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A loud and proud mother of five and an autism parent / advocate who believes that traveling, good food and good company are vital to keep one sane. I've worked as a news writer/newscaster, a quality systems auditor, a ISO9001 consultant, an FM radio DJ, a Filipino tutor, TOEFL reviewer and have gone into the food industry both as an entrepreneur and as a mommy chef, giving a sponsored demo on healthy cooking in a mall and on local TV. My favorite job however, is being a mom and a wife.

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Sunday, June 26, 2016

When In Puerto Galera: The Tribal Hills Mountain Resort Review


After road tripping for 3 hours (from Manila to Batangas) and sailing for an hour aboard an inter- island ferry, the last thing on our minds upon arriving at Puerto Galera was finding ourselves in any stressful situation.




Luckily, we were booked at Tribal Hills Mountain Resort - where being stressed out is a thing of the past.


To sum up our stay at Tribal Hills, we gave it our TMW score of 5/5. Here's why:


Tribal Hills' free shuttle drop off and pick up point at White Beach

1. SERVICE:
The resort prides itself in maintaining a full staff to cater to the guests' needs. The staff were courteous, pleasant and reliable, always willing to extend help and were sincerely eager to please. They were knowledgeable about the region, cuisine and travel related questions.

waiting for our ride after dinner at White Beach
Another service that the resort provides are the free shuttle services that ferry you to and from the resort. There is a designated schedule (departure and pic up times), but I noticed that they're not so strict in following that scheduled. Upon arriving at the resort, I realized that I hadn't sealed the cap of my contact lens fluid on tightly, resulting in me losing the entire contents of the bottle. Luckily, one of the 2 drivers, Manong Charlo was around. He brought us to a pharmacy at the White Beach area and waited til we got everything we needed, then brought us back to the resort, despite the fact that there wasn't a shuttle scheduled to leave.  SCORE 5/5

TRIBAL HILLS SHUTTLE SCHEDULE:




2. CLEANLINESS AND AMENITIES:

With the numerous employees at the resort, cleanliness will never be an issue. Tribal Hills Mountain Resort is a well maintained establishment - from the rooms to it's facilities, we did not have any concerns at all.



Room wise, our Double Deluxe room was quite spacious and tastefully decorated.


Our huge private terrace gave us a wonderful view of Mt. Malasimbo on one side and a view of the Talipanan beach and South China Sea on the other.



The queen sized bed and accompanying pillows were quite comfy. A pull out trundle bed was great too for MAX.  For anything, the room also had a personal fridge in it.


The AC was more than enough to cool the room, while the cable TV was great especially for Phil who had to watch the Cavs and the Golden State Warriors battle it out.




An en suite bathroom provided us with hot and cold showers with enough counter space for my toiletries.

signal's a bit weaker in the afternoons
WiFi came in the form of Globe Tattoo LTEs. The only downside to this device was that signals were weak inside the room. You had to leave the gadget on the table at the veranda, but still be able to surf in the cool confines of your room.

the pool area at Tribal Hills

Phil and MAX as seen from our 2nd floor veranda


Amenities-wise, the resort housed an outdoor pool and a Jacuzzi. They also have a billiards table near the swimming pool area.

I don't know whether to be proud or terrified. Apparently, 2nd and 3rd child are naturals at archery

the archery range structure is perched up on a tree house of sorts

Higher up the property, you can also find an archery range. The cost of renting out the archery equipment is around P300/hour, regardless of how many people use the bow.



The resort also houses various ATVs that you can rent out and use to go around the island. ATV rentals cost P500/4 hours plus you have to gas it up when you bring it back.

For P2500/5 people, we got to go island hopping, snorkeling and fish feeding in one of the clearest waters we've seen



While we did not take advantage of this activity, it will be good to know that they offer a free guided trek to the Aninuan Falls. Inquire at the front desk if you'd also want to go snorkeling, fishing, fish feeding, parasailing and the likes. More on that in our next blog: Exploring Puerto Galera.

all meat pizza. Huge. Seriously.


Should you be feeling the munchies, the resort also houses a restaurant.
Mt. Malasimbo, straight ahead


3. LOCATION:
High up the hills of Puerto Galera, in the Aninuan area, lies Tribal Hills Mountain Resort.
The site gives you the perfect view of the bluest of blue from the beach below, ghetto whole time surrounding you with lush greenery while being refreshed by the cool mountain breeze, as you are on the slopes of Mt. Malasimbo.

Feel like going out for a round of golf? Nearby Ponderosa Golf Club is a few minutes away. Check out their website here: http://www.puertogaleragolf.com/

nearby Talipanan beach
Should you feel the need to visit the beach or head out to town to pick up supplies or extra toiletries, everything's a good 5-10 minutes away via shuttle.



To get to Tribal Hills, here's a look at our previous post  En Route To Puerto Galera: How To Get There

Here's a schedule too of the Minolo Shipping Lines: (don't forget to ask Triball Hill's receptionists to confirm your return trip).


4. RESTAURANT and ROOM SERVICE:
The Treetops restaurant is located at the top floor of the office building and has an excellent view of Talipunan beach below. Food and drink options are plenty and varied.
Prices are quite reasonable, slightly pricier for Puerto Galera White Beach standards, but still quite affordable.
20% off voucher/room/2 persons/every time you order breakfast meals at breakfast

The room service menu is the same as that of the restaurant's. Note that the serving potions are quite huge. Check out their menu at this link : TRIBAL MENU

Food is often made from scratch, so expect a minimum waiting time of 30 minutes for your food to arrive. SCORE: 5/5

grilled pork belly cooked at the grilling hut just below the restaurant

want some chicken? It's dee-lee-cious!!



5. VALUE FOR MONEY:
As always, we booked through Agoda, which in itself makes the nightly stay quite reasonable. Booking during the off peak season also gave us a better deal. The thing with Tribal Hills is that without these discounts, we would still have probably enjoyed our stay. Yes, our family loved it there! SCORE: 5/5

a romantic getaway or a family trip, this place has a little of everything for everyone
The stay at Tribal Hills Mountain Resort was quite invigorating. I felt in touch with nature, but not isolated from the other charms that Puerto Galera had to offer. We would definitely go back if given the chance to do so. For more information about Tribal Hills, visit their website at http://tribalhills.com/

 
a quick dip after half a day of traveling. I HEART Tribal Hills!!
From TMW, may all your wanderings be better than ours!!!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Ms. Aya & Mr. Phil! Thank you for this very beautiful blog and for all your great reviews.
    We are very grateful to have you here as our guest at TRIBAL HILLS MOUNTAIN RESORT.
    Hope to see you again with your family and friends soon.
    Good luck to your future adventures. Thank you and best regards. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank YOU for our excellent stay! Please extend our congratulations to the staff and management for a job well done! Rest assured, we'd love to come back to Tribal Hills!

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