R&R at Balay Indang

On every special occasion, we try to go somewhere new as a family - be it a new resort, new show or just a new restaurant. So to celebrate Ate's birthday, we started looking for a resort away from the city. As a law student, she's been spending most of her time cooped up in her room studying so a getaway would be the perfect gift on her birthday. Luckily, Balay Indang responded to our inquiry pretty quick even on a short notice. We have no idea what to expect aside from the fact that we're paying Php 2,500 per head for an overnight stay which includes 5 meals (lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, breakfast and morning snack). Not bad!

So on November 2, we woke up at 4 AM and left for Balay Indang around 5:30 AM. Driving through the streets of Manila is a breeze during this time of the year since almost everyone's away in the provinces to visit the graves of their departed loved ones. Well, except us. Before we know it, we were already near Tagaytay at only 6:30 AM!

Big breakfast at Bag of Beans

We decided to stop by Bag of Beans for a hearty breakfast. The entire place is filled with the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread. Sure, it's enticing to look at the variety of breads displayed on the counters but we're all suckers for a great view so we headed straight to the patio where we can marvel at Taal Volcano's beauty all we want. Definitely worth waking up early to.



Now on to the food. We ordered Beef Tapa, Boneless Bangus, Kaldereta Rice Bowl, Bistek Rice Bowl, Chocolate Chip Pancakes, and Blueberry Pancakes. They all ordered cups of steaming hot chocolate while I settled for a cold glass of... beer. Okay, that's just apple juice. But it looks like beer, doesn't it? Hee~

Our jaws literally dropped once our orders started arriving. Their servings are huge, I tell ya! Probably good enough for two but Daddy, Karly and I were still able to finish our plates. I guess I eat like a man, eh?

After breakfast, we continued our journey to Balay Indang. Honestly, the place is a little difficult to find with just the number 88 and a small signage to look out for. But we did manage to find it. Upon entering, we were greeted by one of their staff who confirmed our reservation and ushered us to the reception area. The place was so serene, we were whispering among ourselves so as not to disturb the silence that envelopes the place.

Room Esther is good for 6-8 people.

After mom settled everything, we were led to the Narra cottage where we will be staying at the Esther room. Our room was huge and we were all blown away by its homey interiors where majority of the furniture are made of wood. It has 3 double beds, a single bed, and a day bed. Probably good enough for 6-8 people.

My favorite spot: the day bed.

Ate, Kim and I decided to take the loft while mom, dad, Karly and Bryle stayed on the first floor. Sure, we were all excited to explore Balay Indang but our room was just too inviting. We all caved in and decided to take a little nap before going for a walk.

Recharged after more than an hour's nap!

After more than an hour, our alarms went off and we decided to go for a little walk. I was pretty hesitant but I needed to get out of that bed before I fall into a whole day's slumber. Karly decided to stay behind though as he clearly needed to get more Z's being our designated driver and all.

The Barefoot Walk

Our first stop was The Barefoot Walk. I rarely walk around barefoot but I decided to give this one a try nonetheless. The entire walkway is filled with pebbles in different textures, shapes and sizes so every step gives the soles of your feet a little massage. Some felt really good on my tired feet while others felt a little too painful so I cheated by walking on the gutter. :p

Favorite pavilion!

At the end of The Barefoot Walk awaits my favorite pavilion in the entire resort. And it's aptly named so! Relaxing at the Sanctuary is the perfect reward after going through the challenge brought about by The Barefoot Walk. Well, at least for me.

Swings seem even more fun when the air is fresh.

Balay Indang is like one huge garden with pavilions, playgrounds and other relaxation spots scattered all over the place so you can take a break whenever you want to. The air is so fresh, I wanted to lie down every time I get the opportunity to.

The Hidden Valley

Just when we thought we were done exploring Balay Indang, we stumbled upon the Hidden Valley. It looks more like an extension rather than a part of the original resort plan. Upon stepping into the secluded area, we were greeted by buddhas which reminded us of Thailand. They also have a 3-tier watchtower that looked like a tree house - only much more dreamy. Too bad, we couldn't stay there long enough as someone left their stuff in the rooms. Weird.

Deeper into the Hidden Valley is an open field where retreat activities are held, I guess, because it was surrounded by the Stations of the Cross. By the time we finished traversing it, we were sweating like crazy so we decided to head back.

Resting at Bahay ni Jacob

On the way back, we passed by Bahay ni Jacob and decided to take a break. After catching our breaths, mom and I went back to fetch Karly for lunch while daddy, ate, Bryle and Kim stayed behind to play billiards.

They have a pool table, foosball, darts, and board games.

