Goshen Resort — Hotel in Bamban

Goshen is a hidden gem, it has that Rome/European vibes, at the center of vast fields. There are many IG worthy backgrounds here and air is fresh and homey when you want to just do nothing and sit on balcony. Rooms are spacious (we stayed in one of their family suite), with balcony facing the fields of Bamban(?).

Cottages near the pool also provides vacation vibes as the architecture is European inspired. Only few guests are there during the weekdays, and can't confirm if it's the same for weekends but considering its location, I think it will really not get that crowded. There are 4 pools, but we only swim in the 2 adult pools, the consistent 5 ft with a place to sit in the corner near the center, and the 4-6 ft. There are also family pool and kiddie pool (located near the 4-6ft pool and I have ignored it since there are other guests at those pools).

There are also stalls inside the resort for refreshments and snacks, and souvenir shirts too. They also have a bar between the pools serving alcoholic drinks, but we didn't checked thoroughly what's in the menu.

Not sure if the food in their function halls is from the hotel, or from outside, but was expecting kapampangan dishes at least, or western cuisine as I'm expecting that's their branding, but got served normal Filipino dishes. Hope they at least modernize it (or mix with kapampangan dishes! :)) or really stick to the vibes their emitting for uniformity.

Things to improve are the cleanliness of the pool (Leaves, bugs, and several small rubbish are in the pool when we swim). Checkout process.

Verdict: Is it worth visiting? Yes, to be relaxed and disconnected with city life. The resort offers view of vast field and some mountains.

Worth coming back? Perhaps if I live nearby, might consider it, but due to its location, will choose resorts in Subic instead. Goshen's architecture is indeed amazing compared to any resort in Subic, but Subic's location complements the experience and vibe. Goshen offers view of fields, while Subic offers view of the sea or mountain. The real issue is the food (not saying their food is bad, it's just that they may want to consider having more comfort foods, foods not available in the Metro, kapampangan, or European cuisine. They have takoyaki, and ramen, which is good, but I can't imagine myself eating Japanese foods while enjoying the view of either the fields or the architecture, there's a...

Location: Access road is partly rough road where it passes through a residential area. I can not give insights when travelling at night if roadway is well lit. Place is surrounded by unfitting architecture of residential/hotel structures (definitely an eyesore to the vistas if suddenly a structure looks like modernized at the background). (2.5/5)

Interiors & Exteriors: Columns, statues, light posts etc. are very much identical. Should feature more of the greek and roman columns (not just dorics & corinthian columns). The staging area, is quite improved, having an aged-look concretes which is not visible to other structures which is why it looks like massive brutalist structures. You can easily manipulate pictures to look good by getting good angles of your peripheral views. Lots of room for improvement. (3/5)

Ammenities: Structures are located near each other, includes pools (cleaned thoroughly due to the vegetation shedding leaves infinitely), some areas are inaccessible due to visible sturctural failures, environment especially on the colloseum-like structure have overwhelming heat during the day due to the concrete structures (not a balanced hard and soft scapes), stagnant water features are obviously grown with algae. I'd suggest the management to have their own site map or location map. This will easily help clients/customers to easily locate facilities or to where ask for help. (2.5/5)

Food: Not sure if you can bring outside food but we ordered almost everything inside the place. Not recommending the pizza bought at the building offering shein clothing, dough is too thick, almost like eating a bread, lacks flavor and too pricey. Other snacks and drinks tastes great (just like any fast-food) but still, price is beyond normal. Cafe looks great but has limited seats inside. (3/5)

Service: Staff are surely accomodating and living their daily duties, however, might be under staffed. (Tried ordering drinks at the bar counter but the person on the counter pleaded there's no one available to make the cocktails. Drinks might be overpriced such as buckets with finger foods. (3.5/5)

Overall: We only tried day tours and swimming so I cannot 100% detail out the experience, but for a daytour. Place is not for everyone due to price and accessibility concerns. Still coming back for the improvements and honest...

Superb vacation experience. We enjoyed our staycation here at Goshen Hotel and Resort, located in Bamban, Tarlac. The architecture was amazing. You could feel the ambience from Rome, Italy. ❤️💚🩵The place is 30 minutes away from Dau Terminal Mabalacat Pampanga. You can ride a taxi or a jeepney and tell the driver to drop you off at the resort (near Lourdes Grotto). The resort offers a daytour and overnight stay. Room rates with or without breakfast buffet depend on the resort's promo.

Sample expenses:

1. Bus from Pasay (with sign board Dagupan or Pangasinan) to Dau Terminal, Mabalacat Pampanga - PHP 207.00 per pax.
2. Jeep to Bamban, Tarlac (tell the driver to drop you off at Goshen Resort after the bamban bridge) - PHP 30.00 per pax.
3. Tricycle to Goshen Resort - PHP 100.00 to PHP 150.00 per tricycle.
4. Overnight stay good for 4 pax - PHP 5,300.00 (sharing) plus additional breakfast buffet PHP 299.00 per pax. All access at the resort.
5. Sightseeing with breakfast buffet will cost PHP 399.00 for adults and PHP 250.00 for kids 3 to 4 ft.
6. Sightseeing, swimming, and buffet will cost PHP 499.00 per pax.
7. Upon check-in (standard time in 2:00 pm), the staff gave the WIFI password. This is very useful because the network signal or internet connection for prepaid and postpaid sim are poor if you are using a handyphone or mobile phone.

Note:

There's a cafe, ramen house and other stores inside the resort. Also, the resort has an in-house nurse who will assist you in case you are feeling sick. The resort staff are very approachable and accommodating.🥰😍🥰

Reminder: If you are planning a retreat, reunion, or tour, always check the resort's social media page or call the numbers to assist you better. There are parts of the resort that's under renovation or construction, but the place is safe for the guests to roam around or to stay...