villa escudero

The museum and cultural show are great for educational tours.The place is clean and well-maintained. The restrooms are always clean inspite of heaps of people coming in and out.The atmosphere is relaxing.The staff are friendly and attentive.There are food available for purchase, which are not overpriced compared to other places of attraction in the country. The lunch buffet though, even very Pinoy, can be improved in terms of variety.

Summer..finally! Villa escudero is a family resort for those wanting to have a laid-back vacation with a twist. From alabang, we got there in no time, the 2-hour ride was a breeze and the plantation was easy to find. From the entrance to the reception area, an abundance of coconut trees lined the road,giving it that authentic countryside feel,which was good. A welcome drink of unlimited gulaman was thirst-quenching( coconut or buko juice would have been better) as visitors freshen up and talk with the ever present receptionists, who were very pleasant and willing to answer our queries about what we can do for the rest of our day tour and tell us about the history of the resort. After being given our tickets, we went to the pick-up area for our carabao ride to the museum and the falls, we were serenaded with filipino songs while being transported to the pool area by luningning( 1 of i think 5 resident carabaos). We decided to forgo the museum tour since we came with our 1 year old niece and my mother who were both restless at the time(hungry maybe?). So off we went to the pool area to inspect the river , the cottages, the swimming pools and take in the rest of the surroundings. We came early, so we were told that lunch will start at around 11 until 2, so we waited. As a whole, the entire plantation was clean, the restrooms were pristine and well-maintained, the river had fishes that you could feed and catch all you can( you would only pay for the bait and rod),and have it cooked for free. There were plenty of guides to assist you and answer your questions, unlike some resorts who had staff who will only look at you if you ask something, as if you were speaking e.t's language. Highly commendable was the staff who patiently assisted my mother(sorry, i forgot his name), in going down the ramp to the falls and back up again after our lunch. Lunch...you go down the stairs or ramp and go barefoot or wear your rubber slippers as the moss from the river can get slippery, to reach the dining area..an unusual but a different kind of experience. The man-made falls were mesmerizing and we had a grand time taking pictures, even if our feet were submerged in 2 feet or so of flowing cool river water,even my little niece had fun playing there. We were served authentic filipino foods, but the beef kaldereta (beef stew) was a standout, soft and melt-in-the-mouth beef meat spiced just right! After a heavy lunch, it was off to the swimming pool area for a relaxing dip( it has 3 pools)and afterwards a nice tall glass of halo-halo(iced mixed fruits) and buko shake. Food was not allowed inside the resort since the buffet lunch was included in the day tour package, the restaurant food menu was reasonably priced , but you can bring snacks and beverages if you want. The in-house photographer was very skilled and professional in taking pictures of our group but i think the 150 pesos per print of our souvenir photo was too much, so better keep your tripods and selfie sticks on hand if you want good pictures. Would i go back to villa escudero?? Definitely! It was on top of my summer bucket list anyway and it.was.worth.it.

Villa escudero is place where one can enjoy real fresh air from natural surroundings. Lots of activities for the young and old are available for the whole family. A more exciting buffet lunch can be experienced with your feet on running water on the river where an awesome waterfall decorates the scene. Native foods are served though not that classy but best part of it all is experiencing how the native Filipinos eat their meal with their hands. Water rafting is also one of the main attraction in the resort free of charged. Coffee shops are set in different areas for ease of reflenishing yourself from the summer heat. One of the most likable of this place is the folk shows about the Philippine culture through dances where performers are exceptionally good with their colorful costumes and hospitable smile! A ride with the water buffalo calesa is another addition the fun filled adventure of the resort. If you want to stay overnight, they have family bungalows with or without air con for your convenience at a very reasonable prices. The entrance fee of 1,400 pesos includes a day pass inclusive of buffet lunch and all the rides and shows plus a visit the Escudero Museum is a bonus! We would love to go there again but next time we would be bringing more members of the family!

Went for a day trip for Valentine's Day and experienced something different and fun...from the carabao cart ride,Filipino lunch buffet by the waterfalls(getting your feet soaked in flowing water while you eat) to the cultural show(it was funny and the costumes were colorful)...the museum was interesting enough but the food was just so-so...we didn't get to do the boating as it was too hot and the line was long but all in all,it was an unforgettable valentine's day celebration!

I guess it didn't help that San Pablo City had their Fiesta on the day we decided to visit. It took over 3 hours to get there. The 'museum' is more like an old house with grandmas collection of teaspoons as the major attraction. The whole place looked very run down, dusty and uncared for. The hydro dam and eating in the water was fun. We wanted to go rafting on the lake but the line was too long. The 'cultural show' was ok, but we left early feeling disappointed. I guess it is good for family with kids, but not much fun for couple. It took 4 1/2 hours to get back to Manila.

