Exploring SFJ Organica, Sergio Osmeña

We were looking for an escape from the summer heat, and SFJ Organica did not disappoint. We enjoyed the cool breeze and scenery with good food from Samgyup sa Balai. The place reminded me of Tagaytay and made me crave for bulalo.

The house, the trailer room, and the tent is sitting on top of a hill. This gives you a 360-degree view of the property and beautiful sunrise and sunset. 

This is their office. Here you can find the parrot and the caretaker. 

I love this house and its interior as well. The doors are said to be from India. 

This is my partner, Cee.

We waited 4 hours for our room because they double-booked it with a prenup shoot. 

I was finding ways to extend my patience. 

Yoga did not work, so we tried a different approach. 

This is the view from the kitchen as we waited for our room.

HOW TO GO TO SFJ.

You can search the location via google maps. It took us one hour to get to Serio Osmeña and more than 30 minutes to drive through the steep road. It is cemented, but sometimes, the fog can make the drive difficult. There is no public transportation, but there are habal2x riders from town that can take you there. 

WHAT TO DO AT SFJ ORGANICA.

Well, there isn't much to do, and I am okay with that. I went there to disconnect and enjoy real conversations with my partner and friends. The activities on the "farm" are minimal, and you can do it all in 3 hours or less, perfect for a day tour. These are the things you can do at SFJ Organica; ride a horse, check out the animals, walk around the property, and take many photos. There were no plants or fruits to pick when we went there, but we were told to pick lettuce when available.

The farm goes as far as the white fences. Beyond the fence, where you can see a splashing spring that towers over the trees, is another farm with a swimming pool. 

We enjoyed taking pictures. There is a lot of photo opportunities there.

The horse looks healthy, and it showers daily, according to its caretaker.  The place resembles a western farm with its white fence that is supposed to hold back cattle and horses. To my dismay, the fence was made of plastic. Still, it looks good in pictures. In fact, the entire farm looks very beautiful in pictures, no wonder so many prenuptial shoots are done there. 

The next day we decided to follow the spring to find a swimming pool with clean flowing water. This "tubod" is from mount Malindang. They installed pipes to the swimming pool and tilapia ponds below.

For just 30 pesos, you can swim in this crystal clear but oh so cold spring. 

It is worth the 15-minute hike.

ACCOMMODATIONS

We stayed at the container van with a perfect view. However, the showers were cramped, and the door locks are broken, so it was difficult to sleep at night knowing that anyone may enter our trailer. Also, the glass wall in the shower is not tinted, and people outside can see your bum as you shower.

Our trailer. There are only two trailers on the property.

It is cozy. We didn't need the air conditioner because it was cold in the evening. But the trailer easily warms up with the morning sun.

Cee didn't like the lack of privacy as people worked just 6 feet away from our room.

The tents look spacious.

Here are their rates.

1. Container Van
• 3,000 per night, for 3 persons.
2. Glamping Tent Package
• Php 700.00 regular
• Php 350.00 kids
• Min 8 and Max 10 persons per tent booking
3. Day tour
• Php 250.00 regular
• Php 150.00 kids
4. Horseback riding
• 200 regular
• 100 kids
5. Pre-nuptial
• 3,500

WHERE TO EAT

Bring enough food because the town is 30 minutes away. They don't serve food, but they have a kitchen with complete utensils. I love that they set up a table for the group for dinner and breakfast. We brought food from Samgyup sa Balai and cake from Sugar Plum Cakes and Pastries.

This samgyup set with soju is perfect for the cold weather. 

My cake was battered from the travel, but it was delicious!

The view was perfect. We ate at around 9am because we had to cook breakfast. 

Kimchi rice, my favorite. Available at Lunhaw Meals Dipolog.

Well, we were not so thrilled cooking after a night of drinking. 

But they don't serve food, so here we are. 

The good part is that they wash all the dishes and utensils.

TRAVEL TIPS

• Gas up and check your breaks. The road is steep and winding. Help might take longer if your car breaks down.
• Bring enough food because they serve none.
• Bring drinks because they don't sell that too. 

MY REVIEW

I would recommend SFJ if you are looking for a quiet time to disconnect. There is a phone signal, but the data is very slow. If you are like me, who enjoys sitting around doing nothing but take in the view, you will definitely love this place. But if you are looking for an adventure, you may get disappointed. This farm is still under construction, and there is a lot of room for improvement, especially in customer service.

1. IT IS NOT EXCLUSIVE, contrary to what their ad says, "Accommodation is EXCLUSIVE only for BOOKED GUESTS." We waited 4 hours to check into our room because they booked it for a group doing a prenup photoshoot. It was hastily cleaned, and I do think it was disinfected. The check-in time was 2 pm, but we had to wait until 6 pm. The caretaker and the husband were unapologetic and insisted that there is nothing wrong with letting us wait 4 hours to enter a room that we paid for from 2pm to 12 noon the next day. 
2. CHECK-IN HOURS, they don't follow that too. So you better make sure that they don't have a prenup shoot on your booking date or else, you'll be made to wait for hours.
3. THE CR GLASS IS NOT TINTED, and people from the outside can see your ass as you take a shower. When we stayed there, 4 - 6 workers were outside cutting the grass and doing construction. The room and the CR are of glass walls, so we could not enjoy the privacy of our room and even the shower. On top of that, the door locks are broken!
4. NO FOOD. A farm is where you grow food, but there is no food in SFJ. Isn't it ironic? There is no menu, coffee, or even eggs. 
5. IT IS NOT A FARM. I can still remember their caretaker telling us, "ma'am, dili mi hotel, dili mi motel. Farm mi." She tried to justify making us wait 4 hours for our room. Well, the place is not a farm, yet. It has a long way to go. I hope they turn it into a permaculture farm to regenerates the land where food actually grows. And, they need more trees.
6. WASTE MANAGEMENT is a big question. As the workers were cutting the grass around the property, plastic is everywhere. There is only one trash bin and I doubt they practice composting or waste segregation. The farm will really benefit if it learns how to manage its waste. 

Contact number: Check out their FB page here, and here's their digits 09124336544.