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TL;DR: Kilyawan Farm Resort in Ibaan, Batangas, was just named an Architecture Honoree at the NCCA Haligi ng Dangal Awards 2026. Built from two old chicken coops, it’s about 90 minutes from Manila and has a pool, a rope course, pickleball and basketball courts, and team-building spaces. It’s a solid break from the screen for barkadas and gaming squads.
We all know the feeling. One more match turns into ten, and suddenly your eyes hurt and your back is begging for mercy. Sometimes the best buff you can get is a weekend away from the screen, and one of the more interesting places to do that just picked up a national award.
From chicken coops to award-winning cabins
Kilyawan Farm Resort sits on an 8.5-hectare working farm in Ibaan, Batangas, which used to be an agro-industrial chicken farm. Dominic Galicia Architects transformed two of the old chicken coops into the resort’s reception building and its guest cabins, keeping the trees and the farm’s history intact.
Inside, you’ll find woven split bamboo ceilings, clay tile floors, clay brick walls, and reclaimed wood. Even the cushions are handwoven by local weavers from Ibaan. It’s the kind of build that looks great in photos, pero mas maganda daw in person.
That design just earned Kilyawan the Architecture Honoree title in the Professional Category of the Haligi ng Dangal Awards 2026, given by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. It joins an already impressive list: Highly Commended at the World Architecture Festival 2023, where it was also the first Philippine entry shortlisted for Best Use of Natural Light, plus a 2024 Brick Award shortlisting and a 2025 Golden Pin Design Award finalist spot.
Why gamers might actually like it here
This isn’t a gaming resort, and that’s kind of the point. But there’s plenty for a barkada or a whole squad to do once the controllers are down:
- Pickleball and basketball courts for when the competitive itch kicks in
- A rope course and forest playground that work as a real-life obstacle run
- A pool for cooling off after
- Farm tours, animal feeding, a nature trail, and a bamboo orchard for a slower pace
- Team-building and planning retreat spaces, which could work for a gaming org or esports team planning its next season
The resort is also pet-friendly, so your fur baby can come along.
The food comes straight from the farm. Kilyawan grows cacao for tablea, golden queen mangoes, and organic vegetables, and raises native black pigs and free-range chickens. All of that goes into the dishes at The Courtyard Farm Kitchen.
A family farm, shared
The resort is run by the Ganzon family, who rediscovered farm life during the pandemic. Tina Ganzon-Ozaeta, the resort’s Chief Resort Steward, says the design was always about respecting what the farm already was, including its old coops, trees, and slower pace of life. The name comes from the kilyawan, the black-naped oriole you can spot around the farm in the early morning and late afternoon.
How to get there
Kilyawan Farm Resort is about a 90-minute drive from Manila via SLEX. Book through kilyawanfarmresort.com, or message @kilyawanfarmresort on Facebook or Instagram. For team-building and event inquiries, email [email protected].
So, after the MPL finals and that MW4 grind, sino ang kailangan ng break? Tag your squad.
This article is based on a press release provided through our media partner, APOC Wire.
