A Secluded Oasis

One family has discovered the luxury of true relaxation at their seaside home in Batangas, which has become their safe cocoon during the pandemic

- Maritess Garcia Reyes and Cristina Morales.

Years ago, a Filipino family aspired to have a second home by the beach, a dream that started in the Nineties, when they were living in a Hong Kong flat directly in front of Stanley Bay. The flat, while located in one of the busiest financial districts in the world, provided the family a private oasis.

Every morning, the couple’s younger daughter who was then three years old, would stand in front of the picture window to watch the waves crash into the rocks. When asked why she was doing that, the girl answered, “Nature is so beautiful and peaceful.” These words struck the couple so much that upon their return to Manila, they started looking at seaside properties in hopes of creating their own home by the beach. Finding the right property was, however, a bit of a challenge for them.

When their eldest left for abroad to study, it dawned on them that ten years had passed and they still hadn’t realised their dream of a vacation home by the sea. It was then that a friend told them about a place where his family had owned a lot for many years—a private cove in Matuod in Lian, Batangas.

Matuod is said to have gotten its name from the flatness of its beach; even at hundreds of metres away from the shore, the water only reaches up to one’s tuhod (knee). The neighbourhood is quiet and tranquil, and the sight of someone along the shore is so rare that residents often feel that they have the beach all to themselves.