|
Peacock Garden: Heidelberg in Baclayon
Can you imagine being served authentic European cuisine in a high-end hotel right in the heart of a typical Philippine barrio? I couldn't, until I went, that is, to the Peacock Garden Resort and Spa in Upper Laya, Baclayon town, in the island province of Bohol. This hilltop development by German national Hans Schoof and his Filipina wife caters to the more discriminating tourist looking for exclusivity and uniqueness in their vacation experience. I got both, and wow, what a deal! It's one of the most totally unexpected attractions I've seen lately. I was picked up at the airport by Chris, Peacock's driver, who gamely answered my questions about my host (who turned out to be a well-loved philanthropist), as well as the local culture, language, and must-buys. At the hotel reception area, I was warmly greeted with a cold glass of iced tea and a hot towel, after which I was given a tour of the area by the owner's son and the Chief Operating Officer, Christian Schoof. This unsuspecting visitor was stunned. Designed to be an anti-Boracay or anti-Panglao of sorts, Peacock Garden, which opened only in 2009, astounds with a personalized eclecticism, resulting in an interesting 'personality.' It combines the patina of Europe's Old World and the owner's passion for collecting, instantly commanding respect and inspiring awe. Appropriating the peacock as a symbol of the fusion of East and West (the peafowl was originally from India, then exported to the West), the resort hotel fuses Asian hospitality with European aesthetic sensibility. Hans Schoof's "dream resort" offers "mountaintop exclusivity with a different, unique vibe," says his son. The best of both worlds, in other words: the luxury of a Class-AAA European resort in the heart of a rustic tropical Asian location, plus the alternative thrill of nature-tripping and heritage appreciation, should the visitor request for a tour. The peacock concept is everywhere: as paintings on ceramic plates, glass mosaic sculptures, porcelain figurines, etc., and as the real thing cooped up in a cage or moving about. One is amazed at how one man can become enamored of a certain image or symbol, searches far and wide for versions of it, then assembles all rare finds in one grand home. Such passion! Such effort expended! But before it is a museum, Peacock Garden is a hotel. It has six superior, 16 de luxe, and 12 premier rooms, plus one suite, and the following amenities: Infinity Pool, Bacchus Wine Cellar, Pim's Pub (a karaoke and music club after Hans' nickname) and Hemingway Cigar Room, Pool Bar, Al Fresco Dining Area, Game Area, and a world-class Fontana Aurelia Spa (literally, "Golden Fountain" or "Goldenbrünner" in German), with jacuzzi, steam room, the works. The design details I spotted in my room were nothing less than impressive: unstinting use of space, modern and squeaky clean marble-tiled bathroom and gleaming room fixtures, olive-green drapes with gold fleur de liz embroidery, spotless satin sheets, finely-textured upholstery, and a terrace with a bird's eye view of the pool grounds and the sea beyond. Their showcase, the Peacock Suite, is of course extra-roomy, with art nouveau furniture, gold-painted wood-framed classical paintings, a black marble sink, an iron peacock sculpture, and peacock and swan paintings. Outside and in the pool grounds, the prevailing style is colonial Mediterranean – colonnades, blinding-white statues with a missing limb.... This is combined with Cebu-sourced mahogany-colored furniture employing a traditional Vizayan sawali weaving pattern and smart-looking all-weather rattan chairs and beach chaise lounges. The infinity pool fools your vision into swimming straight to Pamilacan Island right across the sea. Incidentally, it's fascinating to watch Asian glossy starlings and Pacific swallows take a dip in the pool at a fast clip at any random time of the day to cool off. I think their presence is more because of the duhat trees all around, the fruits of which the birds gorge on greedily. Malate habitués will be interested to know that Schoof also owns and has been operating for 15 years the Old Heidelberg German restaurant in Manila, where they serve all sorts of sausages on a big platter, among other traditional recipes. This is replicated at Peacock Garden on a grand scale. Here, the tables have black marble tops and dark hardwood bases. The chairs, carted all the way from Europe, date back to the 1700s and have embossed leather and sturdy wood and metal joinery. All around, too, are antique Viennese, French, and German cabinets, all well-preserved. Mammoth wrought-iron chandeliers transport diners straight to Old World Europe. Mounted on the walls are several heirloom pieces, including some fencing memorabilia of the GM's father dating back to the 1800s, as well as 1900s postcards of Heidelberg depicting sights that Rizal visited in his lifetime in the European city where "he stayed the longest." This resort is practically the Hans Schoofs' home and family museum! The star of the living room area is no doubt the lounge chair set from one Pastor Ullmer's mansion. Why? Because Rizal actually sat on it, and they have documents to prove it! The set is to be donated to the Calamba Museum by the time the family decides to transfer custody. Over dinner, I met Mr. Hans Schoof himself, a man with a stately mien but who, unlike the fowl his resort is named after, is anything but a strutting showoff. I learned that the 60-something Rizal fan is a native of Weisbaden, Germany. Schoof settled in the country after being charmed by a native Boholana named Lani Jubac, from the town of Albur. The rest is Peacock Garden's history, one entire story of bringing Europe's grandiosity to Baclayon. Mr. Schoof, we further learned, is currently the second highest Knight of Rizal -- second because only a Filipino citizen can hold the highest position. But says Mr. Schoof: "I have a German passport, but my heart is Filipino." He's been living in the country for about 20 years now with his wife and two children (he also has a daughter named Katherine). Now you don't want the Meister get started on his favored subject, or you'll spend the whole night wide awake without caffeine, like I did, absorbing overwhelming tidbits in one go such as Rizal's controversial retraction and his Austrian friend Ferdinand Blumentritt. Beside Old Heidelberg, an art nouveau iron gate with red-green-and-ochre gloss leads to the Hemingway Cigar Room and a well-stocked wine cellar, with wines from around the world. At