Most Filipinos may have been to the Tagaytay ridge to gaze at the Taal Volcano and Lake, but very few know that there is a more picturesque hideaway which may well be the best-kept tourist attraction south of Manila.

In the rustic town of Talisay in Batangas is Club Balai Isabel, an 11-hectare lakeshore resort village by the shores of Taal Lake which has been charming guests from all over the country for more than a year now.

The flagship project of Techno-Asia Construction and Development Inc. (TACDI), the resort is a world-class property envisioned to spur ecotourism and development in the area.

“I saw the potential of the area for tourism because of its long stretch of lakeshore ground. In our first venture in the resort industry, we transformed a once idle lot that has changed hands several times, into a unique world-class development that is truly Filipino,” says TACDI president Nelson Terrible, who hails from Talisay.

Balai Isabel is both a resort hotel and a village with residential units for sale, lease or time-share. Its overall theme is mixed Castillian and Filipino design with the owner himself getting his hand in designing the property.

Club Balai Isabel Talisay Batangas

Its amenities include function halls, three swimming pools, basketball court, tennis court, multi-purpose clubhouse and restaurant, and sprawling landscaped grounds.

Guests can choose from a wide range of accommodations such as the condominium, boutique style-clusters of Sampaguita Manor, the Ylang-Ylang Villa or the lakeshore units that give guests a front-seat view of the placid lake.

Defying the global crunch in the real estate sector, the resort recently completed clusters of five-story condotels.

Balai Isabel also opened a series of Spa Suites, its top-of-the-line rooms that feature a queen-sized bed and a private Jacuzzi in a lush pocket garden setting and can host up to four persons. Masseurs are on call for guests who want to be pampered with massage therapy.
All rooms are fully furnished with refrigerator, air-conditioning and color TV.

True to its trailblazing character, Balai Isabel introduced early this year the state-of-the-art French Mobideep, a multimillion-peso inflatable swimming pool module, the first of its kind in the country. It has four pools, the deepest at 21 feet, which is ideal for scuba diving lessons.

It also acquired the former Meralco Foundation Inc. training facility, giving it more land area and rooms.

There is never a dull and boring moment with the plethora of recreational activities guests can do such as fishing, kayaking, windsurfing, water-skiing or sailing wind-powered hobie cats. The resort also has adventure tour packages for lake cruises and volcano treks.For company team-building events, there is the Balikatan obstacle and ropes course.

Balai Isabel will soon be putting up an indoor recreation and entertainment center for its guests’ total enjoyment.
Plans are also afoot for the development of the Paseo de San Guillermo that will house restaurants and commercial shops right in front of the village.

“As part of our corporate citizenship, Balai Isabel embarked on a community-based solid waste management program to reduce dumping of garbage into the lake and provide income opportunities,” Terrible says, explaining that care for the environment is a core value that the company upholds.

“The water used in the swimming pool and in Mobideep is filtered lake water so we can conserve the town’s aquifer. We also use low energy-consumption equipment in the resort to do our share in combating climate change,” he says.

Club Balai Isabel Resort Talisay Batangas

Just one year into operation, Balai Isabel is already a global establishment with its affiliation to Resort Condominiums International (RCI), the largest vacation club with more than 4,000 accredited resort and hotels worldwide. This will enable homeowners of Balai Isabel to use these facilities overseas, and other RCI members internationally to enjoy its countryside charm.