Villa Escudero is a hacienda and a coconut plantation located in the province of Laguna (San Pablo) and Quezon (Dolores and Tiaong) which is approximately is 800 hectares. Established in 1872 by Don Plácido Escudero and his wife, Doña Claudia Marasigan, it was originally a sugarcane plantation but the crop was converted to coconut in the early 1900s. Villa Escudero was also the first to build the country’s first working hydroelectric plant known as Labasin Dam that supplies their coconut factory and the Escudero Plantation house that was built in 1929. In 1981, it opened its doors to the public as a resort which offers village tours, museum tour, native food and of course accommodations. It is also known worldwide as a focal point that let visitors experience Philippine culture through cultural presentations and history that is set in a beautiful rural setting.
Exactly last year of October, we visited Villa Escudero through the tickets we ordered online. The tour starts with a Carabao cart ride which takes the visitors to the resort area which is surrounded by park-like setting while being serenaded by classic Filipino songs while playing Banduria and Guitar. Then there is also the famous Waterfall Restaurant which offers a unique al fresco restaurant where the dining tables are situated below the spillway of the hydroelectric dam also known as Labasin waterfalls. This is definitely a unique experience where diners enjoy their lunch while their feet are dipped in the flowing cold water.
Other attractions also include an authentic live cultural dance show which features folk dance like Banga Dance and Singkil to name a few which were choreographed by the National Artist Ramon Obusan. Another must visit is the museum that contains the private collections of the family from their local travels and from around the world. The assorted collections includes some religious artifacts, Chinese porcelain, antique furniture, ethnic clothing, relics from the Second World War, clothes of Philippine presidents, butterfly collections, and even Jose Rizal's letters in his slumbook
. And lastly, one can also try water rafting with either kayak or even native bamboo rafts to take a tour of the lake.
 |
| Waterfall Restuarant |
 |
| Carabao Kart ride |
 |
| Labasin Waterfalls |
 |
| Native dishes |
 |
| Labasin Lake |
 |
| May muscles pa ako dito haha |
 |
| Outside the museum |
 |
| Ancestral House |
How to Get There:
1. Ride a bus bound to Lucena and alight in Villa Escudero at Km. 91
2. Before you intend to visit their resort it is important to make a reservation through their website http://villaescudero.com/ for more details.
No comments:
Post a Comment