Philippines,Travel,Travel & Kids

Our Greens and Patches Weekend at Nuvali (Philippines)

Seda Nuvali 12-min

I’m a city girl in general but the city can get a little too busy, even for me. A weekend out of it is always a welcome change. Nuvali may only be an hour away from where we live, but with all this nature, it sure feels like a foreign place!

Here are the highlights of our nature-filled family weekend vacation at Nuvali!

Where We Stayed: Seda Nuvali

Seda Nuvali Review

We stayed for 2 nights at Seda Nuvali and it was really the perfect place to stay in for our weekend vacation. It’s situated at a great location; just near all the places we visited. Not to mention, they even offer free shuttle services to nearby places like Solenad, where the fish feeding and boating area were.

Seda Nuvali 2-min

The room was spacious as well; big enough for Luke’s playard to fit and the couch could even comfortably accommodate an extra person (or you could just request for an extra bed, as there’s space enough for that as well!)

Seda Nuvali 9-min

Seda Nuvali 4-min

As you can tell, we settled in quite nicely pretty quick. Here he is reading our itinerary. Hehe. One of the things Luke loves doing whenever we’re at hotels is to “write a letter to the hotel” to say “Thank you.” 😉

Seda Nuvali 6-min

Staycations are really a time for relaxing and just chilling, so that’s exactly what we did. We spent an afternoon enjoying Seda Nuvali’s pool. Luke enjoyed this area where he could walk amongst the “mini fountains!”

Seda Nuvali 5-min

Seda Nuvali 7-min

And when it was time to dry up, Luke turned into a horse! Just kidding…

Seda Nuvali 22-min

Seda Nuvali was built with lots of greens in mind. It was so refreshing all around and as Luke would attest, it was the perfect setting for…

Seda Nuvali 23-min

… naptime. Hehe. True story: couldn’t make him fall asleep in the room because he kept wanting to play on the bed so I brought him down at the pool area and, whoosh. Asleep in no time!

Seda Nuvali 34-min

And as with any staycation, we ate and ate and ate our heart out. Breakfast was made delightful with freshly baked ensaymadas, we enjoyed lunches and dinners with beautifully done dishes that both look and taste perfect and Luke was extra happy with these special cookies that the staff handed him when we dropped by the club lounge. Hehe.

Picking Vegetables at Greens and Patches

Greens and Patches Nuvali Seda

One of the best things we did during our stay was our Greens and Patches experience! Greens & Patches is a 3-hectare tree nursery and demo farm in Nuvali. You can learn about planting vegetables and fruits, pick them yourselves and even go fishing!

Greens and Patches Nuvali Seda

It was Luke’s first time to pick his own vegetables and the little farmer had a lot of fun! Here he is laughing because he couldn’t pull that giant upo out. Haha!

Greens and Patches Nuvali Seda

Our guide said almost all the vegetables mentioned in the song Bahay Kubo are here! It was a fun way to learn and see where his food comes from (and even, what they look like before they’re cooked!)

Greens and Patches Nuvali Seda

If you’re doing Greens and Patches with kids, make sure you bring a hat and lots of water. Don’t forget your sunblock too because it can get really hot!

Seda Nuvali 26-min

It was such a treat to experience something like this first-hand. Luke had a great time walking around and seeing all the different plants, fruits and vegetables.

(Explanation for his expression on the photo where he was holding the saba banana: he was so annoyed that it was sticky. Haha!)

Greens and Patches Nuvali Seda

Here we are with the rest of the crew; fellow bloggers and their beautiful families. I had my 35mm lens locked in when I gave my camera to our awesome Instagram yaya (hehe) so she wasn’t able to get everyone in the shot. Huhu. So sorry. :(

As a bonus, we came home with all the vegetables we picked. Yay!

“Pretend Fishing” at Greens & Patches

Greens and Patches Nuvali Seda

Greens and Patches also had a space where you can try to fish. So in true countryside fashion, we tried fishing with a fishing rod! (Mor absolutely loves this father and son photo of him and Luke, which is why I’m sharing it. Hehehe.)

Seda Nuvali 25-min

And after a few minutes of waiting… TA-DA! Look at that fish! Haha but just kidding. He didn’t really catch that. One of the other kids did and we just borrowed the fish for photo purposes. 😉

Fish Feeding & Boating

Greens and Patches Nuvali Seda

If you’ve ever been to Nuvali, you know that fish feeding and boating are two of the must-do’s in this area. We’ve done this already before but Luke was still younger then and I don’t think he remembers. But this time, boy, was he so excited about the whole thing.

