Absolutely breathtaking! It's a nice place that offers golf cart shuttles throughout the resort,…read moreand even to their lake about 5 minutes away, where they even have jet skiing. Would recommend if you want a quick getaway

Highland Bali was quite the surprise... Whether it's good or bad, I'd say it's a mixed bag of good…read moreand things to improve. It is tucked in the beautiful province of Nueva Ecija in the Philippines and presented itself as an amazing place to commune with nature while enjoying a pleasurable luxurious "high-end" stay. Check-In: Check-In was a breeze, having the bookings made online while we were still in the US, confirmations were emailed and all we have to present when we arrived, the young lady at the reception was quite lovely and cheerful, she was very thorough explaining to us all that is included with our stay and also informed us of the breakfast hours and gave us our breakfast stubs, she also booked our spa/massage schedule as well as our activities for the days we're staying at the resort, Impressive front desk service! The Resort: A beautiful Balinese Inspired Resort surrounded by dense forest, a perfect place for some good R&R, lovely architecture and landscaping with beautifully laid out Suites and Rooms catered to your liking and budget, the place advertise itself as a high-end resort so make sure to save as even the junior suites could cost you + food cost & beverages (Breakfast is inclusive). The Resort boast a beautiful view of Pantabangan Lake and also a lush forest. The main reception lobby is nicely adorned with Bali inspired pieces from ceiling to floor. Beautiful cobblestone serves as your pathway as the bellhop takes you in his golf cart to take you to your suite while greeted by a well manicured vegetation and a clean spacious grounds which provide a peaceful and charming instagrammable welcome to your stay. They have (2) Swimming pools, one is literally just a few steps away from our suite and a lovely infinity pool located near Soraya Restaurant (which is the only restaurant in the premise - I have a separate review for the restaurant) They have a gym and a huge banquet hall/ballroom for special gatherings. The Room: We stayed at one of their Executive Suites which provided a comfy, spacious living space for us for 3 days and 2 nights. High ceilings with living room, work space, fridge, mini-bar, a king size bed, a beautiful bathroom with a modern tub and a balcony overlooking the lake and forest which is a wonderful place to chill in the morning with its beautiful and spectacular views; nature's splendor and the calming sound of the birds. So here are the CONS: On our 2nd day, we have requested to have our room cleaned while we were out ATV'ing and kayaking, however, the room never got cleaned, this was requested to the front desk when we checked-in. Trying to call the front desk leads you to nowhere as there is no reference # on the phone in the room. All the while, we saw several employees just outside our sliding glass door (in white tops and black pants) giggling and starstrucked with their cellphone cameras on, apparently a celebrity senator and his family was staying right next to us. I do not mind them being excited or wanting to hopefully have a selfie with a celebrity but they are seriously congregated in front of our suite therefore disturbing our stay. We booked the place with peace, quiet and privacy in mind not to mention paid good money for some peace and relaxation, but it seems the employees weren't properly briefed on proper hotel etiquette. The disregarded request to clean our room was a big let down to their service and what seems to be a lack of respect to their guests privacy. Also on our last day, the AC went bonkers spewing water in our room and on the flat screen TV, their service techs went in our room after we have reported it, which again imposed in our stay all the way to early noon just before the posted check out time, we cannot shower nor finish our packing, one of their employees gave us the extension # to call the front desk to request a late check out, the lady who answered our call was almost hesitant to extend the checkout time having mentioned why we needed our checkout extended, she initially gave us 30 mins!!! seriously??? I have stayed at the Ritz and Four Seasons and at the minimum they will give you an hour or longer especially for a shitty situation not of our own doing, needless to say, I was infuriated and in disbelief which I HAVE NO PROBLEM EXPRESSING, they did extend our checkout for a ludicrous 1hour in the end - BS. Highland Bali has tons of potential to be a real nice destination, the location and architecture are already there but if they want to keep their "High-End" Resort image, they better improve their SERVICE in some department, have QUALITY & BETTER tasting lunch & dinner menu, it's seriously beyond mediocre, REVIEW and UPDATE their "High End" operations policy as employees seem to lack basic HRM knowledge & etiquette, otherwise, it's just another sleazebag hotel hiding behind a lovely facade. There are so many good things going for them but the bad service is just hard to ignore.

My favorite resort in all of La Union! Been going here almost annually since 2018! Their service is…read moretop notch! Everyone is very friendly, from the reception desk, to the restaurant staff and even the housekeepers! The massage offerings are also very nice! Food is as great as you may expect and the fact that it's literally walking distance to the beach! I will always choose Kahuna! Also a huge shoutout to our driver to Vigan, Kuya Edgar! Could not have asked for a better driver to take us around!

Got a massage at Spa Luana (check out my review) and ended up staying for lunch, which was a happy…read moresurprise. They have an extensive American and Filipino menu, and I was craving a burger. The service was pretty good overall! Though there were some small ups and downs like missing condiments or my cousin's Hawaiian burger missing pineapple but, the fries were definitely a highlight, hot and crispy. Prices are pretty affordable for tourists, and the view is absolutely stunning! Overall, it's a really cute resort with beautiful beach views. The prices are decent. If you're planning a big family trip, I'd probably recommend an Airbnb, but if it's just a few people, this could be the perfect spot. A lot of surfers come here, and for around $150 a night, you can get a family suite with 2 queen beds, pretty reasonable. Want something bigger? A 2-bedroom for 8 people with 4 queen beds runs about $330, which breaks down to roughly $45 per person per night if all 8 adults split it. Not bad at all for a fun beach getaway!

