“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

That quote by medieval Moroccan traveler and scholar Ibn Battuta is perfect for this feature. I’m here to tell you about a recent trip that we had, and how it left me speechless the moment I laid my eyes on our destination. Now, I have a story to tell.

Who knew that Bali is just a short 20 minute drive from the Tambo exit of the STAR Tollway? Well, not really Bali, but it’s easy to feel as if you’re really in Bali the moment you set foot inside Cintai Corito’s Garden (best rates here). Located in Balete, Batangas, Lipeños (and those from nearby cities) would be happy to know that a relaxing escape is within reach.

About Cintai Corito’s Garden

Cintai Corito’s Garden is a Balinese-inspired sanctuary that’s aptly named, with Cintai being the Indonesian word for love and Corito being the name of the loving woman that served as an inspiration for her family to turn this once ordinary private rest house into a 2016 Certificate of Excellence awardee resort by TripAdvisor.

Cintai Corito's Garden
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A Bali-inspired sanctuary awaits.

Thanks to the family’s love for Corito, this 7 hectare property showcases love in its purest form – a love that you can really feel all around as you become one with nature and Balinese-inspired architecture.

This is a massive property so you can expect to do a lot of walking and I have a feeling that you won’t be complaining. Every inch of the resort is waiting to be discovered, with beautiful and interesting structures waiting to invade your Instagram feed. You’ll get this feeling that you’re in a maze as you work your way up, down and around stairs. But just like us, you’d be more than happy to get lost in this 7 hectare maze.

One of the first things that you’ll notice is the presence of impressive structures of Balinese deities. Balinese architecture features Balinese Gods, especially since Bali is known as the “Island of the Gods”. The presence of structures of these deities in Cintai really makes you feel as if you’re in Bali.

Bali is also known for its trees, and Cintai Corito’s Garden, being a garden and all, is filled with lush trees and greens. So yes, feel free to breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the cool shade as you explore the resort.

Oh, and men and animals are one here at Cintai Corito’s. I love the fact that there are free-roaming animals. It adds to the experience.

Cintai
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Mini horse roaming free at Cintai.

About the Staff

Cintai Corito's Garden Batangas
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Sir Marco Fetizanan (extreme left), Sir Jeff Mecua (in red) and Ms Jam Bernabe (extreme right) together with the front desk staff all smiles upon welcoming us.

I won’t be able to forgive myself if I forget to share about my good experience with the resort’s staff. Everybody, and I mean E-VE-RY-BO-DY, was very polite, professional and helpful. The sales coordinator, Ms. Jam Bernabe, was very helpful in our exchange and made sure that everything was taken care of. She even took the time to say hi and chat even if she was very busy that day for a shoot.

We also met the Operations Manager, Marco Fetizanan, who you wouldn’t think is the big boss with how hands-on he was. He was everywhere.

We also met the Housekeeping Supervisor, Jeff Mecua, who judging from the clean and organized villas is doing a great job along with his team.

Kudos as well to the front desk, F & B and resort staff members for doing an amazing job and for always having a smile on their faces. We were pleasantly surprised at all the good mornings and smiles we got.

Abadi Restaurant
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Abadi Restaurant staff members and chefs made sure that we enjoyed our meals.

Special thanks to F & B servers, Dodong and Rheynnel, for always being on top of things. They made sure that our dining experience was enjoyable.

Marco Fetizanan
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Operations Manager Marco Fetizanan (middle) with Rheynnel (left) and Dodong (right).

The staff members we encountered are worth every peso of their salary, and are a huge reason for the success of Cintai. Take a bow, guys!

The Balinese-inspired Villas

There are 18 villas at the resort and we were booked at one of the Terrace Villas (Villa 3). Here’s a picture of one of the Terrace Villas, which is right next to ours.

It has its own terrace which is perfect for your breakfast. It’s a good way to welcome the day.

The room has 2 queen sized beds with clean sheets and fluffy pillows. My wife and I slept a solid 9 hours. If not for the fact that we wanted to wake up early to swim, we could have slept for an hour or two more.

It has a big bathroom with a shower.

Cintai Bathroom
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Check out the bathroom furniture and fixtures!

The room also has a fridge. There’s no TV which is fine considering that you should be spending every non-sleeping minute exploring the resort. They do have a TV room in the resort.

This cabinet is also nice.

Get the best room rates here.

About the Pools

There are 4 pools all in all in 2 different locations. Each location has 2 pools – a small one and a bigger one.

Here’s one pool area. It’s the one near the IG-popular portal door.

cintai corito's garden day tour
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The smaller pools near the big door portal.

cintai corito's garden entrance fee
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The smaller pools near the big door portal.

This pool is surrounded by greens and is perfect for just lounging.

Here’s the other pool area with the bigger pools. It’s nearer the front desk and is used by guests on a day tour.

cintai corito’s
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The biggest pool popular among day tour guests.

