Antipolo’s Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens and Spa

Antipolo is a “short 1-hour” drive away from Manila and features a number of resorts for a quick get-away from the hustle and stress of city life.

One such resort is Luljetta’s Hanging Gardens and Spa. Located inside Loreland Farm Resort in Antipolo, Luljetta is at least an hour drive away from Ortigas. They are open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm on weekdays and from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm on weekends. They have a different schedule for holidays so it would be best to contact them first.

Before the trip: Making your reservations

Walking-in to Luljetta isn’t advisable and making reservations beforehand is highly recommended. The list of services, amenities, their rates and reservations can all be found at their website. After sending in your reservations, you’ll be asked to pay through BDO. Once they have received your payment, they’ll send you your booking details which you’ll have to print and bring with you on the day of your reservation. For our trip, we opted for the Hanging Gardens Retreat which costs P1,100 per person and is inclusive of a 5-hour use of their amenities plus snacks.

Before the trip: Things to bring and attire

Proper swimming attire, including non-slip slippers, are definitely needed when visiting Luljetta. A good camera or smartphone (underwater cameras are a plus), a selfie stick and a power bank are must-haves as well. You could also bring sunglasses since the glare can get too much especially in the afternoon. Towels, shampoos and soap are optional since they’ll provide you with towels while shampoo and soap are available in their shower rooms.

Day of the trip: Getting there

The best way to get to Luljetta would be to take Ortigas Extension going to Rizal, then take the rotunda to Antipolo. We opted to take a private car although there are a number of public transportation available as well. Luljetta is located inside Loreland Farm Resort and is a short walk or drive from the main entrance. Before you reach Luljetta, you’ll be given an exit pass which you’re going to need to bring with you to the receptionist at Luljetta.

Day of the trip: Rest and Relaxation time

The first place of interest you’ll reach when arriving at Luljetta is the reception desk and cafe area. At the reception desk, you’ll be asked to surrender your exit pass and your booking details in exchange for a check list and a wrist band as proof of your guest list. Depending on the package you chose, you’ll be asked if you want to have your snack now or later. Once that’s done, you’ll be directed to the main locker room where you’ll get your towels and batik.

Just show the check list that the receptionist provided you to the staff here and you’ll be given your locker key and a basket containing a towel and batik.  A batik is a colorful robe that you can wear while at Luljetta. You can also bring the basket around with you for your other things if needed. After leaving your stuff, changing into your swim wear and batik, you can now start exploring and relaxing!

Beautiful, colorful scenery will greet you everywhere you go and you’ll surely find inspiration around Luljetta. 

One of the highlights of Luljetta is the Finland-Made Sauna, of which they have 2. The sauna could probably fit around 2-3 people at a time. Next to the sauna is a heated Jacuzzi and a small pool. The heated Jacuzzi should be able to accommodate around 5-6 people at a time.

When you’re done, the next highlight would be their fish spas. The fishes at this spot are rather big so if you’re feeling frantic, you could try the other fish spa further down. Note: My friends were actually sitting at the wrong side of the spa. The one closer to the fish pond should be where you sit. 

---

Next up: another pool and the hydro-massage. The edges of the pool have water jets which you can use to relax or you can lie down on the granite bed and have your back massaged. Either way, it’s going to be a nice experience just sitting there and enjoying life. Note: Do be careful when walking around the pools. The platforms are uneven so slipping is going to hurt.

When you get tired of all the water-related activities, you can also relax at their movie lounge. Luljetta offers a good selection of the latest movies which you can watch while snacking on some food here. Also, board games seem to be all the rage these days; so if movies aren’t your cup of tea, you could always play Monopoly, Chess or Scrabble. Note: We’re wearing the batik that I’ve told you about before.

The movie lounge has lockers for you to place your belongings and a snack bar for food and refreshments.

Luljetta remains tranquil and vibrant all throughout.

After a round of movie or board games, it’s off to the infinity pool. Luljetta’s panoramic infinity pool offers a great view, all while relaxing in a pseudo-Jacuzzi pool.

The view from their infinity pool. The weather was great when we went here. It wasn’t too hot nor did it rain. The pool’s water was a little cold though. Oh, and pardon the shot. I was right under the elephants.

When you’re done dipping in the pool, you can head upstairs to the lounge and play the banjo or just chill. Similar to the movie lounge, they also have board games here for you to enjoy.

This is the second of the fish spas at Luljetta’s. The fishes here are much smaller than the one before but there are also some not-so-small ones. According to my friends, it was ticklish at first but you’ll get used to it. If you’re scared of the fishes, I was told, that the trick is to not look into the water. Just no.

Once we were done enjoying Luljetta’s amenities, we went back to the Cafe to avail of our snacks. That afternoon, they served Antipolo’s Best fried suman and a choice of either iced tea or coffee. The suman is quite different from the ones I usually eat at Manila since it’s been fried and topped with mangoes and glazed with caramelized coconut (I think) syrup. I’d have to say it was pretty good! Their iced tea, on the other hand, isn’t your usual sweet drink but is a healthier, ginger-y, lemon-grassy version of it. I could drink some of it, but I don’t think I could finish it.

After having our fill of their snacks, we went back to the locker room and got changed. It was time to go back to reality…

Thanks for a great time Luljetta’s!

For more information or reservations, you can contact Luljetta here.