A tourism gem rises in Cavinti

Aside from its golf courses, Mountain Lake Resort Caliraya Springs will soon have a condotel, a team-building park, cottages and golf villas.

Travelers who wish to take a break from the pandemic-related strains can spend time with nature to head off the stress, anxiety and depression.

Nestled beside the 10,777-hectare Caliraya Lake in the town of Cavinti, Laguna is the Mountain Lake Resort Caliraya Springs.

The Spanish-Mediterranean-inspired property is overlooking the majestic Mount Banahaw of Quezon province as well as its golf courses – Arnold Palmer and Graham Marsh – in a 180-degree panoramic view.

David Du, chief operating officer of Mountain Lake Resort Caliraya Springs, said in an interview the management initially planned to maintain the place but after the development of the first lakeside lifestyle community in the Philippines, The Hamptons, they now want to upgrade the image of their property and will now have hotel rooms, amihan cottages, boat houses and glamping tents.

The property’s facelift is in line with the newest development, inspired by the posh and exclusive image of The Hamptons in New York, which will eventually become the driving force and its signature.

Currently, the clubhouse is on the first 20 percent of refashioning, which started last summer. Du said there will be changes in the interior design while the exterior part will be repainted.

“As of the moment, we are still fixing the water proofing, which is the cause of all the damages,” he said, adding that the whole clubhouse is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2022.

The rehabilitation started just this year “because we had some challenges before,” but when the global estates came in, Du said the property had the opportunity to pour in more money.

“And since there are the three of us already – Megaworld’s GERI, Sta. Lucia Land Inc. and Atlanta Land Corp. – we were able to raise the funds for rehabilitation,” he said.

According to Du, the pandemic is perfect for businesses to plan, execute and move forward. Despite the situation, “we still have more sales due to locked-in tapings and golfers both within the area and from Metro Manila,” he said.

Jerome Baldoz, golf club manager at Mountain Lake Resort Caliraya Springs, said the property’s Arnold Palmer course has the Caliraya Lake view, while the Graham Marsh offers the majestic Mount Banahaw view.

During the pandemic, the property accommodates about 100 guests per week, “but this can be doubled or tripled once the rehabilitation is complete. After the rehabilitation, we also plan to relaunch the golf shares,” Baldoz added.

However, only guests who present their health certificates, vaccination cards and other requirements can be allowed to play golf.

The property, whose head for sales and marketing and officer-in-charge for resort operations Ruziell Sto. Tomas leads the enhancement of the hotel’s services to the food, is being promoted as a golf destination in the area.

“And as a golf destination, we’re planning to put up a condotel and golf villas for the high-end market which will serve as an accommodation establishment for weekend/overnight golfers – this is also due to the fact that we’re more than two hours away from Manila,” Du explained.

Construction of the said condotel, which will have about 100 rooms, is being eyed early next year. The farms that the property has, on the other hand, will be converted into team building camps.

“We have the fishing village, a team building camp, some bicycles, etc.,” Du said, adding the area can also be a nice jogging path and is the only place in the Philippines with more than 20 waterfalls and 20 caves in a 15-kilometer radius. All-nature amenities will be part of the products of the Caliraya Springs.

The newest addition to the property’s activities is the astro camp, where guests can enjoy the relaxing scenery and stargaze.

Marina is the one-stop-spot for all the outdoor activities, offering guests fulfilling adventures.

“We’re expecting that more golfers will play one course in the afternoon, stay overnight at the accommodation establishment, and then play another course in the morning,” Baldoz said.

Source: Malaya