A picnic beside a waterfall is one thing but having lunch at a picnic table in the actual waterfall is something way better. Visitors to Villa Escudero in the Philippines can do just that at the resort’s Waterfalls Restaurant.
The resort is a 2,000-acre working coconut plantation that was built in the 1880s. In 1929, the owners built the country’s first hydro-electric plant and the manmade waterfall that still runs today is actually run-off from the water reservoir built to generate electricity for the plantation. At the base of the waterfall, tables are set up where you can enjoy a buffet lunch while water rushes over your feet and down a waterway.
Beyond the lunch experience, guests of the villa can paddle a bamboo raft around the lake, visit the museum (where the personal collection of the Escudero family is on display), or enjoy a show of traditional Filipino dance (weekends and holidays only).
The villa is a 2- to 3-hour drive from Manila. You can spend the night at the resort or just visit for a day trip.
