Since we didn’t have any proper summer vacation because of all the pag-iingat on my pregnancy, hubby and I decided to stay overnight at Balay Indang at Mendez last weekend. This was partly my father’s day gift to hubby and our last outing before I deliver THE most-awaited package on September. We figured we’d have less time on our own after I give birth, so we drove up to Tagaytay then down to Mendez for a much needed r&r.
What can I say? Except that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The rooms were named after Biblical figures such as Rebecca, Reuben, Isaac, Hannah, etc. We stayed in Eve’s room. It was furnished with a super-lambot four poster bed, a sofa bed (yup lots of bed for us!) and capiz-designed bathroom. The floor of the shower area was made of pebbles that massage your feet as you bathe. Too bad I didn’t get a photo of the lampshade in our room. Its base part was made from an old ceramic pitcher.
The main house where we stayed was like a mini museum filled with beautiful items. There was one wall adorned with different clown masks, a table filled with brass pitchers of all shapes and sizes, the stairway with butterfly ornaments, Egyptian statues and statuettes. Buddhas were situated in different locations in the whole resort, as was hammocks. With the bountiful trees and flowering plants, a cool breeze perennially wafts through.
We arrived just before lunch and Ms. Sonya greeted us at the main house. After putting our bags in our room, we immediately explored the lower floor and took lots of photos. Since the main house houses the dining area or the Manna Room as well, we spied that food was ready to be served. I was ravenous at this point and I couldn’t wait for what Ice was raving about the food in balay.
Lunch was heaven. They served us salad (vinaigrette or strawberry dressing), honey glazed spare ribs, embotido, tinapa roll, daing & eggplant pasta, egg & veggie salad and dalandan juice! Gluttony took over. I didn’t want to stand up from the table until I finish all the food — which was impossible! Because we found out that if we finish one viand, they’d just fill it up again! Sam I think was overwhelmed. He refused to budge in my tummy after the very heavy meal.
And since hubby and I were very hungry, we forgot to take a photo of the food and the cutleries and how charming the dining area was. It was overlooking a portion of the garden and it was very airy with a high ceiling. No two plates, or silverware was the same. Not even the wooden tables and chairs were the same! Masks were displayed on one wall while mirrors of different sizes fill the other. Everything was mixed but the place was very lovely.
After lunch, we decided to take a walk in the garden to burn off the calories we just ingested but then we found ourselves in one of the cabanas littered with bean bags. Yes, you guessed it, we fell asleep lounging on the bags. We left the cabana around 2 pm when I heard thunder rumbling. And when we got to our room, I resumed napping while hubby played with his psp.
By 3 pm, we decided to play scrabble just outside our room. Midway through the game, we were told that snacks were being served in the dining room. Hubby and I looked at each other like, “What snack na?! Di pa ko gutom eh!” So anyway, since this was also part of the whole package, we went down to eat. We dined on arroz caldo which I wasn’t able to finish. I wasn’t really very hungry. But it was all good.
After our merienda, we finished our game of Scrabble which I lost, 249 to hubby’s 255. But it was okay, coz I helped hubby win. I really did. I swear.
So anyway, we changed to our swimsuits after. Well, I tried to fit in my swimsuit but of course I couldn’t so I just put on a top to cover most of my belly. We had the pool all to ourselves while the other guests lounged at the pavilion watching a movie. They seemed like a group of student leaders on an overnight seminar. We stayed in the pool for 2 hours until dinner time.
We were treated to another sumptuous meal of meatlover’s rice, stuffed chicken with gravy, lumpiang hubad, Vietnam fish, gambas, iced tea and hany chocolates. We were soooo stuffed! And they even remembered to bring out my Anmum (hubby asked if we could put in their fridge my milk).
Unable to really move around, we stayed out the front porch to take in the night air. Hubby again played with his psp, while I catch up on my reading. But as usual, eating so much made us very, very sleepy, so by 9 am, were safely tucked in bed and were snoring away.
I woke up early on Sunday morning. It was turning out to be a sleeping and eating weekend marathon for us. By 6:30 am, we headed back to the dining area for our breakfast. Breakfast consisted of chicken adobo, daing, pipino, pineapple, eggs, rice, and coffee / hot chocolate. Burrrrp!
After breakfast and a quick shower, we toured the entire place and took some photos. We were taking so much photos that our camera batteries gave out on us. We were down on our last 2 hours in balay before we head out to Manila for a Father’s Day lunch with hubby’s family. I was really sad to go. I never felt so relaxed in a loooong time. And for our last snack, we were served grilled tuna sandwiches and black gulaman. Sigh. Food.
That ended our very short weekend getaway. For those who can’t afford to travel far down South or up North and are on a budget, we highly suggest Balay Indang. Our package by the way cost us Php 4400 inclusive of room, food (3 main meals and 2 snacks), and use of all other amenities. Balay Indang offers massage too. It’s an ideal place for family outings, seminars and retreats.
And by the way, if you have a child aged 3 years and below, you don’t have to pay extra. I can’t wait to come back with Sam!
Photos to follow.
