Revisiting Pico De Loro Cove At Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu Batangas

If you’re wondering where to go this summer that’s family-friendly and only takes a few hours away from the metro, one of the places I would say you go to is Pico De Loro Hamilo Coast in Nasugbu Batangas. It’s more or less a 90-minute drive from Metro Manila via CAVITEX. I suggest instead of taking the Kawit exit, go straight until you reach the end of CAVITEX, passing by NAIC & TERNATE, go onward until you see signages pointing you to Hamilo Coast. Just about 70 km compared to passing through Tagaytay which can take you up 150 minutes and about 70 km more.

Hamilo Coast is a sprawling seaside sanctuary located near the southwestern tip of Luzon. Bounded by the vast South China Sea on the west and misty cloud-covered mountain ranges in the east. The property encompasses three major mountain peaks and thirteen coves.

Pico De Loro Cove named after Mt. Pico de Loro, the highest point within Cavite and Batangas, is Hamilo Coast’s pioneering development and maiden residential community. It is home to eight low-impact, mid-rise residential condominiums divided into four residential clusters namely Myna, Jacana, Carola and Miranda, four-hectare saltwater lagoon, fully equipped beach and country club, a boutique hotel-Pico De Loro Sands Hotel.

Pico De Loro Beach and Country Club steadfastly advocates the use of tourism as an engine to uplift the economic status of the neighbouring villages of Hamilo coast. They source bulk of its food, manpower and other operational needs locally, contributing to the community development. Despite the development of the area, Pico De Loro Beach and Country Club are important partners of Hamilo coast in environmental protection efforts. In cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and other organisations, club members, their families and guests are given special access to learning events, adventure expeditions, and business opportunities in environmental conservation.

During the last weekend of April, my family & I went to Pico De Loro for some sun, sea and sand. It wasn’t our first time there. 2 years ago, our family and friends went on a quick summer getaway back when I was about 4 months pregnant with lil’ Mr. GJG. Here’s a look at our first visit at Pico De Loro Beach and Country Club.

Gabbie just turned 2 years old then. Look at how baby she was!

We were lucky that during our visit, there weren’t many people, so we were able to take these scenic photos. On the left, is the Pico De Loro Country Club where the gym, library, bowling and billiards are. While the building on the right is Pico De Loro Sands Hotel.

Pico De Loro Beach & Country Club is equipped with an extensive range of sports and recreation facilities, both on land and in water. Function rooms, dining area are available to host gatherings of members and their guests. Members and guests can choose among the eight dining areas/restaurants of Pico De Loro. They are: Lagoa, B&B (bowling and Billiards), Lanai Bar, Pool Bar, Reef Bar, Sun Coral Café, Arribada Lounge and Brisa Bar. Swimming pools for both adults and children, scuba diving, snorkeling, jet skis, boating, kayaking, wind-surfing, cove tours and island-hopping are some of the water facilities and activities. Covered basketball and tennis courts, indoor badminton courts, squash courts, indoor children’s play area, bowling alley, billiard hall, video game room, karaoke rooms, gym and dance studio, a library and St. Therese of the Child Jesus Chapel. Apart from these, you can relax using their outdoor massage huts or enjoy the Rain Spa at Pico Sands Hotel. For those who love shopping, they have Kultura Batik and Grab & Go conveniece store.

I suddenly miss my lil’ cutie pie Gabbie at 2 years old. She’s growing up too fast!

My little mermaid being coached by King Triton! Heehee.

It was such a fun getaway spent with friends. Gabbie had loads of fun, most especially, she loved swimming and playing in the sand. It was memorable as it was the last beach trip we did back when it was just Mr. GJG, lil’ Ms. GJG & I. Two years after, we’re revisiting and this time around we’re a family of four!
The moment we arrived at Pico De Loro, we immediately checked-in then proceeded to have lunch.

I must say, over the course of two years, the food has improved. The broccoli soup was my favorite!

Our corner deluxe room is about 30 sqm.

Furnished with a flat TV, queen sized bed, desk, kitchen area, cabinet, safety deposit box,bathroom with shower, and has a corner balcony. Oh and they have a blow dryer too (which is very important for us women heehee) Although their tap water isn’t potable, bottled water is provided for consumption.

Our corner room has a spacious balcony that can accommodate a dozen people. Kinda apt to star gaze or just chill and appreciate the scenic view.

Speaking of which, here’s the breathtaking view from our room.

After lunch, we headeed to Pico De Loro Beach Club.

