We stayed at Timberland Highlands Resort with more than 30 family members, rented 10 rooms, and came away thinking it was worth the price. But there are a few things I wish we had known before booking.
| Timberland Highlands Resort at a Glance | Description |
|---|---|
| Our group | 30+ family members |
| Rooms booked | 10 |
| Stay | Sunday to Monday, August 2026 |
| Room rate w/ FREE breakfast | ₱5,500 per room, with breakfast |
| Total rooms | About ₱55,000 |
| Dinner for the group | ₱14,000+ |
| Best for | Families and large groups |
| What we loved | Views, pool, sports facilities, location |
| What could improve | Older rooms, kids’ play area, rainy-season access |
| Our rating | ⭐ 4/5 |
| Would we recommend it? | Yes |
This was our second time at Timberland Highlands Resort, but this time, the family was much bigger.
Two more families joined us, and with parents, kids, siblings, nephews, nieces, and one father-in-law, we ended up with more than 30 people and 10 rooms. It was also one of those trips that had to happen when it could.
My brother was visiting from abroad and one of our siblings would soon be flying back to Alaska and won’t be returning in three years. So we planned the trip about two months ahead and picked the only date that worked for everyone. That happened to be a Sunday in August.
August is rainy in the Philippines, particularly in Metro Manila this year, and it wasn’t exactly the ideal weather for a resort stay. But when you are trying to get more than 30 family members on the same calendar, you take the date you can get. And despite the rain, we had a really good time.
Why We Chose Timberland
The biggest reason was location.
Most of our family members live around Quezon City, so San Mateo, Rizal is less than an hour away for many of them. That made Timberland much easier than asking everyone to travel farther out of Metro Manila.
But it doesn’t feel like you’re still that close to the city.
That is probably my favorite thing about Timberland.
You get the feeling that you have escaped somewhere much farther away. The views are beautiful, the property is surrounded by greenery, and the resort feels secluded without being difficult to reach. Timberland itself describes the property as being within Timberland Heights, a large township in San Mateo, Rizal, and its location just outside Quezon City is one of its selling points.
For a big family looking for a quick getaway, that combination is hard to beat.
But getting there is not completely effortless
You need a decent car to get up to the resort. Our Grab ride was in a Toyota Vios, and our driver struggled enough on the way up that, for a few moments, I genuinely wondered if we were going to make it.
One of my brother-in-law’s sisters had a van, so my siblings borrowed it for the trip. That worked out well. We only had to cover fuel and a car wash.
I would also be cautious about visiting during periods of heavy rain. Some of the roads leading to Timberland can flood, so the rainy season adds another consideration if you’re planning a family trip.
We Rented 10 Rooms
We booked 10 rooms in total.
Each family had their own room, while our parents and our single sister were accommodated with the nephews and nieces. We also had one room for my sister’s in-laws, who were joining us to spend more time with the kids before they fly back to Alaska.
One thing I appreciated was that the resort accommodated our request for rooms beside each other.
That matters more than you might think when you’re traveling with 30+ people.
You don’t want half the family scattered across different floors, especially when you’re trying to organize meals, swimming, activities, and, apparently, a children’s chess tournament.
Yes, the boys had their own chess tournament in one of the rooms.
That is what happens when you travel with this many relatives.
What About the Price?
We paid approximately ₱5,500 per room, including breakfast for two adults and small children.
With 10 rooms, that’s around ₱55,000 for accommodation alone. We booked about two months in advance because we had to coordinate a large family group and an overseas visitor.
But here’s something I didn’t expect. A few days before our stay, I noticed that some room prices were actually lower than what we had paid.
So I’m not convinced that booking two months early necessarily gave us the best possible rate. In our case, we booked early because we needed certainty, not because we knew it was the cheapest price. That’s an important distinction.
If your dates are flexible and you’re only traveling with a few people, I would check prices again closer to your stay. If you’re coordinating 30+ people, however, locking in the rooms may be worth paying a little more for.
Our Rooms: Comfortable, But Showing Their Age
We were assigned rooms in Basement 4.
The rooms were older, but they had decent views and were comfortable enough for an overnight stay.
The bed was comfortable, and the Wi-Fi was surprisingly decent. There was also a water station in the hallway, which I thought was a nice touch. Recent guests have also specifically mentioned the water stations as a useful feature.
The toiletries were from AUM.
But the rooms aren’t perfect.
Some of the doors were difficult to open and close, and we encountered occasional plumbing issues in the bathrooms. Because it was the rainy season and the resort wasn’t particularly busy, there didn’t seem to be as many staff around, so assistance wasn’t always immediate.
There was also no Netflix in our room.And because you are essentially staying in a forested highland environment, we did see a few flies and even a stray centipede in the bathroom. Personally, I wasn’t bothered by that. If I wanted a completely sealed-off city hotel experience, I wouldn’t have booked a mountain resort.
Still, if you’re particular about newer rooms and polished finishes, this is something to keep in mind. Other recent guest reviews have similarly praised Timberland’s amenities and views while pointing out maintenance issues in some of the older accommodations, so our experience wasn’t completely unusual.
The Pool Was Still the Star
The pool is about 4 feet deep, with shallower areas for children, and there is a lifeguard on duty. But honestly, the depth wasn’t what made the pool memorable. It was the view.
You look out from the pool and get that incredible view over the surrounding landscape and Metro Manila. It was raining and there was lightning when we first wanted to swim, so we had to wait. Eventually, we managed to get about an hour in the pool before the weather turned bad again.
