What to do on Valentine’s Day
February 9, 2010These places/activities I will be sharing with you are those which I haven’t yet featured on my blog. They all happened a few years ago and I’m thinking for those who haven’t been to these places yet, you can actually make them your Valentine destination this year. These places are better suited for those living in Metro Manila and nearby areas since these are just a few hours’ drive from the city. If you’re the nomadic type and won’t be satisfied with just a Valentine dinner date and yet you don’t really have the budget nor the time to go to exotic and/or expensive places like Baguio (Panagbenga flower festival is coming up!), Bicol, Bohol, Boracay, Camiguin, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, Hong Kong, Ilocos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Palawan, Quezon, Singapore, Siquijor, etc. then I’m sure these activities would interest you.
Avilon Zoo, Montalban Rizal
When we went here in 2005, we were with my parents, my best friend Mer and ex-bf Mikki. Avilon Zoo has just been recently put up then and I’m sure they have more animals and amenities now.
The Avilon Montalban Zoological Park is the largest zoological park in the Philippines, to date. The 7.5-hectare of the zoo lies in the picturesque valley of Barrio San Isidro, Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal, Philippines.
Guided tours and Educational Fieldtrips offer guests/visitors the priviledge of observing and knowing more about the ecology and behavior of the animals, how to conserve and protect the threatened and endangered species and how to save and protect our environment.
Avilon zoo has various departments and each has its own respective curator, veterinarian, supervisors, and keepers. These are the Department of Herpetology and Arachnology, the Department of Ichthyology, the Department of Ornithology, the Department of Mammalogy, the Wildlife Nursery and Rearing Department, the Veterinary Medicine and Quarantine Department, the Department of Laboratory Medicine, the Leisure and Recreation Department, and the Animal Nutrition Department.
For more info, contact the following:
Bo. San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal
Tel. Nos.: (632) 941-8393 * (632) 948-9866 (63917) 899-5126
Fax: (632) 941-8530 * Email: info@avilonzoo.com.ph
~~~oOo~~~
Subic Hot Air Balloon Fest, Clark Pampanga
We first did this kind of trip in 2006. We usually go with our friends to make the whole thing more fun and enjoyable. Be sure to go to Clark in the wee hours of the morning like around 5am so you can catch all the balloons being inflated plus you will miss the traffic which usually ensues such events.
Feb. 11, 2010, Thursday Festivities
|
Hot Air Balloon Flight |
5:30-7:00AM |
|
Paragliding Exhibition |
7:00-7:30AM |
|
Ultra-Light Aircraft Formation Flying |
7:40-8:30AM |
|
Ultra-Light Bomb Dropping Audience Participation |
8:30-9:30PM |
|
Skydiving Exhibition |
9:30-10:00AM |
|
Kite Flying Exhibition |
10:00-11:00AM |
|
AOPA Light Airplane Balloon Bursting Competition |
11:00AM-1:30PM |
|
Sky Diving Exhibition |
1:30-2:00PM |
|
Army Jeep Club Demonstration |
2:00-2:45PM |
|
RC Demonstration Flying |
3:45-4:30PM |
|
Rocketry Demonstration |
4:30-5:00PM |
|
Ultralight Formation Flying |
5:00-5:20PM |
|
Hot Air Balloon Fly-In |
5:20-6:00PM |
Feb. 12, 2010, Friday Festivities
|
Hot Air Balloon Flight |
5:30-7:00AM |
|
Paragliding Exhibition |
7:00-7:30AM |
|
Ultralight Aircraft Flyby |
7:40-8:30AM |
|
Aerobatic Flight Display |
8:30-9:30AM |
|
RC Helicopter Show |
9:30-9:50AM |
|
AOPA Aircraft Flyby |
9:50-10:30AM |
|
AOPA Aircraft Balloon Bursting Competition |
10:30-11:30AM |
|
Skydiving Exhibition |
11:00-11:30AM |
|
Ultralight Airplane Bomb Dropping |
11:30AM-12:30PM |
|
SIL Helio Courier Short Field Demo Flight |
12:30-1:00PM |
|
Choreographed Kite Flying Exhibition |
1:00-1:30PM |
|
Fire Fighting Exhibition |
1:30-2:30PM |
|
AOPA Regional Summit |
3:00- 5:00PM |
|
Sky Diving exhibition |
2:15-3:00PM |
|
Aerobatic Show |
3:00-3:15PM |
|
Rocketry Demonstration |
4:00-4:30PM |
|
Paragliding Exhibition |
4:30-5:15PM |
|
