Summer Fun at Club Serene Resort in Rizal, Philippines

View of the entrance of Club Serene Resort from the inside.

Club Serene Resort in Taytay, Rizal is one of many basic resorts with pools that are common destinations of local day trippers who are looking for a resort in Rizal for some simple summer fun with family or friends. It has five swimming pools, cottages, and picnic tables.

For only 130 pesos (as of this writing), you can enter and spend an entire day enjoying the pools. For a little extra, you can belt out songs using the videoke machines available for general use. At Club Serene Resort, you cannot expect to experience more than what you'd expect for that amount, which is really for locals who just wish to have a summer diversion in a resort with pools. Resorts that offer affordable rates equates to more local visitors who look beyond quality sought by foreign tourists and actually expect nothing of the sort in favor of spartan facilities that serves their purposes.

Like other resorts in Rizal, Club Serene Resort overlooks the skyline of Metro Manila and is a short distance from SM Mall in Taytay. If you and your family live in the Antipolo, Taytay, or Cainta area, Club Serene is one option if you are looking for an affordable escape even for just one day, just to have fun with family and friends. Based on resort reviews of locals and visitors who've been to Club Serene, in this resort, it's not the ambiance, the facilities, or the scenery that's important or what you'd care to go to; it's really more about the time you spend with the people you care about.

The main patio of Club Serene Resort with a tamarind tree as a centerpiece.

Club Serene Resort with pools is located along Cabrera Road, Barangay Dolores, Taytay, Rizal. You can check out more of the resort on the official Club Serene Resort website.

Bread Looks Like Roasted Pig

Just like real lechon in Cebu, there's Pinoy bread shaped like a suckling pig baked and sold in the Philippines. You can call it Pork Bread or Piggy Bread if you want to. At first glance, you'd think this pork bread is a real honest-to-goodness roasted suckling pig.

A bakery in Cainta, Rizal in the Philippines, Joy Karen bakeshop (near Junction intersection), claims to be the originator of the Pork Bread. The owner says he's been baking such bread, which he simply calls "lechon" (Tagalog for roasted pig) for many years and that other breads shaped like a suckling pig are inspired by his creations. He doesn't use a pig roaster or even a lechon oven. A simple bread oven works well for him.

Learning to make your own recipe for lechon bread that looks like real Cebu lechon only looks easy and takes practice. The owner says he doesn't make his Pork Breads too large because the bigger sizes sacrifice quality. The Pork Bread is a special Pinoy product from Joy Karen and isn't always available. But when it does go on sale, it's always a hit and never fails to amaze people by how the bread looks like a real pig fresh from out from the pig roaster. Some ask the bakery how to make bread shaped like a suckling pig, but it's really best to just buy them, if you're not a fan of baking.

The Pinoy Pork Bread, tasty as it is, doesn't taste like real Filipino lechon as some people would think. It's actually slightly sweet and has chocolate chips inside. It's best eaten while still warm and families just love it as an afternoon snack. If you want to eat pork but can't take the fat, maybe this bread shaped like a pig, is the next best thing. It's the perfect recipe for lechon without the fat. It's an amazing tribute to Philippine lechon cuisine wherein the suckling pig is the star.

Here's a lovable Piglet with Winnie the Pooh Salt and Pepper Shaker Set you can order here.