The urge to slim down has became a need. Well, its all fine to be chubby (and cute, I must say) but…read moresome medical condition somewhere at the lower back needed me to slim down. My rehab doctor said that one of the ways to safely get those muscles working and burning unwanted fat is to swim. At first, I didn't know where to swim. I mean, I'm not comfortable taking off clothes in a public space, really. I looked and asked people on where to go swimming in a public pool with a few people going there. A friend suggested to head on to the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Commissioned Officers' Club Swimming Pool (AFP COC Swim Pool). When I went to the swimming pool place, I was giddily happy because no one was there except for Sam, the caretaker. He told me the rates and what time the pool opens and closes. A few days of swimming and Sam and I were comfortable with sharing our lower back problems, and eventually, fellow swimmers would also share why they were swimming. It was a community of people in AFP COC where you feel you belong right away because they cheer you when you finish a handful of laps without stopping, invite you to triathlon events, and hang out for a quick and healthy dinner.

I've been going here almost every week to surf the wave pool if I can't go out of town to chase…read moreocean waves which is often. Well, if not for the Philippine Surfing Academy holding Club Manila East as its main venue for its surf programs, I don't think I'd give this place a second thought. But weirdly enough, my toddler daughter loves it here because of their kiddie pool which has an equally fun kiddie slide and baby fountains for extreme toddler enjoyment. Although I always have someone with my kid to make sure she doesn't drown or get kidnapped. Their lifeguards can be negligent. Anyway, on full weekends, the bathrooms are overused and disgusting but do go for the surfing. It's super worth the workout and the price. You'll definitely get hooked. Another review for Philippine Surfing Academy later on but for CME, the place isn't exactly the cleanest or most sosyal hang out spot. There's lots to do but keep your expectations low if you won't be surfing the wave pool.

Located in Taytay, Rizal, Club Manila East, or CME as it is most commonly referred to, is quite…read moreaccessible to anyone who lives in the metro. I've actually been here a couple of times, sometimes with friends and sometimes with family. Without a doubt, I can say that CME is actually a pretty fun place. There are many pools for different experiences, such as the lap pool, diving pool, kayaking pool, and the wave pool, where you can get lessons from a certified surf instructor from the Philippine Surfing Academy. I personally enjoyed the kayaking around, which was really relaxing. If none of those are your things, you can play beach volleyball at their court, or ride the zip line for just P150. The overnight settings are adequate, but nothing special. The place has many function halls and the like, which are great for company seminars, orientations for team-buildings, and conferences.

Monte Vista is my college organization's go-to resort for spontaneous (usually overnight) swimming…read more For 100 pesos/pax, you can go nuts in any of their 16 mineral hotspring pools and 8 giant slides! And I mean giant! You can see them from miles away! The resort is never really crowded, especially at night, so it really felt like we rented the whole place. They also have private AC rooms for that Snorlax friend who falls asleep when buzzed. I've been thinking a lot about Monte Vista these days, what with this oppressive Manila heat. I'd sell my soul for a day (or night!) of splashy, flashy, fun!

Just a reminder for everyone who swims in this pool or wants to swim here, you cannot wear board…read moreshorts in this pool. Now that that's out of the way, if you're a resident of Merville, you get to swim in this pool for a small fee. If you're not a resident of Merville, look for a friend or a relative who is and bug the person to accompany you to the pools. It's summer now and the pools are full of children. They're there all day long and I can't blame them. It's too hot not to get yourself into a pool. Oh, you know how from afar you can sometimes smell the chlorine coming from the pool? Well, you can't smell the chlorine of the pools. It doesn't mean that they don't put chlorine. It just means that it isn't that strong. There are always lifeguards watching the place and reminding everyone to be on their best behavior. It's safe here and really clean. So jump in and cool off at the pools.

great pool for lapping though water 70% of the time really blurry. HOWEVER, staff should be…read moreeducated on the MATERIAL (modern athletic shorts (and shirts) today are polyester tricot (dazzle) or microfiber polyester double-knit or twill and are fine for pool chemistry and filters) rather than the FIT of the swimwear. Not everything TIGHT is for swimming.... likewise not everything LOOSE is NOT for swimming. I've seen swimmers in tees, sandos, cycling shorts and leggings made of cotton but were allowed cause it's TIGHT fitting .... and swimmers not allowed for LOOSE shorts EVEN if MATERIAL is for SWIMMING. Don't get stuck in the past!!

