Pacific pleasure
The Philippines has 7,107 islands and few of us have visited them all. The largest one is Luzon and we have not yet fully realized what it has to offer. The mountain retreats of Baguio and Tagaytay, along with the beaches of Batangas and Ilocos, have been the main destinations. This is now changing, as other sites and sides of the island now beckon.
The Pacific side of Luzon is mainly undiscovered by travelers. I ventured with my family recently to one such emerging tourist destination, the province of Aurora and its capital Baler. The main attraction is world-class surfing, and Baler had been slowly gaining a reputation for that water-based activity. Baler’s other claims to fame are that it was the birthplace of President Manuel L. Quezon and in the late ‘70s; it was the location where Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now was filmed.
It was the surfing seen in that film that gave a hint to the place’s present and growing drawing power. Baler started with few small backpacker accommodations less than a decade ago. With the increase in visitors, better hotels sprouted. Today, Baler boasts its first premium resort, Costa Pacifica, the reason we made this journey to the eastern coast of Luzon.
Getting there is the first adventure. One can drive, as we did. The NLEX to San Fernando is the first leg, with the highway to Cabanatuan the second, from there it is about two hours up and down the picturesque Sierra Madre mountains, through Pantabangan (stop for the view) and onwards via mountain zigzag roads a la Baguio to Baler.
Otherwise, you could also take the Joy Bus from Cubao. This is a great option as the seats are airline quality (business class, not budget). The buses have toilets, Wi-Fi and if you take the night bus, you get to Baler by breakfast time at Costa Pacifica.
The resort sits just above the main surfing stretch of Sabang. Surfing is actually available along most of Aurora’s seemingly unending kilometers of coast. But the best and most accessible sites are within Baler’s boundaries.
The owners of the resort had a previous facility at the site a few years ago. They decided to expand with the yearly increase in visitors. I recognized the modernist style of architecture of the expanded hotel. Award-winning former New York-based Filipino architect Ed Calma designed the sprawling low-rise complex. A central minimalist welcome pavilion serves as portal. A quick check-in facilitated by friendly staff was followed by a short walk to one of the resorts four wings; each containing about 25 rooms.
The rooms are commodious, much larger than normal. Obviously the resort caters to families and barkadas. The bathrooms are similarly spacious, with tubs and showers. The rooms all have a view either to the sea of a landscaped courtyard.
The resort’s restaurant, the Beach House, fronts the large swimming pool. The buffets were stupendous (try the bagnet-based dishes, pastas and pizzas). All these — the food, spacious rooms and great service — are hallmarks of the resort’s operator, Raintree, led by its CEO, the elegant Annabel Wisniewski. The group is famous for their concept restaurants like Chelsea and the M Café, along with other destination resorts in the Philippines that they helped set up.
After breakfast we checked out the beach and surf. Just a few steps away was the wide boardwalk. The wide beach was a few meters below, and the surf beyond. That weekend there was a competition and we caught some of the competitors doing their acrobatic choreography with the constant waves.
Chocho wanted to get in the surf. We had all tried it in Siargao and Baler was even friendlier to beginners. The main beach frontage, especially the stretch right in front of Costa Pacifica, had more than adequate space for beginners to try the sport.
Baler has more coastal spots than just this main stretch. We motored to a nearby cove for lunch the first day. Just minutes away, Dicasalarin cove frames a beautiful white beach and an arts and crafts village built by Senator Edgardo J. Angara, who was there, along with guests like Philip Cu-Unjieng, Issa Litton and David Celdran, to share a robust meal of fresh seafood and lechon. Mark Soong (son of Willy) was there with a convoy of sports cars and luxury SUVs, which were if combined, probably cost more than what it took to build the whole village!
Former dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Philippines, Dan Silvestre, designed the main pavilion of the village. A rustic composition of local stone and timber, the pavilion houses exhibits by visiting artists curated by artist-in-residence JunYee. After the scrumptious lunch we trekked up the coastal rockscape to the breathtaking site of Baler’s lighthouse, a sculptural creation of Ed Calma.
The weekend was spent enjoying the sea, surf and spread at the restaurant. Baler itself has a heritage core with Spanish-era church, plaza and museum. The center was enhanced by landscape design put together by current Dean of the UP College of Architecture Anne Espina. This place sure has a lot of design value, both past and present.
Baler and Aurora have more to offer of course. Casiguran Bay to the north and 10 of kilometers more of beaches await the intrepid traveller. Costa Pacifica makes a great base for these sojourns and a destination in itself. It’s a great way to discover this side of Luzon and drink in the sights and surf of the Pacific.
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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com. For more information on Costa Pacifica log on to www.costapacificabaler.com.
