I am in Paris today, negotiating a business deal, and it is a typical winter day in Paris – cold, dreary and wet.  How I wish I were in Balesin instead! 

As many of you know, we have just completed the first major holiday season  for members and their guests in Balesin, and I must say that, based on the comments of members and guests which I insist on reading individually, our aviation services, our villa accommodations, our sports and recreation facilities, and most especially our food, passed with flying colors. 

My entire family came from all over the world and spent the whole two weeks on the island and were thrilled with it and that is not only because they were obviously biased!  The last time we were all in Balesin was in 1976 and my daughter Anna searched through her old photo files and produced the pictures at the end of this letter.

In fact, my wife stayed an extra week, not through her choice but because she forgot that she was no longer a teenager and was apparently doing acrobatics at the pool and had a nasty cut on her leg, which had to heal before she could travel.  She made good use of the extra week though by putting our French and Italian F&B staff on rigorous lessons on the proper preparation and presentation of French and Italian cuisine.

I must say that Monica, who has lived in Tuscany for the past 23 years, and is in fact Italian, prepares excellent pasta dishes which she demonstrated with pleasure to our chefs (including Chef Edo San, believe it or not!).  But her real specialty is French cuisine.  In the more than 50 years that we have been married, we have tried countless French restaurants, both bistros and 3-star Michelin guide restaurants all over France. 

In fact, while in Paris last November, she bought a fishhead grinder to make real Soupe de Poisson as a result of which, during various food tastings the last few weeks on Balesin, I swear that the Soupe de Poisson was in fact better than any I have tasted in Paris or elsewhere in France!

Working closely with Mabel Martinez, our F&B Director, they have now perfected a typical and authentic French menu.  Thus, in mid-January, I authorized the opening of St. Tropez.  

I have had the pleasure of hosting a number of small dinner parties there and I must say that my guests were all praises for our authentic French bistro food.  St. Tropez is now open for business with its 52 hotel-type rooms and suites and wonderful restaurants on the Ground Floor, facing the swimming pool and the ocean.  For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, I should let you know that not only do we serve excellent crepes and the delicious tarte tropezienne but also of course authentic French food.

A Second BAe Jetstream 32

Before I digress any further, I want to let you all know that we have acquired our second British Aerospace Jetstream 32 (19 passengers), identical in every way to the existing one that we have.  The Australian owners will be delivering it to us in a few weeks after they complete the various touchups that we requested.  Thus, we will now have a fleet of 4 aircraft:  2 BAe Jetstream 32s and 2 Cessna Grand Caravans.  Thus, our aviation capability, again of course, weather permitting, will soon be a total of 250 passengers a day.

Holy Week Holidays

As we look forward to the many reservations we are now receiving for the Holy Week holidays, we have now increased our club capacities dramatically and also by the time we have the Holy Week crowd, we expect to have more than 200 rooms and villas available for our members and their guests.  While we will of course endeavor to accommodate you on your preferred village on such busy periods as the Holy Week, we may not be able to give you the specific villa or the specific village you prefer, but certainly because of the number of rooms available, you will not be denied a villa accommodation. 

While on this subject, I should also state that we have to manage our aviation flights in such a manner that we do not end up flying 2 or 3 people in the 19-seater Jetstream.  So for many members and their guests who prefer the twin-engine BAe Jetstream, there are times when you may have to take the Cessna Grand Caravan.   Personally, I prefer the Cessna Grand Caravan myself since I find it to be a far more comfortable flight.

Activities Calendared for the Holy Week

 Joanna Duarte has prepared a calendar of activities at Balesin for the Holy Week which I have enclosed at the end of this newsletter.  Since school holidays will be upon us by that time, we expect that a number of families will have their children with them, and therefore have given attention to family type activities.

Construction Again in Full Blast

Shortly after the New Year holidays, we restarted all construction work at the Costa del Sol, Toscana and the Mykonos beach villas.  We are now going at full blast and we expect to complete them in two months, maximum three.

Phuket Family Suites

I should also let you know that while inspecting Phuket one day, I noticed that the Lamon Bay side had not been taken into account and I have now asked that about 5 family-type villas, i.e. two suites connected by a common deck with a plunge pool, be constructed facing Lamon Bay on the West.  This will give you a dramatic view of the sea, and a family of as much as 8 people can enjoy each of the family villas.

