Agua Caliente Hot Spring Resort and Hotel

The picnic huts are roomy and clean, and the grilling area is okay. The place itself is nice, but they need to do a better job cleaning the bathroom. The floor tiles look dirty enough that guests may not want to step on them.

We were turned away from three other places before finding this one, since other spots nearby were badly overcrowded. Here it was quiet, with hardly anyone around, a large pool, and hot water. It’s a little out of the way, so not many people seem to know how to get there. I enjoyed the peaceful feel. Lots of Filipinos celebrate birthdays at places like these.

There are different options here, including couple rooms, family rooms, tables, and cottages, and you can bring alcohol or other drinks without a corkage fee. Our large family room had five double-deck beds, air conditioning, and its own comfortroom, so we didn’t need to use the facilities outside to change or go to the toilet. There wasn’t a kitchen, but we used the grill area just in front of our cottage. The resort has two pools for kids and kids at heart, with the adult pool ranging from 4 feet to 5 feet and hot spring water. Rules and policies are strictly followed. Entrance is 100 pesos per child or adult, and babies 2 years old are free.

We paid 1,700 pesos for one night, but the clean, roomy room felt like it could cost 5,000 pesos. The location is convenient, close to the National Highway, so you don’t have to go deep into what I call the "pansol hotspring maze" on the way to Laguna Hotspring.