Balesin Island Club was almost empty when we were there with the Lapez family. It was hot and a little dusty riding the jeepney to hop from one village to another. The roads traversing the island are not paved kaya pagdumaan ang jeep, ayy alikabok. I was also worried about my left hip which is susceptible to fractures even when seated. The jeepney ride was rough and patalbog-talbog yung hips ko. My left hip could crack from sudden jolts.

From Mykonos, we checked out the Toscana village which drew its inspiration from Italy’s world renowned quaint village, Tuscany.

Girlie and family went ahead to their rooms because they have to feed their adorable baby apo. Oyen and I decided to stay for half hour to see what’s inside this village called Toscana.

Inside  Toscana in Balesin

The main building makes me feel like I am a donya living in a sprawling Italian villa. The place is huge but it doesn’t feel empty. It feels very homey and cozy because the spaces are compartmentalized.
homey Toscana in Balesin Island

The flooring is made of clay tiles (tisa).
Tisa, clay tiles, flooring

Vivid hues such as burnt sienna and bright honey were used in the Tuscan village’s hand painted furnishings and decors such as this center table.
handpainted table,  Toscana

The large arched doors lead to the swimming pool and garden area.
Toscana, Balesin Island, Quezon Province

Where’s everyone?
Toscana Village back door

It is such a hot day.
view from Toscana's pool area

I spent several minutes marveling at this brick walls made of clay in different shades. Gandang-ganda ako.
clay brick walls

I could not believe the amount of work done here. The sprawling village has an inner courtyard and several restaurants and yet no one was around to appreciate the place when we came. This beautiful place must be seen and admired. Ganda!

courtyard, Toscana

Those hardwood beams are expensive.
hardwood beams

Mr. Bobby Ongpin certainly didn’t skimp on the construction budget. Imagine these long logs? They cost an enormous amount of money and effort to transport them to the island.
hardwood beams in the ceiling, Balesin Island

I’ve seen hundreds of natural granite stone slabs. Those cost a thousand each depending on the size. Bigger ones go up to P2,000 each. Why do I know? Kasi gusto ko rin yan, nagtanung-tanong ako. I wanted to buy one large piece, apakan sana pero ang mahal nga kaya wag na lang. I was told by the seller that Willi Revillame bought daw all his stocks for the garage flooring at his vacation house.
natural granite stone slabs

There’s a pizza place called Al Fogher but it was closed when we visited.
Toscana foyer

I could imagine myself seated here eating prosciutto ham pizza with arugula.
Al Fogher

Another hand painted dining table
handpainted dining table, Al fogher

There are many other restaurants to choose from aside from al Fogher if you’re in the mood for authentic Italian food.
There’s just too many restaurants, parang over-kill. They were all closed on that day. Imagine the maintenance costs.
Trattoria Toscana
La Nena
Da Ventura
La Meridiana
Anghiari
Sezzano
Antico Posto
Molinello
La Terrazza
Un Rincón de Chile Cochagua

Brick oven for those pizza moments
Al Fogher's brick oven

There’s another swimming pool on the left side of the building
swimming pool, Toscana

natural stones are used in the steps to the pool
swimming pool walkway

They have 32 guest villas in this complex.
Toscana guest villas

Look at that old tree
old tree beside Toscana Village, Balesin Island Resort

And look at the water view
view from Toscana

And look at how clear the blue water is
clear blue waters,  Balesin Island Resort,  Quezon

The water on this side facing the Pacific Ocean is choppy.
choppy waters, Pacific Ocean

The place is really gorgeous. It’s easy to forget that this is still Philippines. I would have enjoyed the nice scenery better if my mind was not occupied by so many things. Even if It’s so quiet and serene, I didn’t feel relaxed. It’s hard to detach my mind from life’s day to day worries. At saka ang init pati!!!
OMB  at Toscana Village,  Balesin Island Resort

#thankyougirlieandgenju
#lovelyresort

Share

Related Posts

One thought on “Toscana in Balesin

  1. Thank u so much for sharing more awesome pictures of Beautiful Balesin, Ms Annie.. 😉 i enjoyed every single one of them.. 😉

    God bless u and the family always…

Comments are closed.