Our Own Produce

Those of you who have been to the island recently have noticed the row of greenhouses along the side of the airstrip.  This is our latest project in which I am intensely interested, since we intend to produce all organic vegetables, fruits, and also fresh water fish.  This project should be fully operational before the end of February and thus, we will be self-sufficient in our vegetable and fruit supply, all organically grown.

On the northernmost point of the island, we are developing a saltwater crustacean farm so that we can produce our own oysters, clams, shrimps, lobsters, and crabs.  Additionally, we are preparing a number of fish cages to grow our own saltwater fish species to augment the increasing demand for various types of saltwater fish that we catch around the island.  

New Facilities

As the visits of our members and their guests continue to increase, we have decided to add two more service facilities.  First is a Departure Area right next to the existing Welcome Center.  We have found that on certain days, the Welcome Center cannot efficiently accommodate arrivals as well as departures and so we are constructing a separate Departure Area with a capacity of 50 passengers.  This Departure Area should be operational by mid-February. 

We have also decided to construct a second Clubhouse Inn on the north side of the Clubhouse where our supervisory staff, pilots, nannies and other personnel can reside.  All of these will be air-conditioned, and the existing Clubhouse Inn, which we will now call the South Clubhouse Inn and the new North Clubhouse Inn, can accommodate more than 150 persons.

Petanque

In virtually every town square in the South of France, particularly in Provence, petanque or boules as some call it, is played with intense competition among the locals.  In almost all available little plots of land, they create a petanque court and play with such ferocious competitiveness practically the whole day.  We have therefore decided to create a petanque on the beachfront side of St. Tropez Village so that you can enjoy this very simple but very traditional sport in the South of France which requires dexterity and skill.  Those of you who have been to St. Tropez Village recently must already have noticed the petanque court that we have prepared near the beach.

Ifugao Village

Many of you have noticed with great amazement and admiration the intricate carvings in almost all of our villages in Balesin.  We have been fortunate to have a group of some 50 carvers from Banawe who actually live on the island and do their carving with great enthusiasm and admirable skill.  We have now decided, to the great delight of these Ifugao carvers, to build a permanent Ifugao Village where they will live and do their carving and sell their wares to our members and guests.  They are all priced very reasonably and it will give the Ifugaos a steady source of income.  In addition, I know that this will be a favorite attraction for our members and guests, as they can actually observe the expert Ifugao carvers at work.  This Ifugao Village is now nearing completion at a 2-hectare plot in the middle of the forest not far from the Sports Center. 

Nirvana

After much soul searching and inspiration, my design partner, Rico Sison, has created a unique and private hideaway for our members in St. Tropez Village.  This is located on the Main Floor of the hotel and which we originally planned to call Buddha Bar, but we have since learned that this name is copyrighted so we decided to call it Nirvana instead.  So next time you plan to have pre-dinner drinks or after dinner tete-a-tete in St. Tropez Village, don’t forget to check out Nirvana, which is now operational.

Dive Spot

We have been fortunate to have among our members a group that is very keen on diving as a serious sport.  Regrettably, through the years, a lot of cyanide fishing was allowed in many areas around Balesin Island and this has of course destroyed the coral and the natural sea vegetation.  However, recently, we have been in serious discussions with a number of groups to resuscitate the coral and sea vegetation around the island.  Most recently, a group of members has discovered about 200 meters from the Nusa Dua Bar in the Bali Village, a cliff wall which has been able to survive previous onslaughts and remain to be a most interesting dive spot.  We are now in the process of interacting with this group, so that they will operate this dive spot as another feature for the Balesin Island Club members.

Screening Room

In the Main Clubhouse, not far from the elevator that goes to the Ground Floor, we have now an area that we call a Screening Room.  It is designed as a private living room with a large screen but with comfortable divans rather than movie theater seating.  With a capability of about 20 persons, small groups of friends and their families can enjoy watching their own collection of private movies and golden oldies.  We are now constructing this and it should be operational in a few weeks’ time.

