If you want to reenact that Tom Cruise rock climbing scene in Mission: Impossible 2, one possible…read moreway to do that is via wall climbing. We have to at least start with a harness and a belayer. Otherwise, we might fall to our untimely demise without those two important things. BaseKamp is stationed at the 5th floor of Market! Market! welcoming wall climbing hobbyists and enthusiasts. They offer lessons at P3500 for 9 sessions. It's 2 hours per session, so you'll really get those arms toned in no time. A single climb with a belayer is only P50. Imagine that! And I've always thought that this sport is expensive. For unlimited climbs for adults with belayer is P340; P140 without a belayer. They even encourage kids to try this sport out! If your child is between 7-13 years old, then he or she can try wall climbing already. An unlimited climb for kids without a belayer is P110 while with one, it's P310. It's also open from 12nn-9pm.

While we always go to Tagaytay - both planned and unplanned. We would pass Nuvali on our way up and…read moresometimes stop over when we're hungry. I've seen the 'Wakepark' signs but didn't really know where it is, maybe because I wasn't looking hard enough. Or I just have just looked it up online to see the map. My friends took me to go Republic Wakepark because it's their recreational activity, to get away from the stress that living in the Metro brings, well, also school. And it's something that's fun to experience together as a group (individually if we're being specific but you get what I'm saying). I love these types of things because I know everyone gets tired of doing the same old thing and with Nuvali being about an hour or less drive away from Metro Manila, it's the perfect thing to do. If you don't think it's for you and you're being invited to come along then you can always go and stay at the bar or at the pool, take pictures and hang out.

This is the main hangout space for my friends whenever we come back to Manila from studying abroad…read more The employees are very accommodating and are very helpful in teaching you how to wakeboard. It is in a great location and I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who loves water sports within the South area. However, the rentals for boards are quite expensive and are very limited to only a couple of boards if you have grown out of the slip-on boards. The food service takes quite awhile for you to get your food. Putting that aside, this is a place that I would highly recommend anyone to come to for a day mainly just for the awesome facility to wakeboard. It's also best to go during the weekdays early in the morning so that you can get the most out of your buck, or else you would be in line for quite awhile as that takes up your riding time. Night boarding on the weekends are also enjoyable and are less crowded than during the day based on my experience from going.

I have too many good memories here at Worlds of Fun. From the haunted train ride to the bump cars,…read moreeverything was magical specially because it was a time I spent with friends and I was at a point where the biggest problem I had was my first crush, it was indeed a good time. Looking back I was thankful that they've put up small amusement parks like these in malls where kids can easily go to, not just this one in particular but also in other malls too. As a child, we couldn't afford to go to big ones on our own because: 1. we didn't know how to drive and 2. our baons weren't enough to cover the expenses to go there. Unlike most kids nowadays! Worlds of Fun though, they're really budget friendly. Give a kid a couple of hundred and he'd be all set for the day. I also loved playing arcade games there though that wasn't my main focus. It was the haunted train ride that still haunts me to this day (scaredy cat!).

When the baby boomers of the previous generation had children of their own, the demand for places…read moreto take the little toddlers rose considerably, leading to some malls and supermarkets or other major shopping establishments to create mini-carnivals which catered to the young and the young at heart. I don't know if this is something unique to the Philippines, but when you're not up to travel all the way to Star City or Enchanted Kingdom, Worlds of Fun may be a very viable option for you. Boasting mini roller coasters and smaller scale carousels, as well as a plethora of modern, digital arcade games, this area provides children with multiple worlds of fun to go to! Designed in a grandiose fashion that I still find impressive (the entrance gateway is in Egyptian style, for example), the area manages to make something affordable and reasonable look like a lot of fun, even to a young adult like myself, who may be secretly wishing to have the ability to go back to those carefree times.

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.

To climb here, you'd need about Php 650. Php 400 for unlimited climbing, Php 100 to rent the…read moreharness, Php 50 to rent climbing shoes, and Php 100 for the single purchase belayer card. You want to clim a wall yes? They'll teach you how to and additionally they'll teach you how to belay (because a belayer costs Php 100 per hour, it's cheaper to climb with a buddy). The coaches were very friendly and taught us about belaying and climbing really well, always highlighting the safety and proper equipment handling. How was it? IT WAS FUN FUN FUN aside from being challenging and tiring. I've been here 3 times and I will still be coming back. Parking: There are limited slots and the road is kinda small. If possible, it would be better to get dropped off but if you're bringing your car, pray for parking or try to get there in the afternoon.

I never thought I would be able to conquer my fear of heights (and frankly, my fear of any physical…read moreactivity aside from eating and stuffing my face with junk food) until I tried wall climbing at Power Up Climbing Gym. The gym is only a few minutes away from my place in Diliman, and it is such a convenient location since it is near public transportation routes. You don't even need to worry about being a beginner. Since the climbing gym is also a club of avid wall climbers and hobbyists who understand how it is to start somewhere, the environment is very conducive to making your first tentative steps to enjoying this strenuous and physically demanding hobby. The first time I went there with a bunch of other friends to celebrate a friend's birthday, I was a bit apprehensive about being hooked up to a harness, since the PJay, the person belaying the rope below (one of the permanent instructors in the gym) was literally half my size. But size doesn't matter, apparently. He was very skilled at hoisting me up the wall, and he cheered me on during my way up. The friendly staff at the climbing gym are very well-trained and experienced in all aspects of wall climbing and bouldering, and they are quick to offer advice as to which hand- or foothold to hang on to next to keep you from falling. They start your climbing session (if you are a first-timer) with an orientation about the basic techniques, and they will also introduce you to the lingo and the jargon that you need to use to make your climbing experience as safe, as enjoyable and as fun as possible. The venue may not be as clean, air-conditioned or well appointed with comfort, but you won't need that here. Don't worry about equipment. Just bring enough cash to rent climbing shoes, and you only pay minimally for the instruction, the belaying, the actual rental of the climbing equipment. There will also be guides to assist you if you are a complete novice. Power Up is a fun and friendly environment even for those who are so out of shape. No prior preparations required. Just bring your guts, lots of chalk for your clammy hands and a good set of activewear.

