Rest-and-recreation near an ecological wonder

NELSON M. Terrible photo by Amadís Ma. Guerrero, Contributor

At the Tagaytay Junction, turn left. After a few minutes you will reach Ligaya Drive, a 7-km zigzag road bracketed by vegetation and ravines which lead to the lakeshore town of Talisay, Batangas. A few nautical miles away is the ecological wonder that is Taal Volcano, the world’s smallest volcano and also one of its deadliest.

Mercifully, Talisay has been spared Taal’s tantrums and the scenic lake is often serene, although marred near the shore by fishpens.

This is the home of the upscale Club Balai Isabel ([email protected]), owned by realtor Nelson M. Terrible, president and CEO of Techno-Asia Construction & Development Corp., who is not conscious of his fearful surname and has no plans of changing it legally.

The resort has luxurious condotels (all sold out) and hotels, villas and cottages, clubhouse, infinity pools, convention facilities, aquasports, a chapel beside ruins, an obstacle course, spa, wellness clinic, and other amenities domestic and foreign tourists look for in a rest-and-recreation center.

A local boy who made good, Terrible bought the 3.5 hectare area along the shore of Lake Taal in 2005. “It did not involve so much capital at the time,” he recalls. “We just sold some units to prospective investors and we used this, of course, for the development of the resort.”

Partial development started in 2006, and by 2007 Club Balai Isabel (named after the only daughter of Nelson and wife Cecille) was ready for a soft opening. “As the demand grew, there were more units and more facilities,” he reports. “We were able to acquire a property of Meralco which now houses the biggest pool, Kumintang (the old name of Batangas).” And the property grew to 7.5 hectares.

“Also on the business side we get concessionaires like Spa Professionals and Clinica Manila,” Terrible notes. “They run their business on their own. We are like, you know, Megamall, we get locators.”

By the end of the year, the resort is expecting to become accredited by the Tourist Industrial Economic Zone (Tieza), which functions like the Philippine Export-Processing Zone.

“We hope to get more locators,” the resort owner says. “These are establishments with tourist-related services and activities, anything that enhances tourism in the country. The government gives these enterprises tax and duty-free incentives. They have a tax holiday for six years. So Club Isabel will be  a Tieza-accredited agency,   and a  Tieza-accredited facility.”

The resort is promoted through Internet, direct links with hotels, Cash-Cash Pinoy, etc: “We have a marketing team but much of our business comes from word of mouth.” Guests have included celebrities, political personalities, Filipino and foreign diplomats, and government officials. The prices of the rooms are not cheap, up to five digits. But budget-conscious tourists can also opt for a day tour.

Terrible himself is partial to weddings: “Every December we have 35 weddings, almost everyday, sometimes three to four weddings a day [in December]. Now we average 120 weddings a year. We prefer weddings!”

Incidentally, the resort gained added mileage early this year when actress Kristine Hermosa and Oyo Boy Sotto were married there.