My beach essentials that weekend included a Lagu beach blanket, Beach Hut Kids, Beach Hut Hair & Scalp, NIVEA Sun, Belo Sunexpert and NiQua bayong tote.

Beach babies we are!

After our afternoon by the beach on our first day, Gabbie & I got invited to participate in Pico Astro Camp. The Summer Astro Camp was spearheaded by Regulus Space Tech Incorporated in coordination with Pico De Loro. I was actually more excited than Gabbie, after all, I still got a hangover from watching Cosmos. But when I told her that Astro Camp is where we can learn about the planets, the stars and where we actually are in the universe, she was as thrilled as I was.

The 3-hour learning session started when Teacher Raquel and Teacher Steph asked us to  hunt for photos of the planets in the four corners of the Arribada Lounge. Here she was counting the planets she got.

Can you guess the names of these planets?

After going through the 8 planets found in our solar system, Teacher Raquel asked the Pico Astro Campers to make their own planets.

My eager beaver was the youngest in the group and I’m so proud that she really is very independent. She barely asked for my help as she wanted to “create” her own solar system sans the sun 😉

Venus in the making.

After a few dabs, twirls and swirls of colors, Gabbie proudly showed me her Solar System.

Apart from this crafty activity. Some of the other Astro Campers got to build their own rocket ships and were able to see the stars up close. Too bad because of time constraints and my lil’ Ms. GJG being tired from all the activity she did that day, weren’t able to participate in the other activities.

Congratulations Gabbie for being the youngest Pico Astro Camper! 😀

The fun-filled Astro Camp drained our energy so we headed at Sun Coral Café located just below Arribada Lounge where we had our sumptuous dinner.

Tinola with a twist. Instead of the usual chicken stock for the soup, pureed squash was added making it extra flavourful. My kids loved it!

Kare-kare. The peanut sauce was creamy and the beef was tender. Perfect to pair with the crunchy vegetables and shrimp paste.

Lechon Kawali Sorry, I forgot exactly the name. It was so crispy and at the same time it was also tender. I was told this was one of Sun Coral Café’s best sellers.

Of course I couldn’t miss dessert. Turon is one of the few fruit desserts that I really liked. I believe the caramel sauce and cashew nuts were the clinchers, making it one of the best turons I’ve ever had.

When we got back in our room at Pico Sands Hotel, these were waiting in our bed. Thoughtful and creative surprises like this really make me smile. Thank you for the welcome treat! 🙂

We woke up early from our slumber as we were determined to make the most of our morning eating and swimming.

We totally enjoyed having breakfast outside, absorbing the vast beauty that surrounded us.

I had to take a photo of the bread spread because I’m a bread monster! I just wished they had more jams and spreads.

Because bacon is my thang, I just had to take a photo of this plate of bacon! Shoutout to my fellow bacon-lover Richie of The Pickiest Eater! 🙂

My appetizer during breakfast. I can’t seem to get enough salad lately.

My lil’ Mr. GJG enjoying his bowl of mixed cereals. He also loves eating yogurt so he also had one along with his milk for breakfast.

Beachin’ around again. Medyo matchy lang naman no? Heehee.

Can you spot those men wearing red shirts? They’re the life guards of Pico De Loro. Kudos to them for being so attentive and alert despite the number of sun dwellers and pool people that weekend.

That strip of building on the background is Pico De Loro Country Club. How I wish we were able to do more activities and have taken more photos for me to share to all of you. But as you know, if you have kids (and no yaya), it’s a challenge to stop and hammer time, este take decent photos!

My darlin’ lil’ man got a lot of fans that day as he kept on smiling and waving ‘hi’ to everyone.

Good morning ladies!!!

Gabbie & I loved how clean Pico De Loro’s locker/shower/changing area was. So much so that I just had to take photos. They provide toiletries such as shampoo, body wash, lotion, powder, baby oil and mouth wash.

The wet floors were mopped few minutes after members and guests leave the area, leaving no room for accidents. This is something I’m particular with as I put my kids’ safety first.

Apart from swimming, one of the activities you can do is ride a pony and explore Pico De Loro, for Php 250/ half an hour.

Last look at the beautiful Pico De Loro Cove before we checked out.

Thank you so much Pico De Loro for the wonderful weekend away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was a lovely way to recharge and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. My family and I had so much fun, we’ll definitely go back!

Pico De Loro Cove

Hamilo Coast, Brgy. Papaya, Nasugbu, Batangas

(02) 4547825 or (02) 464 7845

www.picodelorocove.com