My next post was supposed to be about the temples of Angkor, but because we were invited by a friend to visit Balesin Island on the weekend I got side tracked.
Balesin Island is off the coast of Quezon and can be accessed by boat, a trip of about 4 hours or by a 25 minute plane ride from the Alphaland hangar near the domestic airport. With 9 others, we rode on a Cessna. I must admit to some trepidation as this was the smallest plane I had ever been on. But flying under a brilliant cerulean blue sky, with the water and land below clearly visible, helped diminish my anxiety.
We landed on the Tordesillas airstrip on the Island, where we were met and driven to our cottage in the Balesin Village in a golf cart.
Now for some background on the Island. Balesin Island is a concept, along the theme park model. It is divided into villages, each representing a well known beach resort in different parts of the world. Balesin village for the Philippines, Bali in Indonesia, Phuket in Thailand, St. Tropez in France, Mykonos in Greece, Puerta del Sol in Spain and Toscana in Italy. At this time all the villages are operating, only Puerta del Sol and Toscana remain under construction.
Our cottage was in the village of Balesin. Very well appointed, with all the convenience of a 5 star hotel room, including an outdoor jacuzzi and shower on the veranda.
Balesin Island is off the coast of Quezon and can be accessed by boat, a trip of about 4 hours or by a 25 minute plane ride from the Alphaland hangar near the domestic airport. With 9 others, we rode on a Cessna. I must admit to some trepidation as this was the smallest plane I had ever been on. But flying under a brilliant cerulean blue sky, with the water and land below clearly visible, helped diminish my anxiety.
We landed on the Tordesillas airstrip on the Island, where we were met and driven to our cottage in the Balesin Village in a golf cart.
Now for some background on the Island. Balesin Island is a concept, along the theme park model. It is divided into villages, each representing a well known beach resort in different parts of the world. Balesin village for the Philippines, Bali in Indonesia, Phuket in Thailand, St. Tropez in France, Mykonos in Greece, Puerta del Sol in Spain and Toscana in Italy. At this time all the villages are operating, only Puerta del Sol and Toscana remain under construction.
Our cottage was in the village of Balesin. Very well appointed, with all the convenience of a 5 star hotel room, including an outdoor jacuzzi and shower on the veranda.
What was most impressive in Balesin? The beach!
The sand...
The water...
Bali
The next day we had breakfast in Bali. In keeping with the Indonesian theme, breakfast offerings included nasi goreng, and curry laksa among others.
The surroundings were mostly authentic balinese, with some of the furniture being of the Balinese style but done by local artisans.
Bali has a bar built on the water:
And a clubhouse with restaurant....
The most attractive cottage was the one on stilts jutting out into the water.
Phuket
Phuket village's beach was not as nice as Balisin but walking to the edge of it brings one to the spot where one can view the South China Sea on one's right side and the Pacific Ocean on one's left.
Cottages in Phuket were charming
And when one enters the restaurant, the furniture, the decor, and the ambiance is typically Thai.
St. Tropez
After the Asian beach villages, we took a jeepney to the "European" side of the Island. First on our itenerary was the village of St. Tropez.
A touch of Provence in the breakfast area
In the rooms
And sitting areas
Mykonos
For dinner that night we went on golf carts, the islands main means of transportation, to the village of Mykonos. With it's white washed cubic shaped, flat roof architecture, Mykonos in Balesin is very definitely Mama Mia..ish!
The flat roof over each cottage served as veranda and party space, making Mykonos in Balisin the village of choice for the partying crowd, be they young and not so young.
It also boasts a first class greek restaurant
The bread and couscous were delicious as was the lamb ribs and chops.
And as swimming in the sea can be hazardous at night, there are the swimming pools for those night swimmers out there.
Other Places to Eat
For the foodies, Balesin offers a variety of food, identified with each of their villages. But the best one for me and my friends was Sakura, the Japanese restaurant in Balesin, owned and ran by a pure Japanese, Ilonggo speaking chef,
Chef Edo.
The lunch we had in his restaurant was not only delicious but elegantly presented, with Chef Edo wearing a baseball cap, intimately involved in the ordering, preparing and serving process.
A most elegant of starters, popped rice on their stalks...
His own sushi concoction, aptly named Edo-san Maki....
A delicious steamed sea bass and mushrooms wrapped in foil, and an elegantly presented tempura.....
All in all it was a wonderful weekend, made so much more because of the presence of friends and family, spending time together taking in the beauty of the sea, of nature and then scorning the flat screen TV in favor of chatting and sharing drinks under the light of the moon. What will remain forever in my memory of Balesin....
And one more....
The sand...
The water...
Bali
The next day we had breakfast in Bali. In keeping with the Indonesian theme, breakfast offerings included nasi goreng, and curry laksa among others.
The surroundings were mostly authentic balinese, with some of the furniture being of the Balinese style but done by local artisans.
Bali has a bar built on the water:
And a clubhouse with restaurant....
The most attractive cottage was the one on stilts jutting out into the water.
Phuket
Phuket village's beach was not as nice as Balisin but walking to the edge of it brings one to the spot where one can view the South China Sea on one's right side and the Pacific Ocean on one's left.
Cottages in Phuket were charming
And when one enters the restaurant, the furniture, the decor, and the ambiance is typically Thai.
St. Tropez
After the Asian beach villages, we took a jeepney to the "European" side of the Island. First on our itenerary was the village of St. Tropez.
A touch of Provence in the breakfast area
In the rooms
And sitting areas
Mykonos
For dinner that night we went on golf carts, the islands main means of transportation, to the village of Mykonos. With it's white washed cubic shaped, flat roof architecture, Mykonos in Balesin is very definitely Mama Mia..ish!
The flat roof over each cottage served as veranda and party space, making Mykonos in Balisin the village of choice for the partying crowd, be they young and not so young.
It also boasts a first class greek restaurant
The bread and couscous were delicious as was the lamb ribs and chops.
And as swimming in the sea can be hazardous at night, there are the swimming pools for those night swimmers out there.
Other Places to Eat
For the foodies, Balesin offers a variety of food, identified with each of their villages. But the best one for me and my friends was Sakura, the Japanese restaurant in Balesin, owned and ran by a pure Japanese, Ilonggo speaking chef,
Chef Edo.
The lunch we had in his restaurant was not only delicious but elegantly presented, with Chef Edo wearing a baseball cap, intimately involved in the ordering, preparing and serving process.
A most elegant of starters, popped rice on their stalks...
His own sushi concoction, aptly named Edo-san Maki....
A delicious steamed sea bass and mushrooms wrapped in foil, and an elegantly presented tempura.....
All in all it was a wonderful weekend, made so much more because of the presence of friends and family, spending time together taking in the beauty of the sea, of nature and then scorning the flat screen TV in favor of chatting and sharing drinks under the light of the moon. What will remain forever in my memory of Balesin....
And one more....
On behalf of Chef edo san, i would like to invite you in our recently opened Sakura by edo san Ktv and sake bar at 6th floor Alphaland Southgate pasong tamo extension, chino roces ave corner edsa. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSee you there!!