Tag Archives: summer

So Many Reasons To Feel At Home In Sampaloc, Quezon

The province of Quezon is a place rich in nature, culture, and history, and it is one of my most favorite places I’ve been that I am really looking forward to going back there soon with my little man, this time around! If in case you plan to visit this Southern Luzon province one of these days, you should not miss visiting the town of Sampaloc.

Sampaloc is situated right in a valley that is completely surrounded by hills in the heart of the Sierra Madre mountain range, just between the towns of Lucban and Mauban. The town was formerly known to local folks as Barrio Dingin of Lucban town, and consisted of only three sitios. It was later named Sampaloc after a big tamarind tree that stood in the center of the barrio. In 1902, Sampaloc was officially declared a town.

A visit to this town reveals various breathtaking sights: the scenery, the culture, its festivals and most especially its native delicacies. Sampaloc is a must-see and must-travel-to destination on your next trip out of town.

“I want Sampaloc to be known as a peaceful and progressive town” says Sampaloc Municipal Mayor Emmanuel Torres. “We are continuously doing a lot of projects to attract local guests and tourists to come and visit the town. We aim to make our municipality a must-see in the list of tourist destinations in the Philippines.”

This April, Sampaloc spreads out the red carpet with its Bulihan Festival simultaneously being held during the town fiesta. This has been going on for years now, but it was only in 2010 when Mayor Torres decided to promote the occasion.

“This is something I want to highlight in our municipality: the importance of the Bulihan Festival. Through this, we are able to promote tourism. I see this as a legacy I would like to leave to my constituents. For sure, future generations, especially the youth of our country, will really benefit from it,” says the mayor.

Now on its fourth year, the Bulihan Festival is a celebration of culture, creativity, fun, amusement and displays of native products and delicacies as concocted by the Sampalukins.

Guests are welcomed with a smile. The excitement is palpable when you watch the street dancing, as officials and townsfolk clad in costumes made of buri make merry as they parade around the town. Feast your eyes on amazing artworks of houses adorned with colorful buri products. Of course, the festival would not be complete without a showcase of authentic Sampaloc dishes and delicacies.

Torres has encouraged his constituents to invite their friends from around the country to drop by during the festival.

“There’s so much fun and excitement here. I hope they will visit us soon. Discover Sampaloc now,” he says.

When you go around the town, you will be witness to the rich cultural heritage that makes this town unique. The historic Tower House at the corner of Quezon Avenue and Gagan Street in Barangay San Isidro is made of yakal and adobe. It was a popular venue long time ago to host special guests visiting the town. Another landmark in Barangay San Isidro is the Old House originally built in 1924. It was one of the biggest houses in the town at that time. Japanese forces used it as a garrison during the Second World War.

Nature lovers have much to enjoy here, too. Hangga Falls in Barangay Bataan is one of the most popular sights in Sampaloc. The water flows from Maapon River in Lucban all the way to the town of Sampaloc. There are no vehicles to take you to Hangga Falls. It is a three-hour walk to get there and back. Other natural attractions include Buho Falls in Barangay Bataan, and Asedillo Falls in Barangay Caldong. For those who fancy old structures and architecture, the Spanish Arch Bridge and Spanish Road constructed in 888 should also be included in your destination.

A visit to Sampaloc will not be complete without the hair-raising experience of crossing Guinto Bridge, a wooden bridge that hangs solely by cables. What’s more, only three people are allowed to cross the bridge at a time for safety reasons. The sight of the rushing water of Maapon River, which runs under the bridge, is an exciting sight.

All these are reasons enough to visit the town of Sampaloc during the school break. All these sights and attractions will surely make your trip here a memorable one. Tour packages are also available for those who would like to visit with their families or group of friends.

Sampaloc Municipal Planning and Development Office
Contact Ms. Tina Poblete

:phone: {042}555-83-42 and {042}716-0011
:mail: LGU_sampalocquezon@yahoo.com, xtiantina@gmail.com.ph and nabracia@yahoo.com

Press Release

A Family Overnight Hotel Stay

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As a prelude to Mother’s Day, we spent a night in one of the hotels in Quezon City. I got free accommodations to Sir William’s Hotel from an event I participated in last year and thought of using it before it expires this June. So I whisk my little family of three to the city one Saturday of May. We called the hotel earlier on to reserve us a room and I was glad that one of their rooms is available on the date we chose.

