I am a newbie blogger.  In fact, I just started blogging about four months ago and I've been a member of MBP for less than two months only.  I'm very glad that I was given the opportunity to be accepted as a member of this group even though I'm not actually based in the Philippines.  To be honest, I was wishing to attend their future events the moment I've learned about their recent MBP Halloween Party last November.  So when I saw Miss Lani's invitation to MBP's first ever Christmas Party, I immediately signed up to reserve a slot (it was an intimate party intended to be participated only by the first 30 mommies who will be able to pay the reservation fee).  Good thing the event happened to fall on a date when me and my family are in the Philippines for the Christmas season.  I must be very lucky to have my wish granted.  I was both happy and excited!  

Then came the day I've been looking forward to, the 5th of December. The party was held in Spaces by Babyland, a modest venue that was styled by our guest caterers to keep up with the Winter Wonderland theme.  The entire place was filled by the colors blue, white, and silver, giving it a perfect winter-y feel which spelled nothing less than class and sophistication.  

Since I was a new member and it was only my first time to attend an event of MBP, I felt a little hesitant.  Most of the mommies who attended the party knew each other already and I was like, "Uh-oh!"  I was scared of the thought of feeling like an outcast in a party where everyone knows every one, so I started reaching out and introduced myself to my fellow mommies and I was gladly accommodated and welcomed into the group.  I was very thankful to be a member of Mommy Bloggers Philippines and found new good friends.  The companionship of these gorgeous mommies are truly heartwarming!  

Let me share with you how the MBP's first-ever Christmas party went through the following photos:

To keep the party alive, all mommies were requested to participate in a game where each one of us were given the opportunity to ask and be asked a question.  The next few minutes were full of fun and laughter.  I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time!  This activity enabled us not only to enjoy the game but to get to get to know other mommies as well.

After the game came the most awaited part of every party, the "merienda" buffet!  The event was sponsored by three caterers who did not only made us feel like we were Queen Elsa by transforming our venue into a "Frozen" inspired Winter Wonderland setting but also filled our hungry tummies with a feast of delicious food and drinks.

Of course, any party would not be complete without a dessert.  And when I speak of dessert, I mean beautifully presented, bountiful in serving, and devilishly good to taste dessert buffet by Love Desserts. Such a perfect treat for my sweet tooth!

Then came the most exciting part of the party that made everyone seem to whisper a little prayer, the raffle portion sponsored by Abenson, Glorietta, Lazada, Renuzit, and The Cream Factory.  Truthfully, I was hoping to get any of the two major prizes being given away:  an Acer tablet and a Sharp LED TV.  However, luck was not on my side that day (or should I say, luck has never been on my side when it comes to raffles) so I ended up bringing home a bath cream from The Cream Factory instead.  That's fine!  I'm still grateful anyway because even if I didn't win the major prize, I still got to take home a present from our exchange gift and these give aways courtesy of our generous sponsors:  Fly Ace, Nailaholics, Teleserv, Zomato, Trolli, Triumph, and Nature Essentials.

Indeed, the first ever Mommy Bloggers Philippines' Winter Wonderland Christmas Party was a huge success!  Congratulations and thank you to all the mommies who organized and made this event possible:  Joy of joygurtiza.com, Louisa of ArtofbeingAmom.com and Lanie of Tweenselmom.com.  It was a pleasure meeting all of you!  Till next time mommies!

This is going to be the fourth and final part of my review of The Farm at San Benito.  For the first three parts of my travel review, here are the following links:

1.  A Sneak Peek of The Farm at San Benito

2.  The Farm Accommodations:  Anahaw Family Villa and Sulu Terraces

3.  The Farm's Facilities and Activities

4.  The Farm's ALIVE! Restaurant

ALIVE! is an award winning vegan gourmet restaurant of The Farm at San Benito specializing in "living" cuisine perfectly prepared by their living food chefs.  It is so called "living" because instead of cooking the food, they actually use specially designed dehydrators to give raw food a variety of textures.  This process would prevent the nutritional properties and enzymes of the food from getting destroyed by heat.  In addition, they also have their own organic garden where they harvest their fresh produce daily and an extensive Kitchen Garden which produces a wide variety of sprouts used in their menu preparation.  So basically, you can be rest assured that what you eat is fresh, healthy, nutritious, and organic.

The Farm's ALIVE! Restaurant is a tropical inspired bungalow which is located just a few meters away from the reception area.  It has both indoor and outdoor seating areas, so you can choose which ambiance you prefer to have while dining.  If you wanted to enjoy the beauty of nature while having a delicious, healthy meal, you may opt for their outdoor area.  However, since we have my son with us, who is not used to an air continuous environment (problem with kids born and raised abroad where air conditioning unit seems to be a part of their Maslow's hierarchy of basic needs), we decided to just stay indoors.  The indoor seating area is not air conditioned but they do have ceiling fans and stand fans which help to make the area somewhat cooler in order to keep their guests more comfortable.  In addition, it is also noticeable that the restaurant's windows and doors have screens to keep the mosquitoes and other insects from entering the dining place.  By the way, since The Farm is a huge well-manicured garden where there are plenty of plants, trees, flowers, lagoons, and several different types of animals, expect the insects that comes along with this natural environment.  So if you are planning to visit this place, do bring an insect repellant with you.  It is definitely a must!

Our breakfast is a three course gourmet set meal which is complementary if you booked a room with them overnight.  Their menu comes in a set of two different plates for each course.  My husband and I decided to get one of each kind so we could just share and basically have a taste of everything.  As I have mentioned earlier, ALIVE! is strictly a vegan restaurant. Meaning, no meat, eggs, and dairy products.  Please be advised also that The farm is a healing sanctuary, therefore, the food that they serve here is balanced not only in terms of its nutrient content but the amount of serving as well.  So basically, the fiesta buffet or eat-all-you-can type of meal is NEVER applicable here.  In addition, bringing in of outside food is not advisable because they do charge a corkage fee.

