Unwind and Relax: Swimming at La Virginia Resort

I’ll be talking about another family getaway destination not too far from Manila; this time, it’s in my beloved province – Batangas.

Batangas is known for beautiful beaches and Taal Volcano, but there’s a new hotel and resort tucked away in the small town of Mataas na Kahoy. It’s a privately-owned 8-hectare resort up a hill.

When I posted the photos I’ve taken of La Virginia Hotel & Resort on Facebook, friends and relatives alike bombarded me with questions about it. Most of my friends in the Philippines, even my family, were wondering how I’ve got to know about this place; wondering why someone like me, who’s living abroad, would know a place they’ve never heard of. Well, thanks to a friend who likes traveling too, I learned about this place while looking at her family photos.

The place can be reached by commuting if you don’t have a car. If you’re coming from Manila, take a bus bound to Batangas and get off at Robinson’s Lipa. From there, take a jeepney bound to Mataas na Kahoy and ask the driver to drop you off at Barangay Longos (near 7-Eleven convenience store). You can then take a tricycle to the resort.

The entrance fee is ₱300 for adults and ₱200 for kids. The cottages are a bit pricey, and at the time of our visit, it was already 11 AM, so most of the cottages were already taken. We didn’t have much choice but to take a cottage somewhere far away from the entrance, and going there, we had to walk uphill under the scorching heat of the sun.

We rented a cottage near a kiddie pool for ₱1,500. The good thing about the cottage’s location, we got a great backdrop view of the Taal Lake, and the “Castle” was just in front of us (although at that time, it was under construction or renovation, I don’t know).

If I only knew that bringing food inside was allowed, we would have bought something prior to coming here. My sister and I had to walk to the restaurant to buy food for the 5 of us. We couldn’t find any staff around to ask whether they do food delivery or not.

All around the resort, you’ll come across many sculptures ranging from superheroes, cartoon characters, Biblical characters, animals, etc., making the decoration of the resort a bit off to my taste because I couldn’t grasp the theme of the resort. But they’re good for photo ops.

The treehouses and the Ifugao Village are also places to take souvenir photos. Although the sun was really shining bright at that time, it didn’t stop us from posing for some photos.

The Family at the Ifugao Village - La Virginia Hotel & Resort, Batangas

Anyway, all in all, the resort is great for family outings. If you want to unwind and enjoy looking at the beautiful landscape, I would recommend this place. Not only do they have more than five swimming pools scattered around, but they also have a 200-meter zipline that costs around ₱300 for a two-way ride with a photo. You can also enjoy the 40-ft high wall climbing for ₱100 only.

Zipline in La Virginia Hotel & Resort

The Family.

Before sunset, we decided to leave the resort and go back home.

It’s another well-spent time with the family during my one-month vacation in the Philippines!