“Green” Balesin 

I am happy to report to you that Balesin Island Club continues with its steady march as a “green” island. A few months ago, we replaced all our plastic straws with biodegradable paper straws.

This week, our order for refillable glass bottles finally arrived at Balesin, and we are now in the process of replacing each plastic bottle with our own Balesin purified water, which has passed all required sanitary and laboratory tests.

It took us a bit of time to get our act together on the Balesin refillable glass bottles, because no local manufacturer could meet our specifications, and we had to order these from China. Next time you come to Balesin, you will no longer see those nasty polluting plastic bottles!

There are 150 million tons of plastic items floating around or washed ashore in many countries around the world. Balesin is doing our bit to address this very serious problem.

As you know, Balesin has zero emissions of waste water into the sea around us. From the start, each of our villages had a sewage treatment facility. Last year, we completed the construction of a state-of-the-art central Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), where all the waste water and sewage from the individual villages is treated. The STP plant cost us Php40 million, but it was worth every penny.

We are proud to maintain the highest standards of environmental protection, which have guided us from the beginning of Balesin Island Club.

Top of the Alpha 

Last week, we had the grand opening of the Top of the Alpha, with some 200 guests. Makati Mayor Abby Binay was the guest of honor and cut the ceremonial ribbon. It was a roaring success, and anybody who was anybody was there; several senators and congressmen, ambassadors, government officials, and leading businessmen who wanted to experience what promises to be Manila’s top jazz club and night spot.

Top of the Alpha is on the 34th Penthouse Floor of the Alphaland Corporate Center. It has its own private lobby with its own private elevator that goes straight to the Top of the Alpha, and valet parking is available. (As you know, Alphaland Makati Place is the only building in Makati with a thousand car park spaces on five underground levels.) Rico Sison has again outdone himself with a very classy interior design. In addition to an outdoor “Bird’s Nest,” which wraps around half of the building, there are three private rooms and an iconic Tabacalera Cigar Divan.

The club is open from 6:00 pm for pre-dinner drinks and stays open until the wee hours for the after-dinner crowd. I say without hesitation: Try it, you will like it!

For those who would like to book reservations, please call:+63.2.901.2758 (loc. 300) or +63.917.109.7449. While reservations are not required, we suggest you make a booking in order to have the best spot.

Baguio Mountain Lodges: New Quadruplex Lodges (Phase 3) 

Due to the demand from many of our members and clients, we have designed new quadruplex lodges, each with affordable two- and three-bedroom units. These units will be priced at about half of the existing single-family lodges. Each quadruplex lodge will have four of either two-bedroom units or three-bedroom units. Following are the details:

All units in the quadruplex lodge will be fully furnished, and in ready-to-move-in condition. As always, our sales are on a first-come, first-served basis.

The quadruplex lodges will be built on the southwestern area at a slightly lower elevation than the Clubhouse. We intend to build a total of 16 quadruplex lodges, each with four 2- and 3-bedroom units.

Our design team has now completed the architectural plans, and we are now building the access roads. Interested parties are invited to visit the Welcome Center, where details of the plans will be available. We can also bring you to the actual site, so that you can see the view from each pad. For those of you who have been to the Clubhouse Inn before, the views are pretty much the same as the magnificent views from the veranda of the Clubhouse Inn.

By November 1st, we shall be accepting reservations for specific units. All reservations will require a down payment of 30% (+ VAT) of the unit cost. Each unit will be finished and delivered to the buyers approximately six months after the reservation.

We invite all interested parties to view the units as soon as possible, so that you will be able to reserve your preferred unit.

FaceFitness Now at Aegle Wellness Center 

Aegle Wellness Center continually strives to offer cutting-edge health services and has developed a fitness routine for your facial muscles. FaceFitness is a 60-minute series of passive and assisted facial muscle exercises intended to develop specific facial muscles, particularly those that, when activated, project a radiant, healthy, youthful look in a very natural way. Regularly done, it delays the age-related sagging of your face from loosening of the skin and muscle collagen.

The treatment includes lifting, tightening, sculpting, detox, and de-puffing the face through specially designed exercises. The goal is to stimulate the facial muscles and restore the skin’s elasticity, as well as kickstart lymphatic drainage, improve circulation, and promote collagen production. Dr. Ben Valdecanas, medical director of Aegle refers to it as “CrossFit for the face.”

All of the movements of the exercises are crucial to the basic anatomy of the face, paying particular attention to the attachments and interactions between each facial muscle. Each session generally follows a basic exercise routine. First is the warm-up, during which your facial tissues are lightly massaged with warming essential oils that stimulate greater blood circulation throughout the facial area. Next is facial cardio, where increased blood flow is maintained through more intense kneading and pressing in the right directions while at the same time purging unwanted fluids back into your lymphatics to de-puff your face. As with any cardiovascular exercise, optimal oxygenation is important during the exercise proper, which is why an oxygen-infusing device is run across your face in defined patterns to supply your tissues with much-needed oxygen for collagen retightening and regeneration. Lastly, once your facial muscles are pumped up with oxygen, you are asked to flex specific muscles in turn while your trainer uses a mini Swiss ball to counter and provide resistance. These deliberate muscle-training exercises are geared towards the contours of the face, emphasizing your facial features and bringing back that more active, youthful look.

 

FaceFitness boasts different programs for specific face requirements, ranging from the basic hour-long routine to the FaceFitness Luxe option, wherein treatments are added to ensure deeper and longer-lasting effects—perfect for that important social event you’d like to look great for at the end of the day. Each session is further personalized depending on what your facial muscles and specific tissue conditions require. It’s just like having your own personal trainer in the gym adjust to your particular physical condition on a daily basis.

Call +63.2.737.0077 for an appointment and discover Aegle Wellness Center’s newest offering for regenerative and preventive health focused on the face.

I have not tried it yet, but I intend to, in the next few days. But, I wonder if it will work on my ageing, weather-beaten face!

Holidays at Balesin 

The holiday season is upon us, with Halloween quickly coming up and thereafter, the Christmas season. This year, in addition to the existing 314 villas in 8 villages, we will be offering an additional 30 suites in our new private villas. As always, booking is on a first-come, first-served basis, and you will be advised to book early to ensure that you have your favorite villa during the long holidays.

That is all for now folks!