Arriving on a drizzly afternoon, what seems to be an extension of the thick forest of the Sierra Madre lies a quaint yet homey accommodation surrounded by the thick tree canopy and curated accommodation befitting the typical “bahay kubo” aesthetics. Kubo Hideaway Resort features its own private swimming with choices of accommodations to enjoy the amenities. There are standalone huts, and one of its early rooms featuring all wooden features and thatchings are located above the common dining area. Leading to this level would entail you tackling their classic wooden stairs with a clear view of the pool below. They have 4 new modern rooms located at the back on an elevated platform. Please do note that Kubo Hideaway is not a beach front resort. It is located in the midst of an expansive verdant lot few meters away from the main municipal road. Albeit of lacking shoreline, Kubo Hideaway uniquely offers its guests a native Filipino style of staycation where you get to enjoy Mother Nature’s offerings and bounties, plus, the traditional accommodations you can choose from. This Eco Park also boasts one of the best Filipino hospitality treatment embodied from their team, mainly from Tiya Fely and Ma’am Tin.
At their common area and event halls, they have karaoke equipment set up so if you wish to blare the secret power of your vocal chord. A lot of Filipinos truly love this amenity, and imagine this machine running continuously for hours. The event halls are separated by a hallway. A bit of a warning though, slather on insect-repellant lotion to avoid nasty mosquito bites. Yes, they have a warning posted on their front lawn.
Kubo Hideaway Eco Park Resort offers both day and night reservations. During our stay, we have witnessed guests enjoying day swimming activity. The Eco Park Resort gets crowded during weekend, hence, prior reservation and inquiry is recommended.
THE ROOMS
We happen to be assigned in their New Eco Lodge Garden Rooms (Php3,000 for 2-3pax). These rooms are located at the back of the resort property, nestled on the second level, above an open-air events and dining hall (Eco Lodge Hall at Php5,000 for 30-40pax). The Eco Lodge Room features a small private toilet and bath with cold shower and bidet, an air-conditioning unit, a lavatory with mirror equipped with shelves for organizing your belongings, and a double bed with pull out mattress. There are no tables or wardrobe installed so expect that your stuff will be at the floor.
The Salagubang Kubo (Photo from Kubo Hideaway Eco Park FB Page) is a standalone hut with an attic floor and its own private living space. It can comfortably fit a large family or group of about 30 pax. It has no private toilet and bath, but you can access the public restrooms. It is recommended to slather on insect repellant lotion since the walls are of grills and insects are expected since of the surrounding woodland.
The Forest Room (Php1,500 2-3 pax) are the ones located on the second level from the main dining hall. There are no private toilet and bath, but there are dedicated restrooms at this level. The Forest Rooms feature “sawali” walls and bamboo flooring, hence, you are most likely to hear conversations and sounds from the other rooms. The advantage of this level is the balcony access and nearest to the wifi router. The downside of staying here is that you can hear the noise and the events happening downstairs, and the hallway directly above the kitchen can bear the rising heat from the stove.
Here are other accommodation and cottage categories you can choose for your day or overnight incursion at Kubo Hideaway Eco Park.
Secondary Kubo with Electric Fan (Php800-Php1,200)
Kalesa Table and Seats Setup (Php300)
Events Halls:
Tabets Hall for 40-50 pax (Php6,000 Free entrance & videoke)
Tumble Woods Hall for 30-40 pax (Php4,500 Free entrance & videoke)
Tumble Weeds Hall for 20-30 pax (Php3,000 Free Entrance)
THE SWIMMING POOL
The backstory of the Swimming Pool is the main fulcrum of why Kubo Hideaway Eco Park opened its doors to the public. It is supposed to be a fish pond, but the idea of operating a resort came to light, hence, here we are experiencing one of the best Eco Park Resort in General Nakar. The Swimming Pool features two depth pools, the shallow and the deeper ones separated by a centre island connected with a concrete footpath. The water is a bit cold so splash in during the warmer times of the day. It has its awning so you can enjoy wading in the cool waters without fear of sun burn and damage. Plus, it protects the pool from falling debris from the thick canopy above. No one wants to swim with stray leaves or branches floating astray, right?
THE STAY EXPERIENCE
We are thankful to have a two-night stay at this homey property. Upon our arrival, we are warmly welcomed by their team. An enthusiastic voice heralded us to enter their common area and that is coming from their seemingly team matriarch, Tiya Fely. That Filipino branding of hospitality is truly felt, we are well accommodated from the time we are registered until our send-off. Tiya Fely instantly offered us hot brewed coffee and refreshments while they prepare our rooms. We are elated that they provided 4 rooms for us – we truly get to enjoy our stay there.
After finally having our rooms and providing an extension wifi router for us, we caught a bit of snooze to recover. That nap truly energized us, adding up to the quiet and serene surroundings.
An early dinner is served where we get to taste their SINANTOL – a savoury cotton fruit pulp recipe oozing with coconut milk goodness. It’s one of my favourite dishes to date and I don’t mind enjoying it for 3 days there. Tiya Fely also served Fried Calamares with humongous portions and the hearty Pork Sinigang perfect for the rainy night. We altogether ate with hot steamy rice surrounded by a cacophony of squawks and rustling. We have to hit the sack early since of the dawn call time we have for our next day’s coverage.
Our early breakfast prepared and served by Tiya Fely is Fried Deep Sea Fish ala Steak Cut and “Tortang Talong”. I get to enjoy as well the leftover Sinantol. Our breakfast is capped with a freshly brewed hot cup of coffee.
After a tiring day of coverage, we get to return back to Kubo Hideaway and snoozed the remaining afternoon. Since it would be our last night, I made sure that I have a moment with Tiya Fely and Mam TinTin over shots of their “lambanog” (coconut based liquor), as she knocked me the previous asking if we can share a few shots before hitting the sack. We exchanged many stories and came along with other content creators of heeding our invite. We capped the night after a few shots.
THE CHECK OUT
Our departure was a bit emotional. As we bid goodbye to Tiya Fely and her family, we saw her teary eyed. We exchanged hugs and pat at the back before finally leaving the property. The team has bonded well with their family since of their legitimate hospitality from Day 1.
CONTACT DETAILS
- Address: Purok 3, Pamplona, General Nakar, Quezon
- Official Mobile Numbers: +63 960 264 4201 | +63 976 308 0960
- Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/vULgKBJRYxCzGLWT9
All prices indicated in this article may change without prior notice