It used to be that families have to schedule in advance vacations before setting off on a quest for a grand adventure. However, with out-of-town residences and club membership in the uptrend, weekends have come to mean heading straight to those second homes

Among weekend getaways, a preferred destination has been the accessible South-of which Hamilo Coast, a 5,800-hectare property in Nasugbu, Batangas, is becoming well-known as a premier leisure destination for weekenders and out-of-towners.

Hamilo Coast is a sprawling property master planned to be developed in phases and envisioned by SM Land to provide a variety of leisure lifestyle experiences. The first seaside community to rise at Hamilo Coast is Pico de Loro Cove--a 37.5 hectare development consisting of splendid mountain and sea views, ten residential condominium clusters overlooking a four hectare man-made saltwater lagoon, a hotel, and the Pico de Loro Beach & Country Club.

Convenient Leisure Lifestyle

Pico de Loro's low impact condominiums and members-only beach and country club perfectly suits the market of more active families seeking more than the usual trip to the beach or resort in the nearby South.

Pico de Loro Cove is not a resort, but a weekend place one can call his own. The beach experience in this development-though arguably one of the best and most enjoyable in the Batangas area-is not its sole attraction. The inimitable proposition of Pico de Loro Cove is its convenient leisure lifestyle that affords cuty dwellers with a place of immediate escape.

For city dwellers who also enjoy the casual yet exclusive and refined recreational lifestyle of country clubs, the Pico de Loro Beach & Country Club will be an exciting change. The leisure beach community will provide the creature comforts, service and exclusivity similar to that of a country club, but amidst a breathtaking natural setting to heighten the genuine sense of escape from the metropolis. An individual club share is prices at a half million pesos while corporate club shares is prices at 850,000 pesos. Club share prices have already increased considerably since Pico de Loro Cove's launch in 2007, due to the burgeoning development of the project.

The Beach Club, started operations last February and sets the tone for recreational living at the cove through its amenities, facilities, and nature-based activities that read like a wish list of a true nature's child. Its tropical contemporary architecture is a delightful reminder to guests that their hurries and worries are now a world away. The interiors were done by well-known interior designer Manny Samson; memorable accent pieces by local artists such as Cebu's pride Kenneth Cobonpue welcome guests. Upon entry to the club, its Lobby Lounge extends to a pool with views extending into the sea below. Adult and kiddie locker rooms are accessible from the pool area for the convenience of members.

Natural Character

Pico de Loto Cove's facilities and amenities are amusingly names after the natural elements and endemic marine life at Hamilo Coast, such as the Beach Club's Sun Coral Café, taking after the brightest colored corals in the Pacific Ocean. Located on the ground floor, it is the signature dining facility of the Beach Club. At present, the café offers farm-to-plate dishes, Filipino favorites, and weekend buffets, with signature dishes currently being developed to feature international cuisines like Californian Asian.

On the 2nd floor of the Club is the Arribada Lounge (the Spanish term arribada refers to the mass nesting of olive ridley turtles endemic to the Pacific Coast, and also found along the 13 coves of Hamilo Coast), which will serve as a function room for some seventy-five guests. The Arribada Lounge is now open for member's meetings, conferences, and social gatherings.

Also located at the upper level is the the Brisa Bar, an open air bar named after the northeastern winds that bring in monsoon rains. Upon availability of overnight accommodations, the bar will offer cocktails and refreshing drinks from 6 pm to 10 pm.

Aside from the facilities mentioned, sea-based and land-based activities are also being handled by the club's well-trained staff for an interactive experience with the natural environment. One can go mountain-trekking with 180- and 360-degree view deck areas, or go recreational biking within a 7-km. trail that reveals views of mangroves, kawayan and rice fields, and lush growths of trees. For water-sports lovers, there are scuba diving options, snorkeling, and kayaking. A marina for docking yachts is also under construction.

By arrangement, one can go cove-hopping. The boatmen can act as tour guides for adventuring groups hungry for local lore. Be awed by giant rock formations, find simple joy in the playful spray of sea waves hitting rocks, take a peek at the sacred mysteries beneath the sea. From the motorboat when visiting the Papaya Cove, one of the 13 coves of Hamilo Coast, one can view a local fishing community that lives on a regenerated marine ecosystem. At Hamilo Coast, one finds that everything is, indeed, connected.

Opportunities for bird-watching, wind-surfing, and zipline adventure to and from elevated view decks will also soon be offered. But for a more laid back afternoon, there are massage huts to rub down life's troubles.

Since the much-awaited soft launch of the Beach Club last February, the distinctively Pico de Loro lifestyle is now open to club members from 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 6 pm on weekends. The Beach Club is already entertaining member's queries about special occasion gatherings like birthdays, anniversaries, and family events.

Complementing the leisure lifestyle at the Beach Club are amenities of the Country Club. Set for completion by yearend, facilities of the club will include an active aports area with pool complex (lap area and children's area), courts for ball sports and racquet sports, bowling and billiards hall, rock climbing, a gym, and designated locker rooms for adults and kids. A family area at the country club will also have a kiddie room, library, family restaurant with al fresco dining area, juice and snack bars, and sundry shop. For club members' events, a ballroom area with a seating capacity of 300 guests can be divided into three smaller function rooms.

How many ways to a blissful escape to Hamilo Coast? Via a 90-minute ferry ride, which will be made available from the Mall of Asia Complex by 2010; via a twenty-minute helicopter flight from the Mall of Asia Complex; via a one-and-a-half hour of smooth drive through the new road that punches through Ternate to Cavite; or via less than three hours of travel through the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway.

For more pictures of Pico de Loro Beach Club please click here

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SM Land is the new brand under which SM Investments Corp. is building its portfolio of property offerings, from primary homes and residences to leisure developments and integrated business districts. To know more about Hamilo Coast and Pico de Loro Cove, call 8580333 or 8191673. Visit www.hamilocoast.com.