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I would normally suggest a Tagaytay trip kaso nakailang punta na kami doon and our last trip with my grandmother-in-law was Balay Dako so I need a new destination. For the past few years, I’ve been seeing Old Grove Farmstead online, and my brother and sister-in-law also visited this farm during the pandemic; the review is “Okay lang” so when we booked this place, we have no expectations at all. 

Old Grove Farmstead offers day trips and overnight trips. For day trippers, it is by reservation only and there is a limit on the number of guests per time slot so you can choose whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Mga nakailang palit din kami ng schedule because fully booked na yung mga napili namin na time slot. Fortunately, my husband and my son were on vacation so we can change dates. 

My husband inquired and booked via Facebook messenger. A 50% downpayment (bank transfer) is needed to confirm the reservation and it is not refundable. They have different rates for weekdays, weekends, and holidays. We visited during weekdays and here are the rates. 

PHP750 - Adult 

PHP550 - Kid (3-7 yrs old) 

PHP950 - Adult 

PHP700 - Kid (3-7 yrs old) 

PHP1470 - Adult 

PHP900 - Kid (3-7 yrs old) 

PHP1,750 - Adult 

PHP1,000 - Kid (3-7 yrs old) 

Breakfast time slot: 6:30AM - 9:30AM 

Lunch time slot: 11AM - 3PM 

Dinner time slot: 5PM to 9PM 

*Bringing in food, or drink or having it delivered is strictly not allowed. Charges will apply accordingly. 

We chose the lunchtime slot which is 11AM to 3PM. We paid PHP950 per person and which includes a self-guided tour, entrance fee, and lunch set meal. 

Upon arrival, we received a parking coupon and we went to the front desk which is located at the windmill for check-in and signing of the waiver. After paying the remaining 50% balance, we got a coupon for our lunch set meal. While waiting for our time slot for food, we started exploring the farm.

We visited a few farms in the Philippines na rin like Fun Farm at Sta Elena and The Farm at San Benito. Old Grove Farmstead is known for its windmill and red barn and some people said, it is like a trip to the Netherlands. Well, I have never been to the Netherlands so I can’t compare. 

Old Grove Farmstead is not that big so even if you have a limited time slot, it is more than enough for you to explore and enjoy the place. If you like taking photos and posting on Instagram, then this place is for you. Have a photo of the windmill, red barn, mand-made lake, hanging bridge, and more. 

They have a mini zoo here and if you want to feed the ducks and sheep, you can buy food for PHP100. We bought sheep food but my son and I were scared to feed the sheep with our bare hands. Takot kami makagat o madilaan ang kamay. Hehehe! Buti na lang game sina grandmother-in-law and hubby. 

In less than an hour, we finished touring the place so we just stayed in the garden while waiting for lunchtime. There is a playground so if you have kids, may ibang pang activity. 

Meals are served at Harvest Cafe, the restaurant is not that big because it only has 4 tables but they have more tables outside. But we prefer indoors and I like the interiors of the cafe + Christmas decorations. 

For the set menu, they have a separate menu for adults and kids. The set menu includes appetizers, soup or salad, dessert, iced tea, and your choice of the main dish. The menu varies but during our visit, we had Crispy Kangkong, Egg Soup, and Graham Dessert. We are a group of 4 people and we ordered the following. 

Prawn Thermidor - served with mashed potato and buttered crudites vegetable 

Rib Eye Steak - served with mashed potato and buttered crudites vegetables with mushroom sauce. 

T-Bone Steak - served with mashed potato and buttered crudites vegetables with gravy 

Batangas Classic Bulalo - local beef shank soup in clear broth, vegetables, potato, and sweet corn served with steamed white rice. 

The appetizer and soup were served in a few minutes but for the main dishes, we waited for more or less 25 minutes so if you are hungry, it is better to be early. The presentation of the food looks good but the taste is just okay. I tried the three dishes except for the bulalo and according to my husband, yun pa naman daw ang may lasa. Waah! Overall, we still enjoyed our quick trip to the farm even though we immediately went home after eating lunch. 

Purok 5, U. Mojares Street Barangay Lodlod, 

Lipa City,4217 Batangas 

Call for Reservations: +639178952829 

E-mail: inquiries@theoldgrovefarmstead.ph

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. 

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 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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Km102 New little Baguio,

Sitio Kamagong, Real, Quezon