TBJ TRAVELS: Luljetta's Hanging Gardens Spa + Loreland Farm Resort

The BF and I took Valentines day as an opportunity to travel and drove to the mountain side of Antipolo; we didn't get to travel as much as we wanted to last year due to a bevy of grown- up priorities, so we both promised ourselves that we'll make time for traveling this year. We have Cambodia, he has Singapore/Tagaytay/Batangas with his family, I have Australia and possibly, a hike at either Mt. Batulao or Pinatubo.

We were able to reserve a slot at Luljetta's (pronounced as Loolyettas) Hanging Gardens and Spa, a newly famous quick destination that's about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes from Metro Manila. Luljetta's is a zen- inspired spa that rose to stardom due to its unique setup that's carved onto a mountain setting; it's located in the compound of Loreland Farm Resort.

If you're going to search for and book online at Luljetta's, you will be automatically redirected to Bienvenido Travels and Tours, which seems like their partner agency. Rate depends on the package and size of the room you will purchase. For overnight stay, basic package starts at P6,500.00 per night on weekends (P5,900.00 on weekdays) and it is what we got; it included a 6- hour stay at Luljetta's Hanging Gardens, welcome drink and snack, standard room at Loreland Farm Resort, breakfast buffet for two, and use of Loreland's facilities. Our package didn't include a massage; packages with spa treatment start at P7,000.00++.

If you want to know every single thing that came with our P6,500.00 package, here's a break down of taken from Bienvenido Tours:

OPTION 1: Bed + Breakfast + Day Tour Access in Luljetta's with Meals for 2 paxStandard Double Room- air- conditioned, toilet and bath, Cable TV. Although located outside main resort, it is a 5-minute leisure walk going to Luljetta's Hanging Gardens Spa.
Inclusions:
Overnight room accommodation for 2 at Loreland Farm ResortEntrance and swimming pool access at Loreland Farm ResortBreakfast for 2 at Verde Restaurant, Loreland Farm ResortHanging Gardens Getaway for 2 at Luljetta's Hanging Gardens and Spa (6 hours)- access to Hanging Gardens Facilities (Locker, Sauna, Heated Jacuzzi, Hydro Massage, Infinity Pools, Dr. Fish Meditation Lounges)- Traditional bathrobe (batik) and towels for your use- Welcome drink and snack of Antipolo's best suman- Four (4) course wellness menu served ala-carte
Optional: Rizal Tours, Romantic Dinner for 2, Spa services

For day tours, you have to purchase any of the spa treatment packages at Luljetta's that start at P2,000.00+ to be able to access the spa's facilities. Same with the overnight package, you can access the spa for a maximum of 6 hours. Staff advised us that they do not extend the stay until the next day for stay- ins, except when the guests arrived late at night when the spa is about to or finally close.

The welcome drink is a refreshing real Lemongrass tea and snack is Antipolo's best suman, which is THE BEST in my opinion; I had to re-order this duo before leaving.

When we arrived, we were handed a basket with batik robes and towels; the basket is meant for you to house your things while going around the facility; the robe and basket were cute accents to our overall nature- inspired experience.

My I'm-scared-but-I'm-trying-to-keep-my-cool face

Luljetta's Hanging Gardens Spa is literally made up of spas that are hanging on the side of a mountain, just underneath Loreland Farm Resort. Each level features a main spa accentuated by smaller recreational areas such as meditation lounges and gazebos. First level is Dr. Fish Spa; got a little terrified by this because the fishes were pretty big (good thing they were gentle, had no sharp teeth, and some were even shy!); they're not the usual tiny fishes that I was expecting so I didn't stay too long in here; I did not even dip my feet entirely in the water as I was a bit scared by the size of the fishes. :D

Second level is Hydro Massage Pool. The second most photographed hydro massage tables with rain shower effects are on the rightmost side from this angle. The water here is quite cold so it's great for relaxing muscles.

The third and final level is the Infinity Pool, the highly photographed portion of the resort. Can you blame the visitors? This place is truly picturesque: it gives you a wonderful view of the Rizal mountain range and you can watch the sun set in here blow by blow. We stayed most of the time in this area.

Come night time, you will have a stunning view of Metro Manila by the Infinity Pool. It would be nice to chill by this place at night with a cold drink in hand, but nope, the main spas are off limits to food and beverage.

When you visit Luljetta's, you might miss this one: warm jacuzzi. It's in the same floor as the locker room, but tucked in a hidden area.

There are also sauna rooms right in front of the warm jacuzzi.

Let me show you the other facilities at Luljetta's:

Here's Buddha lounge, one of the meditation/sleeping areas in Luljetta's. You can sit here and meditate, relax, read a book, or even take a nap. The room smelled like fresh- cut ylang-ylang and it was really good for the senses.

Lounge by these chairs and immerse yourself in the beauty of nature.

Luljetta's has a movie room where you can watch movies, play board games (they have aplenty!), take a nap, and have refreshments.

Dinner of the guests is always served at Luljetta's cafe; the four course meal is just okay and pretty light and healthy, definitely not for big eaters! At least you can order more food from the cafe if you find the four course meal unsatisfying.

So that's a quick tour of Luljetta's for all of you! Let me give you now a quick preview of Loreland Farm Resort:

Loreland Farm Resort is like an old, but well- maintained resort on this side of Antipolo. If you're going for an overnight stay to fully experience Luljetta's, you have to stay at Loreland as Luljetta's does not have accommodations.

There are various room types available at Luljetta's: there are 2-storey houses, standard rooms, queen rooms, and dorm rooms to cater to a wide range of groups.

This is the standard room. It's pretty cramped, but since we only stayed for one night, it didn't bother us too much, but if we will stay longer, we'd go for a much bigger room for more walking space. Our room, btw, came with a balcony.

The place is abundant with events areas as well. You can have debuts, weddings, homecomings, and grand birthday parties here!

The main attraction of Loreland are their 4 or 5 swimming pools that cater to different groups: there's a kiddie pool, Aplaya with a mock yacht and is the deepest amongst all the pools, pool with slide, and a regular round pool.

How's the food at Loreland Farm Resort? Decent. 

Camptipolo, an adventure and camping ground is also within the premises of Loreland Farm Resort, but I wasn't able to visit it; it's a different story, place, experience, and rate altogether.

TIP: Are you staying for more than two nights? Book an Antipolo Day tour at Loreland and experience what the place has to offer in sights, art, and dining!

Luljetta's is a wonderful experience and I'd love to go back to lounge more at the Infinity Pool and try out their massage treatments. In my opinion, it's best to stay overnight or at least around two nights for you to fully experience and absorb the areas: one night for Luljetta's and the other night for Loreland. To whom will I recommend this experience to? Luljetta's for couples and Loreland for families. If you're a family with small children, I don't think you can fully enjoy Luljetta's, unless you have a nanny or other family members with you who will look after your children as you de-stress at the spa. If you're not keen on visiting Luljetta's it's still worth checking out Loreland as it's a decent resort: it's not too expensive, accommodates day tours, place is nice and well- maintained, I like the crowd it attracts, and it's a good destination if you want a quick escape from the city.

Have you been to Luljetta's and Loreland already?