High on Club Balai Isabel

Within every adult is a child who cherishes precocious memories that are relived upon visiting familiar places. For the young once and the young ones, it is time to hone your wanderlust because exploration is the key to rediscovery.

When I was a child, I remember waking up to Sunday mornings as our home was reverberating with the thunderous pounding of piano keys as if announcing a foreboding omen of a fortuitous eruption. The sound would ascend with even more fortitude followed by a deafening silence. After a few more seconds, the “tremors” would begin slowly yet powerfully, this time accompanied by a resounding applause. I raced down the stairs in my pajamas to our lanai to find out it was my mother, Mama Mila, and her very best friend my Ninang Norma Francia playing the piano. They were rehearsing for their concert and their piece was about an erupting volcano.

I have always been fascinated by volcanoes, the nearest one to home being Taal Volcano, one of the smallest and bewitching in the world. Many of us have viewed its alluring beauty. Between 1572 and the present, more than 41 eruptions have been recorded with the great eruption of 1754 lasting close to six months. Just like Mt. Pinatubo, it darkened the skies over Manila for days that people during that time literally walked around the city carrying lanterns even at 10 in the morning. It is most probable that this eruption finally closed the open channel to the sea.

It is precisely this unpredictability that makes it an enigma, a phenomenon, an attraction worth visiting, appreciating and immortalizing. Last weekend, my family and close friends rediscovered this exquisite volcano within a lake. What better vantage point to be at where one can appreciate the volcano in style and luxury than at the Club Balai Isabel, located in Talisay, Batangas. The resort is just a 20-minute drive from the scenic Tagaytay ridge. From the ridge, just before the Picnic Grove, we took a right on Ligaya Road, drove down the winding yet picturesque way where we captured million-dollar views of Taal Volcano and Taal Lake before finally retreating to the lovely Mediterranean-themed Club Balai Isabel.

Gracious couple Nelson and Cecille Terrible, who own this cozy sanctuary, warmly welcomed us to this charming property. It was a memorable weekend as all my siblings replete with nieces and nephews and my best friend and two-time CMMA awardee Bum Tenorio, good friends Ana and Will Antonio who gamely posed for photos by the romantic volcano. Their adorable kids Raine and Cyrus were also ecstatic as they played by the beachside with their favorite uncle Mukesh Advani. Our friends Carol and Cris Parker were determined to catch some exotic fish in the lake. 

Our rambunctious group hied off to the floating pools, which are actually suspended pools of filtered water from the lake. Utilizing state-of-the art technology, this is an ingenious way to fully use God-given resources. This particular spot is a well-appointed section of the resort with wooden bridges. It also has huge inflatable and movable trampolines which we used like boats where we all gravitated, bonded and synergized with nature’s bounty.

As the sun was beginning to set, the skyline was bathed in golden pink light against the summer tropical sky. The mountainous terrain beckoned like a mecca as wild sculptured landforms heralded a geologist’s dream. From the floating pools, some peaks jutted out from the lake like a giant moth’s wings, the natural scenery created by volcanic basalt pressing down on sandstone. The dramatic caldera of Taal Volcano is often compared to a woman — hauntingly beautiful, alluring, captivating, dangerous but never dull or boring … neither were our spirits.

With the setting sun as the backdrop, a wine bar was set up by my youngest sister Yvonne with the assistance of the Club Balai bartenders and staff.

We had an abundance of brews and spirits, even a specially concocted limoncello that my brother-in-law Benny Soliven brought from Chateau Herencia in Tagaytay. The cuisine was as delightful as the company. Nelson spoiled us with this very special organic cuchinillo; the skin was succulently crispy and the tender meat was perfect with the sweet and spicy lechon sauce. The lechon manok was so juicy and tender; the tawilis caught from the lake were fried to crispness. There were also pancit canton and beef and chicken sate with gooey peanut butter sauce, as well as the crispy banana turon in a creamy langka sauce.

My brother-in-law Boom Boncan and sister Jaqui brought out their disco music from the ‘80s to complement the party mood. It began to gently drizzle as Cecille nostalgically narrated how Nelson reacquired this fabulous property.  

“The property used to be owned by his family during the ‘50s and ‘60s. It has changed hands many times until in 2005 it was offered to us by the bank, which had foreclosed on it from the owner. Nelson wanted to develop it as a residential community and initially did not plan to make it a resort. But after building a few houses, weekenders came knocking at the door wanting to spend holidays and weekends. They are amazed to see Taal Volcano up close from the lakeshore. Initially the few houses built that are owned by overseas Filipinos served as lodging for guests. The owners leased the houses to us. The demand for rooms grew even more when we built the clubhouse and swimming pool. To satisfy the demand, we built two more buildings with rooms for rent. And the demands grew even bigger, so now we have over 100 rooms and it’s still growing. Last year, we acquired the adjacent property, which used to be used by Meralco Foundation. This year, we are acquiring another adjacent property which has the (circa 1700) church ruins,” Cecille said.

The couple enthused that Club Balai Isabel is committed to helping conserve the environment, especially the area around Taal Lake. In developing the resort, the team at Club Balai Isabel minimized cutting down trees wherever possible. The resort also has its own sewage treatment system that is effective enough to produce irrigation-grade water.

“The scope of our definition of ‘our environment’ is not limited to the confines of the resort. The town of Talisay is Club Balai Isabel’s home, and we’re prepared to do our part as a member of the community. One of our projects for 2008 is a solid waste management program that consists of creating awareness among the citizens of Talisay. The idea is to help them realize that keeping both town and lake clean is beneficial to everyone, since their main sources of income are tourism and fishing,” said Nelson.

We retreated to our well-appointed bedrooms in the lakeshore villas with an awesome view of the dramatic Taal Lake and volcano. Everything at Club Balai Isabel was comfortable, convenient and elegant. All villas are decorated with cotton chintzes, the sitting rooms are paneled and cozy, while sunny yellow colors add a cheery mood. The stylish rustic setting reminds one of the recent film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The lakeshore villas with the loft, being the biggest two-floored bedroom with kitchen, have bright white bedspreads and, looking out the bay windows, one could stay put and paint a thousand photos of the rowing boats crossing the majestic lake. One can actually set foot on the volcano island, trek or even ride a horse to reach the rim of the main crater and wonder in awe at the view of a small island and the serene lake that formed in the gaping mouth created by the 1911 eruption of the volcano.

Club Balai Isabel offers an array of activities that can be enjoyed on the island. When the conditions are right, wakeboards and catamarans add splashes of color to the lake as they race around it. The resort offers a unique twist to the usual island experience. It is home to many species of birds and fish including the rare maliputo, which is a kind of mackerel that can be found in the waters around the volcano island. The resort is also the perfect place to hold gatherings, workshops company outings or special celebrations for over 100 people.

Luckily Club Balai Isabel is a haven from the city without being too far away. More than a lakeside residential resort, it is also a community where you can relax, connect, be with nature, and have an active lifestyle with all the comforts of city living. In this resort, waves whisper and the Mediterranean elegance roars.

It’s going to be a sizzling summer; enjoy the tropical fervor and get high on Club Balai Isabel.

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For more information on Club Balai Isabel, you may visit their website at www.balaiisabel.com or their Multiply site at balaiisabel.multiply.com. You may also call 043-728-0307, 02- 776-1521, 02-584-4157 or email info@balaiisabel.com.