This is a back post, dated 2018. Didn't realize it was drafted for a long time. Anyway, details still hold true. :)
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After I gave birth to my 2nd child Nathan, I thought I needed a break. I wanted to relax and spend quality time with the family outside our home. Good timing it was already the Holy Week and the holidays fell on a Thursday and Friday which meant longer weekend.
So we tried what we’ve long been trying to explore, Canyon Cove Hotel & Spa in Nasugbu, Batangas. It’s a big blessing that we’re still able to book an available room via AIRBNB. It was almost last minute so expect the price to be higher.
Since it was our family’s first out of town with our baby boy Nathan, it was indeed something worth remembering. So let me share with you not just the good memories but also the key challenges we faced having to travel with kids.
Transportation & Travel Time
I mentioned we went there during the Holy week right? I think it was the only regret I have about this whole experience. The traffic we had to go through was the worst ever. Imagine we left San Pablo, Laguna at around 11AM and guess what time we arrived in Nasugbu. It was already past 5PM – almost 6 hours we had to endure. And the culprit? Blame it all to the hell traffic in Tagaytay. From Laguna to Batangas, one of the locals we asked for directions led us to taking the Tagaytay route which was obviously not the best idea.
Tip #1: Never take the Tagaytay route during holiday/vacation peak times or it will take you forever to reach your destination. And if you are to take the kids with you, make sure to bring food, water and something they’ll be busy with, probably toys or tablet to make it easier for you to contain them while in traffic.
Here are the kids obviously bored.
Accommodation/Room Details
We secured a 1-BR accommodation via AIRBNB for a total cost of P6,200 (5,900 the actual rent rate and an additional 300 for the AirBnb service charge). The room was nice with a view of the beach from the veranda.
The king-size bed is big enough for me, my husband and my little one Nathan. Kuya Nicko decided to sleep with her Tita Sahlee in the small couch/mini bed on the side.
Tip #2: The hotel says the room is good for 2-3 only but I’ve read some blogs too that you can sneak in more guests for as long as you’re comfortable. My estimate, probably 5-6 is still ok, at your own risk.
Here are some of our room pictures. Credits to Eric and Ms. Shiela (our AirBnb contacts) for the other photos. They have helped us secure this room despite last minute booking. Here’s her Airbnb site. Shiela’s Profile
Tip #3: Make sure to call your contact days prior to your check in if you need special arrangement like if you need additional beds or if you wish to have a room on the ground floor for easy access. You can also try to request for a room that has a view outside.
Facilities/Amenities
When we looked for a place to spend the holiday, we were only thinking of one thing – it has to have beach and a pool for Kuya Nicko. Canyon Cove fortunately has both and Nicko surely enjoyed both.
The beach sand is definitely not white but is finer than the one we had in Laiya, San Juan a few months back.
The swimming pool was a bit crowded of course since it’s a holiday but Nicko’s all fine with it. He enjoyed hours swimming and playing around.
The resort also has play area for kids which has swings, slides and others. You can also try their water sports activities such as banana boat riding, kayaking, snorkeling and their newest inflatables. Of course, you’ll have to prepare extra cash as they are quite pricey. See more in their website. Canyon Cove Water Sports.
For kids, they also have a play area beside the swimming pool.
Tip #4: Search in advance the water sports activities that you’d like to try so you can prepare the needed cash as you don’t want ending up disappointed when you’ve planned to try them yet you don’t have enough money to afford. 
Food
Since food is not allowed inside the hotel rooms, we tried the food from the hotel during dinner and breakfast the following day.
During dinner time, the hotel sets up grilling stations. We ordered 2 pieces of hotdogs, 2 slices of liempo and 1 piece of blue marlin fish which totaled to around P500. For breakfast we ordered their set meal at P250, rice and drinks unlimited.
Tip #5: Line up early so you’ll have your food ready just in time for dinner. The line for ordering can get too long specially during holidays.
Tip #6: If you’re on a budget, you can sneak in some food inside the hotel room. Just make sure they’re well kept and bring only those that are easy to prepare since you don’t have much utensils inside the hotel room.
There you go! Canyon Cove is kinda old already but the over-all experience is still worth the long travel, at least for us who just wanted nice beach and pool for our little boys. But we promised that if ever we’re going back, it has to be not during holidays to avoid the horrible traffic.
Ending this post with more pictures from the place.
Happy Trip from our little family to yours!
