Resort Review: Club Balai Isabel

My highschool friends and I usually have monthly game days. But since it's summer, we thought it'd be more fun to have a game weekend outside Manila. Wala lang, adik lang sa scrabble :)

I searched a couple of places online trying to find a place near Manila good for our group of 7 adults and 3 children, affordable, plenty of space which offers other entertainment for the kids and preferably with cooking option. After considering several venues, we finally decided on Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas.We stayed at one of their Orchard Lane unit.

Orchard Lane - 3 buildings consisting of 6 units each

We were given Rm 302 which was on the 3rd floor. Unfortunately, we bought a lot of stuff so we had to take multiple trips up and down the stairs. If you can, request to be put on the 2nd floor. You have a balcony but you don't get tired climbing the stairs. 

Our unit was at the 3rd floor (with the towel on the balcony) 

Across the Orchard Lane were about 7-8 big tables and each one can accommodate 8 people comfortably. The night we were there, there was a big gathering which looked like a family reunion. They rented out a couple of units and just had their salo-salo here. I thought it was a good idea. 

Just across the units were some tables where you can have your picnic

The tables overlooked an open area which I imagine would be great for frisbee, relay games or even plain habulan.

Beyond the picnic tables was a field

The unit itself was good. It was not that large but we did not feel cramped. Basically it had:

2 Queen size bed in the bedroom (each bed good for 2 adults or 2 adults with 1 small child)

2 single bed in the living room with pull outs 

1 square table good for 4

4 chairs 

1 square marble top table out on the balcony 

4 stone chairs out on the balcony 

1 TV 

A 4-burner gas range with exhaust hood 

8 set of plates

8 set of spoon and fork

8 mugs

8 glasses

1 kaldero 

1 kawali 

1 sianse 

1 small refrigerator 

1 hotwater kettle

2 split type aircon (1 inside the bedroom, 1 outside)

1 CR with hot and cold water

Toilettries (shampoo and soap for each guest) 

Coffe packs for each guest

1 bottled water for each guest

1 Telephone 

Towels for each guest 

A pilow and blanket for each guest

Toilet paper

However:

* No WIFI - Oh let, me correct myself, we had a bit of a Wifi access the first day which was super slow and then for the 2nd or 3rd day, nothing. 

* No dishwashing detergent or scrubber

* No robes

* No slippers

* No dental kit

* No doormat

* No minibar

2 queen size beds

Inside the bedroom, the mattress on the bed was thick and firm.  Sheets were clean and pillows were big and semi-firm. It had an inside blanket which I appreciated since I hate nothing more than using the bed cover as a blanket. The aircon inside the room works very well. Sometimes, too well since it gets quite cold even in the lowest setting. The room is big enough that you could even fit one more single bed for an extra charge. The extra bed was just a mattress that they set up at the foot of the bed. 

TV in the living room

My niece getting ready to sleep in one of the pull outs

The living room had the 2 single beds with pull outs. During the daytime, it can be used a sofa. There was also an aircon so no problem about feeling the heat if you're sleeping here. The TV was a bust since the reception wasn't good. Since we were there for swimming and games, we did not even open the TV.

Kitchen with complete utensils (not including the water jug)

I love the fact that there was a cooking option at no extra charge AND they provide the basic utensils. It saved us a lot of money to be able to bring in the food and just cook it/heat it up. There was an exhaust hood so no problem with the smell. The refrigerator was a bit small and did not cool our drinks/food sufficiently. We put in some beers the first day and it was only on our second night that it got cold, no joke.

For a unit that is for 6 people it was a bit of a puzzle why the table was good only for 4. But we solved that problem by bringing in the table and chairs form the balcony.  

spacious CR

The CR was very spacious and was accessible from the room and the kitchen (2 doors). The shower pressure was very strong, plenty of hot water, hooks available at the back of the 2 door but very little counter space. The CR was clean enough but could have been better. The towels were a bit worn out and not that big but good enough. No exhaust fan just a small window. 

smells amazing

The Orchard Lane was about 5-10 minute walk from the main pool, lakeside or reception area/restaurant. Along the way, you would go by a smaller pool, basketball court and function area. 

pathway going towards the main pool

There are 3 pools at Balai Isabel;

A regular size pool (Talisay Garden Pool) which is about a 2 minute walk from Orchard Lane. No kiddie pool and its 4-6ft deep. The changing room/bathroom was poorly made and there were only about 2-3 small tables beside the pool.

