The month of July closed on a very high note for me as I got to spend the last weekend of the month in one of the most picturesque and refreshing areas around Metro Manila—Timberland Heights.  It wasn’t my first time, but I discovered and experienced a lot of new things.  Here’s my chronicle of that extraordinary weekend.

I’ve been to Timberland Heights several times before but I’ve never actually spent the night or even an entire day there.  So when I got an invite from Filinvest to spend the last weekend of July there, I didn’t hesitate and quickly accepted!  It’s an excellent opportunity to get away from the hassles of the city and be close to nature without really going so far!

I, together with some co-bloggers and members of the media, started our getaway from the office of Filinvest in Mandaluyong City.  The journey took around an hour or so with our first stop being at The Leaf, our homes for the weekend.

The Leaf is the latest addition to Timberland Heights and is conveniently just in front of Timberland Sports and Nature Club.  The Leaf is a prime condotel (condominium operated as a hotel) project composed of eight (8) three-storey buildings.  There are only four (4) units per floor and each 31 square-meter unit offers spectacular views of the Metro.  And the interiors are equally amazing!

After getting settled in our cozy rooms, we were off to The Peak Bar at the Timberland Sports and Nature Club for our first briefing and lunch.  We were welcomed by none other than Filinvest Land, Inc. Senior Vice President Mr. Francis V. Ceballos.

After our sumptuous buffet lunch, we headed off to our first tour of this massive property.  Timberland Heights is a 677-hectare master planned community of Filinvest Land, Inc. located in San Mateo, Rizal and so far only 20% has been developed.  It is situated at the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range, and at 250-450 meters above sea level, the views are just amazing!

We went through some of the completed residential estates and I just fell in love with the place.  Being close to nature and having some incredible views while still being just beside Metro Manila are some of the things that appealed to me greatly.  The uneven terrain are not the easiest surface to build a structure on so the houses that we saw were all very unique and interesting.  (Due to privacy reasons, I refrained from taking pictures of residents’ homes)

Then we were off for what’s in store in the relatively near future: the St. John Paul II Shrine and the Timberland Outlook Park (or simply, TOP).  There aren’t anything standing right now as far as these two projects are concerned but seeing the actual site, renders, and some imagination are enough to get me look forward to seeing their completion.

The St. John Paul II Shrine could probably be one of the most beautiful shrines I’ll see in the country, based on the renders.  But more than the visuals, the Shrine has a good backstory with it.  It was conceptualized before Pope John Paul II was officially canonized as a Saint and it became a Shrine as it will be housing a first-class relic from the Saint: St. John Paul II’s blood.  I can imagine this spot to be a popular pilgrimage site in the future as even now, despite no structures in place, pilgrims have already begun visiting the area every Holy Week.

Another would-be must-visit place in Timberland Heights is the Timberland Outlook Park (TOP).  At 450 meters above sea level, TOP is literally at the top of Timberland Heights!  It would have a 360-degree view deck for viewing the surrounding mountains of Arayat and Sierra Madre.

Then we were off to the Adventure Farm camping grounds for some “glamping.”  Glamping is short for glamorous camping, and this would be my first time to experience such.  Our glamping started with a fun game of who can set up their glamping tent first (tent pitching), and our team won!  These new glamping tents are very easy to set up, pretty much like simply unfolding an umbrella, and they’re quite spacious.  As a tradeoff would be their weight and volume, but hey, you’re glamping!

Unfortunately, strong winds and rain poured on our glamping so the rest of our outdoor activities were cancelled, and we went back to our homes at The Leaf.  And the rain really poured the rest of the afternoon!

For dinner, we were back at the Timberland Sports and Nature Club but this time we were at The Ridge Café.  It was Filinvest Land, Inc. Senior Project Development Officer’s turn, Arch. Noel Advincula, to welcome us back.  And as expected, dinner was sumptuous and a live band entertained us.  We were free to use the pool but since it rained, the weather was quite cool to think of swimming outdoors!

It was such an interesting day and we have another day to look forward to!  For now, it’s time for us to call it a day…

Continue to My Extraordinary Weekend at Timberland Heights (Day 02)