Approaching the Spanish “point of fire” on a lazy Saturday morning drive, we started leaving the city and discovering more tree-lined pathways free of pollution and promising relaxation. There were two events lined up for us that weekend: the International Coastal Cleanup day participation of the beach front in Sunset Cove just by the clubhouse and the Swim Bike Run PH Open Water challenge at Terrazas de Punta Fuego. These two are just 15 minutes away from each other.
If you need a place relatively near Manila which weaves you towards meaningful action and rejuvenating relaxation, Punta Fuego is the place for you. This place, in Nasugbu, Batangas, is rather serene.
Save for the official gunshot signaling the start of all the action at 7am which had both adults and children (called the “Dolphins”) running towards the water, the entire beach at Terrazas de Punta Fuego was designed for taking deep breaths, inhaling fresh air, and exhaling the stress that you may have brought from a traffic-laden and toxic week in the city.
It was at the open water competition where I saw more than 130 people of various age brackets enjoying and competing alongside each other. There were no limits to the fun and excitement. Similarly, everyone found limitless inspiration from the winners, blind twin brothers Joshua and Jerome Nelmida, coached by no less than the famous Lozada swimming school coach Anthony.
The weather was perfect for the competition participants, for proud families watching out for their kin, and for bystanders who wanted to see the action.
After the various categories of the open water challenge in the morning, the third leg of the swimming organizers’ chain of events for this year, the afternoon was balanced with complete stillness and serenity. We left Terrazas de Punta Fuego for a 15-minute drive towards Club Punta Fuego’s main clubhouse and checked in at one of the 33 casitas where we managed to take a warm shower, snuggle up in the comfortable bed, and regain some strength before the famous Sunset Cove infinity pool main attraction.
In addition to our clubhouse tour, we also explored other places in the peninsula. There is the picturesque yacht club, Long Beach Cove for swimming, an array of pretty houses, and a very quiet neighborhood with a nearby school and chapel by the village perimeter.
Come 5:30pm, people started milling towards the infinity pool for the famous and breath-taking sunset view. The infinity pool was designed in such a way that when you are swimming during the sunset, it levels your point of view towards the setting sun in the sea.
The member’s lounge also has a very ideal spot for chatting and viewing the infinity pool and the sea.
But in the pool, you can watch the sun take away your worries and let the knots in your back from an action-filled morning sink with the lowering orange sun. You can see how the sky changes colors, as if an invisible hand decided to turn it into a canvas and paint it with swirls of pink and yellow until it fully turns dark for the evening.
The following morning, we began the meaningful work of helping save the environment. The international coastal cleanup is a first for Club Punta Fuego and it is open to registered guests, members, and visitors. The Club is the custodian of Sunset Cove, one of the many beachfront properties that needed cleaning in the vicinity of the peninsula. Other coastal areas such as Manila Bay were included in this international endeavor in the weekend.
The experience of picking the garbage in the coastal area is an eye-opening one. We picked a variety of objects in this conserved area, which horrendously ranged from plastic bags to hose segments and used diapers. Even in the midst of raking away stray leaves and objects that don’t belong in the coast, there is a certain level of mindfulness and awareness that the event brings to its participants.
Free merienda was served at San Diego Restaurant for the volunteers.
The team at Punta Fuego submits the names of participants to the main International Coastal Cleanup organization. The staff at Punta Fuego made sure that everyone had their fill of meaningful participation and relaxation in this gathering.
Terrazas de Punta and Fuego and Club Punta Fuego is a weekend getaway best experienced in opposites, like complementary colors in a painting or the signature yin and yang that brings harmony to an otherwise harrowed soul. True to their tag line, nothing is ever real until it is experienced.
Terrazas de Punta Fuego and Club Punta Fuego
Bgy. Balaytique, Nasugbu, Batangas Philippines
(632) 553-8888
www.clubpuntafuego.com.ph
