As you're reading this another piece of nothing but travel stories I realized that this is another good reason to keep writi...

Villa Elma- Lucban Quezon

June 19, 2019 Lagaw Eats 0 Comments

As you're reading this another piece of nothing but travel stories I realized that this is another good reason to keep writing and share my experiences, it adds a little confidence and fuels my passion, somehow it's another way of being validated not that I always receive good feedback from people, I just feel grateful whenever readers recognize my effort and showing their appreciation through their comments or messages. I believe most bloggers also feel the same when readers appreciate what they do, do you think we'll still do this when all we got in return are all negative knocks from the readers, hell no. Anyways, that is just my today's contemplation and I want you all to know. In this article I will share another off beaten destination 3 hours from Manila, something you can visit even during the rainy season. Allow my story to take you to Villa Elma in Lucban, Quezon.

Villa Elma is a mountain pilgrimage site that offers a welcoming ambiance through its unique architectural theme, the villa is a combination of both natural and man-made spiritual structure that is nestled at the foot of Mount Banahaw in the district of Lucban, Quezon province. I'm a fan of mountain resort/retreat, usually when they say "mountain resort" you're not literally situated at the mountain, just at a sniffing distance. Though we're also at the foothill but I felt as if we were actually at Mount Banahaw being surrounded with trees and hearing the deafening sound of nothing but nature. The place is something you will never forget, the outside surrounding was immensely picturesque, the well incorporated style of modern and rustic designs were well executed for everyone's taste. Villa Elma is a 10 hectare retreat/pilgrimage site that houses 7 rooms for accommodating guests, it was built in 1992 as a private rest house that eventually opened for public just recently. 

Upon entering the villa we saw numerous life sized cartoon and hero statues, at that point of time we had this "ppfft" impression that it's a place we'll not enjoy, we're all adults, life sized statues are least to enjoy unless you have kids. But as we further walk inside the theme slowly changed to something we never thought exist in Lucban.  From the entrance, we were accommodated by the Officer in Charge Sir Hector, he escorted our group to the Log Cabin accommodation that served our home for our entire stay.

Accommodation:

They offer wide selection of impressively designed lodges, the interiors were cohesively built yet it has this homey ambiance. We stayed at the Log Cabin, I should admit that I was very impressed, all rooms were very dainty. If you're a budget traveler, probably glamping set up would be a good fit for you. Some rooms were also occupied when we visited Villa Elma so I missed to take photos of some of it. By the way the rates are fairly cheap. 

Below are the photos of their Log Cabin and Tree House accommodation, the other rooms were occupied reason why photos are not available.

LOG CABIN

TREE HOUSE

Spellbinded by the tranquility of the place, we spent hours in taking photos in and out the lodge, we didn't even take notice of the hours passes. If there's one activity I enjoyed most it was when we trudged downhill and had a dip into the effusive cold stream that came straight from the mountain, the water was fairly clear too and the best part of course was we were enjoying it by ourselves but again you'll need to endure going down if you want to see the stream. Close distance from the stream are the religious figures almost covering the walls of the mountain. Another important area in the Villa (must visit) is the shrine of Holy Trinity stands facing the beguilling beauty of Mount Banahaw, this spot was divine!

Come night time the staff set up a bonfire then gave us marshmallows and biscuits for a more delighting treat, it's been a while since the last time I had done this, I'm a beach person and setting up a bonfire along the shore is the activity I don't support.  

I didn't regret taking a risk in discovering the unknown. At this stage where virtual advertisement is visible to everyone sometimes we overlook what the internet cannot see, just like this place, not because it has limited photos and articles doesn't mean  it's not worth the visit. Well, I don't have a high resolution photos but I hope these are decent enough to encourage everyone to check out this place. 

I would like to thank Mr.Daniel Elma for making this trip possible and bringing everything to the table, also Kuya Hector for attending all our concern during our visit, I can see the they're hard pressed with all they need to iron out for the business yet they still took time to accommodate our group. I will surely go back to Villa Elma, hopefully soon. \

HOW TO GET THERE INCLUDING THE FARE?

- Ride a bus from Buendia to SM Calamba (JAC LINER) 79Php

- From SM Calamba take a van heading to Lucban 120Php

- Once you reached the town of Lucban you can hire tricycle going to Villa Elma 20Php per passenger.

Going back to Manila:

- There are tricycles outside Villa Elma that can bring you back to the town, same fare 20Php per passenger. There are several ways/route heading back to Manila, we preferred the van direct trip to Manila/Buendia 240Php

Lunch- 100Php
Dinner- 100php
breakfast- Provided by Villa Elma


Estimated Budget: 1000Php (excluding the room fee), the type of room depends on your preference.

FOR INQUIRIES PLEASE CALL +639955045385

FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/villaelmaph/