Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort

It’s possible to stay overnight or for several days at Villa Escudero, with accommodation at a range of different price points. However, most choose to visit as a day trip from Manila. Ticket prices, which include lunch at the waterfalls, are substantial but more affordable than western-hemisphere equivalents and vary depending on the day of the week and the season. Villa Escudero tours typically depart from Manila and include door-to-door round-trip transfers.

• Villa Escudero’s countryside setting, waterfall restaurant, and swimming pools make a great day out with kids.

• Bring swimwear and sunscreen to enjoy Villa Escudero’s two pools.

• The waterfalls in the restaurant where you eat with water flowing over your feet are man-made.

• The carabao buffalo that pull the carts around the plantation enjoy a break every two rides.

Villa Escudero is in Tiaong, Quezon, 62 miles (100 kilometers) south of Manila, or around a 2.5-hour drive. It’s possible to reach the plantation by catching a bus bound for Lucena from Buendia terminal, asking the driver to let you off, and picking up a tricycle. Most travelers will find it easier to book a tour that includes door-to-door round-trip transfers.

Villa Escudero is a hugely popular destination with Manilans. Unless the weekend cultural shows are particularly important to you, avoid visiting on weekends or on public holidays, around Christmas, Easter, and New Year. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are least crowded, especially during the low season, which runs September through November.

Don Placido Escudero and his wife Doña Claudia Marasigan founded Villa Escudero as a sugarcane plantation during the 1880s. Their son converted to coconut farming during the early 1900s and built the country’s first hydroelectric plant. Since their grandchildren first opened the estate in 1981, a visit here has been a rite of passage for Manilans as an expression of their Filipino heritage.