Top 15 Reasons Why You Should Chose El Masfino Hotel & Resort in San Rafael Bulacan

Just an hour and half further north from Metro Manila is El Masfino Hotel & Resort.  It is located in Coral na Bato, San Rafael, Bulacan inside Royal Northwoods Golf and Residential Estates and El Masfino Country Club.   It used to be a private luxury hotel and resort but now it is open to public.

Let me give you my top 10 reasons why you should chose to go to El Masfino Hotel & Resort among all other options.


1. Reasonable Day Tour Rates
El Masino's day tour packages is as low as 200 php per person.

2. Friendly Staff

The staffs are friendly and happy to serve.

3. Spacious and Beautiful Interiors

Aside from being spacious, the interiors are sophisticated.  This is from the lounge area.

4. Refreshing Lush Greens

Free yourself from the city smog and enjoy the beautiful landscapes as your breath fresh air at El Masfino.

See how well maintained the it is.  There are so many places where you can take your time to relax and meditate.

You can sit and read a book by this man-made pond.

If you're into photography, there are lots of opportunities to practice.

Among all the shots I took, this is my favorite.  What do you think?

Here's a quick tour of our caddy ride around the place.

 5. Luxurious Accommodation

With only 20 rooms and with luxury room rates, El Masfino Hotel guarantees its guest with a comfortable privacy.

During our stay, it was very quiet and peaceful.

Deluxe Room

The room is very clean.

The snack bar is complete with  kettle, utensils and fridge.

Our terrace had a nice view of the lush greens surrounding the pool.

The rest room is very spacious. 

I like that the floors are anti-slip.

Suite Room

6. Long Jogging Trail

You can wake up early in the morning and jog at their long trail.  For sure you will enjoy the scene.

7. Free Cart Ride

Although walking is healthy, you can also opt to ride by cart to different parts of the place.

7. You Can Sing Your Heart Out

You can sing your heart out and have some fun with your companions at their Videoke Room.

8. Lots of Pool Actitivies

For real swimmers, they have a lap pool.  For those who want to have some water fun, they have a wave pool, raging river and pool side basket.

They have a kiddie pool area that is only 2 feet with splashing fountain.

You can also rent native hunts (cabanas).  There re also shower areas.

9. Forest-Like Picnic Area

After a swim, it is a perfect idea to grill some barbecue at their barbecue grill area and eat in this cool and shaded area.

10. Kiddie Playground

Whether you are a kid or kid at heart, here's a kiddie playground for you.  Parents can leave their kids here as they prepare meals or take a stroll.

11. You Can Rent a Dune and Buggy Trail

You can rent a bike or dune buggy as an excellent group outdoor activities.

12. Play Volleyball

Test team coordination by having a friendly game of volleyball.  This is great for team building.

13. Conquer the Obstacle Course

For corporate outings and other team building activities, they have an extensive obstalce course.

These look easy but its quite challenging.

THe courses will test your balance, stamina, intelligence, team work and more.

I bet it's a fulfilling feeling when you reach the finish point.

14. Play Golf

If you know a member of the Royal Northwoods and El Masfino Country Club, you can play golf.

Some members actually opt to stay at El Masfino for convenience too.

They have an 18-hole golf course.

15. Sports and Souveneir Shops

Thinking of last minute shopping, they have sport and souveneir shops within the compound.  Some of the items were on sale when I checked.

So there you have it, my top 15 reasons to stay at El Masfino Hotel and Resort.  

El Masfino Hotel & Resort
Hotel Address	Coral na Bato, San Rafael, Bulacan, Philippines
Contact	(632) 542-9537 | 542-9150	Reservation Required	Yes
Payment Options	Cash	Public Transport	Bus, Tricycle
Room Types	Room Amenities		Price
Deluxe Room	• Good For 2 Persons • 2 Queen-size bed • Hot/cold water /shower • 24 hrs. cable TV / In-house movie channels • Air-conditioned • Safety deposit box • Free Wifi • Mini ref. • With free breakfast		5,124 php
General Amenities	•Pool	Parking	Yes
Travel Tripsters Hotel Review Rating		El Masfino Hotel & Resort Map
Location	★★★
Room Comfort	★★★★
Cleanliness	★★★★
Service	★★★★
Price	★★★

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Grande Island Resort: My Top 6 Recommended Land Activities to Do (Subic SBMA Zambales)

I've shared our accommodation at Grande Island Resort.  Now, I'll be sharing how fun it is to be on an isolated island when there's so much land activities you can do.  Here are the land activities we tried and I recommend them for you too.

1. Ride a Bike

Grande Island Resort offers bicycle rental for 150 php an hour.  We decided to take a bike and explored the area. 

They have safe pathways from the port leading to the very last house.  Biking not only gave us an opportunity to exercise, it also allowed us to go to a greater distance at ease.  We were able to observe that they also had horses while we were biking.