Beautiful & very affordable place for a full day of family fun. This is our second visit with a…read morefamily stretching 3 generations. 18 of us and nothing but good to day. Highly recommend it.

02/16/18-02/17/18 - Very isolated location at the end of the road. If you want to get away and…read morerelax this is the perfect getaway. We rented two huts for 8 people located in a remote location. Super cool, but make sure you bring $Pesos$ they don't accept credit cards and they don't accept US dollar. You drive to the end of nowhere and there you are. Last stop on a beat up road and you arrive at this oasis. Very secluded you can also make arrangements to Bbque by the beach in one of the huts. Bring your own Charcoal and food to cook (maybe next time) We just got fresh shrimp & squid (about 5"'s) & they cooked it for us by the beach. Life is rough. I could get use to this. The squid was chopped into small slices w/green peppers and oyster sauce simple, fresh and delicious. The shrimp were steamed with heads on and a large pan of rice.

The Costa Pacifica is the class of Baler. It's in a beautiful setting and the pool looks cool at…read morenight too. The food in the restaurant is above average and didn't disapoint. However the service just needs a little wotk. They're youngsters serving and I had to ask twice on 2 occasions for my beer. But overall , I'd bring my out of town guests here.

Baler is a nice respite that mix fun and adventure. The drive was long but Costa Pacifica provides…read morea welcoming place for relaxation. The staff were very attentive and accommodating. The check-in process was easy. We did arrive a little early that our room was not yet ready. But they did offer us some welcome drinks to quench our thirst after the long drive. The restaurant was just a few steps from the front desk that we opted to just stay there and have a meal while waiting. The restaurant has a good view of the pool and the beach, which was very inviting. You can feel a breeze through the open glass doors. We booked studio type room that was overlooking the pool. The room was modern, spacious and clean. The same with the bathroom. We didn't get to swim in the pool as we opted for the beach. The beach has a very long coastline making it perfect to learn how to surf. Should you decide to learn how to surf, there is a company within the resort that you can use or you can just go down to the beach and contract with any of the local surfers. It can be relatively cheap if you know how to bargain. But I guess, they have a standard fee to make it fair for everybody. After some surfing, one can either go back into the resort and enjoy some appetizers and cocktails prior to having dinner. Or one can explore outside the property. There are several inns around the area that have their own restaurants or cafe. There is also a surf shop just across the road from the resort. For the tired muscles, one can avail of a body massage for a reasonable price. The reservation comes with a buffet breakfast with a good selection of traditional filipino fare. It really is a plus, especially for those who are still trying to wake up in the morning, not to have to go out of the property for a meal. All in all, it was a wonderful stay. Since it is the only one legitimate resort in the area, I suggest you book way in advance.

We had a normal fusion of American/Filipino breakfast here. I enjoyed the hash browns and the food…read morewas very tasty. We just had the misfortune of getting food poisoning later on during the day. I don't know if it's due to this place but I can't rule it out. The view during brunch was beautiful though. It looked right over some rice terraces.

I just love that this place is right in the middle of town, and it is so accessible you just have…read moreto walk a few paces from the plaza, the grocery stores, the market, the ATM and the bus station. This is the place to be if you want a low-key accommodation, and if you also want the ease and convenience of being near all the important amenities of Banaue. They have a great cafe that serves good-sized portions. I kept coming back for the chop suey that was so fresh, it was a delight every time. The owners are also very nice because they let me use the upstairs conference room when I told them I need a quiet place with WiFi to work on my tasks (because who carries their work laptop with them when they go on vacation, right?). Anyway, if all that nice stuff isn't enough to convince you, know that their deck has a really nice view of the rice terraces. You don't even need an observation deck for a sweeping panorama view of the main attraction that Banaue has to offer: you just look outside of their cafe deck. One note about the rooms: don't expect too much out of your P250. Their for-sharing rooms are decent enough.

Our family took a 5-hour road trip north of Manila to Baguio with Tam-Awan Village as part of our…read moreitinerary. Tam-Awan is a cultural center for the arts catering to both locals and tourists giving one a taste of the indigenous daily lifestyle of the Ifugao (mountain people) from the Cordillera Mountains. The village recreates typical housing huts of the Ifugao where you can rent one of the huts for overnight stays. They also have daily traditional dance performances which are interesting to watch. An onsite artist/weaving station nearby also illustrates the textile makings of the Ifugao. Should you need a unique souvenir from the Cordilleras, their souvenir station on the way out has a number of art or handicrafts, created by local artisans. Visiting Tam-Awan will reward you with many unique photo opportunities and it is an excellent spot for cultural immersion. Don't miss it!

The only place in the Philippines showcasing the Igorot way of life. The huts are original and were…read moredisassembled and reassembled piece by piece. You can rent them as hotel rooms to experience how the Igorots lived. Restrooms and showers are outside to maintain the original structure of the huts. It's location is forested and maintains the cool highland air. The cafe serves indigenous mountain dishes like pinikpikan, kiniing, organic salads, native mountain grown coffee, etc. There are native dances, canaos, organized to show people how life is celebrated. This is one place visitors to the City of Pines should definitely include in their itinerary.

I have never tasted a very good Paella Negra this good. Very tasty, freshly cooked, and it's worth…read morethe wait (30min).

Nice hotel in the City of Ilagan. The rooms are clean and nice and they have hot water. If there…read moreare any problems, you will be moved promptly to another room. The staff are really nice and helpful. They are trained to keep you happy at all times. There is no restaurant here, but the hotel is close to a shopping mall about 3 minutes by foot away. Ilagan is not a huge city, but they have done a great job with this hotel.