RIVER GARDEN REST HOUSE TOUR | Marjorie Barretto

Hello everybody! Welcome back to my YouTube channel. Because so many of you have asked, I'm finally taking you to a rest house tour. So everybody, welcome to the River Gully. So for so long, we've been here in Calumpit, Bulacan. If I'm not mistaken, for over 23 years. Older than Claudia. The reason why I am sharing this rest house with all of you is because little by little, I am sharing a little bit of my private life with all of you. I'm sharing this special place with all of you because this is where the kids grew up. We have so much memories Here, we've shared several photos. But I know you're curious to see how it looks. Okay, so here now, we are entering into the pavilion. It's really a small property. Please don't be fooled. It's a very simple property. I just really made the most out of it. So this is what we would call the pavilion. Usually, this would be a perfect place for a party. As a matter of fact, River Garden is now open for private rentals. By the time you see this vlog, we are inviting families to come together or good friends. Just a small group of 15 people at a time. This is where I gather with my kids. This is our little sala. This one was a gift to me some 10 years ago. Of course, I love everything that looks old. I like antique looking. And then, we put some propellers that I have bought from my travels. And this also used to be my coffee table in my home. This one is my altar table. This came from my mom. This is very antique as you see. So my mom has passed on to me a lot of her furniture. Because we share the same passion for home. So this is the altar table. And then, we've had this also for a very, very long time. It just needs to be screwed up every so often by our plants. I just love the water feature. Can you hear the water? This one also is a marble dining table. So I've always had a fondness for marble tables. And this one was a gift to me like 12-13 years ago. It was bought in Jolisa. So it's really an antique. What I did with this is it was normally like a buffet table. We can do up to 20 people at a time. And then, we have a little dining table here. Some of the people love having breakfast here. And others by the river. So for those who like to have breakfast here, we have a little area for them. And then, of course, you can look for some breakfast food here. Cabinet that we also bought at Jolisa before. And then, I like those ice cream. So please take a look at our pavilion. I just love the Filipino touch here. Our Filipino touch. So this is a pond. You can find it up there. Most of my ponds here are really ponds. I cannot imagine Ilog looking any different from this. And if you see, we have a lot of bamboo features. Which means, there's a lot of maintenance here. Okay, this is the original structure here at Ilog. It was like the first. It's gone through a lot of facelift. So still, again, that's the pavilion. Okay, so here is where most of my nieces and nephews like to hang out in. This wooden table here, because I wanted to make it cozier. Because since I've opened this already to the public. I mean, to private rentals. I wanted to make everyone who comes here feel like they're in their own homes. Or like they're going home to their own provinces. So we changed the flooring to something more colorful. But now, I just put more color. The jars that have come from my mom. And of course, we have little patches here and there. So this one would really be a place for... Actually, earlier, this is where we had lunch. For me, I prefer having breakfast here. Simple. It's very... It's very simple. I just also made something. You can buy a sofa. Things like this. This bamboo. Okay. So I made... This is what you can buy. Okay, right? You can buy things here, right? By the street, right? You go here. I just made it a little bigger. Then I made upholstery. I made yellows to make it happy. And different throw pillows. Just for fun. And this is our favorite area. Early in the morning or sunset. Because if you see, we have a view of the river. Look at the river. I think what makes this property really special is that... This is what you're looking at. And you might hear the motor of the fishermen. Slowly. Then you'll say, come back when you have fish. Then they'll come back here. Sometimes, early in the morning, we're here talking. The fishermen are coming. They brought fresh fish. We're buying by the cooler. It's so special, right? When it's sunset. It's so windy here. And here, you can eat turon, banana queue, and everything. This is what we flip. We flipped the bamboo sofa so that we're facing the river. Fantastic. And our kitchen is right here. If you see, I also changed it. And I'm about to need to change it. I love this kitchen because it's open. So, when the family is here, this is the perfect area. We have a big freezer. Because when we're here, we bring a lot of meat, fish, seafood, whatever. And then, all the people are here. They're chatting. They're cooking. And I've kept it open. I have kept it really open. This is new. Because this was really an open shelf. It was really visible. But all of our setup is here. Because even here, I love the setup. So, the kitchen is here. It's pretty wide. Please don't mind the mess. We just finished lunch. Very provincial. So, this is new. I've always wanted this. Okay, my family and I are really fond of grilled food. So, because of the food fight, everything is grilled. And I get frustrated because our grill was too small back then. So, it was slow to cook. Because there's fish, eggplant, and shrimp. So, this time, I set this up exclusively for river garden guests. Also, finally, you can have grilled fish, fish, and eggplant. Together, there's no problem. This one, this area is for development. Okay, so, I'm proud to say. It's a very hot area now. Because it's like 12 noon. Now, it's about 2 p.m. But I will develop this. This is what I would call Marjorie's secret garden. This was really trash. There's really a lot of trash. This area, I just graved it. Then, I put some grass. And I will develop it. I will put herbs. I will put flowers. I will put whatever. But I really want to make this a Marjorie's secret garden and a view deck. There's also here in Calumpit. Because I think this is Angat River, right? There's also something passing here that's like the Salobok River. There's a boat that sings, eats, and people wave here. Originally, I wanted to make that a business. They thought it was a joke. And it didn't continue. Then, sometimes, I saw a big boat passing by. There's a lot of people eating. There are musicians. And that's my dream that didn't come true. But you know, one of these days. So, this is the raw part of the house. I'd like to share with you this area. Look at these plants. It's been here for a long time. Super. It grew up along with the kids. So, of course, when they were bought, it was still small. And now, they're so big. And they're so special to me. There's no grass growing here in this area. And it really