Many of you may think that we're a well-off couple with no financial woes to consider. On the contrary, we're just like any struggling couple belonging to the lower, middle class family with finances exclusively sourced thru employment. We worry about utility bills at the end of the month, rent, gas and grocery budget and all that fuss in the daily grind of life. So, to have the opportunity to spend a weekend in a plush resort, not easily afforded by a middle-income salary earner is something worth writing about. It's like "putting on the ritz" or pretending to be rich while we're here.
Writing a blog about a place requires understanding how a place got its name and this wouldn't be easy if you don't have the chance to speak with the owners of the place who can explain the history and the etiology of the resort's name. So I did a little research and I found out that the name "Balai Isabel" has an interesting story which I hope the owners would find it accurate enough. According to history the closest thing to having the name Isabel was taken from Queen Isabella II of Spain who at that time was the Queen of Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The "balai" word was a tricky one because initial research defines it as the "parents of the son or daughter in-law". It was quite confusing knowing that the name of the place has something to do with the in-laws. If it is indeed the defintion, then so be it. However, while further digging into the word "balai", I happen to come across its Gaddang definition. A dialect in the Cagayan region where the province of Isabela belongs. "Balai" in Gaddang means "house". I think this is the closest explanation about Club Balai Isabel's name. The name simply means the "House of Isabel". Either it is the name of the owner or her child or the owner are migrants from Isabela province who settled in and established their enterprise in Talisay. Whew! This is indeed an interesting trivia worth knowing if it is validated by the owner themselves.
Judging from the well-secured entrance of what seemed to be an upscale residential village, and the uniformed guards that greeted us up front, my first impression of the place is that this a place for the well-off people and would immediately be shunned by lower-income class vacationers who usually would come in droves packed in a sardine-like manner in a rented public utility passenger jeep or baby bus. Well, if Club Balai Isabel is their actual venue for their excursion, the expenses is probably shouldered by a generous politician, otherwise they are in for a very expensive outing. As I drove along the road leading to the reception office, the houses we passed by are not your ordinary cottages but are in fact designed as residential and or townhouse units. The Reception also speaks for itself of how posh the place is. The reception counter is run “hotel style” with business-attired personnel, wi-fi, interior-decorated lobby with guests coming in inquiring about room service massage and the likes. We have completely no idea of what’s in store for us.
Judging from the well-secured entrance of what seemed to be an upscale residential village, and the uniformed guards that greeted us up front, my first impression of the place is that this a place for the well-off people and would immediately be shunned by lower-income class vacationers who usually would come in droves packed in a sardine-like manner in a rented public utility passenger jeep or baby bus. Well, if Club Balai Isabel is their actual venue for their excursion, the expenses is probably shouldered by a generous politician, otherwise they are in for a very expensive outing. As I drove along the road leading to the reception office, the houses we passed by are not your ordinary cottages but are in fact designed as residential and or townhouse units. The Reception also speaks for itself of how posh the place is. The reception counter is run “hotel style” with business-attired personnel, wi-fi, interior-decorated lobby with guests coming in inquiring about room service massage and the likes. We have completely no idea of what’s in store for us.
Anyway, Malen and I are included in a company outing of a non-government, non-profit organization that consists of environmental
professionals of different companies and
industries in the Calabarzon area, coming from all walks of life - from
accountants, engineers entrepreneurs and teachers with a common working goal – “pollution
control”. Once in a while the
association breaks the monotony of work to unwind in a chosen location,
preferably within the Calabarzon area also. For this year’s outing, we chose
Club Balai Isabel. Since this is our
first time to visit this place, it’s a chance to check it out whether it would
be worth returning in the future for a more private vacation for me and my
wife.
As we checked in, we were ushered to our room by a bellboy
who carried our baggage to our room. It
was a large room with two double-sized
beds. Hmmm. The room was actually too
big for the two of us but since it was exclusively for us, we might as well
enjoy the spacious air-conditioned accommodation complete with cable tv and
hot-cold shower bathroom. After the steep and winding downhill drive from Tagaytay, my senses were a little bit tired so we took a brief rest before checking out the rest of the guys with us and strolling around the place, probably in the late afternoon when it is a little cooler. Meanwhile, Malen just watched her favorite noontime show on tv.
Rejuvenated from a brief siesta, we went out and the first thing that greeted us was the world's smallest active volcano nestled in the middle of a lake that this tiny geological mound formed as well. Actually the lake was not existing for millions of years and the entire area was once part of a huge volcano until a very powerful eruption blew itself up creating a big lake with a tiny remnant of land which still remains today. The landscape had since recovered from the desolation and has become one of the most beautiful places here in the Philippine archipelago frequented by tourists from all over. The Tagaytay ridge, geologists says is located along the rim of the huge kaldera that this once enormous volcano created and has became the 2nd Summer Capital of the Philippines.
