The Farm at San Benito, Lipa City, Philippines

Located in Lipa City, The Farm at San Benito, is a SPA and medical wellness venue - supposedly for people with certain ailments.

I visited The Farm with family and I'd like to share my experiences.

All services and food have 22% tax on top of the quote prices online. So a day's tour - spa and massage included - is around Php 4800 + 22% tax. 10% VAT and 12% city tax.

The meals are incredibly small and includes common Filipino cuisine which can be made for 10% of the price.

The venue is very humid, lots of ants on the table and in our experience, the rice is not properly washed that tiny stones are included in the meal. Not an issue if you have strong teeth. But it's a reminder not to bite too hard.

The place is clean and nicely landscaped, a notch about landscapes seen in Tagaytay spas. Having a walk around the place is pleasant.

I'm not saying the prices of food and services are too much. In fact, it's quite average considering the western prices.

There are a good # of customers when we visited. They are all talking loud enough to be heard. Topics involve weight loss, money, business - common topics in Snobsville.

There were notable people who made me smile during my visit:
1. The little girl (perhaps daughter of one of the workers) who just came home from school. She was carrying her back pack when she said good afternoon to me. That was pretty authentic.
2. The western manager - I don't know her position. I can't identify her accent. She could very well be European / Italian descent. She was friendly. She greeted me and I briefly told her I am having a good day.
3. Some staff who genuinely smile.

Will you really lose weight with The Farm weight loss programmes?

I think that people can definitely loose weight using their programme and considering the portions of food served. A tiny scoop of rice! However, I will argue, if you stay home and barely eat for 7 days, I will guarantee you will lose weight. Just view the photos of the food portions on this article. That's the correct portion you should eat per meal and you'll lose weight - guaranteed. Since you want to stay nourished, it would be good to choose fruits and vegies over junk food. With this suggestion, you do not need to pay $180 or Php 7000++ per day.

The reception area provides free wifi. So you can probably have Php180 cup of coffee and use their wifi.

So what is The Farm good for?

The Farm is good for business meetings in Lipa City if you want to create a great impression to a potential business partner.

Will I go back to The Farm? Yes, when there is a need.




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Greenwich, SM

Greenwich is a cheap pizza place in the Philippines - a common franchise.
I didn't eat this Lasagna mind you :) I had a couple of pizza though.

Pizza isn't bad as long as you don't eat more than 2 pcs and you control most of the foods you eat within the day :) Does that sound like a justification? Haha. Maybe is.

Would I recommend Greenwhich? Why not? If you need a quick meal - maybe once a month, then have a couple of slices of pizza!


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Joey Pepperoni

If this place is trying to compete with Pizza Hut or Shakeys, they are doing a decent job. :-)

Food is cheap and same level quality as the bigger brands.

These photos were taken at SM Lipa City.

The only disadvantage they have is that there are bigger brands that advertise more.

Do I go back? Well no. I prefer Yellowcab in Philippines pizza!

However, if there isn't any choice and I am left with any 3 - Shakeys, Pizza Hut, Joey Pepperoni, I don't mind any of the 3.

A plus for Joey - they got a Gelato!

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Cafe Ysabel, Lipa City

This is such an underutilized cafe. It's a pity. The place can be improved. The place attempts to be a cafe but it is not cosy at all. The furniture are wrong. The ceiling is too high. In short, the interior is all the over the place. You get confused if you are inside a lounge, a cafe, restaurant or going to watch a band or if you're in a canteen, or if you're in a hotel lobby due to the ultra large chandelier.

The waiters are trying their best to be attentive to the customers. That's much appreciated... then again, I don't know if they were very service oriented because we were the *only* customers.

The food and drinks seem very cheap though. I only had a coffee so I can't vouch for the taste of the meals.

Would I go back? Probably not... that ambience isn't just what I expect.

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SM Supermarket, Philippines

For those who don't know, SM is the biggest, most successful mall in the Philippines. It's expanding overseas as well.

This photo is taken inside the SM mall, rural Philippines, the parking area is packed. There's so many people it's not funny.

There are about 91 million people in the Philippines. This means that malls like SM are raking it! Retail sales are soaring, financed by the billions going to the Filipino families from OFWs.



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Jollibee Philippines' Version of McDonalds

Jollibee - Impossible to miss this place when you are travelling around the Philippines. This is the ultimate competitor of McDonalds. Jollibee is EVERYWHERE. It's almost expected to see a Jollibee store next to a mid-sized gas station.

Jollibee in fact is now expanding overseas.

So why do people love eating at Jollibee?
1. The mascot that kids love
2. The constant commercials and celebrity endorsements
3. The cheap yet tasty food - Filipinos love sweet and fatty foods and Jollibee has lots of that. All there menu items are either sweet or fatty.
4. Fast food, convenient

Btw, they only take cash. Goes without saying that I won't recommend Jollibee for health conscious people ...


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Uncle Cheffy Sta Rosa Laguna

Ok this is not a fantastic treat. I also think it's a bit overpriced.

Though the presentation is decent, Uncle Cheffy is just not my taste for a meal.

Reasons:
1. The menu isn't special. The selections are common so there would be no reason to make a special effort to visit this restaurant.
2. Health-wise - Filipino favorites like cheese and sugar don't really sit with me

Actually, we gave this restaurant a go because they offered 20% off on their opening week.

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Hats off to Starbucks SM Batangas

Just want to pass on the good word. Starbucks SM Batangas staff are quite pleasant and obviously trained in the service industry!

Great job.

I was there early 3 weeks ago with my family. I didn't like my coffee because they didn't have the skimmed milk available. However, the offered me another coffee when the skimmed milk supply came before lunch time.

I think their toilet is quite decent as well!

Plus they provide free internet because SM offers free internet in the entire mall.

So far so good. Great experience.

The only concern is that I had to order that overly fatty 400 calorie brownie along with my 180 calorie small mocha :( I had the whipped cream removed.


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Cafe Breton Tagaytay, Philippines

Cafe Breton is a franchise. It specializes on crepes and you can order a variety of them. Their rates are reasonable. This Cafe Breton branch I went to is located in Tagaytay, next to Fire Grill - in the same compound. Cafe Breton doesn't really provide a majestic play on the taste buds. However, it can provide hearty meals at values from Php 200 to Php300. Unfortunately, this branch doesn't have Wifi. Amidst the multiple choices in Tagaytay, I would really go for somewhere with Wifi. That's just a plus. So while I am not overly disappointed here and would likely come back when I have to go to this compound again, I would not recommend this cafe to those people who need to check their email and spend a relaxing work-meal afternoon.

When I visited Cafe Breton, there's only just 1 other table with guests and they only had coffee... meanwhile other cheaper places within the compound had so many people lining up to eat.

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Azure Vivere, Batangas

Azure Vivere charges php 6000 per person to for 1 night - inclusive of breafast, lunch and dinner plus use of water sports amenities.


The place is definitely many points above the other beach resorts in Batangas. The place is tastefully decorated. The service is superb and the service staff are particularly service oriented.  They know how to please guests. Nevermind mind that they didn't give us the correct change... we considered it a tip.

THe price of Php6000 per head or 250 usd per room for 2 people can not be justified. However, if they provide a substantial discount - say $80 per person, I think I would consider staying in their resort.

The biggest concern I have is their food. I haven't tasted it. I only had a cup of coffee. It's very terrible... but they tried to present it well... except for the small ants running around the rim of my cup.

There is no wifi in the place which would have been one of the reasons why I would stay...

At Php6000 per head, I believe that there are many other high end places people can choose... in Palawan or in Boracay.



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