bloggingcaloy: Club Balai Isabel weekend @ Talisay, Batangas....

http://cly088.blogspot.com/2010/03/club-balai-isabel-weekend-talisay.html

Club Balai Isabel weekend @ Talisay, Batangas....

For those who were born in the sign of water and its there that you do your best, and the albatross and the whale they are your brother. When you have that beach urge but the suf is just too far away, the next best thing would be the lake, and the cleanest one near Manila is Taal lake. located at the foothills of Tagaytay in Batangas province,  Taal is famous not only for its lake and island volcano but also for its delicious seafood that abound in the area. I can attest to taals' tilapia as among the best there is. Then there is tawilis and the maliputo, arguably some of the best tasting fresh water fish around.

The nearest jump off point to the lake is the town of Talisay. At first glance, Taal seems like a typical rural town but then first impressions could be decieving. Hidden behind the facade are resorts a-plenty offering some of  the best the lake can offer. Club Balai Isabel is one of the newest resorts in Talisay. It as a membership/time sharing leisure club that is also open to the public (albeit at a higher price I suppose). It offers first class accomodations. The room at the lakeside villa that we stayed in had a 48 " lcd tv w/cable, kitchenette, hot and cold shower, 2 double beds, a/c and a prepaid wifi connection (cards available at the business center).

It has an infinity pool that has a splendid view of the lake.

It also has a lakeside area that is great for outdoor events and perfect for weddings.

The resort also offers amenities such as shuttle service within the sprawling grounds, water sports, lake tours and boasts of a floating restaurant which it calls the moby deep. Unfortunately during our stay, it was under maintenance. 

 During our stay, we opted to sample the local cuisine and found this little restaurant that offers fine food. Milan Restaurant along the national hi- way proved to be a wonderful discovery. This  plus the relaxing ambiance of the resort truly made for a relaxing weekend.

How to get there:

A.) take the south luzon expressway, exit at farthest point and take the Batangas exit. follow the road to star toll way, exit at Tanauan, turn right  then follow the signs along the national hi-way.

B. ) From Tagaytay, right at the talisay-tagaytay road (zig-zag and steep road), at the end of the road turn left to Talisay town proper.  

gastronomic detour

We were on our way to Club Balai Isabel at Talisay, Batangas, but traffic at south luzon expresswat being the way it is turned what was supposed to be a 2 hour drive into a 3 hour marathon of sorts. So instead of going straight to our destination we stopped by Paseo Sta. Rosa for a much needed pitstop. The time being close to lunch hour, we decided to have lunch at KANIN CLUB.. But before that we explored the environs of the place. above is a picture of my three girls posing by the SPEEDO outlet shop there.

by some stroke of luck, we got to kanin club just after they opened, I think we were the third batch of  customers, because by 11:30, the place was already beggining to get packed.  The place must be doing something well in order to get that many customers. We ordered the house specialty, Crispy Dinuguan. This is a take on the classice filipino dish but with a speacial twist, instead of regular pork, they used crunchy lechon kawali as the main ingredient. The texture of the meal changed dramatically although i found the dish to be a a little on the bland side. next time i'll ask for some fish sauce to go with it.
Another of our order was the crispy liempo strips. this makes for a wonderful appetizer or better yet pica pica food. there are 3 different dip choices to cater to one's tastes

The hands down favorite  was the crab omellete. although i  would have preferred it to be a little bit more over easy, it had the perfect sweet and salty combination that makes it perfect partner for a steaming bowl of rice!

Now who says that manila has a monopoly of fine dining to offer.And at around P 850 (hey its not fastfood!)for 3 viands, 3 iced tea (big serving!) and rice. It's not too heavy on the wallet The Kanin Club @ Paseo ( I think they already have a branch at UP Technohub) by itself makes the drive worthwile.