In the past years, despite economic hardships and political disturbances, the leisure lifestyle has been catching up on Filipinos. It is this growing sophistication and appetite for the latest hideaways, spas, resorts and leisure clubs that has stimulated the growth of the local leisure industry.

One of the latest real estate projects aiming to redefine the leisure landscape is a masterplanned, sustainable leisure residential development in Nasugbu, Batangas called Hamilo Coast by SM Land.

Seaside paradise

Sprawled on a 5,800-hectare property, Hamilo Coast boasts of 13 coves, 25 kilometers of beachfront, forests, mountains, limestone cliffs, and rock formations. A modest portion is devoted to its maiden leisure community – a low-impact, mixed residential and leisure development called Pico de Loro Cove. Within the development are nine buildings of residential condominiums, an exclusive beach and country club, and a boutique hotel. The development is surrounded by the mountains, the sea, and a four-hectare saltwater lagoon at the center.

While traditional developments offer expansive house and lots to the leisure property market, today’s buyers have become more practical when it comes to choosing a vacation home. Hamilo Coast project director Herbert Herrero explained that families today prefer a condo development as a leisure address because of its “lock-up-and-go” convenience. As their secondary home, a manageable size of the unit will also suffice for their accommodation needs.

For those who have missed out the opportunity to own units at Pico de Loro’s initial clusters Jacana and Myna during its launch in 2007, the latest Carola and Miranda clusters still offer a variety of unit types — from typical one-bedroom to three-bedroom units to special unit types such as lofts and penthouse units.

Pico de Loro cove, along with Santelmo and Etayo coves, have been recently declared as marine protected areas, which restricts fishing in the coves.

Partnership with WWF-Philippines is continuous to ensure sustainable development in the areas of coastal resource management, solid waste management, and renewable energy sources.

The Beach Club has been operational since February this year, and the Country Club component is slated for completion by year-end. As the Pico de Loro community continues to take shape, among the excited homeowners who are set to move in at Pico de Loro condominiums are Anthony Welsh, Herminia Reyes, and Alex Claveria.

World-class playground

Welsh, a British expat working as CEO of Payment Processing Corporation, has been in the Philippines for almost seven years and has come to love the country as his second home. As such, he also found it practical to invest in a leisure property where he can head to as often as possible.

“As a frequent traveler and lover of outdoor sports, I’ve been around a lot, but I’ve never seen anything quite like Hamilo Coast,” he noted.

The adventurous triathlete considered other properties elsewhere but was convinced to buy a unit at Pico de Loro Cover because of a significant attribute: “On the stairs going to Pico Point (Hamilo Coast’s visitor center), there is a small tree on the path, but instead of cutting it, the developers cut the wooden plank to go around that tree. That’s the thing that hit me the most, because I thought is there anywhere else in the Philippines where they would not cut the tree? So before I even saw the country club and the views, I was convinced about buying a unit.”

Nurturing family ties

Herminia Reyes of The Ad Creator Marketing and Communication firm has worked for more than 15 years in the family-owned business, and is now taking it a little bit slow to enjoy more time with her husband and three sons – aged 22, 21, and 13. It was her sons who also convinced her to buy a junior suite at Pico de Loro Cove after a trip to the site, seeing the natural beauty of the place and just falling in love with all its amenities.

“Weekends are important for me because that’s the time I devote to my family,” said Reyes. “After a tiring week when I get drained with all the work, I look forward to relaxing with my family. We usually go out of town and once a year we also travel abroad. Once a month, we also meet with my siblings and their families because we are really closely-knit.”

The 45-sqm, one-bedroom junior suite at Jacana A Building will be turned over to her family soon, and Reyes is certainly looking forward to spending weekends there instead of flying out.

Water fun for everyone

Alex Claveria, president of A Jaycee Chemicals, is a father of four kids aged 11, 7, 5, and 4 – with another one on the way!

Based in Laguna, their family outings became much more exciting ever since he procured a 25-footer speed boat that they now take around their frequent jaunts to beaches and other tour spots.

“My kids love to go the beach and the outdoors. And now with the boat, we have included island-hopping as part of our activities,” he related.

It was actually during one of those trips on sea when they chanced upon the beauty of Hamilo Coast and its coves. Claveria immediately asked around and decided to get a unit at Pico de Loro Cove to treat his kids to more marine adventures.

SM Land is the new brand of property development by SM Investments Corp., offering properties from primary homes and residences to leisure developments and integrated business districts.

More information is at hamilocoast.com.