Last 2013, I have been to only a couple of places (tourist spots for that matter) here in the Philippines because I have become very busy with my new work in Taguig. As compared to 2012, where I had an active lifestyle, my vacation days last year were mostly spent on bumming around.
For the first quarter of the year, my high school friends and I went to the far-flung island of Laiya Batangas. On my mandatory leave, I went solo backpacking in the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio City. And to cap the year, I finally took a superb relaxing getaway in the beautiful island of Cebu.
Being the natural adventurer that I am, I promised myself that for the coming years ahead, I will take time to once in a while treat myself by traveling and visiting wonderful places here in the Philippines or abroad.
So as a start (Yes, I am setting my hopes high here.. :p), this January 2014, my high school travel buddies and I went to another beautiful place -- Pico de Loro in Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu Batangas.
Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club is a private beach club owned by the Sy's. The only way to access this private place is to own an apartment unit or know someone that owns a unit and have them endorse you to the country club or book a room at Pico Sands Hotel. As for our trip, we were endorsed by Ms. Mary Jean Ner (unit owner) to the country club. Thanks to my surfing skills I found her contact in the internet! Hahaha
We rented Ms. Jean's unit for our weekend stay in Pico de Loro. It's a standard room (good for 6 pax) with aircon complete with kitchen amenities. To maximize the use of these free amenities and also to save us a few bucks, we brought with us food and drinks to share since the food in the Country Club are quite pricey.
Pico de Loro has a lot of things to offer to its visitors considering its vast land area of 37.5 hectares. For indoor activities, one can enjoy the Country Club's facilities. These include the badminton, basketball and table tennis courts. For those seeking family bonding, they can avail the KTV hubs, or the bowling and billiards room. For those health conscious visitors, they can do biking and jogging around the area.
Here is a photo of the Country Club's badminton court
There is also an infinity pool inside the Country Club. I think this is the highlight of every visitor's stay in Pico. =) The water in the pool is very clean and also very refreshing! Several sunbeds are also available for those who want to sunbathe or to enjoy the view of the infinity pool.
This is how the infinity pool looks like in the morning.
This is how it looks like at night.
One's trip to Pico can be considered quite a luxurious one. But, I guarantee you, in Pico, you get what you pay for. The registration fee of Php 500, not only allows visitors to enjoy the pool in the Country Club but also they get free access to the beach. From our unit, we were fetched by the shuttle (free of charge) that took us to the beach club.
Here are some of the photos of the beach.
The sand in the beach may not be as white and powdery as that of Boracay but they are definitely fine. Several activities are also available for those staying in the beach. There's banana boat, scuba diving, kayak and jet ski. If you're up for more adventure, you can rent the water taxi and tour the 13 coves around Pico.
Here are some of the things that my friends and I shared during our quick stay in Pico.
Sunset in Batangas is Love.
View from the infinity pool. The lagoon and the condo units.
Quick stop at the Kabyiang Tunnel.
Our beach photos.
Pictures from our unit.
We just love the water.
Loving the 4S. Sky. Sun. Sand. Sea.
That's me and Joyce enjoying the sunbed.
And finally, before heading home, quick stop at Summer ridge Tagaytay.
