Carcar, Cebu: GIG Valley Villa

We transferred to this private villa after our stay at Sundaze Farm.

What attracted me to this place was their Glass House, as it had sweeping views of the mountains and the sea.

They actually have smaller rooms (the Native A Frame and Modern Bahay Kubo), and I initially thought of booking the Bahay Kubo, but I changed my mind after seeing photos of the Glass House and its private tub.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Pet-Friendly
Of course, this is one major factor in my decision as I now travel around Cebu with Hobbes.

Here he is at the villa’s side entrance, looking oh so dapper in his suit.

The Glass House
Aside from the views of the mountains, the Glass House also has nice views of the villa’s pool.

Here’s Hobbes chilling on our bed while enjoying the view of the mountains.

Beside the bed was a reading nook, which was the perfect spot for chilling in the morning because of the views of the cottony white clouds floating above the lush mountains

Rate: P8,000 per night (Monday to Thursday) and P10,000 per night (Friday to Sunday).

This rate is good for 3 persons and comes with breakfast. (The maximum capacity of the Glass House is 6 persons, with P750 charge per additional person.)

The Glass House is fully air-conditioned with two toilets and a bath (one on the ground floor and one upstairs). It has a spacious living room, too, complete with a karaoke set.

The Kitchen is modern and comes with a refrigerator and microwave.

Everything is provided for, from the cooking ware to the plates and glasses and cutlery. (Though I stayed here for only a night and because I couldn’t be bothered to cook, I ordered a pizza for dinner.)

The Pool
I super love their pool and its views of the mountains.

Too bad it has no heater, so it was cold during the night and early in the morning.

At dusk, the views from the Native House are really nice, as shown in the first photo for this blog.

Here’s a wider shot of the same view.

Come nighttime, colorful lights added to its charm, though I personally did not like it when the pool was red or green, so I always timed my shots when the color was light blue, dark blue, or purple.

Sunrise
This was my favorite part of my stay. Initially, I thought the sunrise wouldn’t be pretty since the sky looked mostly orange-yellow at around 5 AM, but gradually, the sky became prettier.

I thought the above would be my best sunrise photo, but I was mistaken because while walking Hobbes, we chanced on this lovely – the loveliest from this set, I think – sunrise.

Isn’t it pretty, especially with the wisps of clouds crowning the mountains and Hobbes obviously enjoying his walk? (Though later he was too tired, I had to carry him home, hah!)

Breakfast
Our breakfast was ready when we finished our walk, so I quickly changed into my swimwear since I requested a floating breakfast.

The room rate includes breakfast for 2, so I ordered corned beef and bacon. These were served with a glass of (powdered) used tea.

This was where my Gig Valley Villa experience went downhill. The bacon was tough and tasteless – homemade? – and everything was presented without care. Instead of plating the fruits and each set meal separately so that the basket would not look empty, they just put the fruits together and the 2 set meals on just one plate!

I even heard the two staff talking among themselves in the vernacular.

Staff 1: Put flowers (in the floating breakfast).
Staff 2: This is okay. She’s alone, anyway.

Like wut?! I was alone, yes, but I paid for the entire villa for 6! So the least she could do was give me the bare minimum service-wise.

When the owner asked how my stay was, I reported the above and even showed her the difference between their floating breakfast and Sundaze’s. She apologized and even said there should be coffee in my breakfast. (I didn’t want to cause trouble to the staff, but I reported it so it wouldn’t happen to others.)

Good thing the views made up for my sad excuse of a floating breakfast.

Despite my dissatisfaction at my breakfast and the service, I still had a great time at Gig Valley Villa because I finally had a “me (bathrub) time” after a hectic month at work.