It didn't bring me down. It was one of the best day trips we've had so far. From the lovely museum, to the majestic view of Mt. Banahaw, Villa Escudero's Day Trip was all worth it.One of the trip's best highlights was boating. I am not fond of water and swimming but this one of a kind activity had the best of me.More than that, I do commend the idea of having buffet lunch by the waterfalls. It was an eat-all-you-can Filipino buffet and the food was okay - not the best but not the worst. Imagine how relaxing it is to feel the cool running water on your feet. Be careful, though, for the rocks are slippery!Overall, Villa Escudero is a great family escapade, especially to those who are burnt off by the stress and pollution in the metro. Just few kilometers out of town and you're here! I just hope that more rooms would be available for overnight stay, so as to accommodate more guests.

The Villa offers a lot of things to do: the museum for the culturally-minded, a glimpse of Filipino rural life for visitors and natives alike, the playground and swimming pools for the kids, and the young at heart, and the carabao cart ride and the waterfalls lunch for those seeking a unique Philippine experience.

Took the whole family here for the weekend and we all had a great time! The welcome drinks were refreshing and the carabao ride with folk singers were such a hit! Having lunch with the waterfall in the background was such a delight! The food was obviously Filipino food, but foreigners dug in to it. You can eat as much as you can though you have to pay for your drinks. But that's not a worry as it doesn't cost much. The tour of the mansion was ok even though you can't take pictures inside. It was an experience worth doing again!

Spent the day here and it was AMAZING! The carabao ride was pretty nifty and the best part - our carabao was named Sexy! hahahah. We had someone who was playing the guitar and another lady was singing. We went straight to the waterfalls restaurant. What a unique experience!! It was quite crowded and we were lucky to get there early enough that we were able to find tables for like ... 20 of us that went. I wore slippers that day anticipating that I would be wearing it when we went into the water, but our tour guide highly suggested taking it off because if your slipper comes off your foot, it will float away, down the river, fast. I am filipino, but I never eat with my kamay (hand), but I appreciate them wanting to have the guests experience eating with their hands. I do wish we got a table close to the falls, but not at the front because a lot of people like to go up to the waterfall to take pictures and having people bump into me would bother me. Afterwards, we waited in line to use the bamboo rafts and the line was long. We ended up giving up because people were taking a long time venturing and not returning the rafts. I wish that they had someone to enforce some type of time limit when there's a lot of people waiting. We stayed and watched the filipino folk dancing. Our guide told us to get there early to reserve a table because it gets packed and she was right - it was crowded and we were lucky to have a table. They a bar to order food and drinks from and they had people wait on the tables. It was cool watching the folk dancing and I like how it was performed by the staff that works there. I wish they would have let audience members go up and do some of the dances, particularly tinikiling. I really wanted to jump on stage and do it! I wish we had more time to explore because the villa is huge. We didn't have time to go to the museum because our relatives were tired out. I would love to come back and eat at the restaurant again!

Hacienda Escudero, is a nice place to relax and etc. Food is great. Many attractions and outdoor activities..

My family and I really enjoyed the day. I booked directly through the company. We didn't use a travel & tours company because I found it cheaper to just book directly with Villa Escudero. First, Joel, with Densha Transportation, made sure our driver & van was on time to pick us up from the place we were staying. Densha Transportation was recommended by Villa Escudero & this was also the lowest price I found for transportation [4000 pesos for an all day driver]. The ride there was fine. The day was smooth. We enjoyed looking at the museum but I feel like the second level of the museum wasn't as interesting and the first level. The caribou ride was fine and we had someone singing and playing a mini-guitar on the ride to keep entertained. The experience eating at the Waterfalls was AMAZING! That was probably the highlight of the visit. Our server was so attentive. He got all of our food for us and he made sure we were stuffed! The food tasted good as well. Be a little careful though because it can be a little slippery, but you should be fine walking around the waterfalls area. We enjoyed the complimentary bamboo rafting and we rented fishing poles (for 100 pesos- I believe). We didn't catch any fish but it was nice to park the raft and try to fish. I hurt myself on the fishing pole and it was really nice to see that they had a first-aid station on site. The nurse was attentive and careful. Finally, the cultural show (only offered on weekends right now) was entertaining. We enjoyed watching the dancers and instrument playing. It was a fun day! We were definitely tired by the end of the trip.

