One summer of 2013, I can still remember how I enjoyed our family outing on a unique 2 in 1 resort here in Philippines. This resort is Villa Alfredo's, located in San Fernando, Pampanga. This is the only resort with a mini zoo I've seen so far. Let's have a simple tour inside.
THE POOLS
The pool will always be the main attraction of any resort. As far as I remember, this resort has more than 5 pools. I was only able to capture two of them. This is the nicest pool they have. I like how they used nature to make the ambiance look great. Another thing I like about this pool is the bridge that has a double purpose. People can cross there conveniently while those who swim can use it as a shade and protection from the sun.
This is another pool I was able to capture. This pool is cute enough to attract kids with those cartoon character sculptures surrounding it. I can see familiar faces like Bugs Bunny, Lola, Popeye, and Olive Oyl. What I like about this pool is that the characters are attractive and I salute the artist for this one because they all look exactly like the popular cartoon characters we know.
COTTAGES
This is a photo of my mom and niece in front of the cottage. Their cottages are satisfying. They are all sturdy because they are cemented and the huts have a nice foundation and are not just made of pure nipa. I also like how spacious they are. One cottage is good enough to accommodate a big family like us. They also offer rooms for those who want to stay for a few days.
MULTI-PURPOSE HALL
It's rare for a resort to have a multi-purpose hall since most resorts only focus on basic facilities. I was able to hear the holy mass here in the morning and live performances in the afternoon while people dine in here. This is spacious and cozy enough to accommodate nearly 100 people.
THE AVIARY AND THE MINI ZOO
The aviary is the biggest part of their mini zoo. This area is the place where birds can fly freely. I love how smart and disciplined these birds are. You can see that they are trained well. These birds never escaped from the aviary. This place is the area with the loveliest ambiance due to its wide space and design. Even my niece and nephew enjoyed this place and this photo clearly shows it. Once you paid the entrance fee, you can have a tour without time limit and enjoy interacting with some of the animals there.
Some of the most beautiful birds are these two, the peacock and the white parrot which I rarely see. They are both tamed that's why they are not caged. They don't even go near anyone. This makes us feel relaxed while we admire their beauty.
Here goes the exciting part for an animal lover like me. I enjoyed interacting with these lovely parrots. The staff offered to put one parrot on my arm so I said yes without hesitations. This is something I wasn't expecting and this is the only zoo where I was able to touch the animals. This made me experience what I see on TV where a bird lands on someone's arm. I realized that one bird is heavy. This parrot may look normal and it's not as big as the other birds but it's actually heavy that I felt the strain on my arm in less than 5 minutes for each bird. The staff took the bird later on. I love how well behaved they are. They stay still and they never scratched my arm. I can tell that these parrots are well trained and are used to interacting with humans. They are very friendly.
THE REPTILES
Snakes can be intimidating most of the time but this one took away my fear because it's harmless. This is the only snake I was able to touch. I just gave it a pat. I'm glad I was able to do so because we didn't stay there for a long time. The kids are scared. We moved to another area and we saw another reptile on the loose.
Among the reptiles, this iguana amazed us the most. This is the first time we've seen a well behaved iguana on the loose. The kids just watched in delight while I take a photo of this iguana munching its food. I'm glad that they're not scared and we stayed longer. As soon as the iguana finished the meal, here comes the cute and colorful birds hanging out like friends. This is the best part we've seen. Not only humans but also fellow animals feel at ease with this iguana. I love it most when I see animals get along well. Salute to their animal trainer for doing such a great job.
I highly recommend Villa Alfredo's resort to those who want to beat the summer heat and to animal lovers as well. The tour at the aviary and the zoo can be a pastime to those who don't want to swim under the sun's scorching heat while there are many pools to choose from anytime when customers want to have a refreshing dip. This unique setup can surely attract more tourists. It's worth the stay.