Boating Fish Feeding Nuvali Seda

Ready! It was noon and so by this time, it was scorching hot. But Luke didn’t care. He was doing fine with his hat and shades on. 😉

Boating Fish Feeding Nuvali Seda

I love the spaces in Nuvali were designed with nature in mind; something that’s really missing in Manila. I wish we had more parks, open spaces and greens!

Boating Fish Feeding Nuvali Seda

After our boat ride, we went to visit our Koi friends. We made up stories as we fed them too. “It’s lunch time for these fishies and they want to eat… AVOCADO! Malunggay! Chicken!” *throws fish food as all the Koi’s swarmed like crazy

 Salad Making Showdown (Haha)

Seda Nuvali 31-min

On our last night, we had a salad making showdown organized by Seda Nuvali! For those of you who know me, you know that I am the worst in the kitchen. So it was up to Mor to carry us both through this contest! Hahaha.

Seda Nuvali 30-min

And boy, did he put his Masterchef hat on! Haha! This is our final plate which won best in presentation! Yahoo!

Seda Nuvali 28-min

The kids had their own salad-making activity, but was much less competitive. Haha. Look at all these cuties with their adorable cookie cutters and oversized gloves.
Seda Nuvali 29-min

Yaaay! Good job Lukey! He made watermelon stars for his salad. Hehe.

Final Thoughts & Recommendations:

Seda Nuvali 16-min

As you can tell from our photos, we had a great time in Nuvali. It’s nice to know that there’s a place like this that we can visit whenever we need a break from the city life. Some final tips:

  • Stay at Seda Nuvali as its location is perfect and it was just a wonderful hotel all throughout. They can also help you prepare lots of fun activities (like our salad making contest haha!) if you’re going with a big group.
  • Prepare yourself for lots of outdoor activities. We just scratched the surface during this weekend vacation but there are so many more outdoorsy things to do in the area!
  • Spend 2 nights if possible so you’ll have plenty of time to cover everything and still enjoy a relaxing stay.

Hope you enjoyed my blog review about our Nuvali vacation and our stay at Seda Nuvali. We’ll be back again soon for sure and I hope to write a more comprehensive list about what to do in Nuvali with kids next time! :)

(NOTE: THIS POST IS ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE LAST OCTOBER 2017.)
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48 Comments

  • Reply
    Cris
    November 11, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    Wow what a wonderful place and all these fun activities. Perfect for a escape. Thanks for sharing. Have a lovely weekend.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 11, 2017 at 4:07 pm

      Yes it was a lot of fun! Thanks Cris!

  • Reply
    Thea
    November 11, 2017 at 2:39 pm

    Yay!!! I think Luke really enjoyed! hihi <3
    I love him!!!!! He's super cute and charming!!! Grabeee <3

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 11, 2017 at 3:23 pm

      Aww thanks Thea! Yes he really enjoyed!! Hehehe

  • Reply
    Abi Haw
    November 11, 2017 at 11:09 pm

    Great write up! So nice to see Luke and mor having so much fun!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 12, 2017 at 8:17 am

      Thanks Abi!! Hope to see you guys soon!

  • Reply
    Nikki Living Life
    November 12, 2017 at 5:14 am

    Such a great vacation with so many awesome activities. Luke looked like he had a blast. I would be jumping on the bed to instead of sleeping, lol. I loved all your pictures especially of Luke. He is such a cutie.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 12, 2017 at 8:17 am

      Aww thanks Nikki!! Hehe yes, sleep is for the weak! 😉 Hahaha.

  • Reply
    Len Parent
    November 12, 2017 at 11:21 pm

    I miss Philippines just looking at your photos! Beautiful family indeed! Thanks for sharing babe! Love those Papaya trees. Great capture!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 13, 2017 at 8:27 am

      Thanks Len! 😉

  • Reply
    Emily
    November 13, 2017 at 3:29 am

    I am a city girl too! But I do love getting away every once and a while. This sounds like a lovely place and I would totally stay here!!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 13, 2017 at 8:27 am

      It was a good change! <3

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 14, 2017 at 11:22 am

      Aww yes it’s such a wonderful place! You’ll love it!

  • Reply
    mahryska
    November 13, 2017 at 12:57 pm

    ohhh such beautiful photographs!!

  • Reply
    Ankita Bardhan
    November 13, 2017 at 9:01 pm

    OMG your son is the cutest ever, he’s just so adorable! I love how happiness beams out of all the pictures, can really see you guys had a great time at vacation :)

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 13, 2017 at 10:26 pm

      Aww hehe thanks Anika!!

