JUST LIKE A SIREN SONG, seaside living is tempting. Who would ever say no to the sound of trees swaying to the sea breeze while sipping a cold beer or cocktail and lounging in a hammock? The idea itself is enough to lull tired souls to sleep on lazy afternoons.
Landco, the purveyor of high leisure living for the past 20 years through notable seaside getaways such as Peninsula de Punta Fuego, is again pushing the envelope. Recently, Inquirer Lifestyle visited its two new developments, Playa Calatagan and The Peak at Terrazas de Punta Fuego.
Calatagan conjures images of polo players in the expansive fields of Punta Baluarte. When industrialist Enrique Zobel (“Enzo”) developed Calatagan as his playground and breeding ground for his thoroughbreds, the sleepy coastal Batangas town facing the South China Sea became an Old Boys’ Club and the upper crust started building weekend houses there.
Lately, marketing pundits have used “leisure tourism” as buzzword to push beach-side developments. Landco saw the laid-back and Old World charm of the area. It is now offering Playa Calatagan, which aims to provide recreational adventures for homeowners and tourists alike: It seeks to put up hotels, shopping centers and restaurants that provide convenience and endless options for residents and vacationers.
The main beach clubhouse is situated next to Playa Calatagan’s famous coastline dotted with overgrown Talisay trees. One can enjoy swimming or relaxing at the pool cabanas.
Playa Calatagan is also putting up an amphitheater park, a bamboo park, a hilltop clubhouse and a central park. And for those planning to build the perfect beach house, there will be Asian tropical-inspired homes that complement the natural, rustic atmosphere.
The model unit lets the sunshine in and has a view of South China Sea. (Big picture windows double as slide doors.)
The living room has cathedral ceiling for that airy effect. The living room is surrounded with infinity ponds filled with lotus and carp.
The open floor plan connects the living room to the dining area and kitchen, and more space for entertaining. The dining room extends to a pocket garden and a reflection pool that is also an infinity-edge pool.
A small powder room is at the stair landing. It leads to the second floor, where the private areas of the house are—a master bedroom and a guest room plus a family living area and the veranda.
The bedrooms have native decor, from bamboo stilts as overheard décor to capiz doors as dividers and wooden four-post bed.
The bathrooms have rain shower heads, bamboo, potted plants, and natural daylight coming in.
Retreat in style
Now that Peninsula de Punta Fuego has become Landco’s flagship high-end development in Batangas, the company has developed seaside residential enclaves in Nasugbu, from Terrazas de Punta Fuego to The Peak and The Ridge.
The view from the house is breathtaking—mountain ranges on one end, the South China Sea on the other, and farmlands and salt marshes in between.
The house adapts to the natural contour of sloping mountain terrain, and an open layout and extensive use of glass panels allow the mountain and sea to be viewed from every part of the house.
Intended to look like a small Asian tropical bungalow, the building is a three-level house with a loft. The 318-sq m layout is creatively done, with stairs leading to the lower level where the main part of the house is located.
The living room is designed to look and feel like an island, connected to the main house by a small concrete bridge over two small ponds. Glass doors and windows providing a 180-degree view of the mountains and the sea wrap around the living area.
The conjoined kitchen and dining area has a spectacular view of the rolling hills of Nasugbu.
The den is a small multipurpose area, which can be quickly transformed into a guest room.
At the ground level is the master’s bedroom with a pocket garden and view of the small pool below.
The showpiece of the master’s bedroom is the wooden bed, placed right at the center of the room overlooking the mountains.
Landco is celebrating its 20th year as premier developer of Playa Calatagan and Terrazas de Punta Fuego’s The Peak and The Ridge.
For details, call +632-8365000 or visit www.landco.ph.
