A Majestic and Tranquil Garden Hideaway
There is a buzz of a new leisure farm and camping destination, just a stone-throw away from the cool highlands of Tagaytay. The place is easy to locate from the directional signs starting from the Alfonso ark. The majestic and tranquil Preziosa Botanic Park and Farm Resort is located in Sugsugin, Alfonso, Cavite. It is a 16-hectare developed estate, with a warm-welcoming reception area, a grand functional Pavilion, and first-class Villas, where you can stay for the night. Upon arrival, visitors are usually greeted with refreshing buko juice and suman, with attendants dressed in Hawaiian polo shirts. The area is ideal for retreats or team-building, or just to have a quiet time away from the busy city life. The Pavilion also serves breakfast, lunch and dinner upon request.
The idea for the farm all began with Dr. Preciosa S. Soliven’s vision of putting up a self-sufficient farm that will serve as a model to the surrounding farms as well as the dispenser of affordable hybrid vegetable seedling and the establishment of some exotic fruit gardening. With today’s emphasis on farm tourism, the site is slowly becoming popular through word of mouth.
Patterned after Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s “self-sufficiency farm”, the Preziosa Farm was first acquired in 2000 to realize Dr. Maria Montessori’s vision of a farm high school, the erde kinder (children of the land) and to develop economic independence among the high school students.
From being a crop cultivation site in Alfonso, Cavite, and to meet the demands of the times, Preziosa Botanic Park and Farm Resort was conceptualized in 2008. Urban planner and landscape architect Paulo Alcazaren did the master plan.
The Preziosa Botanic Park and Farm Resort has: Asian-themed villas (Japanese, Thai, Balinese), and Mexican-inspired staff house, a pavilion, function rooms, restaurant, recreational facilities, jacuzzi pools; a camping area with a zip line, wall climbing and mini-amphitheater facilities; a propagation area for vegetables and ornamental plants, and soon will have a chapel and a lagoon.
The area is being meticulously managed and landscaped by the team of Engr. Rogelio Malunay, Ms. Elvira Atienza and yours truly. It has a campsite area where visitors can plan to have an outdoor activity, and also a campfire activity at night or a trekking activity through the forested area. It also has a vegetable growing area where visitors may plan to harvest vegetables, culinary herbs and also fruits in-season like pineapples, dragon fruits, citrus, durian, coconuts, mangoes, rambutan or papaya.
There is also a sheep and goat ranch where children can pet and feed the animals. Beside it are two greenhouses for mass propagating ornamentals and flowering plants. Visitors can walk through the farm on foot or through the tour vans, through a network of roads and paths, connecting all parts of the resort. The area is also the best place to learn about farming. Aside from plants, it also have animals and poultry.
The farm is the fruit of Preciosa Soliven’s vision and mission. She has always espoused self-sufficiency and encouraged her students to be productive and to learn how to work in and out of the classroom. So why not come for a visit ; see the farm and experience what the place can offer.