frustrated my kids. Most especially, Claudia. Because it's so dusty. And when it rains, it's white. So, for the love of Claudia. And for our future guests here at River Garden. I made it like this. How do you call this? We call this pavers. Yeah. So, right now, we call it the courtyard. I'm still deciding who I'm going to name the courtyard. But it is now a courtyard. And the kids are so happy about it. Because it's not white anymore. You can actually party here. And I don't have to make my tree less. Because they all said, you have to make the tree less to grow the grass. No. I love the shade so much. So, now, we have this as part of River Garden. So, you have the mini gazebo. You have the view deck. And then, this one. So, when you're a family, what happens is... It's like... How do you say it? It's like a retreat or recollection. Because someone is there reading a book. And then, someone is here with two other family members eating. Here, there are people lounging here. Some are talking. Some are sleeping there. I mean, it's just really, you know... It's really a rest. It's a rest place. Fun fact. When I bought this some 23 years ago, of course, I didn't have that much money. So, I bought it one by one. For example, one room first. One room first. And then, I won with my money. You know that? That was a game. It was a game. I won with my money. I remember, if I'm not mistaken. Half a million. So, 500,000. That's so big. Aside from the 500,000, So, with that money, I won with my money. I made a down payment to build a pool. If I'm not mistaken, it's like 50,000 down payment. So, there's this pool. And this has been the pool. Ever since. I attempted to retile it once. But basically, this is still the pool since they were really... Babe, you're not born. Because Claudia had her first birth here. Because of the budget restraints. Instead of digging down, They just raised the pool. That's why it's not down. Usually, the pool should be flat. So, with this one. And we kept it that way. I'm gonna take you to our first room. Okay, since it's called the river garden. We named the rooms Flowers. So, welcome to the Bogandilya room. This will be one of the rooms that will be open. If you can see. Okay, that's why there are so many queen-size beds here. Because Julia and Claudia. Danny and Javi. Yeah. Or if it's my nieces and nephews. My nieces and nephews are here. Or floor. And then there is a floor mattress. And then there are two people here. And this is really the fun area. So, this one is really the children's area. It's called the Bogandilya. And then some of my paintings in Manila. That I also brought here. Okay, so we have our toilet. Okay, then I have two shelves. I have a fascination for old wood. And always having lights on their shelves. I have that thing. And so, yeah. This one is called the Gumamela room. So, you see. These are real vases that I bought. If I'm not mistaken. So, I like the noise of the children. You know who's awake. Yes. You already know who's going to make noise. And then when they swim. Because I want to read a book. I can see if there's someone drowning. This is the Gumamela room. And this one. All of these. These are all my furniture. So, from Manila. Also the paintings. This is where Erich and I and Leon sleep. So, because we are a team. We're always in one room. So, there. Leon has a room. I hope he does not outgrow it. So, this is room two of our four-bedroom little property. Our goal is to keep it simple. And make it very homey for all of us. I love everything Thai. Every Thailand furniture. Old China furniture. So, that came from Thailand. I'm going to talk about this mango tree. So, that really is an Indian mango tree. But, several years ago. There was a grafting. From another kind of. Another variation of mango. Grafting from Indian mango trees here. When it bears fruit. It's so big. So, every area. It's really planted. That's why it's like a river garden. Because everywhere is planted. I really love this place. We are now on to our third room. It's the Sampaguita room. This is the original. Original master's bedroom. Yes, this is the original master's bedroom. I really built this as a master's bedroom. But, I moved to the other room. But, let me take you to our room. Let me open the lights. You guys will be lucky if you stay here. Come in. See how I love the old charm. My floor is still vegan tile. Let me tell you a story. This is the master's bedroom. The portraits that were given to us as gifts are here. That's me, Claudia, and Julia. They're the only ones who have. There's just one in her room. She refuses to let go of it. So, this is her bed. And this is my side table in my home. I just replaced it a few months ago. So, it's here now. This is also my lamp in my room in Manila. We brought it back here. And then, so here. And then, this one is the bed of Daniel. Fun fact. When Danny, Julia, and Claudia were sharing a room, this was Danny's bed. It was also specially made at Jodisa. And it was white. Because their room used to be shabby chic. It was white. I made it chocolate brown. And it has pull-out. So, the last that slept here was Millie. This is our toilet. When you look at this place, it's really our home. It's really not meant for resort purposes. It's really our home. Locked, cared for, and designed for us. Okay. So, I'll take you again outside to another room. This one is the slide of areas before. And her mini house. But we're not letting go of it. Because Millie lives with that. And my, how do you say it? My grandnephews. The children of my nieces and nephews. Okay. So, we are on to our fourth and last room. It's called the Santan room. This is the smallest room. But this is the most priceless. Because it's the river view. It's a tiny room. But it's not so tiny. But this is the most comfortable. According to my guests. This is the river view. So, when they take a nap, they can see the pool. Here are the paintings that came from my mom. My mom thought that she's giving it to me. If I just put it here. This. So, there are two people who sleep here. And like three to four more on the floor. Okay, Erich. Go back to online school. Yes, so I've shared with you already. This is it. Okay, but the other place over there. That's the parking. There's like an eight-car parking garage. And our staff house. And our dirty kitchen. So, this really is the end of our rest house tour. And I hope you've enjoyed it. I've shared with you something really, really close to our hearts. This is where the children grew up. This is where we have made memories. This is where we have our family gatherings. Mga Mahal na Araw. New Years. Whatever. But then, I hope that the river garden will be able to serve you the same way. It has served our family over the years. And for those of you who want to also make memories in our home. Please go follow us at rivergardenresthouse on Instagram. And also on Facebook. And you can book and reserve. And go have your celebrations here. So, thank you so much for joining me. And see you again next week. Bye!