Hot Air Balloon Flights |
5:30-6:00PM |
|
AOPA- Fellowship dinner dance |
7:00 PM -onwards |
Feb. 13, 2010, Saturday Festivities
|
Hot Air Balloon Flight |
5:30-7:00AM |
|
Paragliding Exhibition |
7:00-7:30AM |
|
Ultralight Aircraft Flyby |
7:40-8:30AM |
|
Aerobatic Flight Display |
8:30-9:00AM |
|
SIL Helio Courier Short Field Demo Flight |
9:00-9:30AM |
|
Search And Rescue Flying Exhibition |
9:30-10:00AM |
|
AOPA-P, Wings Over Asia, Thai Flying club Fly-By |
10:00-10:30AM |
|
Sky Diving Exhibition |
10:30-11:00AM |
|
AOPA Light Airplane Balloon Bursting Competition |
11:00AM-12:30PM |
|
Choreographed Kite Flying Exhibition |
12:30-1:30PM |
|
Ultralight Flying Display |
1:30-2:30PM |
|
Piper Turboprop fly by of Ed/ Citation Mustang fly-by |
2:30-3:15PM |
|
Skydiving Exhibition |
3:15-3:45PM |
|
Aerobatic display |
3:45-4:30PM |
|
Rocketry Demonstration |
4:30-5:00PM |
|
Ultralight Fly By |
5:00-5:30PM |
|
RC Airplane Flying Demonstration |
5:30-5:45PM |
|
Hot Air Balloon Flight |
5:45-6:15PM |
|
Hot Air Balloon Night Glow |
6:45-7:30PM |
|
Annual Aviators Ball and Awards Night |
7:40 onwards |
Feb. 14, 2010, Sunday Festivities
|
Hot Air Balloon Flight |
5:30-7:00AM |
|
Paragliding Exhibition |
7:00-7:30AM |
|
Ultralight Aircraft Flyby |
7:30-8:30AM |
|
AOPA-P, Wings Over Asia, Thai Flying club Fly-By |
8:30-9:30AM |
|
RC Helicopter Show |
9:30-10:00AM |
|
Helicopter Flying Exhibition |
10:00-10:30AM |
|
Sky Diving Exhibition |
10:30-11:00AM |
|
AOPA Light Airplane Balloon Bursting Competition |
11:00AM-12:30PM |
|
Choreographed Kite Flying Exhibition |
12:30-1:30PM |
|
Ultralight Flying Display |
1:30-2:30PM |
|
RC Airplane Flying Demonstration |
2:30-3:00PM |
|
Aerobatic Exhibition |
3:00-4:00PM |
|
Rocketry Demonstration |
4:00-4:45PM |
|
Search and Rescue Exhibition |
4:45-5:30PM |
|
Hot Air Balloon Night Glow |
5:30-6:45PM |
|
Crew and Awards Night Party |
7:30PM |
The rest of the time, once the balloons are up in the air and can’t be seen anymore, you can just enjoy the rest of the activities there like flying some kites, joining some rides, watching the search and rescue exhibitions, plane demontrations and a lot more!!!
~~~oOo~~~
Check-in at one of the hotels in Clark or Subic
Since you’re already in Subic, you can stay in one of their resorts there. The one we stayed at before was Woodland Resort. They have a huge pool, lots of huts/cabanas to hang out at and they have airconditioned rooms good for five people in case you’re coming with your friends.
|
Rooms |
Local Rate |
Rack Rate |
| Deluxe Room | P1,900 | $ 47 |
| Executive Room | P2,100 | $ 57 |
| Executive (2 bed) | P2,650 | $ 67 |
| Family | P2,800 | $ 77 |
| Family Deluxe | P3,100 | $ 82 |
You may contact them at:
Woodland Park Resort Hotel
Km 87 MacArthur Highway
Dau, Mabalacat
Pampanga
Philippines
Telephone +63 (45) 892-1002 to 05
Fax +63 (45) 332-3311
~~~oOo~~~
Camayan Beach Resort, Subic
Check-out time at hotels is usually at 12 noon. Before you head back to Manila, you might wanna lounge at Camayan Beach Resort and watch the sunset. That’s what we did when we did the Hot Air Balloon Fest that year. You can do the same. If you’re not the beach kind of person, then you can visit Ocean Adventure, Zoobic Safari and Butterfly Farm at JEST Camp. I want to go back to these places again and I want to do that this month. I just realized I lost my digital photos of these three places. What’s left are just the few ones I was able to print before. Sigh. And you know me, if I don’t have the digital photos, it’s as if they never happened. Teehee.
And of course, you can always visit the duty free shops in the area before finally heading back to Manila. Subic is definitely a one-stop shop for travellers and tourists. They seem to have everything you could ever want. ^_^
~~~oOo~~~
Prestige Cruises, Manila Bay
For those who would like to stay in Manila, you can celebrate your Valentine’s Day with someone you love while cruising Manila Bay and watching the sunset. When we did this, Peter and I were with two of our friends and there was even a live band. There were only very few people then so I was able to sing with the band that night. Hehehe.
