Tag Archives: Pets

Carcar, Cebu: Sundaze Farm

We stayed in Sundaze Farm to celebrate Hobbes’s 5th Gotcha Day last week.

I loved how spacious it was. Everything, from the rooms to the gardens, to every nook and cranny, was well-thought-of and well-maintained.

Of course, the main reason why I chose this place is that they’re pet-friendly.

The rooms
For Php 5,500 on weekdays and Php 6,500 on weekends (good for 4 persons), we got two villas (though I don’t consider them villas as I found them small).

One villa had a queen-sized bed.

I love its flooring, lighting, and accents. The bed was comfortable, but the pillows were too soft and thin. Also, as I have a sensitive nose, I didn’t like how their linens smelled strongly of fabric softener.

The other room has two small beds, ideal for guests with children.

As I traveled solo with Hobbes, we didn’t use this room.

Tip: Book direct through their official Facebook page instead of through Airbnb because it’s cheaper by at least P1,000.

The Pool

Sundaze Farm is known for its heart-shaped pool, which I found corny. Heh.

As we arrived at nearly 2 PM, it was too hot, so I decided to forego swimming and nap instead because I was tired from the almost 3-hour land trip.

Around Sundaze, Day 1
I woke up at nearly 4 PM, and by this time, Hobbes was raring to explore the place, so off we went.

It was nice to go around the farm because the gardens were well-kept, and there were so many picturesque nooks and crannies. We found another pool, too, as they were building a 3rd villa on the farm.

Of course, Hobbes was my model; again, he took his sweet time posing for photos, especially when he was on the swing!

Sunset at the Farm
Ever the sunset-lover, I kept going around the farm to determine the best spot to catch the sunset. This was taken at the view deck.

I thought this was the best that I could get, but when we went to the main hall – I actually don’t know the specific names of each area on the farm as they had no map and no one took us on a guided tour – I was struck by how beautiful the pastel skyline looked!

And from here to our room, we passed by this pretty arch, which looked even prettier because of the colorful stained glass lamps.

As it was no longer hot, I took a quick dip before I had our dinner. The water was perfect, not too cold or warm, and the muted lighting was perfect!

Dinner
I really couldn’t be bothered to bring my own food or cook whenever I travel, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found out they could cook for me.

I ordered Tapsilog (Tapa, Sinangag, Itlog), and it was good. The meat was tender and it wasn’t too salty or too sweet as most tapas tend to veer towards either taste.

The two cups of rice were too much, though; I consumed only half.

After my dinner, I fed Hobbes and intended to go night swimming, but I must be so tired because it was already 4 AM when I woke up.

Sunrise
I figured from yesterday’s position of the sunset that the sunrise would be on the other end, so I again went to the stairs view deck. This was the best shot I got.

Hobbes was again his usual model self, so I took snapshots of him, too.

They were still working on this during our stay, and this is the only spot on the farm bearing its name.

Floating Breakfast
This was such a nice arrangement from the farm. Note that this requires prior advice.

I had spam, eggs, fresh buko (young coconut), and fruits.

The buko was sweet and the mangoes were, too. And while I was so looking forward to eating the guyabano (soursop), I wasn’t able to as I was just too full!

Around Sundaze, Day 2
After my sumptuous breakfast, I again holed myself up in the room because it was just too hot outside. I read a book and listened to some music.

Despite the heat and remembering that we booked this only for one night, I explored the farm again before we checked out. So, again, Hobbes became my model.

The farm is a popular photo shoot venue in Carcar, so there are so many places and spaces that one could pose to his heart’s content.

This doorway was my favorite and if you noticed the change in Hobbes’s bandana, it’s because we brought 8 accessories on this trip!

I mentioned on this post that Hobbes loves swings and again, the swings became his favorite spots in Sundaze.

Overall, we had a short and enjoyable stay here. The place was lovely, and the staff was hospitable and accommodating.

It’s perfect for an intimate get-together, especially since you can bring or cook your own food without worrying about the necessary supplies, as Sundaze has spacious dining and kitchen areas.

They even had drying racks, which was very convenient.

The Catch
There were ongoing refurbishments during our stay so we heard some noise in the morning. While tolerable, it would have been nice to be told about this when we booked or before we arrived at the farm.

(For the curious, they were still building the third villa (pictured below) and some tents for camping, so in the future, this place may have more people.)

Another thing that I didn’t like was the fact that the shower and restrooms are outside the guest rooms, with only curtains for privacy. It was a hassle, especially when you get nature’s call at night.

My most unsatisfactory experience here was the presence of a smelly stray dog. Typically, stray dogs don’t bother me. I even feed them, but the one here took off with my swimsuit and later, my newly bought running shoes! Good thing we recovered them, though the shoes sustained chew marks. The owner and the caretaker were very apologetic, and there really wasn’t anything anyone could do, so I just let it be.

My tip? Don’t leave your things, especially your footwear, in the foyer. Also, secure your food, as the caretaker mentioned that other guests had complained about their food being taken by the same brown dog.

I’ll end this post with two of my favorite photos taken at Sundaze Farm.

This was taken during sunrise. I just loved the blue and light yellow colors and the wispy clouds that covered the mountains.

Next is this photo of Hobbes. I just thought he looked so cute here.

Sundaze Farm is located in Valencia, Carcar, Cebu. To book, visit its official Facebook page or email sundazefarmph@gmail.com. You can also reach them via mobile: +63 929-859-4249.

Hobbes Turns 4!

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In celebration of the 20^th anniversary of Harry Potter this year, we threw Hobbes a Harry Potter-themed birthday party last week.

This was actually a belated celebration since his birthday – okay, gotcha day – was on the 18^th, and on that day, we were on a week-long vacation to celebrate his actual gotcha day.

