Balay Marino Farm Resort

Deep within the remotest places far from the main highway going to the northeastern parts of Luzon is where you will find resorts like Balay Marino.

The term 'balay' is derived from the native Nueva Vizcaya Ilokano dialect 'house' and Marino is because the owner was a Marine in the Philippine armed forces.

The first thing I noticed when I first came here is the scenery, the ambience. The green rice fields and the mountain ranges in the background is perfect for my next Google Maps review.

Their menu includes local cuisine that are native to the Ilokano Nueva Vizcaya and some familiar Tagalog and Asian dishes.

The staff are friendly, accomodating and were kind enough to explain the dishes we ordered and how these are best eaten and enjoyed. We also had some beers, sodas & Korean Soju. For dessert, we had one of the best halo-halo (mix-mix) in town. It is a Filipino original preserved fruits and beans, topped with shaved iced milk. This after meal delight, according to the owner, made them famous among the locals in the area. The food, drinks and dessert are priced just right.

The place also offers hotel accomodations, a pool for daytime and night swimming, karaoke and some structures for taking pictures.

The place is good and relaxing. The food is good. The staff should be more accommodating. They should learn to smile though.

A beautiful place..but unfortunately we were scammed by the people working in the place. Our advice is to look for another place so that you do not become a victim of a scam.