Sitio Lucia Resort: Happiness Through GoPro’s Lens

An entire neighborhood block excursion-ing. I must’ve been bonkers to say yes.


The introvert in me wanted to back out. I’ve always traveled solo, with family or with a small group of friends only. One-on-one neighbor tete-a-tete frightens me, let alone 30. The last time I was this petrified, I was going into labor. 

Perhaps I should tell them my dog is scheduled for a tonsillectomy. Or that I have a massive ingrown toenail that needs surgery. Or that I have a cat-sized mouse to extinguish in the house ASAP.


But in the end we went anyway. 

Except for a few more trees, Sitio Lucia Resort’s landscape remained the same. Still six swimming pools piled up with the same shirt-and-denim-shorts-as-swimsuits crowd – most of which well below the age bracket I belong to. The life-sized dinos stood in the same spots. Cottages and picnic huts were aplenty as always. Loud videoke tunes, along with the scent of barbecued meats, filled the air. Things were, hmmm, usual. 

Yet now, despite it being a third-time visit, there were some pretty interesting stuff we discovered. Like how Lia seriously adores being the center of attention. Or how she enjoys basking in pools better than in beaches.  

That a GoPro is a nifty, ball-busting machine that vividly captures happiness in wide-angle and underwater spaces. That you need to lick (yes, lick) its fisheye lens then dunk it back into the water to rid water spots, lest you end up with ruined shots like these:

Above all, we discovered some meals, just like some moments, taste better when shared with 30. 

Not too bad for a first neighbor-neighbor trip. Not bad at all.

Scenes of happiness.

Travel notes:

• Entrance fee is P150 for adults and P120 for kids during daytime. Nighttime swimming (3Pm-12MN) is P180 and P150 respectively. 

• Picnic sheds range from P300 (for 6) to P2,400 (for 30). The lot is pretty huge and there are plenty of tables that remain unoccupied even during the summer if you don’t want to spend so much. If ya know what I mean.

• In our experience, they don’t always open all six pools to guests, particularly when it’s already past 5 and it’s a weekday. We went on a weekend and not all six were open for use. 

• Food and drinks may be brought inside. Liquor though, is not allowed. Either you pay a hefty corkage fee, or buy canned beer from their restaurant. Last time, I checked it was P50 per can.

• If you plan to stay overnight, air conditioned rooms can be rented starting from P1,200.

• There’s a big parking lot outside the resort.