This was his 4th birthday invitation sans the venue and my contact number.

My friends are all used to Hobbes’s smiling face, so they again complimented him for his poses when they saw the invitation.

On the day of our lunch celebration, I had the cake delivered an hour early, so we had time to do our shoot. Here are my favorite cake photos of Hobbes.

The cake was from Chedz, one of Cebu’s most popular cake stores, and I got the inspiration for his cake from Pinterest.

In the past years, I used to order a specialty dog cake from Bubbabakes, but I noticed that Hobbes only took a bite that I ended up throwing the cake, so this time, I ordered a cake for his hooman invitees. We loved the cake as it was not too sweet, though it stained our teeth and lips because of its color.

The décor was simple and consisted merely of gifts and balloons as I didn’t have enough time to do the preparations.

Here’s Hobbes surveying the venue while patiently waiting for his guests.

And here’s a close-up shot of Hobbes against some of the gifts.

In case anyone is wondering, I chose the design for his bandana online and had it made by Life is Pawsome Shop.

As for the food, I also ordered everything online. We had Crispy Pata, Sisig, Lumpiang Shanghai, Buttered Shrimps, Flavored Chicken Wings, Mango Float, and Mini Cupcakes.

Except for the cupcakes that came with the cake, everything was from Cha’Tasty Kitchen. Our guests loved all the dishes, especially the Sisig, Buffalo Chicken Wings, and Mango Float. I really recommend this catering company as they are very accommodating. The food selection was varied, and the dishes were reasonably-priced and tasted good. To order, visit their official Facebook page.

When most guests had left by 5 PM, we opened Hobbes’s gifts, which consisted mostly of treats and pet essentials. (A friend was hesitant to open the gifts as she felt they were wrapped too nicely. Ha ha!)

Here’s Hobbes looking all tired that he chose to chill under the table.

Still looking swell despite your weariness, Hobbes!

This luncheon was actually the finale of Hobbes’s birthday celebration because, as mentioned, we were on vacation the week before.

Our first stop was to Oslob’s Down South 118 Beach Resort.

We were here 2 nights mostly to just chill and dine and watch sunrises and sunsets.

Next, we visited Paraiso Tropicale – Beach Cabin, still in Oslob; this was my favorite destination during this trip. Here, we had the whole beach and cabin to ourselves for 2 nights and 3 days.

Paraiso Tropicale is not just a beach as before reaching the main cabin, one had to navigate through about 80 wooden stairs. Here’s another photo of Hobbes in one of the stair’s landing areas.

Our last stop was to Alcoy, specifically to Mangrove Eco Resort and Restaurant.

We had another 2-night stay here; this served the best food among the 3 restaurants.

I’ll just write about each of these resorts in detail in my upcoming posts.

To end this blog, I’ll share snapshots from our Harry Potter-themed photo shoot prior to our week-long trip.

Most of his props, like the scarf, Hogwarts robe, and hat, were bought online, but the broom and wand were handmade. For the broom, I used a big stick and twigs, while the wand was an old chopstick that I traced with a glue gun and colored using a marking pen and glittered Modge Podge.

This is my favorite photo from our shoot.

Isn’t Hobbes the cutest?

Happiest 4^th birthday, Hobbsie Doodles!

Hobbes Turns 3!

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It’s Hobbes’s third birthday last week – on the 18^th, to be exact – and instead of vacationing somewhere to celebrate it, we decided to just have it at home as a precaution to the rising COVID-19 cases in the province.

We invited our favorite hoomans, and I had fun decorating what was once Plantation Bay’s Penthouse Suite.

The motif was blue, with Hobbes dressed like a prince. Okay, not really a prince, but he just wore a crown and had a “It’s my Gotcha Day!” bandana courtesy of LifeisPawsomeShop (LiP). Here’s Hobbes, all set to welcome his guests.

Food-wise, we had lechon belly, chicken inasal, and lumpiang shanghai from 4A’s Lechon. I also ordered Pancit Malabon from Daniella’s and ube and yema cakes from Cardinal. Hobbes had a personalized birthday cake from Bubbabakes, too.

Isn’t the cake amazing? It showed Hobbes’s trademark tongue-out smile.

He also received tons of gifts from me and my friends and his vets. Here he is, looking so pleased and princely. Ha ha!

More photos of Hobbes in his nook.

And a photo of him with his gifts all lined up so we could account for all and later send our thanks to his godmothers and friends.

He received several plushies, which are his favorite toys, treats and dog food, clothes, new bandanas, a personalized harness from The Rosey Collective, another harness from Zeedog, and grooming essentials from Aroma Paws.

There were so many presents that they didn’t fit on our picnic mat!

In the evening, his vets from Animal Wellness visited him, too. We had dinner in Plantation Bay’s Fiji Restaurant.

Happiest birthday, Hobbsie! While people always say that you’re such a lucky dog, I feel that I’m the luckier one because I have such a well-behaved and smart furbaby.

Missing Maya

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Maya is my friend’s Australian shepherd. It wasn’t really love at first sight between us as typical of shepherd dogs, she was very protective of her humans and did not immediately warm up to me, a stranger. She was barking rather madly (the kind that’s sure to scare anyone) when she met me, but I’m such a dog person I just stared her down till she quieted and let me pet her.

Eventually, I became her constant playmate the whole week that I was in Manila. Each morning before and after breakfast, we’d play games in the garden. She’s such a sweet giant of a dog.

And oh, so active. There’s no rest where she’s concerned. She would go to my room with her toy and insist that we play. Sometimes, she’d chase me around the house too.

Maya’s also very intelligent and stubborn. She loves disobeying her humans, and it’s funny how she has this look whenever she doesn’t feel like following someone’s instructions.