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Bato Springs Trip...A cold anniversary celebration.
Monday, January 7, 2013 posted at 1/07/2013 05:01:00 PM ♥ 0 comments

For our 4th year anniversary, me and my kopi (our endearment) decided to do something different. We ditched our usual mall trip, and go out-of-town for some escape. I wanted to go and he was a little "yes, whatever you want" attitude. But a girl can do as she pleased so I alone give it a go.

There had two choices for our anniversary getaway: Lake Pandin or Bato Springs, both in San Pablo, Laguna. I was leaning towards Lake Pandin since I've been there because of a work assignment. But due to changing minds and hectic schedule, we ended up with Bato Springs.

Bato Springs is resort in Laguna which is 2-3 hour drive from Manila. It is located between two legendary mountains - Mt. Cristobal and Mt. Banahaw. This resort came into existence in 1981. Before Bato was opened to the public the swimming pool is formerly a river where several spring waters was coming out beside the river bank. Bamboo shoots were inserted to catch the water for drinking. (http://batosprings.freeoda.com/home.php)


At 3:30pm we were set to go. Like our previous trips, I always get this nervous feeling and paranoia. What if we get lost or went the other way. My mind was racing with possible worst scenarios. The rain and the bad weather brought more paranoia to my mind.  But my kopi told me to calm down.


Because of the traffic and narrow roads in Laguna, we arrived at San Pablo by 6pm. Again, my paranoia went up to the roof. We are strangers in a middle of nowhere. Instructions given to me was to get off the bus when we saw the Meralco Office and ride a tricycle to the resort. It turns out, it is a little far from the supposed tricycle terminal. Good thing was locals of San Pablo were there to help us and give us proper directions. One kid even offer to take us to the tricycle terminal.


From there, we rode a tricycle and brazed the dark, rainy night. By this time, I was less anxious and nervous. I know that we were on the right track. For about 15 minutes, we are going thru some semi-concrete roads and dark alleys. The skies were dark because of the on-going rains. And then finally, we arrived at the resort.


You have to pay an entrance fee of Php 125.00 for an overnight stay. Then we proceed on the resort's office for our room reservations. Room reservations here are Php 1,500 for ordinary room (meaning without airconditioner) and Php 2,500 for airconditioned rooms. Since it was cold, we opted for the cheaper one. The room was simple. It has a comfortable bed for two and a shower. The room has no television or a phone to call the resort desk. I don't know if that is part of the resort's plan to make the guest forget city life, or they are just not there. Anyways, we took it and decided to freshen up.


The resort looks very dark at night (sorry we don't have any pics! ^_^). I think the owner should at least make an effort to add some lights around the vicinity for overnight guests. With that, we decided not to do some late night swimming.


We went-up early to explore the resort in daylight. In daylight, it looks magnificent, as I read on the reviews. The lush and green environment is refreshing. There are two pools on the resort: the man-made pool which is 4 ft deep, and the other one was a more natural-made pool with stones serve as the pool's floor and side. What's good about this resort is the water doesn't have taste or smell like chlorine which is usually present on artificial pools. The water is cold and clear, and free of any chemicals. I assume that the water came from the mountains. Also the artificial waterfalls are captivating.

We wanted to have some early breakfast, but the store was not yet open. So we dig in our provisions and waited for the store to open. After our breakfast, we decided to take some dip on the pools. We first tried the tiled-pool. The water is so cold, i feel the my skin is getting numb. But is a good numb I guess. We immensely enjoyed the "falls" and do some picture-taking with it.

Then we went to the more natural one. I would say I like it more than the tiled-one. It more natural-looking, especially since it is surrounded by the trees and the greens. It also has that artificial falls which cool. Just be careful while taking a walk on this pool as the pool floor is a little slippery and some has rough stones and edges. Still, I love the pool water which is clear that you can keep your eyes open while you are underneath.

All in all, we had a blast on our trip. I love the place, though it could use a little improvement like additional night lights, and an extended menu. I also recommend that you go here in daytime to appreciate the place more.

If you have your own vehicle, take SLEX to Calamba Exit and take the road bound to Lucena, Quezon. When you reached San Pablo, look for Meralco Station on your left and on the next intersection look for Bato Springs signages leading to the resort.


If you are taking the bus, you can take a bus at Cubao, Taft or Alabang terminal bound to Lucena, Quezon. We rode an ordinary bus which is Php 80. I'm guessing that the air-conditioned one will cost you from Php 130-150. Get off at San Pablo and take a tricycle to Bato Springs.


Here are some photos:


Bato Springs signage











































































































































































































































































































































































































I'll upload some more photos on my next post. :D

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