You might be thinking, "Hot springs?! In Philippine summer?! Are you insane?!!!!" Perhaps we were. It's always really hot in the Philippines, but summers are especially unforgiving. It was so hot out the day we went to Pampanga that I could feel my face melting.
And yet we found ourselves in an outdoor sauna buried in very warm sand. One of my cousins recommended this place and while it's quite pricey, the alternative was eating out some place where we'd spend just as much anyway so we might as well experience something new, right? It was the day before my mom's birthday too. A celebration must be had.
We didn't know what to expect and maybe others don't know either, so let me say this to start: bring extra underwear. We did, of course, and in hindsight it was really dumb of us to do what we did, but there were some miscalculations and misunderstandings that are now too late to regret. Anyway, just be sure to keep fresh underwear with you.
There are three "stations", the first of which is the restaurant where you eat at a buffet as part of the package. The food is pretty decent, nothing to write home about. I liked where we sat because it was at the side next to an open field where some chickens and some other type of bird I don't know the name of roam freely. Birds are really cute!
Travel between stations is done on 4x4 trucks. The reason becomes apparent on the way: the stations are surprisingly far from each other and there is no actual "road". The trucks travel through what was left of the area after Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991. Puning actually advertises this "off road adventure" as part of the experience, which, I can say, isn't an oversell. The place really is a sight to behold. It's something that one can't truly appreciate just through pictures.
Part of the package you pay for is the service of a local guide. Ours was very polite and attentive, carrying all our belongings when we couldn't and even taking our pictures for us. The pictures from the sauna were mostly taken by our guide, since our hands were either sandy or covered in mud pack!
We were asked which station we'd like to go to first: the spa or the hot springs. We chose the spa. I did because I had an idea what we were gonna do in it and I figured it was best to leave the soaking in water last. It was a great decision, considering that we ended up getting sand absolutely everywhere.
Though I've been to the beach many times before and I live next to one, I've never tried getting buried in sand. I don't know if there's a difference between the sand in this spa and the sand at an actual beach. One thing I do know is that the sand here is very very warm.
After the sand sauna thing, you brush the sand off yourself and head to another area where they put mud pack all over your body. It's cool to the skin, especially when a nice breeze blows by.
It turns out that the hot springs are at the farthest station, but it was so worth getting buried in sand first and really worth the distance traveled. There's something really beautiful about the view, which my brothers likened to the scenery in the movie Avatar. (I could see what they meant but I pointed out that El Nido, Palawan was far more like Avatar. I've been there once and I'm hoping we'll all get to go together one day!)
I think that you really get the most of what you paid for in this place. It was a fun and interesting experience, even if the idea of going to a hot spring in this ridiculous weather is absolutely insane. Still, it's a nice place to visit at least once, if only for the novelty of feeling like you're in an adventure movie.
Puning Hot Spring and Restaurant
Sitio Target, Brgy. Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
Cel. Nos: 0947-8973007, 0919-3392795, 0908-8203483
E-mail: puninghotspring@gmail.com
Part of the package you pay for is the service of a local guide. Ours was very polite and attentive, carrying all our belongings when we couldn't and even taking our pictures for us. The pictures from the sauna were mostly taken by our guide, since our hands were either sandy or covered in mud pack!
We were asked which station we'd like to go to first: the spa or the hot springs. We chose the spa. I did because I had an idea what we were gonna do in it and I figured it was best to leave the soaking in water last. It was a great decision, considering that we ended up getting sand absolutely everywhere.
Though I've been to the beach many times before and I live next to one, I've never tried getting buried in sand. I don't know if there's a difference between the sand in this spa and the sand at an actual beach. One thing I do know is that the sand here is very very warm.
It turns out that the hot springs are at the farthest station, but it was so worth getting buried in sand first and really worth the distance traveled. There's something really beautiful about the view, which my brothers likened to the scenery in the movie Avatar. (I could see what they meant but I pointed out that El Nido, Palawan was far more like Avatar. I've been there once and I'm hoping we'll all get to go together one day!)
I think that you really get the most of what you paid for in this place. It was a fun and interesting experience, even if the idea of going to a hot spring in this ridiculous weather is absolutely insane. Still, it's a nice place to visit at least once, if only for the novelty of feeling like you're in an adventure movie.
Puning Hot Spring and Restaurant
Sitio Target, Brgy. Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines
Cel. Nos: 0947-8973007, 0919-3392795, 0908-8203483
E-mail: puninghotspring@gmail.com
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