Hidden Valley Springs

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Hidden Valley Springs is a hot springs resort located in Calauan, Laguna, Philippines. The valley nestles at the foot of Mt. Makiling, an extinct volcano associated with local myths, and the resort was said to be created in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption from the said mountain.

A number of springs fill pools flowing with hot, cold and soda water, and they lace a forest of huge fruit trees (some of which have been around for centuries), tropical shrubs and flowering plants. A concrete path connects the pools and leads to the jungle's interior, where a waterfall has cut a gorge down the mountainside (the aforementioned waterfall known popularly as the Hidden Falls, was used as the backdrop for the Miss Universe contest when it was held in Manila). The resort is owned by the Roxas family, whose patriarch Don Eugenio Roxas oversaw the 1.1 square kilometre property as the family estate until they opened it to the tourist public in the early 1970's.

As a side note, the film Apocalypse Now was also partly filmed in Hidden Valley, and director Francis Ford Coppola was so enamored with the resort that he continued to visit the resort a few months after the final shooting date, prompting the Roxas family to build a helipad for his personal use, which still stands at the resort today.