I got my Open Diver certificate in just a weekend at Anilao Beach Club! You can rent the equipment…read morethere and there are SO many diving sites you can choose from! We stayed in one of the cottages too which felt a bit like glamping. So fun! I went in March and the water wasn't too clear but I could still see some amazing fish and spotted a turtle too! Definitely the best first diving experience I could have wished for! After the dive, one of the people who worked there climbed up a palm tree for us (so impressive) and cut some fresh coconuts for us! They also have great Filipino food that I tried. I was obsessed with the tuna sisig! And the fresh mango juice ;)

For someone who had never experienced field trip from kindergarten to high school (because the…read moreschool I used to attend to is such a killjoy to all the glorious things a student could enjoy), I was too ecstatic to go on a second one for my minor subjects in college. The first one was in Vigan for my Histo I class wherein I, f.y.i, drowned for the first time. It's also funny because I was thinking that maybe this time in Subic, I'd suffer another tragedy or injury. Thank God I didn't. Whew. What made this experience so fun was because my professor crush was also there at that time. Apart from his charming presence, it was also thrilling to experience the tree drop where I thought I was gonna die because the harness won't work at all. Thankfully, it did work before I face the ground and there's a giant foam to catch me if it failed. The facilitators also made sure that everyone is safe before jumping. They do take precautionary measures seriously. It was also fun eating at a boodle fight on a plate. Yes, we ate on a plate that is placed on top of a banana leaf.

If you're looking for something new to do, then you should visit Tree Top Adventure. My husband and…read moreI wanted to go on a day trip somewhere near the city so we decided to check out Tree Top Adventure. They are basically a forest with different activities revolving around the trees. There are activities where you simply walk or ride alongside and above the trees. Then there are activities for the more adventurous ones where you either swing through the trees or drop down from one really tall one. I like how they stuck to tree activities, without destroying the place. There are no carnival rides or games or anything else to steer away from the whole point of the place. It's a great alternative to the hustle and bustle of the city. Not only do you experience something new, you get to clean your lungs too! My husband and I had a great time there. We did the canopy ride, as well as the superman and drop. I was scared at first but I enjoyed them as I was in the moment. We will definitely go back with our future kids someday. Hopefully they maintain it that way.

I was actually confused on how I would categorize this part of my village park. The truth is that…read morethis facility of the park is just a covered court and is used for a wide array of different activities. When it was first made, this court was actually meant to be a volleyball court or a badminton court. It could be used by the village residents absolutely free of charge. There were times when my mother and I would spend our afternoons playing badminton here. Those were the good old days. Anyway, things have changed since then. Nowadays the net isn't there anymore. Im not sure what happened to it, but with the net gone people don't play volleyball or badminton there anymore. However, during the morning I noticed that the court is used for Zumba. There are moms, lolas, and titas there who all dance to the beat in order to lose weight. I have no idea if its free or open to anyone though.

Kids today are more indoors than ever before. Pollution, crime and the heat are making parents…read morerethink their child rearing ways. Tablets and other gadgets are being freely given to these kids and in turn, they become perfectly content with staying in their rooms all day. Our outdoor culture is already diminishing and what better way to bring it back than to take children to the farm? Holding baby pigs, fishing, riding carabaos, feeding rabbits- these are just some of the things that your kids can experience at the Sta. Elena Fun Farm. I see this place as a quick retreat from the city, a breather from the traffic, buildings and all the asphalt that has enveloped Manila. It doesn't take so long to get there and once you reach the place, you'll fall in love with it. Tips: 1. Take the kids here on a weekend complete with a picnic basket. 2. Entrance is P300 for kids and adults. Any kid below 2 years old is free. 3. Lolos and lolas get discounts too!

My family likes to go on day trips here to have a picnic lunch, rest in the shade for a while, then…read morewhen it's not so hot explore the farm. There's lots of opportunities to interact with animals here: feeding rabbits and hamsters, catching fish, meeting friendly carabaos and pot-beliied pigs, and riding proper sized horses (not like those tiny ponies in Tagaytay). My favorite thing to do here is to climb up a wall as fast as possible (I time each new attempt), scramble back down the other side of the tower on sloping tree trunks, then try out the hurdles. Then when I'm properly exhausted, I relax on a tire swing and watch ducklings waddle past. Points for all the obstacles being constructed from materials sourced right on the property. Outdoor markets are occasionally held here, which are a great place to pick up organic greens and local crafts. Throw in performances from OPM artists when the sun goes down and even a samba troupe, and you get a great summer party. This little pocket of green trees and fresh air is only 40 minutes away from Metro Manila, making it the perfect escape for those who are sick of the concrete jungle and want to stretch their limbs and clear their heads.