PRESTIGE CRUISES of Pasay City is currently offering the following promo especially for Balikbayan folks:
- 20% OFF on Manila Bay Dinner Cruise and
- 10% OFF on Corregidor Day Tours for cardholders
Note: Please Present Balikbayan Card and one valid ID
Until 17 July 2010
Unit 1, CCP Bay Terminal Building CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd, BGY 719, ZONE 078 MALATE
Manila, Metro Manila
View Map Location Tel: +63(02) 8328967
Fax: +53(02) 8328967
www.manilabay.net
~~~oOo~~~
Check-in at one of the hotels in Manila
Our usual picks when it comes to choosing hotels in the city are Sofitel and Mandarin.You can take your pick too. There are other newer hotels out there. It’s just that we’ve always loved the food at Sofitel’s Spiral Restaurant and Mandarin’s Paseo Uno buffet and Tin Hau’s Chinese cuisines are always ever so yummy!
You can spend a very relaxing Valentine weekend in any of these. They usually offer promos during holidays and they also feature performers like bands and cultural shows during Valentine’s night.
~~~oOo~~~
Terrazas de Punta Fuego, Nasugbu, Batangas
For those living near the south or those who don’t mind another few hours’ drive from the city, you can always check out Batangas. We always frequent this place and there are just so many things to do there!
You can do wake boarding at Lago de Oro, lounge at Les Caraibes or any of the other beaches there like Laiya and Munting Buhangin. For those who want privacy and more posh settings, head to Verde Island between Batangas and Mindoro.
If you have the budget, it’s best to check out Terrazas de Punta Fuego. It’s just beside Munting Buhangin but you will feel like as if you were in Bali, Indonesia. Last I went here was in 2007 after my 6-month Management Development Training Program in the office. It was soooo beautiful! I want to have a vacation house just like one of those that they have. ^_^
For other places to explore and things to do on Valentine’s Day that are not so expensive, please check out these links so you can have more options and be able to plan accordingly. Five more days to go!
Explore Bolinao and Hundred Islands in Pangasinan
Island Hopping and Snorkeling at Puerto Galera
~~~oOo~~~
As for me and Peter, we have an action-packed and never-been-done-by-us Valentine celebration which will stretch all the way to the next weekend after that… Feb.13-14 will just be for the two of us and on the next weekend, Feb.20-21, we will be celebrating Valentine’s and my 32nd birthday as well, with my family. Watch out for my post on that. ^_^
Enjoy planning your Valentine’s Day, folks!
Previous Comments
wow very informative and very helpful post sis. i like the cruise. hope we have enough moohlah to do any of the adventures you suggested.
Posted by eRLyN at February 9, 2010, 3:09 pmHi Francis,
Your kid is soooo lucky! Punta Fuego is definitely like paradise. And the cost of staying there reaches up to the heavens too! ^_^
Posted by sexynomad at February 9, 2010, 4:02 pmHi Erlyn!
I’m sure you’ll have more than enough moolah to burn on the big V-day, sis. Have fun and I’m glad I was able to help. 
Ah, the day of hearts…i miss going out for the V-day. i miss going out with you. hey, lapit na rin your bday. hehehe…will travel soon with heaven. we go to visit you.
Hi Mer!
Bilis ng panahon noh? Parang kelan lang you were still here and we’d frequent the beach together. Ngayon mommy ka na at ako eto matanda na! Hahaha! But I believe we live better lives now and I know you and Heaven will visit me soon. The guest room is always ready for you. 
Muah!
hotel living! fun!
i remember when we checked in at mandarin some 3 years ago and did nothing but take pictures, eat, and drink. someone even mistook peter for a porn filmmaker haha!
Posted by Koryn at February 9, 2010, 11:11 pmbtw, this is my new site na! 
wala pa nga lang masayadong laman hehe.
Koryn!
I still remember that weekend! Happiness! I still have that post here (http://sexynomad.i.ph/blogs/sexynomad/2006/09/07/photoblogcamwhores-at-mandarin/) .. o diva??!!
Checked your blog btw… nice! I’ll link it up to mine.
Ang cool ng place. sayang namiss ko ung hot air balloon festive..=[
pa link naman ng post ko oh: Camayan beach Resort
Posted by llama's journal at February 27, 2010, 4:05 pmAll comments are moderated. Your comments will not appear here unless approved by the blog owner. Thank you.
Punta Fuego is the best “private” place in the 1st district of Batangas. My eldest kid (5 yrs old) enjoyed his stay there and keeps on insisting to go back there when an opportunity comes up.
I guess he likes it there because he has the whole beach to himself. Kinda like a paradise for him.
Posted by Francis Isberto at February 9, 2010, 2:44 pm