Louis XIV famously said “First feelings are always the most natural.” In the case of Hamilo Coast in Nasugbu, Batangas, in the first few seconds, one intuitively feels that this is going to be a beautiful experience.
Hamilo Coast is a premier sustainable beach resort town, where beach resort living is an everyday lifestyle choice. It sits on 5,900 hectares of land, bounded by the blue waters of the West Philippine Sea on the west and green majestic mountain ranges to the east. With a 31km coastline, it has 13 coves, and a long stretch of fine white sand beach punctuating its sweeping terrain.
Named after the Sanskrit words ami (“plenty” or “many”) and ilo (“to see”), Hamilo Coast suggests that there is an abundance of things to see. The first phase of this resort town’s development, is concentrated in a 40-hectare valley within Hamilo Coast, in a protected cove called Pico de Loro (‘parrot’s beak’) that is home to a variety of flora and fauna.
Arriving at the Pico de Loro Cove entry way, you will be greeted by a wide, expansive and undulating road, running the length of the property like a smooth, taupe colored ribbon. Immediately, what registers, is how the green and lush foliage on either side of the road, feels like a welcome oasis of calm, where relaxation and leisure are the only options.
Just a short drive from the entrance gate, one notes a striking minimalist structure tucked in a lush and tropical forest. It is the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Chapel, designed by the renowned and award-winning architect Carlos Arnaiz. Straddling the highest point of Pico de Loro Cove, the chapel prominently features modern materials of glass and metal, creating an airy space that is both solemn and meditative. The chapel, encased in glass, affords a breathtaking panoramic view of the cove and of the sparkling, turquoise waters.
Continuing down the road, a clearing opens up to a series of structures that complement the surroundings. You have reached the first residential community to rise in this beach resort town. Up close, these low-impact Tropical Contemporary-styled condominium buildings, set against a towering mountain range and circling a man-made lagoon and promenade area, speak of leisure, recreation and connecting with nature, for a truly unique living experience. Pico de Loro Cove is comprised of three main locators – Pico de Loro Cove condominiums, Pico de Loro Beach and Country Club and Pico Sands Hotel.
It is in the great outdoors however, where Hamilo Coast becomes truly alive and yes, breathtaking.
Offering a wealth of natural beauty, everything throbs with life because the environment is safe. Talk about ‘True Blue’, here the water around it is ‘alive’ and clean. In fact, three marine protected areas with endemic marine life are thriving in this place. Exotic birds flit through protected mangrove forests. Pawikan hatchlings scurry to the wide-open seas. Lush forests and tree canopies dot the landscape. A hike through the forested mountains will not disappoint. Diving spots, limestone cliffs and various types of natural rock formations, stand as silent sentinels in the clear, calm and turquoise waters.
To ensure the protection and preservation of its natural surroundings, since 2007, Hamilo Coast has partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature, Philippines (WWF – Philippines). The use of alternative energy sources, coastal resource management, ridge-to-reef management, solid waste management, livelihood training and local hiring of majority of its staff are some of the major efforts to achieve the goal of environmental and social sustainability.
Hamilo Coast is a beauty of contrasts, serene yet active; tranquil yet powerful, simple yet resplendent, quiet yet reverberating in its stillness. It only takes seven seconds to make an impression. Here, these impressions will last a lifetime.
