Fabulous Family Fun at Fun Farm

It was a lazy Sunday morning and I was racking my brain thinking of an inexpensive but amusing place to spend the rest of the afternoon with the family.  Is there such a place?  But this was the weekend before Christmas and for sure, all the shopping malls will be packed with frantic shoppers looking for last-minute gifts while the traffic along the streets surrounding the shopping malls will be as heavy as my eye bags after Christmas Eve.

Then my wife told me,” Let’s go somewhere!”

I said, “Ok, where?”

“There’s this farm place somewhere in Laguna. Let’s get out of this crazy city. I’ll google it.”

And in an about an hour, the wife, the kids and I were on our way to Cabuyao, Laguna to experience The Fun Farm at Sta. Elena!

THE TRIP

Living in Paranaque City, it took us only an hour – which include a stopover at Petron SLEX station for gas and to buy food at McDo for our baon — to get to the Fun Farm.

To reach Fun Farm, you will need to take the Cabuyao exit, right after Eton City exit, of the South Luzon Express Way. Turn right and in less than 500 meters you will reach the Sta. Elena Village Gate.  Just ask the friendly guards for directions to the Fun Farm.

FUN FARM

Once you get to the Fun Farm, you will at once see the vast lush green space with farm animals running around.  I was thinking “Are we really still in Manila?”  Did we just go through a teleporter that took us to a farm somewhere in North Carolina?

Upon entering the farm, you will be directed to this nice rustic small office where you will pay the entrance fee. Okay, I was thinking, a farm this cool and big will definitely charge me about a thousand pesos per head. Yes it was indeed a little above one thousand pesos — for my whole family (me, my wife and 2 kids)!  Or that’s only P300 per head.  I was thinking, so what’s the a catch?  (Answer: There’s none!)

FOOD

Since it was already lunch time, we headed straight to this large Pavilion where can guests are free to bring their own food. (If you didn’t “bring your own baon”, you can order food from the Golf Club and the food will be brought to the Pavilion)

Ok so, change of plans, the kids saw the horses in the stable and immediately ran towards them. Lunch postponed.

HI, HO SILVER!

We met Silver, a humble white horse that looks like it jumped straight out of a White Castle Whiskey commercial.  Our kids love animals and were immediately attracted to Silver.  According to the caretaker, Silver is a retired horse from Manila Polo Club that’s why she is tame and well-bred.  So the kids and the wife took their turns riding Silver with the assistance of manong caretaker.  (Okay, I admit I’m scared of riding horses.)

ZIP LINE

A kid-friendly zip line is one of the main attractions of the farm. It was the first time for my kids to try it and they had a blast. In fact, my son according to his count, went back 12 times. The official count was at 22.

BUNNIES

Fun Farm may have the cleanest and cuddliest set of rabbits and guinea pigs I have ever seen from any zoo in the country.  I would think that the main reason would be the love that they get from the caretakers and visitors and of course the nourishment that they receive from the green surroundings.

FISHING

Fishing.  It’s the ultimate father-son bonding moment.  And thanks to Fun Farm, my son and I had our moment — and our highlight of the day, we caught a small fish!

OBSTACLE COURSE

Aside from the Zip Line, there were various obstacle courses for kids and adults alike and I would think that the Fun Farm was created specifically to cater to field trips and team buildings.  There are rope courses (for the bigger kids), log and tire courses, and bike trails.  For the young ones, you will also find a large playground on sand where the kids are encouraged to take off their shoes and play with the sand.

AMENITIES

The bath rooms are surprisingly well-kept and super clean.

With all the activities that you and the kids will undertake for the rest of day, you may want to freshen up before the leaving the farm. Thankfully, there are shower facilities located inside the comfort room and outside — with open shower areas situated around the farm for a quick splash of refreshing farm water.

STAFF

The staff — from the manager to the caretaker — were so friendly and accommodating.  They were very patient with kids, especially the guy who operated the Zip Line which my son rode 20 times.

THE VERDICT

4 hours felt like 1 hour.  0 hours on gadgets. 2 tired kids. 2 tired adults. Time well spent.

We will definitely come back and bring our group of friends and their families next time for an inexpensive and organic get-together.

We miss you already, Fun Farm.

Fun Farm is located at the Sta. Elena Golf & Country Estate in Barrio Malitlit, Sta. Rosa, Laguna.  It’s about 30 to 45 minutes drive from Manila.  To get there, you will need to go southbound via the South Luzon Expressway and take the Cabuyao Exit (after the Eton City Exit).  Fun Farm is open from 9am to 4pm.

Fun Farm is by reservation only.  Before heading out to Fun Farm, please call first 0920 468 8785 or 0918 888 6588 for reservation or visit their Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/holycarabao.

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