7-in-1 Day Tour in Antipolo, Rizal (2018)

Holiday season! Woohoo. It's that time of the year again for parties, cheat days (controlled diet no more) and hang outs with friends, families and loved ones. Every year, we celebrate the Christmas Eve and Day (also New Year's Eve and Day) at home. Usually, my mother and my older cousin cook the dishes and we just eat together as a family. During Christmas Day and New Year's Day, neighbors, relatives, godchildren, and my parent's friends get together in our house and do usual celebratory acts like videoke singing, occasional drinking, and movie watching, among others. My father usually go to Pasay to be with my grandmother and relatives there. Most of the time, they eat and watch a "Kapuso" movie in SM Mall of Asia. My mother, auntie and younger cousin just entered the world of social media (or at least became active) this year. No wonder why there are lots of facebook posts involving our family recently. They're so cute and so millenial. Hihi. Plus the fact that my sister, an ex-OFW, got us a wifi connection when she came back this February. Actually, this also made me pursue having a personal blogsite.

Snow village in Casa Santa Museum.

Last Sunday, December 16, we joined the Antipolo Day Tour organized by Adventuristas Travel and Tours where my sister works as a travel marketer/agent. I am very much satisfied with their service so it's our second tour with them. You can also read about our first Tagaytay -Batangas tour with them in my blog. We were a pax of 8 this time. We availed their 7+1 promo and got categorical discounts (3% for loyalty, 10% for senior, less 50 pesos for student). The total amount we gave the tour agency was 5,263 pesos. Regular price per pax is 799 pesos. Below are the details of the Antipolo Day Tour package as seen on the agency-provided statement summary.

INCLUSIONS:

• Roundtrip Van Transfer
• Tour Coordinator
• Hinulugang Taktak Entrance Fee
• Mystical Cave Entrance Fee
• Cloud 9 Entrance Fee
• Free Unlimited Drinking Water

EXCLUSIONS:

• Meals and other personal expenses
• Casa Santa Entrance Fee (P180.00) 
• Pinto Art Museum Entrance Fee (P200.00)

PICK UP POINT:

There were just two groups during the tour: our group and a family of three. The 4:00am pick up point was at McDo parking area across TriNoma. Once the joiners were complete, the tour started and the van headed directly to the first destination. The driver is an Antipolo local. He knew the place and managed to do shortcuts which let us arrive at Antipolo earlier than expected as per the tour coordinators.

DESTINATIONS:

1. Antipolo Cathedral
    Maximum time allowed - 1.5 hours
    Entrance fee - none

Christmas lights around the area.

My auntie and my parents praying after lighting some candles.

The Antipolo Cathedral (pardon the quality of the photo).

We were lucky to have witnessed the bright lights in the plaza near Antipolo Cathedral and attended a part of the mass (simbang gabi). Before we went back to the van, we bought breakfast at the nearby McDo. I wouldn't recommend travellers to do the same since there are stalls around selling tidbits (kakanin). Also, the joiners of the tour have a choice to eat pancit and lomi in a panciteria mentioned by the tour coordinators.

2. Mystical Cave + White Cross
    Maximum time allowed - 1 hour
    Entrance fee - shouldered by the tour agency

Blessed Virgin Mary carrying baby Jesus - a formation inside the Mystical Cave.

There is a dedicated guide in this area. She provided background, explained and described the formations inside the mystical cave. According to her, mystical cave also appeared in some "Ang Probinsyano" scenes - treasure hunting of Eddie Garcia's character. "Ang Probinsyano" is a soap opera in ABS-CBN Channel 2.

My ateng makes the peace sign during picture taking with the cross.

To reach the mystical cross, a short but kinda challenging climb should be surpassed. Bring extra clothes so you can change after.

3. Pinto Art Museum
    Maximum time allowed - 1.5 hours
    Entrance fee - P200.00 (with discounts for senior, student, etc.)

This is one of my favorite destinations. I just wished that more time had been allotted here because the place is so big and there are lots of picture-worthy sites inside the museum.

Our latest family picture taken at Pinto Art Museum.

My mother appreciating nature at "The Forest".

I'm so thankful I didn't leave the museum as soon as our companions went back to the van. I found this forest-y room. Loved its nature-like feels and sound. Phones are even required (by a signage only, guards are nowhere to be found) to be in silent mode.

My cousin's selfie with pool at the background.

The painting that catches my attention.

I highly recommend art enthusiasts to visit Pinto Art Museum. It's so modern and fresh.

Half of the day tour ends at the museum and we had our lunch in a carinderia owned by the driver. Food is nice and very affordable. Our group paid P295.00 for 8-pax food serving.

4. Hinulugang Taktak
    Maximum time allowed - 1 hour
    Entrance fee - shouldered by the tour agency

Hinulugang Taktak.

Took this picture from the other side of the road.

We just stayed here for less than 30 minutes I guess. There is not much to do if you're not going to swim in the pool area.

Decoration made out of plastic hanging on the wall.

My mother became fascinated with the plastic-made decorations around. She just loves arts and anything beautiful and colorful.

5. Casa Santa Museum
    Maximum time allowed - 1 hour
    Entrance fee - 180 pesos

My parents with not-so-tall Santa Claus.

My favorite room in Casa Santa Museum.

Kids will surely love this place. They even have Santa costumes which you can use for free. If only my younger cousin didn't fell asleep, I'd probably have taken a lot pictures of her.

Casa Santa Museum.

It's really Christmas everyday in Casa Santa Museum. Perfect for group tours and family pictures.

6. Cloud 9 360 Viewdeck
    Maximum time allowed - not specified by the tour coordinators since we did not consume the entire allotted time for other tour destinations
    Entrance fee - shouldered by the tour agency

My favorite shot of us passing by the hanging bridge.

My auntie poses to prove that she climbed up the bridge to reach the Cloud 9 360 viewdeck.

Not to boast but for me there is nothing thrilling here. That's why I was amazed to see that there are really people who fear heights. Some Cloud 9 guests started the climb but did not reach the viewdeck. If only we booked an exclusive tour, I would have chosen to stay and take a nap in the viewdeck if allowed. Maximum allowable stay is 30 minutes. Marshalls are all over the place for safety and security.

7. Pasalubong Center
We did not stop here by choice because pasalubong is not part of the budget. Hihi. This is where you can buy various Pinoy delicacies and kakanin for pasalubong. It's just sad that I wasn't able to buy ref magnet or any souvenir for display. The tour coordinators and the drivers said that those kind of souvenirs can be found not in Antipolo but in Taytay, Rizal.

DROP OFF POINT:

The original drop off point should be where the pick up point was. However, since there were only two groups, the tour coordinators decided to switch vans so we can be dropped off near our respective houses.

What I wrote here is based on personal experience. For complete tour details, please contact the tour agency through my sister at m.me/eunjinfei or facebook.com/eunjinfei. I can say that this tour is very much worth it. Kudos to Adventuristas Travel and Tours! With all the destinations and the price, I truly recommend it for people who want to enjoy exploring and taking pictures at different places or just spend a day with loved ones out of town. 😻