A Token of Appreciation for Our Members

I have always believed that Balesin is impossible to describe in words, nor even in the most elaborate brochures.  You have to see it to believe it.  Obviously, our members feel the same and they are very proud of the Club and on the average have invited 10 guests each time they come to the island.  Many of these guests end up becoming members, and as a token of our appreciation to the members who bring guests to the island who later become members, we have decided to henceforth reward our members with an extra villa night during the year in which they bring a guest who then decides to become a member.  We are very proud of what we have done in Balesin and we are pleased and appreciative that our members are too, and so we thought that this simple token of our appreciation would be welcomed by our faithful and most appreciative members.

Membership Prices

On March 1, we shall recommence our policy of gradually increasing the prices of memberships and therefore, the value of the shares owned by existing members, as we complete more villas and provide more facilities.  Thus, we would like to let you know that the following schedule of membership prices of the rest of this year:

Period Covered                    Php

Present Price                         3,000,000

March 1 – 31, 2013                 3,100,000

April 1 – 30, 2013                   3,200,000

May 1 – 31, 2013                    3,300,000

June 1 – 30, 2013                   3,400,000

July 1 – 31, 2013                     3,500,000

August 1 – 31, 2013                3,600,000

September 1 – 30, 2013           3,700,000

October 1 – 31, 2013               3,800,000

November 1 – 30, 2013            3,900,000

December 1 – 31, 2013            4,000,000         

In closing, I will be leaving for London on Sunday on another business deal but I will return to Balesin after about another week.  I do not think I can bear to be absent from Balesin for longer than that!

Bobby, Monica and Anna at Balesin in 1976

 

