PICO SANDS HOTEL.
Nasugbu, the official municipality of Nasugbu, (Tagalog: Bayan ng Nasugbu), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. It is subdivided politically in more than 40 barangays.
The Pico Sands Hotel is approximately an hour’s drive from downtown of Nasugbu, while the nearest airport is Manila International Airport, 72.8 km away.
Situated in front of the beautiful man-made lagoon, Pico Sands Hotel features an outdoor pool, a fitness centre and a luxurious spa. It offers modern spacious rooms with a balcony overlooking the surrounding mountains or lake.
WHAT AWAITS YOU AT PICO SANDS HOTEL?
Actually, we planned to spend some days in Puerto Galera, which is located at the north-westernmost part of Oriental Mindoro, and at the southwestern end of the Isla Verde Passage, about 130 kilometers south of Manila. Puerta Galera is well known for its beaches, scuba diving and entertainment activities.
Because of the stormy weather, we changed our plans on short notice and found the lovely Pico Sands Hotel in Nasugbu. It was our first visit and before I tell you more details about our stay, I have to say that I highly recommend this place.
We stayed four days and three nights in a Superior Room with Mountain View. The room was air-conditioned, furnished with a wardrobe, a personal safe, a flat-screen cable TV and a fridge. En suite bathrooms – like ours – were equipped with a hairdryer, bathrobes and free toiletries.
The main focus of our journey was pure relaxation at the beach & pool and enjoying good food. Pico Sands Hotel got it all covered 🙂
Day ONE
We arrived around lunchtime at Pico Sands Hotel, about an hour too early for the check-in. The hotel staff welcomed us very friendly at the main door and took care of our luggage. While our rooms were still being prepared, my fiance and I had lunch at the in-house Pico Restaurant „Lagoa“.
After lunch, I received a call from the reception on my cellphone, informing us that our room was ready and we could finally check in without stress.
In the afternoon, we were at the pool and had some delicious drinks at the pool bar. At this point, please check the pictures of the unique pool area.
For better understanding, why Pico Sands Hotel is truly a „must visit“, if you want entertainment in „one place“, please read the following. The Hotel is located next to a huge beautiful man-made lagoon with a private beach area in close vicinity. A shuttle bus takes you to the beach, if you don´t like to walk all the way, like us 🙂 In case you love to have a walk or run, the lagoon is a perfect spot for that. The cherry on top at Pico Sands Hotel is a spacious pool area with an own pool bar. Next to the bar, you have a spacious indoor area with toilets, showers and a beauty area.
In the evening, we had dinner at the Pico Restaurant „Lagoa“. Because of the pleasant weather, we sat outside enjoying the lagoon view.
Day TWO & THREE
The Breakfast buffet was served at the Ground Floor of the Hotel from 7 to 10 a.m. Tables were located Indoor and Outdoor. Most foods are Filipino Style. That means „heavy breakfast“ like rice, fish or meat. For a „light breakfaster“ like me 🙂 – the buffet offers also eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon, different cereals and a variety of fruits.
After breakfast we took the shuttle bus from the main entrance of the hotel. The ride took about 5 to 10 minutes. It depends on how many passenger the shuttle bus has to pick up and/or drop of on its tour.
Finally, we arrived at the private beach area. For my taste, this place is a piece of heaven 🙂 1.5 kilometers of gentle-sloping beach embraced by lush green mountains and with an endless view of the South China Sea.
The „Reef Bar“ is a beachside bar, that serves refreshing drinks and delightful meals on daily basis. Here you can savor tasty appetizers and a variety of casual meals and grilled dishes.
At the beach, you can also find an information desk, where you can book outdoor activities like Paddle, Diving, Pony Ride and different Tours. Guess what – we didn`t do anything of this 🙂 We preferred to swim or chill at the beach and enjoyed the wonderful view.
Because the whole day was perfect to us, we just repeated the same program on the third day.
Only with one difference:
On the second evening, we had dinner at the Pico Restaurant, which specializes in Mediterranean cuisine and is located at the lobby of Pico Sands Hotel. It is open around the clock and offers a food pick-up service for guests.
On the third evening, we had dinner at the „Reef Bar“. It was the perfect spot to enjoy the „Golden Hour“ :-)The weather was great and we got lucky, because on that evening a Live Band played various songs.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS.
Pico Sands Hotel is perfect for European Travelers. This Philippine four-star hotel offers the same high standards as comparable hotels in Europe. The hotel staff was always friendly and the food was always delicious.
This Batangas beach resort offers a wide variety of activities and is perfect for couples, family with children or vacation with friends.
Our Superior Room with Mountain View was spacious. You have enough space to move around without moving your luggage 🙂
The Hotel offers also relaxing treatments at its „Rain – The Spa“. My fiance and I booked one of the „Signature Spa Experiences“. It was the „Barako Rain Retreat“. They use barako coffee granules to promote glowing skin followed by an aromatherapy massage, where gentle hands work to ease tired muscles with a combination of deep comforting and relaxing strokes using specially blended oils. After that treatment you feel like a newborn child 🙂
To sum up: Pico Sands Hotel is the perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life.
ALSO GOOD TO KNOW.
If you are not interested in water sports activities such as canoeing and snorkeling, Pico Sands Hotel offers indoor activities like bowling, billiards, soccer, tennis, badminton, basketball or chess 🙂
JOY(NT) VENTURE TRAVEL TIP.
If you want to travel through the Philippines, I highly recommend Pico Sands Hotel. From the Manila International Airport, it is about a 2.5h drive by car. Due to the location, it could be either the first or the last destination in your schedule. As already mention, Pico Sands Hotel offers a wide variety of different activities.
IMPRESSIONS.