We were running a bit late that day since we had to do an errand before leaving. We even made a quick stop to the local McDonald’s to grab a quick lunch and get the little man a free Ironman poster! Surprisingly, it also rained that day that we had to call the hotel’s reception to inform them that we are on our way.

We went straight to the hotel’s basement where the parking is located before we heading to the hotel’s main desk. Checking in was easy-breezy. They just had to confirm my reservation after I presented my gift voucher. We also had to pay Php360 for service charge and an additional Php500 for key deposit {which will be refunded upon check out}.

We were given the suite room on the fifth floor which is ridiculously big for the three of us! There was even a receiving room where we can entertain a guest or two during the prescribed visiting hours. Apart from being big in size, there is nothing really exceptional about our hotel suite. What bothered me is that we even had to call in and request for toiletries after checking that they are noticeably absent from the bathroom. It was a good thing I packed a set of toiletries for us but I happen to forget stashing a tube of toothpaste and a bath soap. 🙁

We watched a bunch of the little man’s favorite cartoons on Disney Junior and Cartoon Network and went to check out the pool upstairs later in the afternoon. Jared enjoyed swimming in the pool. Good thing I packed his floaters because there was no kiddie pool available. We swam for a few hours until we decided to go back to our room.

We did not want to go through the hassle of dining out so we decided to order room service and had dinner in the hotel while Jared busied himself watching animated cartoon films on his dad’s external drive which we packed for this stay. We loved the adobo we ordered. The pancit is also good but Jared only had a few spoonfuls not wanting to be disturbed from the Peter Pan film he was watching at the time.

We had a “New Girl” marathon after dinner. The little man was off to zzz land after a couple of episodes and his dad followed after a few more. I planned to finish all two seasons of this funny sitcom that stars Zooey Deschanel but was having an eye strain by the 8^th episode that I decided to hit the sheets and sleep with my two boys instead.

By the time we woke up the following morning we were surprised to find out that it was already 9am. Jared’s dad and I agreed that we have not slept in this late for a very long time. He decided to go out and buy breakfast. We also ate the leftover pancit from last night’s dinner after which, we were already preparing ourselves and our stuff to check out.

Staying in a hotel sure is a relaxing and enjoyable way to spend quality time with the family. A day way from our usual day-to-day activities sure is a very welcome change. I hope to do this adventure again soon with my boys.Thank you’s go out to the staff of Sir William’s Hotel for accommodating us! 😀

Sir William’s Hotel
#39 Timog Avenue, Quezon City
{02}371-4333 to 48
www.sirwilliamshotel.com/

hello summer must haves!

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In some parts of the world, summer is just about to begin, too bad it is almost over in my part + I was not able to make the most out of it {read: out-of-town trips, family outings, beach + swimming}. But it is never too late to plan on a vacation, really, + if the weather cooperates, hopefully I might be able to have that vacation soon enough!

To keep you ready, don’t forget to stock up on the must-haves for the season:

bikinis + bathing suits
flip flops
sunblock
a water bottle with iced-cold water
towels

That will get you covered for at least your next summer adventure!

What would you do if you win $1000?

Go on a holiday ?
Have a home makeover ?
Go on a shopping spree ?

If I will be $1000 richer, I’d probably buy all the postcards + the books that I want + go to Boracay, Baguio, Bohol, Palawan + Bali in one month! That would be utterly exciting! Am sure you can think of other creative ways to spend your $1000, but just before that join our giveaway first + keep your fingers crossed! 😉

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of staycations + summer in the uk

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Staycations vs Cheap Holidays Abroad Infographic - Thomas Cook

A staycation is when you opt to stay at home, or somewhere near like a hotel or resort in the city, so you can save on expenses you might incur when you do go out-of-town or out of the country for a vacation. But here is one interesting graphic illustration that will show you that staycation may be cheap or expensive depending on where in the world you live. A cheap staycation for an average family here in the Philippines may not be the same if you are living in the UK, for example, where the cost of living is high + you will save on your pounds if you will decide to go away instead of staying at home over a long weekend. The cost of a three-course meal + a bottle of lager in London can actually get you a three-course meal for two + 2 bottles of beer in Spain! Strange, right? Oh well, if I could afford to live in the UK + drown in all the rich culture + ancient history, I could probably afford to spend holidays abroad, too! How I wish! 🙂

image is provided by ThomasCook

Mum Travels

a wanna-be jet-setting mum's travel + postcard blog