Monday, January 3, 2011

A Garden Resort

A garden resort (Rafael's Farm) we found in Leyte, Philippines is a good venue for meetings and receptions. It is a rolling plane formerly planted to coconuts. Today, it is an idyllic place enticing you to convert your piece of land  to have the same developments. I even have our landscape very well designed already, in my mind. There is already a butterfly garden in one area, a stable for mini horses in one area, a short zipline to join 2 ridges together, and even a canopywalk to complete the thrill of young people. And i have been contemplating of a development like this in our property in the province, only one thing is lacking...FUNDS! In fact i envy a friend, Solitude Rising, whom i've just met here in blogspot, whose dream of having a landscaped farm is already being fulfilled. He is doing it on remote control, but he is succeeding.

This old wok with flowers greets the visitors in the lounging area. The white flowers are Thunbergia grandiflora while the yellows are probably Allamanda cathartica or yellow bells.

 I am very much fascinated by this roof shed. The nipa leaves were covered with net and the roof maintained good moisture at the edges providing a nice condition for these ferns to grow luxuriantly. How enticing it is to be under it, relax, read a book, or just sit and watch the beautiful surroundings.


This seat provides a good resting area either singly or in pair. It is positioned in a moderately shaded area of different kinds of palms for comfortable sitting.
 This is a small sitting area, where one can order drinks. It also contains some antiques collected by the owner through the years. At the front left corner is a pond of ornamental fishes like koi and at the side are tilapia which can be caught by hook and line for fun. You can catch and cook them for lunch in a nearby grill. You will just pay for the weight of the fish you caught.

During our visit we saw pairs of ducks swimming in the above pond, they look so beautiful gliding through the placid waters. 


Other areas of the property are planted with ornamental plant groupings according to their requirements, e.g. succulent garden, rainforest garden, orchid garden, foliage garden and flower garden.

The circuitous foot walks are molded concrete with various leaf designs. Topiaries of different foliage colors provided very nice accents. Those chairs can be very inviting in the mornings and afternoons when the sun is not yet too high.

At the other end of the property is a tall hut built on a tree, "a tree house", which can accomodate a small group for some rounds of drinks, or a singing session. Unfortunately, i was not able to take a photo.


other nook features in this garden

The washrooms

24 comments:

  1. This place looks delightful.Very unique and beautiful.
    BLessings,Ruth

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  2. Andrea, this place looks very idyllic and beautiful. Very good for stress relaxation. You are a very good travel writer already, hehehe! Happy New Year 2011!

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  3. This is a beautiful place. I would not mind visiting.

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  4. That looks so beautiful a place Andrea. I really like that roof that has the edging of ferns all around it.

    Have a Happy New Year.

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  5. A tropical paradise indeed, to spend days, looking around, relaxing!

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  6. A tropical paradise for sure. I like how you can catch your own lunch. Those facilities are unique too. What a marvelous place to visit.

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  7. What a beautiful garden. You photographed and described its highlights very well.

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  8. Andrea,

    What an amazing place! The ferns growing out of the roof too cool. I also loved the bathroom floor, guess that is the contractor in me. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. The fern roof is amazing. Cool idea. I would like to build one too. Any close-up photos on that area? Congrats with the collages. You have an option of some white spacing between the photos if you wish to.

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  10. It's a lovely garden, a paradise actually!

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  11. You're lucky to be able to visit such a paradise! I love that plant-roof shelter and even those bathroom sinks are really cool!

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  12. Oh my, what a beautiful paradise! To have a catwalk leading to a covered deck in the middle of a pond...what a dream! Love that wagonwheel bench too...cute idea! You do go to the most beautiful places, Andrea! I just wish I had property of size that I could dream about, money or no....

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  13. Lost for words Andrea, a stunning place!

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  14. Hello Andrea.

    Rafael's Farm is one of the places where I draw my inspiration from. I have never been to that place but I have seen a lot of pictures and youtube videos of what awaits inside and every time I see it, it just makes me salivate with envy.

    I would love to personally visit this place someday and I hope I will have the chance to do so.

    What you have is a seed of a noble dream for your property in your province. And I can see that you already have a grand design in your mind. In time you will find that seed growing towards the fulfillment of your vision.

    And thank you for mentioning my blog in your post, a free advertisement helps...LOL

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  15. Such a beautiful place! Especially love that roof shed and that peaceful pond. I can see myself sit there to order a drink and feeling totally relaxed.

    Andrea: I also want to use this opportunity to wish you a very happy new year and a full year of gardening fun.

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  16. Ruth~~thank you so much for the visit.

    Autumn Belle~~thank you for your kind words, if only i am good in writing i should have included the places i've been, and they are plenty. I am just enjoying them, not documenting.haha.

    Donna~~ come visit and i will personally accompany you there. It only takes 1 hr from Manila by plane.

    Rosie~~yes that roof is everybody's favorite. I also love to do it at home, but come dry months the ferns will die. How i wish it is possible at home.

    Bangchik~~yes definitely a place to relax, de-stress and eat, have fun.

    Lisa~~yest it is quite unique to be catching your lunch and be very sure it is fresh.

    Linda~~i am always honored when you say i photograph something well. It is different coming from the pro.

    Randy~~everything there you will like, i am sure. There are still areas and nooks i did not post but also very beautiful. Come and i will bring you there~ haha.

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  17. One~~i still cannot see how to put the space in-between the shots. But yes, i would love to do it too in our farm, but a very high humidity all the time is needed. That place is noted to be having a climate which is wet or very wet.

    EG Wow~~yes almost paradise especially during these months when most of the bloggers are having the depth of winter.

    Eliza~~most of us prefer that roof, if only we can build one. Thanks for your visit.

    Floridagirl~~how i wish i can do it too, we have property, but no funds. Liquid asset is needed badly.

    Mark and Gaz~~yes you are right, silence tells all!

    Ami~~it is really paradize regained, a place to de-stress, eat and be merry, have fun and think nothing of the world.

    Solitude Rising~~i didn't know it is a famous place in that area, i also have not seen it in the web. When you told me i googled and found a lot of entries. So i linked my blog to the tripadvisor site, haha. If you have some questions about it, i might be able to recall. Imagine, really small world! I now realized we have the same tastes. I can offer you some plant suggestions, if i may.

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  18. Beautiful resort! Love the surrounding landscaping. I am inspired by the green ferns grown on the edge of the nipah hut roof. It's pretty special. Love to do the same. Btw, nice washrooms ;-) Here is wishing you happy New Year to you and your family!

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  19. A beautiful garden, with lots of treats. It is very well kept. One can see, the owners have a lot of pride and pleasure to make their guests welcome. I have an old wok, the idea is so simple but brilliant. Andrea I have not yet seen your Hibiscus. I will come and "dig" them out.

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  20. May I come and just sit for awhile?
    My garden is a frozen tundra right now.

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  21. It is interesting to see how they re-used old wok. What a nice place to relax.

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  22. Steph~~ happy new year to you too. Yes that roof is so beautiful i would love to do it too, but our long dry season will not be good for it, which needs moisture and high humidity all around it.

    Titania~~thank you for your visit, i hope you already envy the blue hibiscus in my older post, haha.

    Meredehuit~~my purpose is really to alleviate the cold sufferings of those people in your climate, so i am posting the nice and warm landscapes, as source of your virtual warmth.

    Malay kadazan~~this i think is your first visit here, i hope you will come again. Old woks never die! haha.

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  23. It's like being in a fairy world! Its beauty has a power to relief all pains and distress that one feels in the city world. And it is a perfect place to find serenity and peace of mind.

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