What's up, Hive!
It's already the end of Semana Santa or Holy Week here in the Philippines. It was a very long weekend. Easter Sunday fell on another National Holiday, Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor, and the government declared to move the holiday celebration to Monday, so the holiday spanned from Thursday (Wednesday afternoon for some) until Monday.
Holy Week in the Philippines is around summertime and most people head to the beach or swimming pools to cool off and enjoy their free time with friends or family. During one particular summer, I went with my girlfriend and her family to Hidden Valley Wave Pool and Mountain Resort. It's a mountain resort located smack dab in the middle of Cebu island. The place is huge and has 3 swimming pools, 2 of which could generate man-made waves. I had a great time with my girlfriend enjoying that summer day and spending time with her family.
Hidden Valley
The mountain resort is located in the municipality of Pinamungahan south of Cebu City. We had a difficult time getting to the place because there was another resort named Hidden Valley located by the side of the provincial road of Pinamungahan. When we got there, we were confused because it wasn't like the pictures we saw online. We asked some people there, and they told us that we were in the wrong place. They gave us directions, and we had to drive back a few kilometers. We entered a road going into the mountainous part of Pinamungahan, and what followed was a long and arduous, but also scenic, drive to the mountain resort.
The sun was blazing hot when we got there. My girlfriend and I were riding in the back of a pickup truck, so I was glad that I could finally go down and find shade. The resort's entrance was not that grand but it had a nice receiving area. It had chairs and fans to cool their visitors. It even had a souvenir shop. The staff gave us flyers listing their prices. I didn't have to worry about it because my girlfriend's sister paid for everyone.
We entered the resort and saw some cool things. There was a tall building for ziplining. There was a fountain showing the name of the resort and some sculptures of animals. The backdrop of the mountain resort was this tall mountain. It was a valley after all. Some cottages lined the resort and we chose the one close to the big giant wave pool.
We settled inside our cottage and took shelter from the heat. We took out the food we brought for lunch, and I had an amazing meal with my girlfriend.
The First Pool
After having our lunch, we decided to head out and explore the place. We took a closer view of the big wave pool. There were a handful of people swimming but it wasn't crowded. If it was the only pool in the mountain resort, I would have jumped in right away. But there were two more pools and my girlfriend and I wanted to explore them before enjoying the big wave pool.
We only watched as the people were dragged and pushed by the big waves that appeared every half an hour. An alarm goes off to warn people that the waves would be appearing in a few seconds.
It was fun seeing people enjoy their summer in the middle of the mountains of Cebu. I knew about this place but I didn't imagine it would be this bubbled summer paradise. We went around the periphery of the pool and walked under the shade of the trees. Again, I couldn't stress more how hot it was that day.
A lot of the kids were playing the spraying jets along the "beach" of the pool. There were also small fountains inside the pool that people could sit on and enjoy the smaller jets. The place was perfect for kids but with the supervision of adults, of course. The pool was so wide that kids could stray away and head for the deeper parts of it or face the onslaught of the waves on their own.
The Second Pool
We walked past the big wave pool and headed for some stairs that led to a higher part of the mountain resort. There was a restaurant that had overlooking views of the valley below and the big wave pool.
There were so many trees scattered around the resort which offered much-needed shade. The place was well-tended. There were plots of plants and gardens of vegetables. The grounds were landscaped and we saw more sculptures.
Then we saw the second pool. It was a normal rectangular pool. It didn't generate waves. But what's good about this pool was that it reached a depth of 7 feet. Not a lot of people were swimming in it which I suspected was because of how deep it could get.
There were nice-looking rooms beside the pool where guests could stay. Up ahead there were more rooms lined along the sloping side of the mountain. If I didn't know that this was a mountain resort, I would have thought the place was a residential village.
There was still another pool further up but we decided to stop and enjoy the peace and quiet of the deep second pool. We went in and the water was invitingly cool. I had just come from a somewhat scary freediving experience, and being in deep water triggered some fear inside. I swam for a few rounds to get comfortable, but I still panic a bit when I reach the deepest parts of the pool. I had difficulty treading on water, and I found myself constantly clinging to the sides of the pool. Not minding the deep water and my anxious thoughts, I just enjoyed the quality time I had with my girlfriend.
The Third Pool
A few people had arrived and joined us at the pool, so we decided to come out and head for the third pool. It was another wave pool, but it was an "infinity pool." I expected it to be a pool with an overlooking view of the mountains because those are what infinity pools usually are. Instead, I was surprised to see a circular pool. 'Infinity' actually meant that the pool went around in a circle. You could go around and around without end.
The waves of the pool turned on and I saw how cool it became. The waves brought you around the pool. It looked exciting and a bit scary because the waves could become as high as you, and you had nothing to hold on to until you reached any of the stairs out of the pool.
There was a smaller circle inside the large circle and in the middle was a small pool with those fun jets of water. The spaces in between the pools were covered with fake grass, but there were also live trees planted around. Wooden bridges provided passage between the different sections of the pool. We stayed the longest at this pool because it offered a lot of shade, it wasn't that crowded, and the waves were so fun.
But we overstayed at the third pool because by the time we decided to head down to the large wave pool, there was an announcement that there no longer going to turn on the waves. We arrived at the first pool just to enjoy our last remaining minutes at the mountain resort. We didn't catch the waves, but it was still a good overall experience.
That's it! I know I haven't posted in a while. I had to prioritize some other important things in life. I also try not to push myself too much because I don't want to exhaust myself.
I hope you are all getting the rest you need and you deserve. That's all for now. See you on the next post. Cheers!