Make sure to check out the smaller pool in this area.

Cintai Corito's Pool
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Go up a flight of stairs and there’s a smaller pool.

These pools are surrounded by Balinese-inspired structures. The bigger pool also has a relaxing waterfall.

IG-worthy Spots

Cintai Corito’s Garden is popular for prenups and photo shoots and for good reason. There are a lot of nice spots for pictures. The most popular is this big portal door.

I think seeing this in person and having pictures taken here alone makes the price of your stay here worth it, to be honest.

Here’s a closer look.

This is also nice.

Cintai Corito's Batangas
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Mrs. Hello Lipa one with nature.

#OOTD tip: Wear something colorful for a nice contrast amidst the greenery.

They also have a nice pond with a bridge with intricate carvings.

They also have a lot of stairs and my Fitbit was very happy with all the steps we took. The stairs are also worthy of some shots.

lipa city resort
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Expect to do a lot of walking.

Here are some of the best spots for your #travel feed.

Cintai Corito’s Garden Lunch Buffet

Our meals were served at the Abadi Restaurant. It’s a nice and comfortable resto manned by competent staff. If the weather is nice, make sure to dine at one of the outdoor tables. That’s where we had our lunch upon checking out.

They recently launched their Mongolian buffet that people can enjoy every Friday, from 11 AM to 2 PM.

This spread welcomed us upon our arrival.

Not a lot of places serve a Mongolian buffet in and around Lipa, so a lot of people are happy about this Cintai Corito’s Garden lunch buffet.

I love how the ingredients are fresh. The vegetables are crisp and colorful. There are a lot of available protein so you really get your money’s worth. There were chicken, shrimp, squid and fish balls available when we visited, along with roasted pork loin. There are even desserts!

You don’t have to worry if you’re not used to Mongolian buffets. You can simply follow this guide.

Here’s my plate before they cooked it.

I handed it over to these trained chefs…

Mongolian Buffet at Cintai
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Hand your plate to one of these chefs and they know what to do.

 

…and voila!

cintai corito's garden lunch
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Check out my healthy and colorful plate!

Everything was perfectly cooked. The vegetables remained crisp. Every ingredient was cooked accordingly.

For dinner, my wife had the chicken tikka and I had the pork chops.

Admittedly, we were still a bit full from the Mongolian buffet so we just had a dish each. We had a hard time choosing because of the wide variety of available dishes. The main dishes were nice and filling, but the star of the night was the dessert.

This tableya cake is to die for. The flan dish is one of the best I’ve tried, with the crisp apple slices complementing the smooth and creamy flan.

For breakfast, it was a set meal of corned beef, scrambled eggs, rice and fruits.

The creamy and runny scrambled eggs show that the chef knows his way around the kitchen. I personally hate dry scrambled eggs, and this was perfect.

We also got to try the Cintai Corito’s Garden lunch buffet for the weekend before checking out.

They have a good selection of food. The weekend lunch buffet crowd was satisfied.

Abadi
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Lunch buffet at Abadi Restaurant.

Amenities, Rooms and Rates

Here are pictures of their nice amenities.

Check out this brochure for their available amenities, rooms and rates.

While priced higher than the other resorts, you have to consider what you’re paying for. You’re basically paying for an escape to a Bali-like experience. You’re paying for the relaxing ambiance, personalized and amazing service, comfortable accommodations, great food and more. In our experience, we feel that the rates are worth it.

If you’re on a budget, you can try the Cintai Corito’s Garden day tour. It’s just PHP 1,850 for guests 13 years old and up. The rate is PHP 880 for kids 3 to 12 years old, while kids younger than 3 years old get in for free. The rate includes Filipino/Asian lunch and afternoon snacks. You also have access to all open pictorial sites, swimming pools, playground and shower rooms from 8AM to 5PM. So yes, the Cintai Corito’s Garden entrance fee is worth it.

Needless to say, this is a very romantic resort. If you’re planning something special for your loved one, check out these Cintai Corito’s Garden promo rates for their romantic packages.

Book Now!

My wife and I have Bali on our bucket list of places to travel to. But after our experience at Cintai Corito’s Garden, we realized that we don’t have to spend a lot of money to see what Bali has to offer. We have experienced it at Cintai Corito’s. Book a stay now (best rates here)!

Contact Details

Address: Sitio Pandayan, Malabanan Balete, Batangas

Cintai Corito's Garden map
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Cintai Corito’s Garden map if coming from Manila.

If coming from Lipa:

  1. Enter STAR Tollway going to Manila.
  2. Exit at Sto. Toribio (Balete) exit.
  3. Turn left upon exiting.
  4. Go straight for about 4 kilometers. The resort will be on your left.

Website: http://coritosgarden.com/

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For sales, bookings and inquiries, contact Ms. Jam Bernabe at 0977 689 7044 or [email protected].

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