We had to leave before 11 a.m. the next day because our flight was at 2 p.m., and the weather was getting worse. That was probably the biggest frustration of the trip. Not Timberland.
Just August weather doing what August weather does.
There Is More to Do Than Swim
This is where Timberland works particularly well for a large family.
There is only one main pool, but the resort has several other activities and facilities. Its facilities include an indoor climbing wall, fitness center, badminton court and multi-purpose court.
We played basketball. We played badminton. The kids played. Others just hung around and talked.
That variety is important when you have 30+ people because not everyone wants to do the same thing at the same time.
The kids’ play area was a disappointment
Unfortunately, the children’s play area had a leak during our stay, which made it unsafe for the kids to use. That threw off our original plans. But I have to give the resort credit for improvising.
They set up a makeshift playground in one of the meeting rooms. It wasn’t fancy, but it worked.
The kids stayed entertained for about an hour while the mothers got to sit on the bean bags nearby, chat and relax. Honestly, sometimes that’s all you need.
The resort’s current facilities list also includes a children’s play area alongside the sports facilities, so hopefully maintenance issues like the one we experienced are temporary.
Feeding 30+ People
This was probably the part you are most curious about before the trip. For dinner, we ate at Ridge Cafe. We spent more than ₱14,000 for the group dinner (and divided the bill among us). There was plenty of Filipino food to choose from, including sinigang, crispy pata, rice, bagoong rice, lumpia, and other dishes. For the surplus, we just brought them in the room for late night cravings.
The food was good. Not “we’re only eating here because we’re already at the resort” good.
Actually good.
Breakfast was at Le Stelle, the Italian restaurant. Because it was a Sunday night into Monday morning, we didn’t get the full buffet we had been looking forward to. That was a little disappointing.
We had stayed at Timberland in May 2025, on a weekday during summer, and the breakfast buffet was one of the things we remembered fondly from that trip.
This time, breakfast was plated with a smaller buffet selection. But there was one advantage. With this many children, a smaller breakfast setup wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Kids don’t exactly need a 40-item breakfast buffet. The food still tasted good. You get to choose from different types of Silog meals.
Recent guest reviews also continue to mention the resort’s food and breakfast positively, although the exact breakfast offering can vary.
What Worked Surprisingly Well With 30+ People
Here’s the thing. You would think traveling with more than 30 family members would be stressful.
It wasn’t.
This isn’t our first group trip, and we had seven women and one man involved in planning, so maybe that explains it.
We had a system. Getting rooms beside each other helped. Having the sports facilities helped. Having a place where the kids could play helped. And having enough space for everyone to retreat to their own rooms helped even more.
We also used the rooms as gathering spaces.
We celebrated our sister’s birthday and decorated one of the walls. The boys took over another room for their chess tournament.
There was enough flexibility for everyone to do their own thing without the entire group having to move together like a school field trip.
That flexibility made the trip work.
What Was Difficult?
Taking a group photo with 30+ people.
I’m kidding.
Mostly.
The seniors did find the stairs less friendly, so that’s something I would consider when assigning rooms. But there’s always an option to take the elevator.
Other than that, the group handled the resort stay surprisingly well.
The biggest challenges were actually things outside our control: the weather, the road conditions, and the limitations of some of the older rooms.
Is Timberland Better for Families, Couples, or Groups?
For our trip, it was excellent for families. But I think the answer depends heavily on when you visit. We were there during the rainy season and on a Sunday night. It was lean enough that we often felt like we had the area almost to ourselves.
That made a huge difference.
Our previous stay was in May 2025, but it was also during a weekday, so we didn’t experience the resort at its busiest either. I’m less confident about how I’d feel about Timberland during a packed summer weekend.
The pool could feel very different with a crowd. The facilities could feel less exclusive. And 30+ people might suddenly become much harder to manage. So if you have flexibility, I would seriously consider a weekday or an off-peak stay.
Would I Stay at Timberland Highlands Resort Again?
Maybe.
And that probably sounds like a strange conclusion after saying we had a good time. But we have already been there twice.
I’m ready to try somewhere else next time. That’s not because Timberland was bad.It wasn’t.
In fact, I think Timberland is worth the price for a large family looking for an easy getaway from Metro Manila.
The views are beautiful. The location works well for families around Quezon City. There are enough activities to keep different age groups occupied, and the resort gives you that feeling of being away from the city without requiring a long road trip.
The rooms could use some updating. The rainy-season access can be a concern. The kids’ play area needs better maintenance. And I would check the breakfast setup before booking if the buffet is important to you. But none of those things ruined our stay.
What made the trip memorable wasn’t really the room or even the pool.
It was having 30+ family members you love to see and catch up with in one place.
My brother was visiting from abroad. Another sibling came all the way from Alaska. Two more families joined us. The kids had their own adventures. The adults had time to talk. We celebrated a birthday. The boys held a chess tournament.
And somehow, nobody was hurt. That’s a successful family vacation in my book.
Final Verdict: 4 out of 5
Would I recommend Timberland Highlands Resort for a large family? Yes.
If you’re looking for a place where a big family can stay, eat, swim, play sports, and spend time together without traveling several hours outside Metro Manila, Timberland is a solid choice.
Just check the weather, compare room prices before your final booking, and don’t assume the breakfast buffet will be the same every time.
And if you’re traveling with 30+ relatives, book rooms beside each other. Trust me on that one.
Disclosure: This review is based on our family’s personal stay at Timberland Highlands Resort. Prices and facilities can change, so check the resort directly for current rates, room inclusions, dining schedules, and facility availability.
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