’s Garden and Farm
Km102 New little Baguio,
Sitio Kamagong, Real, Quezon
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