The accommodation of the rest of the group is in a villa just like this one in the background. It's a three-storey residence with several rooms and a balcony on the 2nd floor. The group is kinda large so the place was a little bit scrambled for us so we were better off dislocated from the rest of the group.
But if only I had known earlier that the building like this in the background has a better view of the lake, it would have been a better place for me and Malen rather than the inland room we got. Anyway, all things being in the past, it's best to enjoy the rest of the vacation than lose time sulking in what you can no longer get.
Taal Lake is a freshwater lake surrounded by several towns of the province of Batangas where it drains out into the Batangas Bay. The ecosystem is an inland body of water influenced by the volcanic activity of Taal Volcano which is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The shores of Lake Taal is not your ideal swimming area because of the muddy surface littered with carcasses of aquatic plants that populate the shallow portion of the lake.
You have to go farther out into open waters in a boat to have a good swim on clear water. However, you have to muster enough courage to enter the water because the dark bottom creates an eerie feeling of the unknown and would make a novice swimmer reluctant to dive in. There are also lots of stories of tragic drowning attributed to tales of the unexpected or the sheer lack of buoyancy when swimming in freshwater lakes such as Taal Lake. What the lake offers best is a picturesque view of the majestic Taal Volcano, one of the most photographed or postcarded place on Earth.
Club Balai Isabel is not really your nature-inspired resort because the area in Talisay where this resort is located is already heavily populated and its proximity to the town is no near that there isn't a single place rugged enough to do exploration. You can explore the resort itself but you have to be very careful in encroaching residential units as they might mistake you for an intruder or plain snooping around. The place though has been fitted with lots of anthropogenic structures ideal enough to take souvenir pictures such as this elevated cottage here located in the lakeside that would give its occupants a clear view of the lake while dining and drinking your favorite cocktail in the company of your friends or loved ones.
This is a unique attraction of the place- "a pool within the lake". The resort owner had an inlet constructed by erecting a breakwater barrier that separated a small strip of water enclosed by the breakwater. Within the inlet a floating pool was suspended on the water creating what one would call "a pool within a pool". There were no bathers at that time and I'm not sure if it is open to the public or had to rented exclusively. But the idea of swimming in this pool is a cool and unique experience to remember. I've learned that the sight of the floating pool is spectacular during high tide because the breakwater is submerged and the floating pool proudly stands alone in the open water of the lake connected to the mainland via a floating bridge as well.
A romantic way of spending a private moment with your loved one as lovely as my wife is to spend it with peace and quiet away from the madding crowd of the resort in this floating cottage out in the open lake. You don't need to get your feet wet. Just stand or sit on this platform over here and have your dashing husband pull you both aboard the floating house and presto! No pesky people knocking on the door, but lots of paparazzi trying to get a clear picture of the both of you using telescopic zoom lens. Ha ha ha ha! As if we are celebrities on a vacation. Well, at least the feeling of the celebrity status is there. Sorry guys, we're not the scandalous type, so point your cameras somewhere else!
Well, if you get tired of strolling the place, there are lots of very comfy lazy chairs in the poolside. This is one of the finest ways to relax while on vacation. Just simply lie down and view the clouds constantly change shapes in the sky. Exchange casual or sweet talk with your wife or better yet order your favorite drinks. Better not let this chance pass you by because it's not everyday that you get to relax in the poolside in the comfort of this fabulous chair beside the one you loved in a posh place like Club Balai Isabel.
You can freely relax while viewing frolickers in the pool and even take an inviting pose with the lake in the background. Is this relaxing or just pure lazing the time away? Go figure! Ha ha ha ha!
You have to go farther out into open waters in a boat to have a good swim on clear water. However, you have to muster enough courage to enter the water because the dark bottom creates an eerie feeling of the unknown and would make a novice swimmer reluctant to dive in. There are also lots of stories of tragic drowning attributed to tales of the unexpected or the sheer lack of buoyancy when swimming in freshwater lakes such as Taal Lake. What the lake offers best is a picturesque view of the majestic Taal Volcano, one of the most photographed or postcarded place on Earth.
Club Balai Isabel is not really your nature-inspired resort because the area in Talisay where this resort is located is already heavily populated and its proximity to the town is no near that there isn't a single place rugged enough to do exploration. You can explore the resort itself but you have to be very careful in encroaching residential units as they might mistake you for an intruder or plain snooping around. The place though has been fitted with lots of anthropogenic structures ideal enough to take souvenir pictures such as this elevated cottage here located in the lakeside that would give its occupants a clear view of the lake while dining and drinking your favorite cocktail in the company of your friends or loved ones.
This is a unique attraction of the place- "a pool within the lake". The resort owner had an inlet constructed by erecting a breakwater barrier that separated a small strip of water enclosed by the breakwater. Within the inlet a floating pool was suspended on the water creating what one would call "a pool within a pool". There were no bathers at that time and I'm not sure if it is open to the public or had to rented exclusively. But the idea of swimming in this pool is a cool and unique experience to remember. I've learned that the sight of the floating pool is spectacular during high tide because the breakwater is submerged and the floating pool proudly stands alone in the open water of the lake connected to the mainland via a floating bridge as well.