The description of this attraction as given by one of the other reviewers (flyhi nelson) is very thorough. The main change (Dec 2014) is that the food that is provided in the course of the waterway from the waterfall, is now served buffet style though waiters will bring you buko (coconut) drinks for 40 pesos which is additional. The food was great and there was a lot of it, covering a range of filipino dishes. Bit spooky at times when something moved against our feet in the water - I think it was one of the small fishes that people bought fishing lines to try to catch in the lake at the top of the waterfall.The museum housed an incredible collection of religious and other artifacts, including samples of clothing and jewellery from the various indigenous tribes in the Philippine Islands. All the items were collected by the Escudero couple who founded the whole estate. Family members still reside in a private mansion on the estate.The involvement of the Escuderos as protectors of the filipino and American soldiers seeking refuge from the Japanese invaders in WWII was stirring, particularly as they were tortured for their good deeds. They were indeed heros.The highlight apart from the rafting and the carabao (water buffalo) cart ride - plus the lunch - was the cultural show which was a wonderful and colourful celebration of the various dances from some of the islands of the Philippines. I bought a DVD of the dances as well as information about the whole complex for 1,000 pesos,The activities take a full day and that is without swimming in the pool or the waterfall, and the journey each way was about 2 hours. The cultural show is only on Friday, Sat and Sunday.I booked my tour through a company called Freeshop Travel and Tours and everything including the transport to the villa from our condominium was included in the price of 5,800 pesos, which was about $167 NZ.Their contact details for reservations is - Tel.042 540 6567, Lucban Quezon.I really recommend this tour and the driver from the tour company was very good.

Our family appreciates the concept and really like the showcase of the Philippine country life and in the olden days. We like the serenading while riding the cart being pulled by the buffalo. We also like the lay-out and landscaping of the resort. What is interesting is the concept of Waterfalls Restaurant. But I guess it became too touristy that it was really crowded and kind of disorganized. The food selection included in the package was not that great. Although the concept (eating with bare hands) would be very interesting to tourists and to locals, I think the management should re-think the food they serve as three or four of the food are with rich sauce (dishes with beef/pumpkin/noodles) and are more suitable eating with utensils. I believe they should be more creative in the selection, I am sure there are more and other interesting and tastier Filipino dishes. The buffet stations are divided into three that are supposed to break the crowd but we found out that one station has more selection than the others, i.e. one had a fish dish while the other does not have. It would be more helpful if they could provide a little label on what the dishes considering that there are foreigners going to the place. Cultural Show is scheduled at 2pm, but as early as 1pm the venue got filled up. The staff and waiters seemed limited and not helpful. We asked if they could help us with the seating as there were seven of us and we were planning to order something to eat. The staff whom I approached was not helpful and just stated no more seats. He could have offered some chairs for us to sit on. Hence, we decided to skip this performance and went to visit the museum instead.The museum is very interesting, so much collection. The museum really hold so much interesting collection (especially those at the 2nd level) and really gave one an interesting preview of Philippine history and culture. But I believe it can still be improved and preserve the collection better. I understand that collections there are antique and really old but could have presented it in a better way as some sections just looked so cramped. Some had texts or description some do not. At some point it felt like not a museum but more of an attic. Should have catalogued or organized the collection in a better way i.e. the clothes that the former Presidents had worn (could have presented in a nicer way), the letters of the national hero as well as the enlarged writing of his farewell poem (could have at least put in a casing with a better material) and those laboratory equipment such as beaker, funnels that were placed in a glass shelves just below the "Mi Ultimo Adios" enlarged frame, were really odd…Generally, the service is good and the staff are friendly and approachable. But I think those in the restaurant where they hold the cultural show, should be more trained in getting the orders, when we came back after missing the cultural show and after our museum tour, to have snacks, the staff at the counter seem to be lost upon punching in my orders (they were asking each other about some codes). They only accept cash which I believe is kind of serve as a hindrance especially for foreigners.

Just visited Villa Escudero and all I can say is Amazing. The people on this place is great and kind to assist you on what you need. Their foods are not that great specially the one that comes with the package but the foods in the resto are good and cheap.Here are the rates:RatesDay Tour Packages Mondays to Thursday Adults : P1,250 ($25-$26) Half rate : P625 (Children below 4 feet) Fridays to Sundays & Holidays Adults : P1,400($30-$31) Half rate : P700 (Children below 4 feet)Welcome drink, carabao cart rides, use of out door recreational facilities and lunch at the waterfalls.By special arrangements with the AERA Memorial Foundation, the museum is open to resort guess.Cultural Show at 2:00 - 3:15pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays.

Liked: the river rafting, food selection, carabao cart ride, cultural show.Disliked: the tourists that come in bus-loads.