2. Watch the Sun Set Along the Sea Shore

Photo credits to www.lifeofaci.com

Enjoy the fresh sea breeze as you watch the sun set along the sea shore. 

 Watch the sun paint the skies with orange hue.

 

The scenic view by the sea shore, rush of the cool air and the melodious sound of the crashing waves will surely offer you the relaxation that you can't get in the city.

3. Get Educated with the Historical Island Tour 

The Historical Island Tour time schedules are 6 am, 9 am and 3 pm.  The duration is 30 to 1 hour for 250 php per person.

According to Kuya Bert, our tour guide, the 42-hectare Grande Island was first discovered by the Spaniards during the 1600's.  A war between the Spaniards and Americans ended with the latter as the victor.  The Americans built underground power lines and water pipelines from SBMA as the source of electric and water.

Back Beach

We were taken to the undeveloped back beach where we saw picnic tables built by the Americans.  The beach was so beautiful but not safe for swimming as the water is the breeding area for sea creatures such as jellyfish, sea urchins, stingray and sharks.  You can see some of the jellyfish, sea urchins and corals even on the shallow parts.  If you go to the deeper parts, you can find baby stingrays and sharks.

Chiquita Island

Chiquita Island is a nearby island that is part of Grande Island Resort.  It is a 4-hectare island which serve as a bird sanctuary.  They offer nature trekking there too.

Picnic Area Built by the Americans

Battery Flake Tower

As the island is not a warzone but used as a fortress and battery, it has canons and heavy machine guns for anti-air and water ambush and defense.  The Battery Flake Tower still stands and is great for picture taking.

Maid's Quarters

We also saw the Maid's Quarters.

Hospital

The lake used to be their football field.  We're told that the rain forests are home to geckos which go out around 3 pm.

4. Speed Downward Via Zipline 

JA of thepromdiboyadventures.blogspot.com

 Grande Island Resort's 300-meter long and 40-feet high zipline.

Me on the Zipline (photo credits to thepromdiboyadventures.blogspot.com)

The zipline is a good activity that is safe even for kids.  

5. Explore by Horse Back Riding

You can go up the mountains and see more of the island via horse back riding at 500 php per hour.

6. Eat, Drink and Be Merry
 

Orchid Hall A

Orchid Hall B

Food and drinks are not allowed to be brought on the island so I had a heavy breakfast before our 9 am ferry ride.  And yet, after all the biking, swimming, boating and diving, I found myself constantly looking for energy replenishment.  Good thing that Orchid Hall serves food anytime.

Eat By the Pool

You can have food delivered to your room and eat at your comfort by the veranda (additional 20% room service fee) or eat by the Orchid Hall A or B or by the pool (Only 10% SBMA and Service Charge).  Since we wanted to eat and bond as a group, we chose the latter.  The food was reasonably priced as an order is good for 2-3 persons.  Being a group of 10 allowed us to explore to selections.

Sweet & Sour Fish (355 php)

Pork Sinigang (375 php)

Shrimp Sinigang (395 php)

Bulalo (455 php)

Chopsuey (295 php)

For lunch, we  had the Sweet & Sour Fish (355 php), Pork Sinigang (375 php), Shrimp Sinigang (395 php), Bulalo (455 php), Chopsuey (295 php) and Plain Rice (50 php).   For dinner, we had the Sweet & Sour Fish again (Yes, my companions loved this!),Garlic Shrimp (375 php), Beef Broccoli (355 php) (the meat was tough), Pork Sinigang again (This is the best dish as the group raved for this non-stop.  It didn't even reach my end of the table), Pinakbet w/ Bagnet (325 php), Pork Sisig (325 php) and Plain Rice. 

Omelet

For breakfast, we were fortunate to have a breakfast buffet which they serve when guests are 20 or more.  They have an omelet station with three choice of ingredients: cheese, ham and green and red bell peppers. 

They had hot water for coffee and rotating toasted for toasted bread served with jam and butter.

The buffet selection includes: Hot Lugaw with chicken, hard boiled egg and black pepper, Buttered Carrots and String Beans,Tapa, Tocino and Fried Bangus.  It also.includes Orange Juice for drinks.
 

I'd like to thank our server Ver who gave as the best dining experience in terms of service. 

 

You can also buy snacks such as Chippy (50 php) and beer (90 php) for a great bonding time.

So this sums up our Travel Tripsters recommendation.  Enjoy!

Grande Island Resort
Address	Structure 684, Waterfront Road, Freeport Zone, Subic Bay, Zambales, Philippines
Budget Per Person	150-2,000	Grande Island Resort Map
Payment Options	Cash
Operating Hours	Monday to Sunday: (even holidays) 9 am-10 pm
Reservation Required	No (Encouraged)
Contact	(632) 584-4359 | (632) 463-7868 | (6347) 252-2883 |  (63927) 7240999 | (63919) 366-9999 | reservation@grandeislandresort.com | info@grandeislandresort.com

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