Sun City ~ The Elegant Rendezvous

Ang inyong lingkod ay muling nagbabalik para sa isa na namang chapter ng adventures (and misadventures) ni Teh sa Santa Ana, Cagayan Valley!...

The green, green grass of Cagayan Valley... :)

Last year, for Teh's Christmas getaway which was few months after the board exam, I was scouting for a good place to unwind. And since laging nauudlot ang pagpunta ko sa Santa Ana tuwing nagbabakasyon ako sa Ballesteros, I decided to pay this place a visit. At isa sa mga nakita ni Teh, salamat sa tourism page ng Santa Ana, ay ang resort na ito ~ ang Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort, also known as the Sun City. They've got a majestic aura of the lobby, the restaurants, the infinity pool, and corridors inside each building. Bawat sulok, siguradong mapapanganga ka sa ganda at linis... :)

The empty lobby...

The resort's convenience store.
Also found in the reception area.

The landscape in front of the casino.

Outside The One restaurant at night... ^_^

The main highlight of this resort is the casino. Waley kaming naiuwing picture dahil bawal ang picture-taking sa loob ng casino. Kaya bago na lang kami pumasok nag-picture. At dahil nakatsinelas lang kaming pumasok dito, pinahiram kami ng guards ng Crocs na slippers. (Sowwwsyahl.) If you will stay in one of their villas, you will be entitled to complementary casino vouchers. For Grand Villa lodgers, they are entitled to Php 400 worth of casino voucher per night, per villa. Mabuti na lang at hindi sugarol sina Teh, kung kaya't pagkatapos naming magamit ang Php 400 coupons, bumatsi na kami at ipinangkain ang pera mula sa napanalunang chips. :D By the way, the complementary coupons are only playable sa Baccarat tables. 

The wishing lion well... Rawwwrrr!!!
(Pauso ko lang, may mapag-wish-an lang gamit ang barya...)

The path that leads to happiness...
(Palabas ng casino on the right side. 
Happiness dahil tapos na ang pagtatapon ng pera...)

And since malayo ang casino building from our villa, we were serviced by this electric car everytime na pupunta kami sa casino area. Well, hindi para magsugal, kundi para kumain. (Defensive much?) Parang Shangri-la ang peg! :)

The silent car... no vrrrooom, vrrrooom effect. :)
Clean air act compliant!

Kung hindi mahilig magsugal tulad ni Teh, worry not dahil maraming amenities ang resort na ito. Free use of the infinity pool and for a certain fee, they offer spa, gym or watersports activities services, depende sa trip mo. (Inquire here for more info on their updated rates...) Not sure for the use of billiards if it's free, though. 

Mimming time! Kaso malamig... X_X

After a long and excruciating journey to Santa Ana,
relax here at the Spa... :)

The gloomy sea...
Medyo brown din ang dagat. :(

May konting misadventure lang si Teh sa pagje-jetski niya. Hindi kasi ako nakinig mabuti sa instructor ng jetski sa sobrang excited kong magbubu-vroom-vroom, kung kaya't napadpad ako sa mababaw na lugar sa gitna ng dagat. Na-stuck 'yung elisi ng motor sa buhanginan at hindi ko maitulak mag-isa ang jetski kaya may nag-rescue pa sa akin, err, sa jetski na gamit ni Teh. Hahaha. K.

Instructor: 'Wag kang pupunta doon sa parteng 'yun, mababaw doon...
Teh: >keber< Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Vroooooooommm!!! ^_^

Tara bilyar tayo! :D
(Subject to availability...)

The path which leads to the sea... :)

Hindi nauubusan sina Teh ng venue para mag-picture. Maybe, kasama rin ang interior and exterior designs ng resort sa binayaran namin. At may mga lugar na very peaceful kung saan libre mag-moment at mag-unwind... :D

A place to meditate... Inner peace... (Chaught.)

Hindi uso sa resort na ito ang apartment-type na hotel. Only villas. Sa halagang Php 4200 (as of December 2011), may Grand Villa, which is good for 4 persons, na kayong pupuwedeng matuluyan. Php 1050 per head for a 5-star lodging? Good deal for a very clean and spacious villa which is on par with Shangri-la hotel chain standards! :)

Relax on this majestic couches like a couch potato... :D

At ang tarush! May weighing scale pa sa loob... Either pang-weigh ng check-in baggage before going to the airport or pantimbang ng sarili kung nahihiyang o hindi sa bakasyon dito.

No need to go to clinic for your
vacation weight monitoring! :)

Miss dining at home? Villas have their own dining tables. ;)

Bathroom interior - the sink area

Bathroom interior - the glass shower area
(Err, excuse me naman 
for making sama the inidoro sa pic...)

To the rescue!... In case you forgot your toiletries. ;)

One of the 2 rooms. Definitely longing for these comfy beds matapos ang malayong biyahe... ^_^

Very strategic ang location ng mga villas dahil tiyak tatamarin ka nang lumabas para kumain. Nasa looban na kasi ng resort ang mga villas. And for that, there are 3 restaurants on your aide. Very clean and very aristocratic ang setting ng bawat restaurant. Abangan ang in-depth food adventures ni Teh sa dalawang restaurant ng resort na ito. :)

Craving for western dishes? Visit the Edge Restaurant!

Always open, the Bar. :)
(Another Bar also open near casino...)

Welcome to the One! :)

The One Restaurant ~ non-VIP tables

The One Restaurant ~ VIP room

If you're not on a very tight budget, staying in this resort is highly recommended. Besides, this is the nearest hotel, as mentioned by their local tourism page admin, to Anguib Beach and Palaui Island. At kung tatapat ng sobrang maulan na weather ang stay ninyo sa Santa Ana, perfect mag-stay rito dahil within the resort, marami ka nang magagawa. :)

However, recently their lodging prices for each type of villa has increased by around 20~25%. As of July 2012, the Sun City resort announce these new rates on their Facebook page:

• Deluxe Oceanfront (5 bedrooms good for 10pax) P22,800.00 
• Superior Villa (3 bedrooms good for 6pax) P10,500.00 
• Grand Villa (2 bedrooms good for 4pax) P6,200.00

Suwerte lang na nakapasok na kami rito bago sila nagtaas ng rates. Anyway, I hope na nag-enjoy kayo sa exploration natin ng Sun City. ^_^

Visiting Santa Ana but on a tight budget? Next on Teh's queue ~ featuring one of the budget resorts in Santa Ana, the Costa Carina Beachfront Resort! Stay tuned... ;)

Special thanks to My Santa Ana tourism and Cagayan Holiday and Leisure Resort Facebook pages for supplying information required to complete this post. ^_^