Holy Week Activities

DATE	OUTDOOR SPORTS AND RECREATIONS ACTIVITIES	FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUFFETS/ACTIVITIES	RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES	ENTERTAINMENT
23-Mar Saturday	Yoga by the beach Mountain Bike Tour (8AM) Kayaking (4PM) Petanque (boule) tournament at St. Tropez Wall Climbing 101 Equestrian Activities – Horseback Riding	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Meze Lunch at the Mykonos Taverna Thai Lunch at Phuket Salathiep Happy Hour Cocktails at Nusa Dua After Dinner Happy Hour at the Clubhouse	Anticipated Mass Blessing of palm (after last prayer)	Trio At Mykonos (12nn) Acoustic Trio at Nusa Dua (6pm) Trio at the Clubhouse (8pm)
24-Mar Palm Sunday	Yoga by the beach Wakeboarding and Water Skiing 101 (10AM) Sunset Paraw Sailing (430PM) Petanque boule tournament at St. Tropez beach Kids’ Basketball 3- point Shooting Contest	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Happy Hour Cocktails at Nusa Dua	Procession to the church (8:30am) Solemn mass Blessing of palm Holy mass (10:30am)	Trio at the Clubhouse (8pm)
25-Mar Holy Monday	Yoga by the beach Archery 101 (10AM) Archery Competition (3PM) Equestrian Activities – Mini Gymkhana Equestrian Activities – Horseback Riding	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Happy Hour at Nusa Dua	Holy Mass (6am) Holy Mass (5am) General Confession (7pm) Pabasa in the Chapel	Acoustic Trio at Nusa Dua
26-Mar Holy Tuesday	Yoga by the beach Golf Accuracy Contest (4PM) Kids’ Badminton Tourney Adults’ Badminton Tourney Airsoft Target Contest Holy Week history session for the kids (with trivia and games) in Children’s area Equestrian Activities – Horseback Riding	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Happy Hour at St. Tropez	Holy Mass (6am) Holy Mass (5pm) Recollection or Confession (7pm) Pabasa in the Chapel	Trio at St. Tropez (6pm)
27-Mar Holy Wednesday	Yoga by the beach Snorkeling (8AM) Stand-Up Paddle Boarding 101 (3PM) Holy Week history session for the kids (with trivia and games) in Children’s area Equestrian Activities – Horseback Riding	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Meze Lunch Buffet at Mykonos Taverna Lunch Seafood Lunch Buffet with lechon at the Clubhouse Thai Lunch Buffet at Phuket All Day Crepe Bar at St. Tropez Happy Hour at Nusa Dua Souvlaki Dinner Buffet at Mykonos Asian Dinner Buffet at Bali **cooking demo at Nusa Dua (3pm)	Holy Mass (6am) Holy Mass (5pm) General Confession (7pm) Pabasa in the Chapel	Trio at Mykonos (12nn) Pianist at the ST. Tropez (12 nn) Acustic trio at Nusa Dua (6pm) Trio at Mykonos (7pm) Acoustic Trio at the Clubhouse (9pm)
28-Mar Holy Thursday	Yoga by the beach Wakeboarding and Water Skiing 101 (10AM) Stand-Up Paddle Boarding 101 (3PM) Beach Volleyball/ Football/Ultimate Frisbee Kids’ Tennis Tourney Adults’ Tennis Tourney Arts and crafts: Painting lessons for kids at St. Tropez Equestrian Activities – Horseback Riding	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Meze Lunch Buffet at Mykonos Taverna Lunch Seafood Lunch Buffet with lechon at the Clubhouse All dAy Crepe Bar at St. Tropez Happy Hour at St. Tropez Souvlaki Dinner Buffet at Mykonos Thai Dinner Buffet at Phuket **Vegetable carving at the clubhouse (3 PM)	Kumpisalan ng Barangay (9am and 12nn) Preparation for Maundy Thursday Liturgy (3pm) Last Supper Mass (6pm) Exposition of Blessed Sacrament (after mass) Vigil (until 12mn)	Trio at Mykonos (12nn) Pianist at St. TRopez Acoustic Trio at St. Tropez
29-Mar Good Friday	Yoga by the beach Archery 101 (8AM) Archery Competition (10M) Kayaking (3PM) Sunset Paraw Sailing (430PM) Beach Volleyball/ Football/Ultimate Frisbee Petanque (boule) tournament at St. Tropez Equestrian Activities – Horseback Riding	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Seafood Lunch Buffet at the Clubhouse All Day crepe Bar at St. Tropez Thai Buffet Lunch at Phuket Sunset Cocktails at St. Tropez Souvlaki Dinner Buffet at Mykonos	Stations of the Cross (9am) Good Friday Liturgy -Veneration of the Cross (3pm)	Trio at Mykonos (12nn) Pianist at St. TRopez Acoustic Trio at St. Tropez
30-Mar Black Saturday	Yoga by the beach Mini Triathlon – Relay format (7AM) Sunset Paraw Sailing (430PM) Holy Week Arts & Crafts: Easter egg painting, etc. at St. Tropez Petanque (boule) tournament at St. Tropez Paintball War Games Equestrian Activities – Horseback Riding	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Meze Lunch Buffet at Mykonos Taverna Lunch Seafood Lunch Buffet with lechon at the Clubhouse Thai Lunch Buffet at Phuket All Day Crepe Bar at the St.Tropez Happy Hour at Nusa Dua and Mykonos Cove Deck Big Easter Dinner at St. Tropez (specialties of all european restaurants: French, Spanish, Italian, Greek) **Salad making for kids at St. Tropez	Preparation of the Liturgy (9am) Easter Vigil Mass (8pm or 9pm) Blessing of Fire Celebration of the Easter Mass	Trio at Mykonos (12nn) Pianist at St. Tropez (12nn) Acoustic Trio at Nusa Dua(6pm) Trio at St. Tropez (7pm)
31-Mar Easter Sunday	Yoga by the beach Mountain Bike Tour to Old Balete Tree (8AM) Easter Egghunt at St. Tropez (9AM) Egg games (egg races, relays, etc.) in St. Tropez (10AM) Salsa Lessons with Mika Santos (5PM) Petanque (boule) tournament at St. Tropez Equestrian Activities – Mini trail ride around the island Equestrian Activities – Horseback Riding	Breakfast Buffet at the Clubhouse Lunch Buffet with lechon at the Clubhouse	Fiesta of Chapel Salubong (4:30am) Holy Mass (8am, but if there is salubong then no more 8am mass) Holy Mass (10:30am, only if there is salubong) Baptism (permission from parish needed)	Trio, Pianist, Acoustic Trio, clowns

*Scuba Diving programs will be available for members and guests for scheduling