Being the carnivore that I am, I was a little bit worried that I may not be able to enjoy the food in The Farm.  To be more accurate, I was actually anxious of not just enjoying the food, but starving myself as well since I am also breastfeeding my one year old son.  To my surprise, I found myself enjoying every bite of food on my plate!  Yes, everything that they served on our table was delicious!  In addition, I also found myself feeling full after finishing my breakfast.  The serving of each course may look like small in size, but it was definitely heavy on stomach.  Not only did my tongue enjoyed their tasteful meal, my eyes were also fed well with the beautiful presentation of each plate.  It was certainly gourmet!

Before we left the restaurant, we were given a complementary cake by their staff since Rafael is about to celebrate his first birthday the following day.  We then sung him a birthday song (which he really loves) and their stand fan was in perfect timing to blow off the candle just in time when I was about blow it for Rafa.  Anyway, their cake was truly irresistible as well!  Imagine eating a slice of dessert without having the guilt of taking in too much calories.  My mind can't think of a way how they were able to come up with such dessert without using eggs or dairy products.  Their chefs must be really talented and well educated of preparing "living" food.

It was indeed one of the most memorable breakfasts I had.  Never have I imagined that there will come a point in my life that I would love a vegan diet.  Kudos to all the living food chefs of The Farm at San Benito!  ALIVE! Restaurant is definitely a must try!

119 Barangay Tipakan Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines

Reservations:  +632 884 8074

Fax:  +632 889 1150

Mobile (6am - 10pm):  +63 918 884 8078

Website:  http://www.thefarmatsanbenito.com

After giving you an overview of The Farm and the different types of accommodation that they offer, it's just about time for me to tour you around the resort so you'll get the chance to see how lovely this place is.  In addition, I will also discuss with you the complementary activities that the guests can enjoy during their stay.

By the way, this is the third part of my travel review of The Farm at San Benito.  If you happened to miss the first two parts of my review, feel free to click on the following links:

After checking-in and having briefed by the staff about the resort and our villa, we headed immediately to the Anahaw Tea House to have our complementary snack.  We had a sip of fresh tea picked from The Farm's organic herb garden and nibbled on their healthy cookies and crackers.  I may be a health conscious person but I am not a veggie lover.  To be honest, I am a very picky eater especially when it comes to vegetables but I appreciated all the food I ate at The Farm.  Actually, I loved it!  Thumbs up to the living food chefs who prepared our food!  

Swimming (South Pool and Man Made Waterfalls)
Before we ended our first day at the resort, we decided to take a dip in their South pool.  This area is perfect to be enjoyed by the whole family.  They have several sun loungers where you can lay while sun bathing.  If you don't feel like swimming, you can just simply sit there, breathe the fresh air, listen to humming birds, or even read a good book.  This place is quiet and the ambiance is totally relaxing.  Their pool is big and is just about 4 feet deep.  However, the water of the pool was cold.  I think we could have stayed there longer and enjoyed it even more if their pool has a heater.  Isn't it more relaxing to swim in a pool where the water is lukewarm?
On the Northern part of the resort, you will find a small pool with a man made waterfalls.  This pool area is also open for the guests, however, we were advised that swimming with children in this area is strictly prohibited since it is located near their treatment rooms.  By the way, the entire resort encourages guests to observe silence and to turn off or put mobile phones in silent mode since they  envisioned this place as a healing sanctuary and wanted to promote rest and relaxation among their guests.

This dynamic system of one breath one movement creates a flow that builds up heat which detoxifies, promotes flexibility, strength, and balance to the physical body.

This method of concentration that leads to meditation clears the mind from unwanted thoughts of the past and future.

Yoga Fundamentals is the most tested, powerful method of self-improvement known to man.  It utilizes mental focus and deep breathing while performing series of specific postures.  This practice focuses deeply on alignment, form and strength, building a firm foundation in the feet, knees, hip, and core.

This is a type of physical training that involves a series of low to high intensity workouts interspersed with rest periods. 

Also known as "jumping training" or "plyos" are exercises based around having muscles exert maximum force in as short a time as possible, with the goal of increasing both speed and power.  This training focuses on learning to move from a muscle extension to a contraction in a rapid or "explosive" way.

Training technique that involves moving from one exercise to another, each exercise working a different muscle group until each muscle has been worked.

This training often commences with dynamic stretching and running, followed by a wide variety of interval training, including lifting objects, pulling rubber, pushups/sit-ups, plyometrics, and various types of intense explosive routines.

An invigorating morning walk in and around The Farm and surrounding Barangays.

Learn about the incredible qualities of coconuts and the many products The Farm make from them.  Experience the process of harvesting coconuts, producing virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, and learn how to make a soap using only natural ingredients.

A sunset power walk in and around The Farm and surrounding Barangays.

Experience and boost creativity as the SPA team gives insights and new learning about floral arrangements.

Of all the complementary activities mentioned above, we only got to join the Fitness Walk which is basically a one hour early morning walk.  Honestly, it was tiring!  Nevertheless, we still enjoyed it especially after we finished the exercise and came back to the reception area where we were given a fresh buko juice and a wet towel to refresh ourselves after a long walk.

The Farm also offers several specialized healing retreats and wellness holiday programs.  You may visit their website regarding the cost should you find yourself interested with their services.  

Overall, in my opinion, you'll never get bored staying in this resort because there are a lot of activities where you could participate in.  I was actually wishing we had more time and money so we could afford to stay for long in this healing sanctuary to experience their yoga, meditation, and other fitness activities.