A regular size pool (Terraza Pool) which has a good view of Taal/lakeside but the turn off was that it was in plain view of the clubhouse.

The main pool (Kumintang Pool) shown below which was huge and near the lake. The kiddie pool (1-2 ft deep) was a regular size pool by itself. The deep end was 4-7ft. No slides or anything but the children enjoyed themselves nevertheless. Since they have plenty of tables and chairs beside the pool underneath big trees, the adults were able to get a scrabble game in while the children played. The CR/changing room was also pretty but no exhaust fan.

serious :D

Officially, it says that we're not allowed to bring food in but no one was really following this. I believe they open at around 8:30am. I also read that you need to get the pool towels at the reception area (about 2-3 min walk one way) which can be a bummer so we just bought our own towel. At 10am, there were a LOT of people in the pool but it tapered off at around 12nn until we were the only one there. There is a lifeguard but he was just manning the adult pool. No staff you can call to order drinks/food.

The adult pool side of Kumintang pool 

The kiddie pool side at Kumintang pool

Playground just beside the Kumintang pool

First time my niece saw Taal and dipped into the lake

way to Balai Isabel

Location:

We decided to take the Star Tollway since we didn't want the hassle of going through Tagaytay. No traffic whatsoever and we just went through South Luzon Express Way (SLEX) through Star Tollway and exited the Tanauan/Talisay Exit. From the exit, its about 15-20? min to the Talisay proper. Be very careful since the sign to Balai Isabel was small and we almost missed it. At the town proper, look for the municipal building on the right side then after that the 7-11 store on the left. A few meters away is the sign to Balai Isabel which is on the left side. From Paranaque to Balai Isabel was about 1-1/2 hr depending on the traffic.

Price:

It is P6325 per night for 6 person without breakfast. Each additional guest (even if child) is P550/night. The unit can sleep 8 people very comfortably. Even though it says on the website 8 max, we were able to ask them to allow 1 more person. We just added an extra bed for a one time charge of P500.

Final Verdict

The place is kid/family/barkada friendly. They have different types of rooms that can accommodate your group. The one we had was just perfect for us. I absolutely love the fact that they have a kitchen you can use, they provide the basic utensils and NO cooking charge. If you have a large group, being able to bring food helps a lot in bringing down the budget. There are plenty of place you can go so even though there were a lot of guests, it does not feel full - including the swimming pool. The rooms were a good size, good quality beddings and had all you need. The aircon was strong as well as the water pressure. The staff were very accommodating in our requests such as additional foot towel and disposable plates. Good view of Taal.

There were only some minor annoyances such as poor WiFi, poor TV reception, some of the facilities are already run down, bathroom was a bit outdated, they don't allow early check in, they don't allow late check in, ordering ice is P120 (because it has to be delivered from the restaurant) but nothing to get worked up on.

I can recommend staying here especially if you're in a group.

Friendly advise: 

Bring cooler and ice to put your drinks and other perishable items
Bring dish washing soap and scrubber
Bring paper towel
Bring plenty of games and sunblock and
Have fun!

Have a great summer, guys!

Punta Fuego Weekend

Lately, I have been stressing at work and putting in long hours. I have been hankering for a quick getaway weekend but stuck on where to go. So when I saw this Metrodeal ad for Punta Fuego, I didn't hesitate and immediately bought the vouchers. 

It's P1599 for 2 Days / 1 Night stay with breakfast and other perks. Club Punta Fuego is an exclusive member only community in Nasugbu, Batangas. A place not normally open to the general public. However, like all discounted deals, there are some catch: 1) You need 4 vouchers to reserve the Casita which is good for 4 person (that means P6,400 total) and 2) You can only use this from Sundays - Thursdays. Nevertheless, I still thought of it as a good deal.