YMCA Binondo is possibly one of the best places you can get your swim on if you're into exercising…read morewithout the sweat, like me (I'm not a swimmer though, but I can probably swim 500 meters or so, with coffee breaks in between lol--kidding!) Anyway, the first time I went here was when a humble triathlete had a swimming fundraising to help out street animals. Being slightly involved in the event, I found out that YMCA allows these kinds of things to be held there, provided that there are proper arrangements (permits, letters, etc) made like two months or so in advanced. It's a plus, because when they know it's for a cause, they will allow you to use the pool! The 25-meter pool is located at the ground floor, which is the only area I've actually explored in the place. It's the perfect place to do your laps though, especially on a Sunday morning when the pool is almost vacant, or at least during the Sundays that I've been there. The catch though--the water is super cold! For people whose bodies are not used to swimming in these waters, you'd end up shivering after a bit--like me!

My brother-in-law invited me to join him in one of his regular swimming sessions at the Makati Aqua…read moreSports Arena (MASA). It was an impromptu invitation so I was not prepared. In fact, I just brought basketball shorts with me. I was thinking that since it's a public pool, the regulations would be flexible. I was wrong. The regulations here are strictly observed. One must wear proper swimming attire when using the facilities. I could understand the puritanical rules because the swimming pool is well-maintained and everyone present that day appeared to be serious swimmers. MASA looks very much like the big swimming pool at ULTRA. But a smaller pool for children is also available. Makati residents need to pay PHP 50.00, while non-residents are charged PHP 150.00 for the use of the facilities. MASA is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 8:00am to 12:00 noon and then from 1:00pm to 8:00pm. They have clean changing rooms and lockers you can use for a fee. It was a cloudy day when we went for a swim. At first, my brother-in-law was allowed into the pool. But when lightning started to appear in the skies, everyone was instructed by the lifeguards to get out of the water. I was impressed that the guys at MASA were not only strict with the swimming attire, but with the safety of the swimmers, too.

This club has a sleepy, low-key, more easygoing vibe compared to the other country clubs in the…read moremetro that are more into activities, activities, activities. It's located a bit farther, in the hills of Antipolo, but I think that contributes to a more naturally beautiful landscape for the golf greens. Valley Golf's much more dedicated to golf actually, and despite having that more laidback "personality," it still has regular patrons from oldtimer members and their guests to newbies. It consistently gets full on weekends! I've never tried golfing myself and have always just gone straight to the club's swimming pool, haha. I like that pool because there are hardly any people and you can just do laps or float along to your heart's content. Once, my friends and I even set up a blanket poolside for tanning. Haha! It's that private. The maintenance staff generally leave you alone once you show up there, but a lifeguard immediately pops up. The pool's big and kidney-shaped, and goes pretty deep at the farther end so be careful. There's a kiddie pool over on one side though for children. Shower & changing rooms are right there too, separate from the golf showers. The amenities at Valley Golf are pretty dated but they've steadily been improving through the years. The men's and women's locker rooms have been refurbished, and so have the gym and lobby/reception area. The restaurant's also been renovated and a new caterer currently services it. Good stuff! You can even have them serve the food poolside. There's also a gym somewhere, a golf shop, lounges, and function halls where you can hold events. Valley Golf's always a great lazy weekend hangout.

I've come here every so often with my family and I love the ambiance of this place. It is elegant,…read morerelaxing and very family oriented. The staff are always so welcoming and accommodating. We have tried all the areas for dinning, Nishijin with buffet Japanese food which is always so wholesome and delicious, Cafe Asiana in the mornings for breakfast Buffett is outstanding, however today specifically, I enjoyed The continental and ordered myself the bagnet with Tinola rice and it was absolutely fantastic! With my cravings for a Filipino dish, this one was superb! I finished the whole thing by myself which was surprising! And I even elected to try their mango biscoff and it was the perfect dessert for me. highly recommend Palms for every occasion.

