Pico de Loro: Where sea, sky & slopes meet
Are you a beach or a mountain person?
There’s a cove just over two hours away from Manila that blends both like high notes in nature’s symphony — Pico de Loro along Hamilo Coast in Batangas. Pico, with its 1.5-km beachfront, is but one of 13 coves along Hamilo Coast — some coves as hidden as a secret — that boasts beaches and mountains on one strip. In fact, should you wish, you could hike on a mountain trail to get from one beach to another!
We escaped to Pico on a record hot day in Metro Manila and found a beach without the sweltering temperatures of summer in the tropics. Nestled between mountains, Pico de Loro , declared a marine sanctuary by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), basks in cool sea and mountain breeze. You need not go by the Tagaytay route if you’re heading straight to Pico, as there is now a concrete alternative via Cavitex or CALAX expressways.
Pico de Loro is actually a cluster of buildings — including the Pico Sands Hotel, the beach club and the country club — around a scenic lagoon, a stone’s throw away from the beach. There are two giant pools in the property. To get around, you may take a leisurely walk or a golf cart, a van, a mini bus even (yeah, I took one!) that the property offers at regular intervals free of charge. Access to the amenities depends on your booking, but the refreshing spa, Rain, is open to all.
According to Pico de Loro president Rita Dy, 90 percent of the personnel of Pico are from the Nasugbu area. Guests immediately notice the respectful tone in their service and their eagerness to please.
Going from the hotel to the beach club, which has its own pool and great dining options, is like a short sightseeing tour because of the lush foliage along the way. When I was there, I felt like I was in an emerald jungle, but with concrete roads. Once, I even spotted a heron on the sidewalk. There are reported
ly 96 bird species in the entire Hamilo Coast.
“Great hideaway! Without disturbing the ecosystem, Pico has evolved into a tourist-friendly complex defined by modern conveniences and professional service,” says my husband Ed, who prefers the montain vibe unlike our son Chino, a beach person. Well, both my boys got what they sought in Pico.
‘Boracay’ in Batangas
Another cove in the 13-cove Hamilo Coast is Santelmo Cove — a mini Boracay in Batangas. It has white sands and a generous beach front — but tucked away like a jewel in the sea’s treasure box.
Not immediately visible from the main resort, Santelmo is a five-minute ride away by motorboat from the Pico Beach Blub. Its ivory coast glows amidst the blue sea and the green slopes behind it. Like the Boracay of yore, it is so pristine it has no jetty, so you have to wade in knee-deep waters to get from the boat to the beach.
And oh, what a beach. Truly, far from the madding crowd because only Pico guests with arrangements to see it have access. Aside from the carpet of white sand, it has a canopy of coconut trees, and to our surprise, palm trees like those we see in Beverly Hills — but Batangas version. Hammocks connect some trees. The beachfront is sparsely dotted by beach umbrellas and lounging chairs. There is an occasional beach hut for those who want the sea breeze but not the sun. But all in all, I would describe it as beach, uninterrupted.
On the deeper portion of the waters off Santelmo is a dive site and snorkeling area.
We had a “Boodle Fight” under the coconut trees, with fresh catch not far from where we were.
You may embark on a sunset cruise later in the day. The cruise took us to view the many islets on the cove, one shaped like an alligator. We also went up close to a real bat cave and kept our lips sealed.
Racing with the sun as it goes home to sleep is a wonder, especially at sea. Out there, you feel like you can almost touch the orange sun — just raise one finger to the sky.
Nature-friendly
I was at first puzzled why there were no complimentary plastic bottles of drinking water in our suite. Instead, sanitized pitchers are provided, which you can fill up by a water station on the same floor.
According to Rita Dy, it is part of their waste management initiative.
“Pico de Loro club is active in promoting environmental compliance and social responsibility to the community in partnership with the WWF and the Philippine Center for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, which gives us the license to use the Green Choice Philippines logo.”
Rita, who brought Singapore Airlines to greater heights in the Philippines when she was an executive of the airline, adds, “Since 2018, our waste management efforts have proven very effective. In 2023, we increased savings to P4.2 million by minimizing food waste thrown to landfills. Composts are used in our organic Azurea Garden, where we grow vegetables used in our kitchens.”
Sea, sky, slopes — and sustainability — are indeed in the Pico de Loro melody.
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