We arrived late Monday afternoon after having a bit trouble finding the place.

nice double infinity pool overlooking the sea

Puffy was taken to the Casita by a golf cart

Casita 4C - Seaside View

The room was very big, clean and nice. Each bed can fit 2 people comfortably but might be a tight squeeze if you add a child/toddler between you. The mattress was thick and very firm with 4 semi-firm pillows for each bed - love that they don't give you the usual 2 skimpy soft pillows that instantly deflates when your head touches it. Strong aircon.

nice alternative to the usual table lamps

small table and chairs

The bathroom was huge with a small pocket garden. No exhaust fan but you can slide the door to let fresh air in. The shower portion can fit at least 20 people (no joke) which I thought was a waste of space. Might have been better to put a tub. Unfortunately, forgot to take a picture. 

However, I did take the most important picture and that was the view from our balcony. Absolutely, perfect. 

could stare at this all day

Punta Fuego did not allow food and drinks to be bought in. However ..... :D

chips and some form of tequila with strawberry cream

My friends and I just relaxed and had a couple of beers which we bought from the room's mini-fridge at P105/can. Knew we should have just stopped at the local mini mart in Nasugbu and bought some waters and beers :P

watching the sun set

Eventhough there were a lot of free things we could have done like go to their beach, watch a movie at their mini theatre, play games in their game room, etc., my friends just decided to stay in our room and relax. So nice to watch the sun set.

For dinner, we went up the hill to their restaurant.

small place

Hamburger for P305 - burger was okay, same with the fries,
bread tasted like something you buy from the local panederia

Grilled Lamp Chops with mashed potatoes and Bearneise sauce  for  P685 -
3 small pieces, nothing really that great but at least lamb didn't taste too gamey

Spinach Canneloni with Cream Sauce for P385 - the cream sauce
was so-so, the spinach was okay, the canneloni was weird since it
tasted like it was disintegrating (old noodle).

Service was really really bad. The Burger came first after 20 minutes, the Lamp Chop 10 minutes later and the Canneloni after 15 more minutes. All in all, it took them 45 minutes to give us all 3 dishes. Since they didn't come out at the same time, the others would look on while one person was eating. The food wasn't that good either. .

Next morning we fared a little better during breakfast. They served it buffet style ensuring that we could eat all at the same time. They had the usual bread, danish, bread with toppings (sardine, corned beef) jams, tapa (very tough), adobong manok, sausage and malasadong scrambled eggs.

After breakfast, explored a bit of the resort.

And back to our Casita for some serious scrabble game.

I like the view and it made concentrating on the game difficult. Still, it was a pleasant way to end the morning. Going back home, we did get lost again because there were a serious lack of signage going back to Tagaytay. Basically, here is the direction going to and from Punta Fuego:

From Tagaytay, go towards Nasugbu town which is about 40 kms away. You will see signs indicating Hamilio coast or Pico de Loro which can guide you on the right direction. Go straight until you reach a rotunda with a Caltex station. Turn right. After a couple of minutes, you reach an intersection with a Shell station. There is a big sign indicating Matabungkay Beach. Turn right and go straight until you reach the Nasugbu town proper. Follow the signs indicating Punta Fuego which is about (a long winding) 6kms away from the town. Don't mistake it from Punta Fuego de Terrazas which has the same developer but is a different place. Punta Fuego is much further down just after Tali Subdivision.

Going back to Manila, just be mindful of the Shell station to turn left. There weren't clear signs and the Shell station was so small that we passed by it and went straight to Calataga town which is about 10-15 kms to the wrong direction.

The final verdict?

The place has become a bit run down. A lot of construction going on which I hope will spruce up the place. Food in the restaurant is very expensive, service was awful and the taste of their dishes were nothing special. Bring lots of snacks and drinks. The room was very nice and the view spectacular. Going there could be a bit of a hassle. Liked that it wasn't too crowded even on a Philippine holiday. Nice place to stay and have a nice cold beer while viewing the sunset. Insist on a seaside view. Any other and it would be a waste of money. If privacy is what you want with nothing much to do except relax, this is a good place. Otherwise it might be better for you to stay elsewhere.