JUAN'S PLACE — Hotel in Santa Maria

Stayed last July 13-14 with my family. We were a group of 12 with 4seniors (62-67yo), 1 kid and 2 dogs (husky and chihuahua). We occuppied 3 domes.

🛏It was a unique experience for us. Don't expect it to be a luxury accommodation as it is a Glamping experience. The room I stayed in has a full double bed and a pull-out semi-double bed. The bed was comfy but definitely has seen better days. The linens are alright (if I am to be nit picky, it can be pulled tightly as the sheets was placed too loosely that it came off easily.) They provide towels and basic toiletries though we had to request additional sets for the 2 extra persons in our room. It is equipped with a fan which is enough for the cool weather and a mini ref and 2 bottles of water. Then there were only 1 socket and 1 extension cord, which the slots was occuppied by the fan, exhaust fan, and ref which left us with 1 slot left (we had to unplug one so we can charge another gadget). There was a wifi but intermittent, and the internet data is non existent which wasn't really a bad thing if you want to unplug. The ONLY thing that we really do hope that they improve on in the domes is putting a seperate exhaust fan in the toilet and bath, the stench coming off from the drainage and from when you use it can linger in the room when you open the bathroom door.

When going to the rooms and back expect to go down and up the stairs and a few short bridge as they went with the natural terrain of the land. Some steps may be a bit slippery especially its been raining almost everyday this month.

🍽 Breakfast is included in our stay served in a bento box, options were mostly silog dishes. We were only able to try their pancit for a light lunch, other dishes weren't available at that time. Hopefully next time they could've informed us to pre-order food so they would have ample time to buy and prepare the ingredients.

✅️ PET FRIENDLY. No breed nor size restriction as we both had a chihuahua and a husky. They allowed our pets to stay with us in the room. No need to wear diapers or be put in a cage like other "pet friendly" establishments. They also have two dogs of their own that are very calm and friendly, we were lucky to meet Patata and Akira. They also have a couple of feathered friends roaming freely.

⭐️ Service was great. All the staff was very friendly, accommodating and polite. They immediately attend to our questions and requests.

🪴My plantita mom and aunt were so happy that they even gave them some plant trimmings to take home with us.

OVERALL, we enjoyed our stay and recommend you...

As far as glamping goes, this place intrigued me. We decided to visit a year after first seeing it first in Google.

Juan's Place is located along the highway and at Santa Maria, Laguna. It is along the mountain top so the weather is generally cool and sometimes foggy. It is almost as cold as Baguio. The tents are strategically located amid luscious greenery. One can go around the area for a bit of a hike. We had a relaxing stay and enjoyed the chill vibe.

What I liked about the place:

Ambiance. It is peaceful and quiet. The environment is healthy with the noise from insects ringing through. Occasional sound from vehicles passing through could be heard but can be ignored. Presence of duck, chicken, and other animals roaming the place adds to the zen vibe.

Pet-friendly. Flowing free brewed coffee. Staff are helpful, kind, and courteous.

What can be improved:

Drinking water. There is daily provision of 1 bottled water per person per room. However, there is no other source of drinking water even from the reception/kitchen. You'd either have to boil the tap water or buy bottled water. For the price of the room, I hope they can provide free water (on a dispenser) at the reception. Tip: bring your own supply of water.

Room. It could be the water used from washing, but the bedsheets weren't as pristine as they should be. Provision for hanging clothes/towels could also be added.

Toilet/shower. We got to experience camping conditions when we initially had to use the shower minus hot water. It was eventually fixed. Tip: Check that your shower's heater is working as soon as you arrive at your room.

For future: the place is adding tents. When fully booked, the kitchen/reception should have a system that identifies the party reserved for which dining area. This list should be visible to every staff so that conflict in bookings could be avoided.

Other tips: (a) they serve pancakes. We ate it together with freshly picked mulberries available at the resort. So good! (b) there are several restaurants within 15 minutes drive. Try them for other dining options if staying for...

This place is amazing! Expect a gloomy weather since its located in the mountains it drizzles most of the day but the sun peaks from time to time ❤️ Pet friendly, my dogs really enjoyed running around their spacious garden. There are other activites like archery etc but it was mostly raining during our stay so we didnt get to try. Room was complete with amenities like towels, toiletries, coffee and a mini kitchen that you can cook food with. They even have a small fridge and extra folding beds etc. Weather was really cold at night so it was really nice to eat hot soup/noodles or hot choco during your stay. Minor down side of it since the bed is on the 2nd floor the toilet is in the first floor and it was drizzling and no roofing on the stairs since it was outdoor stairs going into the room and since it was soo cold i had to go like 4 times during the night 😂. No phone signal in the rooms, you get a little signal when you are in the dinning area. Its great that they recently started to have wifi but its not reliable for work so if your going there expect to chill and enjoy your stay :) Pool was ice cold! But very refreshing ❤️

Staff were amazing! They were very friendly and respectful just like the owners of the place ❤️ From our room on the way to the dinning it was just drizzling so we decided to just make a run for it but in the middle of it, it started pouring hard and one of the staff came and brought us an umbrella and even gave us a towel and a blower for my dogs. For food since im a vegetarian and there was a free breakfast they were very accomodating in granting my dietary restrictions :)

So over all was it worth the stay? DEFINITELY! We were well taken cared of during our stay ❤️❤️❤️ it was a memorable short visit that i hope we...