  • Reply
    Vivian Tse
    November 13, 2017 at 9:27 pm

    Loveee the photos and your son is so cute!! Looks like you had an amazing family time there! Such a lovely place to sit back and relax! xx Vivian

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 13, 2017 at 10:26 pm

      We really did, thanks Vivian!

  • Reply
    Gemma
    November 13, 2017 at 11:01 pm

    Such lovely photos, looks like you had an amazing time.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 14, 2017 at 11:23 am

      Thanks Gemma, we did!

  • Reply
    Carly
    November 13, 2017 at 11:08 pm

    I’m always a fan of a staycation! It looks/sounds like a very relaxing weekend.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 14, 2017 at 11:23 am

      Yes we really did, it was very relaxing. Thanks Carly!

  • Reply
    Joy
    November 14, 2017 at 5:42 am

    so much fun, love outdoor activities, beautiful family.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 14, 2017 at 11:24 am

      Thanks Joy it was a lot of fun!

  • Reply
    Mercy
    November 14, 2017 at 9:50 am

    So clean and green! That’s a really nice getaway for the family. So many fun things to do, I’m sure my kids would love it here too.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 14, 2017 at 1:33 pm

      Hi Mercy, oh I’m sure they would! It was a lot of fun for us!

  • Reply
    Katrina Fernandez
    November 14, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    Ohh this is the cutest! You guys are so adorable! Want to experience this too hehe looks like so much fun! Thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 14, 2017 at 10:07 pm

      You’ll enjoy it! 😉

  • Reply
    Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's
    November 14, 2017 at 10:42 pm

    omggg Luke is so cute! So sweet of him to write thank you letters to the hotels! And his horse towel ahhh! Looks like a great time for the family ^-^

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 15, 2017 at 8:41 am

      Haha yeaah, thank you Audrey! I love his towel too!

  • Reply
    Courtney
    November 14, 2017 at 11:02 pm

    Looks so fun! I’m glad you guys had an awesome time.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 15, 2017 at 8:41 am

      We did!

  • Reply
    Ashley
    November 15, 2017 at 12:11 am

    You guys made so many memories on this trip!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 15, 2017 at 8:42 am

      Yes, we really did, thanks Ashley!

  • Reply
    Patricia
    November 15, 2017 at 12:16 am

    I love this post and I absolutely love your photographs!!
    Super colorful and happy 😀
    Wish you a lovely day

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 15, 2017 at 8:42 am

      Thanks Patricia!

  • Reply
    Kara
    November 15, 2017 at 6:04 am

    This is such a lovely post! It looks like such a great trip, and Luke is so cute!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 15, 2017 at 8:40 am

      Thanks Kara!

  • Reply
    nexvan
    November 15, 2017 at 2:28 pm

    Sheena Sy Gonzales, This is such a lovely post! It looks like such a great trip,

  • Reply
    MONICA SORS
    November 15, 2017 at 6:48 pm

    Just Lovely!!! You look amazing!!

  • Reply
    Jhanz
    November 16, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Looks like a great trip!!! :) Nice photos, too, Sheena. :)

  • Reply
    Nancy
    November 18, 2017 at 3:22 am

    I love how you’re giving Luke all of these amazing adventures! It’s great that you got to have a little getaway during the weekend. Your hotel looks nice!

    I definitely need to do more staycations after reading this post XD. Luke looks like he’s having a ton of fun! Pretty neat that your family got to participate in picking some veggies. It’s a good lesson on how veggies are picked. Congrats on winning the best presentation!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 18, 2017 at 9:06 am

      Aww thanks Nancy yes I’m trying to exposing to as much experiences as I can give him! <3

  • Reply
    Susie @ Mile High Dreamers
    November 19, 2017 at 9:27 am

    SUCH an amazing spot! I love that they let you pick your own veggies! Ben and I are such believers in knowing where your food comes from, and getting to pull it out yourself is such a phenomenal experience! Also, you guys have some serious food plating skills haha.
    And as always, Luke is just the sweetest kiddo ever. He’s right at home in the country!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 19, 2017 at 3:49 pm

      Yes I hope I could bring Luke to more places like this one!

  • Reply
    Charlene Roxas
    March 1, 2018 at 9:07 am

    Hi Sheena! Thank you for sharing about your experience!!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      March 1, 2018 at 9:46 am

      Hey Cha!! Yaay let me know how it goes when you guys go!

  • Reply
    Michelle Villanueva
    November 29, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    Luke is so adorable and charming at his age ang dami na nyang natutunan at naeexploresalute to you mommy more staycation and exploration.

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