There was a time when the resort town of Antipolo was considered “out-of-town”, which lured Metro Manilans for a weekend getaway because of its cool climate, lush greeneries, rolling hills, and kasuy and suman.
Located at the Metro’s eastern doorstep, it was known for the picture-pretty Hinulugang Taktak and the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Shrine, which commands a centuries-old devotion.
The song entitled “Antipolo,” composed by German San Jose in 1929 and popularized by the Mabuhay Singers, captures the town’s bucolic allure that have endeared it to excursionists. While Antipolo has morphed into an urban center, it has somehow retained its idyllic charm, which still casts a spell on baby boomers and Gen X-ers that a good number of them made it their home.
It takes pride in its cozy spas, art colonies, specialty restaurants, boutique hotels, farm-tourism sites, and nature-themed hideaways, and a unique blend of modern living and countryside allure. Now a 20-year-old city, Antipolo is reliving its glory days to be a top-of-mind destination in her own way. Here are some of the must-see places in case you blinked in the past two decades and missed these hideaways.
Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens Spa
This tropical-themed resort is a worthy stopover for a hearty meal, a massage or a full spa treatment. Built on a cliff using Cordillera architectural principles, it boasts of an Instagram-worthy view of the Metro skyline and Laguna Lake while you laze in an infinity pool or get a hydromassage.
A part of a recreational complex that covers the Loreland Farm Resort and the Camp Tipolo Adventureland, it boasts of well-appointed family suites and dining areas-cum-art galleries.
Pinto Art Museum
It boasts of a wide array of contemporary paintings, murals, sculptures and mixed media art works spread out in six galleries. Its white-washed, Mediterranean-style buildings, mini-amphitheaters and European cuisine transports you to the Greek island of Santorini.
Boso-Boso
The barangay where Antipolo started, its heart is the restored Nuestra Señora de la Annunciata stone church, the parish community dating back to the 17th century. The village is a mountain pass where the four-lane Marilaque Highway cuts through, with bulalo and grilleries, retreat houses and resorts, with Boso-Boso Highlands Resort and Hotel dominating the landscape. Situated at one of the highest points in the area, it offers breathtaking views of both the east and west ridges.
The Victorian-style hotel, a favorite breakfast stopover for bikers and road trippers, has an adjacent recreational park—The Hidden Paradise, which has swimming pools, a zipline and a Statue of Liberty replica. There are occasional acoustic musical nights to serve as a nocturnal watering hole in the highlands.
Bosay Resort
If you’re a swimming pool buff, this inland resort can be your paradise with its seven themed pools spread out in its sprawling 3-hectare hilly terrain. Coined from the Samareño word bosay, which means waterfalls, the owner is recreating the refreshing feeling of frolicking in the cool waters back in his hometown.
Arguably the biggest of its kind, this family-oriented resort boasts of spacious hotel-type rooms, private villas with pools, and an assortment of swimming pools where young and old alike can go hopping. For night swimming, it’s got an indoor pool also that simulates a disco bar with its strobe lights.
In between dipping in pools, you can stroll at the vast complex and be fascinated by the mini zoo and aviary at a shaded nook.
Callospa Resort
The first of its kind before the town became vogue as a spa retreat, this is a compact garden spa, which, at first, appears to be a gated affluent residence. But upon setting foot, this man-made oasis surrounded by flowers, mist and cascades is a place of wellness and tranquility for your body and spirit.
The brainchild of award-winning entrepreneur Gelly Garcia, known as the “Spa Queen,” it is perhaps the ultimate spa during its heydays in the early 2000s with its state-of-the-art equipment, European-trained therapists and fusion treatments combined from the world’s best massage styles using natural herb and fruit extracts.
The spa has become a favorite venue for exchanging vows, proposing marriages, corporate incentives, and spa dates for couples and friends. It has spawned the stylish Callospa Residences nearby, which is ideal as pre- and post-wedding accommodation.
Marison’s
Antipolo has become a culinary colony with dining outlets that put a fresh twist to old-time favorites. A homegrown brand, which has tickled the taste buds of locals and visitors alike is Marison’s restaurant, which has three stores in the city’s malls.
Opened in 2013, it just thought of offering the Antipolo crowd food on a par with Manila restos. But it later turned out that people from their big city were going out of the way to sample its talked-about family recipes and fusion creations of its award-winning chefs.
Start with appetizers, such as organic balut tempura, crispy crablets or bagnet chips, and sink your teeth into the best-selling sinaing na buntot ng tuna, crispy tripe or seafood kare-kare, or Angus beef Bicol Express. Wrap up the meal with their rendition of halo-halo and macadamia sansrival for dessert.
Crescent Moon Café
Tucked in the interiors of the city, this quaint resto offers a feast for the senses with its Southeast Asian cuisine specialties, and remarkable pottery works. The place is also the workshop and showroom of stoneware ceramics artist Lanelle Fernando, daughter of the late National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva.
The Glass Bar is a watering hole and creative space where guests can try their hand at various arts and crafts and is venue for creative workshops and exchanges. It serves homemade suman and baked goods, coffee, tea, juices, smoothies, and craft beer from a local brewer. It offers lunch buffet on weekends, but is only open from Wednesday to Sunday and closes at 5 p.m.
Decades after the “Tayo na sa Antipolo” song, the invitation still stands to visit or revisit the city for a bit of nostalgia and fun, but this time with a modernized lingo—Tara Let’s sa Antipolo.