A welcome break in Kawayan Cove

Thanks to last week’s long break, my good friend Angela Lopez invited her boyfriend Dino Santos, her cousin Mark Lopez (wife Connie and daughter Martina were in the US), and me and my kids to spend a few days at her newly renovated home in Kawayan Cove in Batangas.

It was my first time in Kawayan Cove, and I was surprised by how picturesque the surroundings were. A very private community amidst very lush terrain, the Cove’s main attraction is Bamboo Beach, which is famous for its white sand and clear blue waters. Inside the premises, they even have a meditation point which we visited on our first day to enjoy the beautiful and breathtaking sunset.

Following this, we headed back to the house and enjoyed a wonderful homecooked meal of inihaw na baboy, chicken inasal and pinakbet. Over dinner, we couldn’t help but reminisce and take a stroll down memory lane to talk about the “good old days.” The conversation also shifted to our children and the inevitable discussion about how different their generation is from ours. We then compared maintenance medicines and then grudgingly “surmised” that we were really getting old! We lingered around the dinner table until we could, but by 11 p.m., we were ready to call it a night.

Our hostess with the mostest Angela Lopez with her boyfriend Dino Santos, Mark Lopez and yours truly with the magical sunset as our background.

The following day, Angela prepared a wonderful breakfast spread of beef tapa, dangit, scrambled eggs and ensaymada from Cunanan’s. Afterwards, we took a dip in the pool and enjoyed the warm water while we continued our conversation from the night before. This time, the topics covered the gamut from showbiz to politics, and the colorful personalities who navigate those worlds. With all our yakking, it was time for lunch before we knew it!

Kawayan cove has clear, blue waters and powder white sand.

Since our hostess wanted to show us the beach, lunch was in the clubhouse. The sand is — true to its claim — powdery white. It isn’t quite Boracay-white, but close. And the clubhouse food was delicious! We had binagoongang baboy, bangus sisig, ensaladang talong, and chicken bbq. For dessert, we had turon and cheese and langka ice cream. Talk about a festival of Pinoy favorites!

Fresh lobsters are grilled to perfection by Dino Santos.

My millennial kids enjoyed strolling along the beach and took lots of photos before we headed back to Angela’s house. And since we were on vacation, I took a nap right after we got there. When I got up, we played a few rounds of mahjong, again catching up and gossiping the whole time.

For dinner, Dino was in charge. He seasoned some steaks and fresh lobsters which were purchased earlier that morning from Wawa market and showed off his grilling prowess. The steaks were tender, juicy and grilled just right (medium), while the lobsters were succulent and the meat, firm. Served with lemon butter sauce, it was perfect! Dino’s dinner was the best, and our tummies were super happy! Over a dessert of assorted pastries, chocolates and coffee, we resumed our exchange of stories about anything and everything.

The next day — Friday — was our last day, and we were set to leave right after lunch to avoid the traffic going back to Manila. After a hearty breakfast of longganisa, scrambled eggs and garlic rice, we jumped into the pool one last time to cool down and “counter” the humid weather.

Our last meal in Kawayan was angus burgers, green salad and pasta, and I did my best not to eat too much because I was driving. By 2 p.m., we were packed and ready to go. And though I would have wanted to stay another night, my daughter Gabbie had a party to attend that evening.

Overall, the two-day respite was a much-needed and welcome break. It gave us time to recharge and reenergize, and triggered a wave of nostalgia for us adults that took us back to the days when we often went out of town as swinging singles and were years away from becoming parents. Time does indeed fly by just like that, but good friends can gift you with precious experiences that make time stand still for a day or two.