Family bonding at Club Balai Isabel happened for our family before the summer season officially gave way to the rainy season this year. Our family was able to finally squeeze in a summer escapade. After several consecutive summers of staying home, we finally had our chance. This is our last hurrah for summer 2013 and we chose a simple overnight stay at Club Balai Isabel.

orchard lane villa

About Club Balai Isabel

Location: Barangay Banga, Talisay, Batangas, Philippines. See Vicinity map here.

Main Attraction: Taal Lake and Taal Volcano

Developer: Techno-Asia Construction and Development Inc.

Short History: Club Balai Isabel is a resort located in the south of Metro Manila right on the shores of the famous Taal Lake.  It was envisioned to be a residential resort community which started as a four hectare private subdivision but is now a nine hectare resort. It hopes to be the leading eco-tourism resort in the country.

Offered Accommodation:

Hotel Rooms – Price range: PHP 5,544.00 – 11,825.00

Villas and Cottages – Price range: PHP 6,325.00 – 18,480.00

Offered Facilities: Function Areas/ Health and Wellness/ Recreation/ Dining/ Chapel

Events: Weddings/ Other Personal Events/ Corporate Events/ Local Vacation/ Outdoor Adventure

Internet Connection: Available free in public areas including reception and restaurant areas and for a fee in rooms and villas

Book Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas with Traveloka.

 

balai isabel orchard lane villa

Accommodation

Our family stayed at the Orchard Lane in a room which had a regular capacity of 6 people and 2 allowable extra occupants. Room rates at the villas and cottages do not include breakfast but provide cooking as an option. Each extra person is charged P 550 on top of the room rate. Check-in time is 3 pm while check-out time is 12 noon.

Room rates in their hotel and condotels include breakfast since cooking is strictly not allowed. Each extra person is charged P 1,500 on top of the room rate. Check-in time is 2 pm while check-out time is 12 noon.

Hotel and condotel rooms are only for couples and small groups. These are the ones located near the lake. Villas and cottages accommodate larger groups such as our family.

club balai isabel resort

Swimming

The resort has three swimming pools. Although technically four,  two of which are connected. One is just in front of the lake while the other two are a little farther off. The pools were the greatest source of enjoyment for the kids and we spent a lot of time in the two connecting pools since it offered a shallow area for kids and a deeper area for swimming adults. The temperatures were also different in the two pools.

club balai isabel activities

Other Activities for Family Bonding at Club Balai Isabel

The resort offers other activities aside from swimming to ensure a more enjoyable stay for the family. It gave us a short tour of its entirety. There is a basketball court and volleyball court, billiard and dart facilities, and water sports facilities. There are also volcano tour packages.

talisay batangas resort

My Say

The greatest attraction of Club Balai Isabel to me is the overall styling of all their structures including the villas, cottages, hotel, chapel, and the others that drew inspiration from the old times. The use of stone, colored stained glass,  iron grills, and wood lent an artistic  touch that is often seen in ancestral homes. Although I do admit that old  and old-styled structures hold a strong attraction to me, I draw the line in old resort facilities. Sadly, the playground equipment as well as the billiard and dart facilities were in a dilapidated state.

The water heater in our bathroom was also not working. I believe a little more effort in housekeeping will go a long way especially in ensuring that a clean ref and oven is ready for use.  After all, guests really wouldn’t like to be bothered with cleaning tasks since this is supposed to be a vacation. Every bathroom or restroom of any respectable establishment has installed bidets and I did not see any in our bathroom. These are smaller details that should not be ignored if the aim is to be a premier vacation destination.

The good thing about all the things I mentioned is that these can easily be remedied. These are relatively minor things that can be solved by purchasing new equipment and adopting stricter cleaning and maintenance check of every room before being offered to guests. We were not able to sample their food as we bought ours from outside.  Other than these, Club Balai Isabel is actually a good place for family bonding. If you know me well enough, anywhere is good enough when I’m with my family, especially in a place that offers comfort and beautiful surroundings.

Teresay at Club Balai Isabel

Teresay at Club Balai Isabel