Right Turn (At Last)

Photos from our family R&R at the Villa Escudero plantation-cum-resort last Sunday. This was a first for everyone, after decades and what probably were a thousand trips passing by its gate to and from our hometown. I was voting for another nearby destination for that weekend but lost to the majority.

The place didn't disappoint, though. The most unexpected bit was the museum. I don't know why every source of info about it understated the impressiveness of the collection, including the resort's very own website. Housed inside an old Spanish church (see pink church in the slideshow), its facade belies the very eclectic interiors. The first floor mostly features Catholic artifacts - huge carrozas, antique crucifixes and santos, while the side- and upstairs corridors show an array of taxidermy, archeological what-nots, costumes, curios of minature collections and historical memorabilia from all over the world. The collection of WWII memorabilia at the nearby grounds was like a teaser for Corregidor. The museum is off-limits to picture-taking, which I'm not sure is helpful to the resort, marketing-wise. In any case, it would take professional photographers to do justice to the displays, given poor lighting in some areas.

Another pleasant surprise was the cultural show. With over an hour-long showcase of Philippine dances, it was certainly not run-of-the-mill. They even have a live real gong ensemble for the moslem dances.

The buffet spread left much to be desired, however, save for the (tapioca with coconut milk and syrup) dessert. But then it was all about the experience of dining by the man-made waterfall (getting feet wet part of the package). Of course, no visit to Villa Escudero is ever complete without the photo ops by the waterfall.