Karly was still asleep when we came back. Haha We woke him up and headed towards the main dining hall for lunch where our table was waiting for us. All the other guests that were checked-in were having lunch at their own reserved tables as well. They served us healthy green salad for starters and fresh dalandan juice for refreshments. Both were absolutely delicious! I finished my glass in no time and asked for refills. By the end of lunch, I think I had about 4 glasses of dalandan juice. Haha

Lovely reception hall.

The food was so good, we forgot to take pictures! They served us tuna wasabi, salmon pasta and roast chicken. I forgot what we had for dessert but I do know that it was tasty. We were so full by the end of lunch, we wanted to take a nap. Haha But before heading back to our cottage, we toured the reception hall which is directly connected to the main dining hall. I love everything about Balay Indang! Every decor is unique but it somehow complements with everything around it.

Some of the beautiful displays that adorn Balay Indang.

After chatting a bit, we all decided to take a nap. The alarms went off around 2:30 PM just in time for guess what? Merienda oh yeah! We headed to the main dining hall and were the first ones there. Yep, we're excited for meal times alright. We had unlimited ginataang halo-halo for merienda. It was soooo good! I traded my kamotes for mom's bilo-bilo though. Hee~ The bilo-bilo was soft and chewy - just the way I like it. I had two full bowls of ginataang halo-halo. Sure, I wanted more but my tummy can only handle so much.

Finished my second serving of ginataang halo-halo. Two bowls ain't enough!

To burn some of the calories we gained, we decided to finally take a dip at the resort's swimming pool. By the time we hit the pool, we were the only ones there. Exclusive ang peg! While the six of us were swimming around, Bryle stayed at the pavilion nearby to work on furniture designs for Grass. Such a nerd!

Just keep swimming!

Mom and I got out of the water when it became too cold while the four of them stayed behind. But after a few minutes, all of them couldn't stay out in the cold for too long so we all started to get ready for dinner.

Dinner time!

By 6:30 PM, we were all at the dining hall ready for another feast. Since all of us (except Bryle) don't eat pork, they cooked up something else to replace the pork dishes. Pretty considerate although they still felt bad about it. Surprisingly, one of their cooks was an SDA too so she prepared some dishes especially for us that weren't served to the other guests. Sweet!

After going for yet another walk (yeah, the place is huge!), we went back to our cottage to finally work on the furniture designs for Grass until we fell asleep. Actually, Bryle worked on the sketches while Ate and I just picked out the color schemes. Haha

I'm a star!

We woke up early the next day because Mom didn't want us to be late for breakfast. Di naman masyadong halata na excited kami for meal times, di ba? On our way to the dining hall, Kim and I took a shortcut while the rest of them stayed on the usual path. They bumped into the manager and chatted for a bit while Kim and I waited for them at the patio. It turns out, we were too early for breakfast! Haha Ate, Karly, Kim and I were all in our PJ's pa naman! We decided to pass time by taking an early morning walk. I can't emphasize enough how much I love the fresh breeze here.

For breakfast, we had chicken adobo, crispy fish, garlic rice, scrambled eggs, mini sandwiches, and the richest, chocolatiest hot chocolate I've ever tasted! If I wasn't too full, I'd gladly ask for a refill. It was so good, Daddy drank 3 cups of it. Our table never seem to get empty as they promptly refilled anything that was running out. We had to tell them we're too full before they stopped. Clearly, they were still trying to make up for last night's dinner which was totally okay with us.

Leaving already?? :(

We went back to our cottage after breakfast to get ready to leave. Of course, we didn't want to but what else can we do? After taking a couple more pictures, we went back to the main dining hall for our last meal. Nakakaiyak! Kala mo bibitayin lang. I will surely miss getting pampered like this. It's like they knew how to spoil law students and overworked employees by giving them ample time to rest and indulge in delicious home-cooked meals. Anyway, they served us bibingka for merienda. Honestly, I'm not a fan of kakanin but this one's so good, I actually liked it. If it wasn't too filling, I'd gladly ask for seconds. We did ask for their fresh dalandan juice though. Too bad, they weren't able to buy some dalandans for the day. :(

After we checked out, the person in charge (aside from the manager) chatted with us a bit and gave us a copy of their rates. They might increase the prices in months to come but they assured us that they'd still give us the same rate when we come back. Aren't they the sweetest?

So if you're looking for a perfect stress-free getaway, head over to Balay Indang in Indang, Cavite. It's just a little over an hour's drive from Metro Manila during Undas season. Make it 1.5 to 2 hours on a regular weekend. For inquiries and reservations, just give Marge Tan (0917-8665825) a call.