Life at your leisure

Manila, Philippines - I used to wonder how it might feel like to live in a big house built on the edge of a cliff, with the rhythmic sound of the waves from the sea lulling you to sleep at night, and the warm rays of the sun filtering through your open window, gently waking you up in the morning. It seemed like a leisurely lifestyle reserved only for the rich and famous.

On a trip to Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Batangas recently, I came very close to knowing what it might feel like.

After an extended and unhurried full-course dinner at the Main Club at Peninsula de Punta Fuego, punctuated by lively conversation with Alfred “Alby” Xeres Burgos III, president and CEO of Landco Pacific Corp., together with his charming wife, Maricar, which lasted late into the night, we decided to take up the suggestion to request for room service for breakfast the following day.

Watching the sun set while sipping champagne

Breakfast was your typical Filipino fare of daing na bangus; fried eggs, sunny side up; garlic rice; pineapple juice; and brewed coffee. But the setting was not so typical. There you were, absolutely relaxed, in the privacy of your well-appointed casita that opens to a balcony overlooking the sea. This is the favorite spot of their children, too, Maricar said, whenever they come to spend their weekends here. This must be what Landco means by its brand promise: “Life at Your Leisure.”

For more than 20 years now, Landco, the leading leisure developer, has been creating high-end leisure, urban, and hometown communities that have revolutionized the way people live. Among its 16 premium properties are the Ponderosa Leisure Farms in Silang, Cavite, a 53-hectare residential community planted with fruit trees and flower gardens that continue the beautiful heritage of the cut-flower farm that it used to be. In Lemery, Batangas, the award-winning Leisure Farms serves as an ideal getaway for families who like to spend their weekends experiencing the simple yet close-to-nature life on a farm.

Choose your water adventure — on a speedboat, a rubber raft or a jet ski.

Landco has also developed charming hometown communities at the heart of Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija; in Urdaneta, Pangasinan; in San Fernando, Pampanga; in Baliuag, Bulacan; in San Pablo, Laguna; and in Zamboanga City. Landco’s community development in Hacienda Escudero in Tiaong, Quezon is set amid a coconut plantation with a clean river and lake, while the Tribeca Private Residences, with 15 residential towers in Sucat, Muntinlupa, just a few minutes’ drive from Alabang and Makati, offers resort living in an urban setting.

 “The common thread among all our developments is the leisure lifestyle that we promote,” Alby says. The Playa Series, which includes Playa Calatagan in Calatagan, Batangas; Playa Laiya in San Juan, Batangas; and Playa Azalea in Samal Island, Davao, are exclusive beachfront communities that bask in eternal sun, sea, and sand.

Maricar and Alby Xeres-Burgos

Terrazas de Punta Fuego boasts 800 meters of fine beach and clear waters, making it the best swimming beach in Nasugbu, Batangas. There’s a multi-level pool, a specialty restaurant and juice bar, and cabanas where you can enjoy a relaxing massage, which we did shortly after we arrived. Later in the afternoon, we were treated to an exhilarating adventure out at sea, as we rode a speed boat which pulled a large rubber raft where the thrill seekers in the group braved the bumpy ride and splashes of the cold sea water. We headed to Sunset Cove where we waited to watch the sun set. And with a glass of champagne on one hand to wash down the black tempura, sushi and croquettes that our thoughtful hosts had prepared, we marveled at the shimmering scarlet orb as it slowly sank behind a blanket of low-lying clouds resting just above the horizon. It was dark by the time we docked at the Punta Fuego Yacht Club marina.

Just 15 minutes away from the Main Club, which has four swimming pools, including the double infinity pool, as well as a nine-hole executive golf course, the Terrazas de Punta Fuego is a 61-hectare exclusive residential development “with Hispanic architecture fused with Asian and tropical influences.” Its unique landscape affords scenic views of the surrounding mountain ranges as well as the South China Sea.

The Peak is the highest point in this premier residential development. Here, the view is simply spectacular, with the infinity pool that extends to the edge of a cliff, or so it seems, and the Batangas mountain range in the distance. The winds blew freely through the open-air pavilion where we had a sumptuous lunch of grilled ribs, lobsters, sweet potatoes and corn on the cob.

On the drive down, we saw the model house which Alby, an engineer by

training, designed for The Peak, together with Maricar, who is an interior designer. It now belongs to a homeowner who liked it so much, he insisted on buying the model house as is.

A pond at Ponderosa Leisure Farms

 “Each house is an interpretation of their dreams,” Alby says. In every Landco development, the homeowners are living their dream. It’s life at their leisure.

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For inquiries, call 729-0180, 751-4025 to 27. Visit www.clubpunta fuego.com.ph/.