If you want a quiet place to rest and just relax, where would you go? Saw two of my friends visited a place in Bay, Laguna, during one of the long weekends in August. Place looked serene, and full of greeneries. And their pictures looked so much fun!

I was intrigued and I knew I had to visit the place-Lotus Pod Bed and Breakfast in Bay, Laguna. I have been to Brgy. Puypuy, Bay, Laguna once when I hosted a team-building activity for my team. I also knew the place as I usually pass by the route whenever I drive towards Lucban to visit my parents.

It was an easy drive. Took approximately ~1.5 hours from Alabang with moderate traffic. Our trip took around two hours due to stopovers along the way (buy water and pica-pica). We passed through UPLB (of what seems like a forest) to avoid the usual Los Banos traffic on weekends. Be prepared in case the navigation app points you to this route.

Google Map made the trip easier with the directions and it helped with estimating the arrival time. We couldn’t connect to Waze while on the way there.

Upon getting there was a huge gate. We had to honk once and the gate was opened by a kuya manong who works there. He then led us to the parking area. Parking spaces were generous open spaces and is located inside the entire property. As it was gated, I felt secure about leaving my car there.

Check-in was a breeze. Jen, the Managing Director, welcomed us personally. Kim, one of the staff, assisted us as we went to our rooms. She oriented us of how the digital lock works, how to use the in-room tablet to reach out to them in case we need anything and showed us the amenities of the rooms. All the other staff greeted us with their ready smile. I am impressed by their personalized service!

Great for family stays and nature trips. Visited the place with my family and they instantly fell in love with the place.

My dad loved the lush greeneries and have been raving for the dwarf pomelo. He is a greenthumb and he enjoys nature trips like this. Seeing a 3-hectare property with organic farming really excited him!

My mom loved the spacious rooms. She also loved the activities the place offers – zipline, wall-climbing, massage, trampoline area, and all the vast space!

Perfect for family with small children (even big children like us!). We loved the play area where we played badminton and strolled around. The favorite was the trampoline.

Spacious rooms and well-thought of spaces. We rented 3 rooms- 2 standard rooms and 1 deluxe. All rooms have its own toilet and bath with its own jacuzzi along with its own terraza. It has a coffee table perfect for those tea time conversations.

The only difference from the standard and the deluxe rooms is the bigger space and the four-post bed that the deluxe have. All of the rooms are equally beautiful. If you are not particular with having a four-post bed, I will recommend go with the standard room. The experience will be as enjoyable.

A little pricey but worth it. Cost per stay is a little bit on the high end compared to usual hotel staycations. The standard room is priced at Php8000 per night and the deluxe room at Php9000 per night. Got a Php500 discount per room because we booked three rooms all at once. All room rates comes with breakfast for two.

While it is on the high end, the typical hotel staycation does not offer fresh air, earthy ambience and so much generous space. To top it all up, the staff was very accommodating and warm. They ensure all your needs are met and makes it a point to personalize their service. Definitely worth every centavo!

What needs to improve is food service. Food needed to be pre-ordered so don’t expect much variety there. Priced at P500 per head and being an agri-farm, I was expecting lots of fresh produce as part of the meal. Meal was decent but didn’t have the variety and quantity we were accustomed to.

Because bringing food from outside was discouraged, it would help if they have ready to order food in case guests get hungry. What can up this experience even more is if they also offered room service given that each casita has its own terraza with table and chairs.

Good thing, there are nearby local restaurants in the area. I highly recommend Kamayan sa Palaisdaan sa Bay.

They only started accommodations in May 2017. I am sure these are areas that can be improved in no time!

Overall still a good experience and definitely a great stay. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for a quick getaway away from buzz of the city!