This is a late post obvs because I'm me. But I think it will always be relevant for people who are looking for new places to have fun with family and friends so I am sharing our new favorite place to go when a family member celebrates their birthday. We found out about Fontana Hot Spring when I celebrated my birthday. Our family is big on swimming. No, not just lounging beside the beach and taking selfies--we actually love swimming. We tried looking for a resort near our home in Angeles, Pampanga. But I don't like Subic beaches and Bataan is a bit far. And knowing our family, we are not morning people so our day usually starts at around 9 or 10 a.m. 

We are a big family so we always try to look for a place that's affordable, clean and fun. My birthday falls on a holiday so everywhere is full. Fontana was our last option because we were expecting it to be expensive. We found out that Fontana has 2 resorts, first is the Fontana Leisure Park with the slides, lazy river, wave pool and other kinds of pools children and kids-at-heart will surely enjoy. And then there's the Hot Spring if you just want to relax. We've taken note of the big difference between their rates. The Leisure Park's fee is PHP 450 per head while its just PHP 200 for the Hot Spring. Aside from the Hot Spring, you also get to enjoy the use of Fontana's Olympic pool.

There are few things to remember once you get there. You are allowed spaghetti straps but you're not allowed to wear shirts and shorts with zippers. You are not allowed to bring food inside but there's a picnic area beside the hot spring resort where you and your loved ones can enjoy your prepared meals. I think its better this way since food is quite expensive inside the resort when you order. 

Another thing, they won't charge you for the cottages (as there is none), well, there are a few picnic tables and gazebos inside but they are first come, first serve basis. You can leave your things on tables provided around the resort but its still safe to have someone watch over them while you're gone. I say with PHP 200, don't expect much. But it's a lot nicer than the other inland resorts we've been to that day. Most of all, it is not crowded considering its a holiday. I really appreciate being able to float around the pool without worrying about banging my head against someone. If you are interested to know more, check out Fontana's site here.

I've taken photos to give you a glimpse of how it looks like inside. I hope you enjoy this photo blog.  

I bet this man-made falls is beautiful but unfortunately we came on a Sunday when the falls is scheduled for cleaning. 

The two mini-pools (jacuzzi?) beside this larger cold pool actually have much colder water! It was so cold I had to get out. 

It was indeed a hot spring. It took a while before I can fully immerse my whole body in the pool. You can literally feel the increase in temperature. But like the cold pool, once your body adjusts to the temperature you'll find that it is relaxing. 

The sunken bar pool does not really have a "bar" but this is where the staff and lifeguards hang out. If you want to order from Fontana's restaurant, you may just approach the staff and they will just place the order for you.

Just to give you a heads up, their hot spring resort closes by 6 p.m. The good news is, you can hang around and swim some more in their olympic pool until 10 p.m.

Having fun don't have to be expensive. Have you been to Fontana resort? Are you planning to? Let me know on the comments below. Have fun!

Have you ever been to CCP's Dream Theater? The theater is named in honor of national artist for cinema, Manuel Conde. Manuel Urbano in real life, is an actor, writer, producer and director. He became a leading figure in Philippine cinema thanks to his fresh take in storytelling. He was one of the earliest Filipino filmmaker who straddled both worlds of mainstream and independent film cinema. His film Ghengis Khan became the first Filipino film distributed worldwide. 

Manuel Conde @ 100

The Cultural Center of the Philippines Arthouse Cinema, in cooperation with Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (SOFIA), the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the UP Los Baños Foundation Inc, present MANUEL CONDE@100 at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde on Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and 8, 2016.

This special event is held to celebrate the birth centennial of the National Artist for Film, Manuel Conde who was born on October 9, 1915.

THREE FILMS

To commemorate his birth centennial and his contribution to the Philippine cinema, three of his films will be shown:

Doesn't he look familiar? Did you know that Manuel Conde is the father of Jun Urbano, more famously known as Mr. Shooli of the 90's hit show Mongolian Barbecue? What's more is that Jun Urbano himself will grace the showing of Genghis Khan on September 24 at 3pm.

Manuel Conde's renowned films will be shown in CCP Dream theater, free of charge. Please be advised that due to limited seating capacity, screening of the films are on a first come, first served basis. 

For more information, please call CCP Media Arts at tel. no. 832-1125 local 1704 and 1705. Know more about SOFIA and their advocacy to restore classic movies through their site and Facebook page. 

So this post is a huge thank you to iflix. I’ve never even imagined winning anything like this in my life. Now I can do movie marathons in a whole new exciting way.

With Google Chrome, I can cast the movie I’m watching on my phone straight to my new Samsung TV. 

Instructions were pretty easy to follow.

Mga bes, unlike your ex na hindi marunong mag-reciprocate ng pagmamahal, folks from iflix sure know how to give love back and boy they willreally take care of you.  Isn’t it amazing when love is mutual? Yes? Again, thank you iflix. You guys are awesome.