For many Manilans in the 70s decade, Mount Batulao in Nasugbu, and its environs were the go-to places to unwind every weekend. In 1975, these area,and parts of Ternate and Maragondon were designated as tourist zones.
One of its earliest developments was the sprawling Batulao Village Club owned the family of senator Gil Puyat and designed by architect Benjamin Bautista with landscapes by Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. It was the first resort south of Manila to offer the same luxurious amenities as Baguio’s older destinations.
The club’s modern look took inspiration from the terraces of the Mountan Province ( the architect and planner was from Baguio), with touches of environmental sensibility ahead of its time. Natural materials and indigenous patterns and textures were incorporated in the buildigs and cottages, like rattan, Capiz and local woods.
The expansive club boasts of a Gary Player-designed golf course, a main clubhouse, a halfway
house, a village inn, cottages and a sports complex that featured the latest rage in 70s racquet sports – pelota.
Batulao Village Club rose in prominence in the 70s, providing live combo music, and evening events. There were hiking and camping activities at the Gulod sa Batulao, plus lots of swimming and snorkeling for nature lovers.Golf and pelota tournaments were frequently held, as well.
Batulao lost much of its appeal beginning in the 80s as more affordable resorts opened up north, made accessible by the new expressway of North Luzon. Add to that the internal problems of the company. Attempts to redevelop it in the mid 1990s with the addition of another beach resort and the restoration of the golf course did not do much to its dwindling popularity until it fell into disarray and eventual closure completely.
SOURCES:
Batulao, wikimedia entry
Batulao
Summers, https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/modern-living/2004/04/17/246536/batulao-summers