A romantic way of spending a private moment with your loved one as lovely as my wife is to spend it with peace and quiet away from the madding crowd of the resort in this floating cottage out in the open lake. You don't need to get your feet wet. Just stand or sit on this platform over here and have your dashing husband pull you both aboard the floating house and presto! No pesky people knocking on the door, but lots of paparazzi trying to get a clear picture of the both of you using telescopic zoom lens. Ha ha ha ha! As if we are celebrities on a vacation. Well, at least the feeling of the celebrity status is there. Sorry guys, we're not the scandalous type, so point your cameras somewhere else!
Well, if you get tired of strolling the place, there are lots of very comfy lazy chairs in the poolside. This is one of the finest ways to relax while on vacation. Just simply lie down and view the clouds constantly change shapes in the sky. Exchange casual or sweet talk with your wife or better yet order your favorite drinks. Better not let this chance pass you by because it's not everyday that you get to relax in the poolside in the comfort of this fabulous chair beside the one you loved in a posh place like Club Balai Isabel.
You can freely relax while viewing frolickers in the pool and even take an inviting pose with the lake in the background. Is this relaxing or just pure lazing the time away? Go figure! Ha ha ha ha!
There is a poolside cafe the "Kape Kumintang", where you can enjoy a variety of refreshments while still enjoying the ambiance of the pool area. There are actually 3 pool areas scattered within the resort premises and this here is the main area. The other pool is the floating pool while the third one is located on the opposite side of the resort where the main restaurant is situated. We will be checking out the restaurant when we have our breakfast tomorrow morning.
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This is another vantage point that pretty much shows how big the centerpiece pool is. The farther portion beside Kape Kumintang is the deeper part while this pool beside Malen is the shallow part. Since there are other swimming pools aside from this one, this pool never really got to the point of being congested with people. So we really had a grand time swimming to our heart's delight. As the lights around the pool begin to illuminate the surroundings, it was time for us to prepare for dinner and wrap up the day with a night swim until it was time to call it a day. The next morning will be another day for awesome finds in this quaint little Talisay resort called Club Balai Isabel.
We had a good night sleep last night and when we rose up the next day, we went to the northern end of the resort to greet the morning sun. The lake was calm as ever and the sun was already way up and shining bright so it was a good time for taking pictures along the shores of Lake Taal.
Club Balai Isabel was actually pushed into the limelight when OyoBoy Sotto, the son of the popular comedian Vic Sotto married her fiance Cristine Hermosa inside this plush and romantic resort in Lake Taal. In was an outdoor wedding and the exchange of vows between the lovely couple took place in this very shores.
I had to admit that we were both captivated by the romantic ambiance of this place that we forgot to take scenery shots of the place. So all I have to put in this blog are portrait shots of the two of us. The lake and the volcano are the only scenery shots I took but even then I do not consider them quality shots. The pictures clearly reflects our satisfaction in spending a weekend here even though we're just putting on the ritz in this classy resort.
After the photoshoot in the lakeside, we proceeded to Terraza Cafe which is also the resort's clubhouse. The room we checked in had a complimentary breakfast for two to go with so we had the luxury of eating breakfast in style unlike those in the villa who had to cook their breakfast. Anyway, this was something we didn't expect at all and since we are already here, we might as well enjoy the rest of the morning topping it with the most important meal of the day. Breakfast is self-served on the buffet table so it was a smorgasbord frenzy that really raised up the smiles of no other than my beautiful wife here who really took the time going back and forth to try everything there is to eat in the table from porridge, to oatmeals, pancakes, fried rice and some viands and most especially brewed coffee ending it with some fresh orange juice on the side.
And what really pumped up our appetite is the spectacular morning view of the pool and Lake Taal in the background. The pool has a little touch of infinity that made it more romantic and the blue waters of Lake Taal really complemented with the foreground that you can really describe the moment simply fantastic!
After having devoured such enormous breakfast, here we go again with our pot-bellied pose. This is the very reason why culinary blogging is not my genre. I often do not believe food bloggers because if I don't see them eat as satisfied as we do, for me they're not really truthful and convincing at all. They are just good in taking pictures and talking but are not really experts in eating and truthfully enjoying good food. One taste and they say it's good. After that they won't eat another bite. That's it? For me a true food expert practices what he preach. If you say the food is "superb", show the world how really "superb" is truthfully shown.
Finally, this is the last picture we took of this beautiful place. We rested for the rest of the morning to digest the food and prepared our things for the trip back home. One thing for sure, the visit to Club Balai Isabel is worth the trip even though we were merely putting on the ritz. Honestly, we won't be considering visiting this place again on our own account simply because it will be beyond our budget. Furthermore, there some facilities that are very attractive to use, but sadly, are off-limits to the public. But overall, the experience was fun indeed!
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