Amansinaya 2013

So you've heard that the Amansinaya resort has a zipline, wall climb, and mudslide facilities. You've also heard about their various sized swimming pools. You've booked one of their promos on Metro Deal. Now what?

Getting to Amansinaya located in Batangas will comprise of several hours of travel from Manila. If you are going to commute, the bus trip from Cubao to Tanauan will take about 3 hours. Then, the jeep ride from Tanauan to Laurel will take another 1.5 hours. You'll be lucky if you can get the jeepney driver to take you directly to Amansinaya, for an extra fee of course. So going as a group might be an advantage. Otherwise, you would probably have to pay for an extra tricycle ride from Laurel to Amansinaya.

The schedule of activities is usually fixed (these three main activities are interchanged if there are many people visiting the resort). 10 A.M. to 12 P.M. is usually reserved for the zipline, wall climb, and mudslide. These activities are all located in one part of the resort. There are even additional military-like obstacle courses like a rope which you can try swinging across over a water/mud filled ditch. There's a 10-feet wall you can try to climb over - different from the wall climbing activity which is about 3 to 4 stories high. There are parallel ropes which lovers or pairs can try to cross by working together. There's even a gigantic soccer ball which can roll over people.

For the wall climb, make sure to wear gloves (bring your own if your a sanitary freak), to protect you from burning your fingers due to the heat of the sun warming the climbing pegs to a very hot level. Some climbers have been unable to reach the top because the pegs are simply too hot to touch.

The resort only has one meal facility and you are forced to pay for it, even if you eat food you yourself have brought. They have a 2000 pesos fixed fee as of the time of this writing which you can consume or just flat out pay, but still eat your own food. Their group meals are okay - an assortment of grilled fish, squid, pork, beef, and vegetables. But since the resort seems to be understaffed, do not expect excellent and responsive service. Most of the time, you'll have to get that glass of water refilled yourself. If the park wants to improve, they might want to invite 3rd party branded food establishments to deal with this dilemma. Then, they can focus more on park activities.

After lunch, you have the option of joining the waterfalls tour - a two hour trek through the forest and rivers to reach the falls seen from their main building, perhaps about two kilometers away. Since I did not participate in this tour, I can tell you about their pools instead. They have a pool about 200 square meters in area with varying depths. One section has been converted to a kiddie area. Another section has a basketball ring where groups can play "water basketball", and still another section has bridges serving as shades against the intense heat of the sun. Food can also be ordered from the main facility and you would probably spend around 200 pesos for a tuna sandwich and 30 pesos for drinks. (Again, prices are as of the time of this writing.)

There are also two hotel like structures across the road from the pools which people can rent overnight. Checkout time is at 12:00 P.M. the next day. Rooms good for 2 people are priced at around 3,000+ per night while rooms for 4 people are priced at around 4,500+ per night. Rooms have air conditioning, TVs, hot-showers and refrigerators. Again, food can be ordered from the main facility.

Shuttles can periodically take your from one point to the other, free of charge. The waiting time can range from 15 to 30 minutes per batch.

Finally, returning to Manila can be a challenge past 3:00 P.M. if you commuted. Jeeps heading back to Tanauan are no longer available after 3:00 P.M. So your only option at this point is to ride a motorcycle to the bus stop at Tagaytay, then take a bus headed for Manila from there. The motorcycle ride will cost 150 pesos per person. The resort will request a group of motorcycle riders to bring the guests from the resort to Tagaytay city. The motorcycle ride can be considered the most "risky" ride of the day. The roads are not all concrete. And there are very steep inclines not for the faint of heart. But the trip will only take about 15 minutes from the resort to Tagaytay. I would only recommend this option for the young and the adventurous. Take this option at your own risk. Otherwise, stay overnight, and leave for Manila the Tanauan route the next day.

From Tagaytay, traffic and travel can be long and monotonous. The bus took about an hour to get from Splendido, the motorcycle drop-off point, to the main part of the town where the Filipino dish, Bulalo, can be availed of. Tagaytay's Bulalo is one of the best I've tasted in the Philippines. So instead of spending hours in traffic, you might want to have dinner first, then sleep on the bus ride to Manila. Even Army Navy burgers and burritos and Yellow Cab pizza are available in the town for those with an unadventurous palette.

Overall, I'd give Amansinaya a 3 out of 5. Decent, but when overcrowded, it just losses its appeal.