the cigar room, I had fun identifying all the colorful, historic characters in their black and white portraits: Hemingway, Kennedy, Churchill, et al. It's a macho room of voluptuous dark brown leather upholstery. But the tabletops are of pink granite. Of course, you don't want to miss the photographs of Rizal's nine girlfriends, which are all displayed here. Count them all! The Old Heidelberg currently employs a Bavarian chef named Klaus Weingärtner, who has worked the South African hotels and resorts for 20 long years. He said he's having a great time here at eight months of work, so far, as he continues to adjust to the Filipino way of life. His staff strikes him as "friendly but lazy, easygoing, and always late" as compared with the European work ethic of long hard toil for the oncoming winter. As Hans' son Chris turns out to be a Political Economy grad from the University of Asia and the Pacific, our talk inevitably veered to the effects of topography and climate on work ethic and an employee's organizational behavior. Hans lectured me on the finer points of Low, Middle, and High German cuisine. "Schnitzel is not originally from Vienna, as the popular notion goes, but from Italy," he says. "German cuisine has many influences: Austrian, Bohemian, Czech, Italian, Hungarian." That explains the use of polenta (Italian), goulash (Hungarian), etc. on the menu. "German cuisine is not just all sausages," he added, eliciting loud laughter from me. "And we don't serve Filipino food here because they can have that elsewhere, and in a better way too." Over the course of a couple of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, we tasted several items including the Lobster Cream Soup Laced with Brandy and Saffron-Cucumber Soup with Chili and Sautéed Prawns – both rich and creamy – as well as Beef Consommé with Pancake Strips. The last was our instant favorite, which is "a very famous" soup in Germany and all over Europe. This must-try is totally palate-clarifying and tastebud-invigorating, yet never overpowering your desire to eat more later. All these came with their homemade, hot-from-the-oven bread rolls, which came with butter and schmaltz, a German spread which is ground pork fat with tidbits of onion and apple with salt and pepper. We munched on what appeared to be the etymological root of the word "schmaltzy." Next, we had Greek Salad Peacock-Style, which came off a bit too salty for me, plus the nuts and saccharine ingredients were missing, or am I talking about another Greek salad version? I also had the Fresh Garden Greens with Pancetta, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Olives, Feta Cheese and Croutons in Balsamic Olive Oil Dressing, a very light yet refreshing salad. It almost floated inside my mouth. Over some lunches and dinners, I made sure I had room for many major dishes (see picture captions). The dish that made the most impression on me was the Veal Cheeks in Red Wine Sauce, hands-down a winner, not the least for its chewy tenderness! Chef Klaus even offered an extra creation, all the way back from his South African days: Low-cholesterol Ostrich Meat Fillet in Mango Sauce and Chili with mashed potato and steamed veggies. The dish tasted like beef, but the postprandial smell of ostrich can be overpowering. Chris Schoof gave us sample wines to take our dinner with. He said he prefers the South African Mooiplaas Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, which we tried, over the classic French wines. I asked why, and he said, "Why don't you try it?" I did, and this non-connoisseur was instantly converted. At once, I sensed an extra brightness in the vintage I didn't notice in the French wines I tried. Chris is also Peacock's resident sommelier by default. Adjacent to the Old Heidelberg dining area is Peacock Room, which is for breakfasts, buffets, gatherings, and al fresco meals. The al fresco area features a stage where programs may be requested and staged. So far, there have been fireworks during their Chinese New Year celebration, Boholano cultural group shows that includes a presentation from the world-famous Loboc Children's Choir, and an Oktoberfest attended by German guests. The Fontana Aurelia Spa, a medieval Rome-style spa, has a reception area, male and female areas, locker rooms, VIP couples room with jacuzzi floral bath, steam room, etc., a small gym with a treadmill, etc., and a modern salon. Here, I forsook all my human rights, as I allowed Maricar, my masseuse, to wet, scrub, slather, wrap in plastic and aluminum foil, moisturize, and heat my badly sun-damaged skin in all manner of spa accouterments. I think I slept through it all and woke up a different man, i.e., minus ugly eyebags. On top of all these, Chris also took me on the nature adventure package. We went on a buggy ride around Baclayon town's dirt roads plus a 30-minute 'cruise' to Pamilacan Is., which honestly deserve one long feature each. Let me just say that we got the surprise of our lives on both counts. Aiding us with the buggy rides was Joel Uichico, who manages Bea Zobel Jr.'s BEZO project, a great community-based project that aims to offer alternative livelihood to locals to stop the destruction of heritage structures around town, as well as the vulnerable and unique coralline hill and marine reserve environment nearby. Frank, our tour guide, led us through several steep inclines, precipitous falls, and breathtaking stops filled with natural curiosities, engaging vistas, and other secrets that I am not too keen to reveal. Dolphin-watching at 6:00 AM has never been on my to-do list, but wow! Like Internet pop-up ads, the sea mammals made an apparition in several separate pods, and proved to be spectacularly numerous -- reportedly around two hundred in one sighting, if you consider the ones lurking underneath. Pamilacan Island's beach itself is virginity all around. Though not as blinding-white as in you-know-where, the sand here is just as powdery. It is still undeveloped, but that's the reason why I was completely taken in. The locals furiously oppose all manner of development, but maybe all they want is a more controlled development and sustainable livelihood. Pamilacan Island also offers occasional manta ray- and whale-spotting, kayaking, snorkeling, and diving in the well-preserved sanctuary. Peacock Garden, the family enterprise, is correctly billed a "labor of love," and based on our personal witness, it is a combination of features and offerings that no grand designer can top. |
|||
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