So many amenities and very yummy food! This clubhouse is the best clubhouse I have ever been to!read more

WARNING: this place will charge you for everything!!!…read more Over priced and not worth the price you pay. No outside food or drinks are allowed and if they see outside food, they will fine you. The first day we arrived it finished raining and they shave no dining areas that are closed in, so all dinner locations were filled with mosquitos that kept biting us all. The rooms are pretty small so my ma and pa asked if there were extra rooms. They tried to pretend that all they had left were executive rooms that were expensive. One my mama and papa said it was to expensive for us they magically found a "cheaper room available." The WiFi only allows for 2 guests to connect per room, however the WiFi was not even good at all. Even the employees at the bar told us that the WiFi would work and not work all the time. When my I laws room was "cleaned" the made the bed, emptied the trash, but did not bother to change the used towels. The towels should be the first thing to be changed, especially if they are left on the floor. The TVs in each of our rooms were difficult to operate as the instructors were wrong. It tells you to change the TV to Video 1 or 2 which we're not even options on the TV we had. If you want an extra pillow or blanket or anything they will charge you to "rent" it. The guys at the bar lacked maxing skills and all seemed to be new as they had to look at a recipe cheat sheet when they only serve a hand full of cocktails. When checking out they said everything and everyone has to be out of the room. One of our friends that had another room was charged $4,700 because there was writing marks on the bed sheet. They said that if after they wash it, and it "goes away" they will refund the price. They contacted my friends and said that the marks "went away" but that "it's not as white as it use to be" so they refused to refund the money. I would not recommend this place to anyone because they will charge you for everything and there are mosquitoes everywhere!! Beware they will take you money and instead of enjoying the resort, you will be more worried about what restaurants to drive to outside the resort, making sure you have enough mosquito repellent, as well as making sure you are no over charged on your bill.

Last weekend, we took a short, overnight trip to Island Cove in Kawit, Cavite…read more We took the Cavitex, and there were 2 toll booths. One charged P24.00, the other charged P64.00, for a total of P88.00 one way. We just used Waze to navigate, but it was just all driving straight ahead until Kawit, a little past Island Cove, actually, and then making a U-turn after the toll booth to head back to Island Cove. Took us less than 30 minutes from SM MOA. There's a big sign that says there's no bringing of outside food & drinks. ISLAND COVE HOTEL Parking space was plentiful. We checked in at the hotel, it was the usual process where we were asked to provide a deposit. The staff was helpful. The lobby was cold and air-conditioned, and the original hotel building, where our room was, was obviously old but maintained. They have some newly built villas beside the main hotel. Our deluxe room had cold air-conditioning. The amenities are modern - there's an Asian-sized bath tub, hot and cold water, rainfall shower, telephone shower head, soap, shampoo with conditioner, lotion, vanity kit, shaving kit, hair dryer, etc... room entry also used key cards. They also provided some insect repellent lotion. You'll need this. It is an island, after all. There will be insects. Slippers are also available. It's nice to see Island Cove's support of the local community. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough water to drink, so I was so happy to see that they provided complimentary filtered drinking water, and you can request more drinking water if you want to. I'm one of those people whose first order of business after settling in for a foreign trip, is to buy a gallon of drinking water, so this is great! They also provided several USB sockets located near the headboard! It's much appreciated for charging our gadgets. Some usually ignored areas like the back of the headboard was a bit dusty though. Wifi was available, but was spotty. It's good enough for casual surfing and staying online, but if you need internet for work, better bring your own pocket wifi that you can position near the balony. I had good Smart signal outside, but weak cellphone signal inside the room. ... AND LEISURE PARK There's an electric shuttle you can ride to take you to the different buildings and areas on the island, but we decided to just walk. It is really not too far, just 2-10 minutes' walk to anywhere on the island. This was better than a staycation where we just stay inside the room. We were actually walking around, breathing fresh air, in wide open space, getting good vibes from the abundant plant life. It is so different from crowded Metro Manila. Time moved so slowly. SANGLEY POINT After swimming, we had dinner at Sangley Point, Island Cove's main restaurant. Sangley Point and the pool are connected, but have different entrances. However, you can order food from Sangley Point and eat it at the poolside tables. We ordered the Sangley Point Burger (P330), 6 sticks of their Pork Barbecue (P495), and Chicken Piccata pasta (P330). These were good, especially the BBQ. BREAKFAST BUFFET The breakfast buffet was at Sangley Point, from 6 AM - 10 AM, Saturdays and Sundays. I was happy with the breakfast buffet -- it's not the most extensive, but it was just such a relaxing morning, the ambience made one feel like they had their own hacienda, it just didn't matter. They had typical Filipino breakfast fare like rice, tuyo, tinapa, adobo, corned beef, goto, champorado, etc... There are eggs cooked different ways. They had breads, pancakes, cereal, salads, fruits, coffee, juices. SUMMARY Our stay at Island Cove was a happy, relaxing one. It brought us out of the Metro Manila time dimension and we experienced a slower pace of life - can't believe it had just been a day! It felt like we had a long time to unwind and relax, more than the actual 20 hours we actually had.