Thoughts of Pico in a Mini Cooper

THE Mini convoy heads north on Ternate-Nasugbu Road.

It’s a decision I am glad I did not have to make.  Choosing which Mini Cooper one should drive to a beach resort ensconced in the mountains is such a pleasurable quandary—like a free box of Mars chocolate bars at the end of rainbow-colored M&Ms, slow, indulgent snacking picked according to your most favorite color.

Driving a Mini Cooper to Pico de Loro (www.picodelorocove.com), a 40-hectare mix development in Hamilo Coast seen as a premier beach resort town in the country, for a lifestyle-slash-motoring media event to showcase the proximity and accessibility of the property via Cavitex and Ternate tunnel is a brilliant idea.

The 73-kilometer route, an approximately one-and-a-half-hour drive from SM Mall of Asia to Cavitex and the towns of Cavite—Bacoor, Tanza, Naic, Maragondon, Ternate—and, finally,

The view from the side mirror reveals a merry mix of colorful speedsters that conquered the roads.

Nasugbu, Batangas, bears a picturesque urban, rural, mountain and seaside stretch reminiscent of a Conde Nast Traveller driving destination feature.

Mini variants, from the Cooper S to Countryman, Coupe S and Mini Paceman, provide the right combination of torque, maneuverability and coolness to snake through traffic snarl in Tanza and zigzag on Ternate-Nasugbu Road.

After a quick snapshot of seemingly endless Pantone shades of Minis laid down in overwhelming 10-car buffet fashion on SM Mall of Asia open-parking grounds, I have been assigned a white, five-door crossover Mini Cooper Countryman.

The Ride: Fast and Sticky

Mini’s current “Not Ordinary” branding hits me right smack on the face the moment I sit snuggly on the sports seat: The entire dashboard is a fusion of retro and techno interface.

THE MANY attractions of a private enclave that is Pico de Loro

The analog speedometer, bigger than the average dinner plate, dominates the center console above the car’s entertainment module, and, check this out, power window controls, which can be redundant since there’s a digital readout on the driver’s console.

The Countryman feels stiff, robust and powerful. Its 122-horse-power, 160-Newton-meter-torque six-speed automatic engine with steptronic function is responsive especially in acceleration during overtakes and uphill climbs. Its long wheelbase, low profile and amazing Dynamic Traction Control provide stability in cornering, and give me the confidence (bordering on cockiness) in attacking the curves in full throttle.

I never felt good about driving a car in recent months until now, and with the Countryman effortlessly zipping through Hamilo Coast’s 13 coves—Patungan, Neela, Limbones, Bucanita, Dorado, Arkaya—and after a half-a-dozen more twists and turns, Pico de Loro put me in a good mood.

The thick canopy of forest, punctuated by occasional yellow flowers of acacia trees, has the Zen substantiality of calming the mind and makes me forget that my daughter is growing distant from me as the years go by. What stemmed from a big lapse in patience and restraint years back, glossed over by disguised inadequacies, has now become a void of unspoken loathing and awkwardness.

The Destination: Pico de Loro

The first real estate development in the 5,900-hectare Hamilo Coast (www.hamilocoast.com) with 31-km coastline, Pico de Loro is made up of four residential clusters, a boutique hotel,

THE MANY attractions of a private enclave that is Pico de Loro

a fully equipped beach and country club set around a tranquil lagoon and surrounded by hills in all directions except the western side, which faces the sea.

Pico de Loro Cove is a marine reserve, thus fishing is prohibited, making it an ideal spots for snorkeling and diving especially since Hamilo Coast forms part of the global Coral Triangle and the Verde Island passage, what marine biologists consider as “center of marine biodiversity.”

There are plenty of beach activities too, like cove tour, jet skiing, kayaking, paddle boarding, boating and wind surfing. Then there are the country club amenities like the multilevel adult and kids’ pool, badminton, basketball and squash courts, bowling and billiards hall, covered tennis court, fitness gym, video game and karaoke rooms. Other activities include biking, hiking, bird-watching and horseback riding—stuff that Arani would surely enjoy if she were here.

The highlight of this media trip remains the half-day tour of Santelmo, the adjacent cove known among the local people for frequent sighting of St. Elmo’s Fire, a weather phenomenon which exhibits display of luminous plasma and glowing balls of light.

A VIEW of the lagoon from Pico Bar and Restaurant (top) and so many other attractions to discover

Santelmo can be an exclusive site for romantic lunches, weddings and other private functions. It’s the perfect getaway that evokes similar sensuous experience of island-hopping in Palawan—only it’s just 90 minutes away by land.

While access to Pico de Loro’s natural and man-made wonders remain exclusive to condominium owners (starts from P4.1 million), club members (P550,000 for individual and P850,000 for corporate), the public can enjoy Pico de Loro through the 154-room Pico Sands Hotel, a seven-story tropical modern design with breathtaking view of the mountains and lagoon for as low as P6,700 in a standard room for two.

Arani will surely like Rain: The Spa at Pico Sands, not only because it will trigger her wonderful tactile memory of her first spa treatment at The Peacock Garden (www.thepeacockgarden.com) two years ago, but it will remind her of my countless goofy attempts to make Rain stick as her nickname.

It’s (fun) drives like this, this kind of travel, when I feel closer to my daughter more than any other activities. We can talk and laugh about the things we see and discover for the first time

STATE-OF-THE-ART bowling facilities at the clubhouse

(the funny shop signs, the strange flora, the period house my wife loves so much), and create an unspoken, unbreakable bond. I will try to bring her to Pico de Loro and tell her the stories behind names of the four buildings near the beach—Myna, Jacana, Carola and Miranda—that they are actually names of endemic birds abundant in the area.

As soon as I get home I will try to win her back for all the lost years of meaningless charades. I must do—I realized in this trip—what I should have done years back: apologize.

I hope life is sweeter after that.

Photos by Walter C. Villa