Luxury in Motion
Embark on the world’s most refined escapes, where luxury is a language and every detail speaks to taste. From esoteric retreats and heritage hotels to elevated food rituals, fine wine, and rare vintages, it celebrates the pleasures of travel, hospitality, and gastronomy for those who seek elegance not as an exception but as a way of life.
BAGUIO, Philippines — When you feel nostalgic for the bygone days of Baguio, when it wasn’t bursting with tourists and became an urban blur, there’s a new destination for you.
Tucked 1,400 meters above sea level within the posh Alphaland Baguio Mountain Lodges is a rustic countryside sanctuary called the Balesin Pines. Tranquil and exclusive, it offers breathtaking vistas of the mountain ranges of the Cordillera.
Just 17 minutes from Baguio City via the scenic Ambuklao Road, Balesin Pines features 18 sumptuous one-bedroom suites and two signature restaurants: Yum Cha, which serves Asian cuisine, and La Réserve, which offers continental fare.
“Balesin Pines is one of the properties that is part of Balesin Key, a membership that unlocks three properties,” explained Joanna Ongpin-Duarte, the Balesin spokesperson. “As a member, you have access to three properties, namely, Balesin Island, Balesin City, and Balesin Pines. You have eight free villa nights that you can use in any of the properties.”
Balesin Key is the only private membership in the Philippines that offers a comprehensive luxury lifestyle across three exclusive destinations: Balesin Island – a private tropical escape off the coast of Quezon Province; Balesin City (formerly The City Club) – a hub for modern work-life balance in Makati; and Balesin Pines – a serene mountain retreat in Baguio.
Balesin Pines guests can also enjoy the broader amenities of Alphaland Baguio Mountain Lodges such as The Clubhouse Inn, which features eight cozy rooms, a grand fireplace, a restaurant (indoor and al fresco), lounging areas, and a karaoke room; a 1.2-kilometer hiking trail, with seasonal closures during rainy months, where guests can spot coffee plants and sapinit (Philippine wild raspberry); a mini sports center with a multi-purpose court for basketball or badminton; an open-air photogenic Catholic chapel; and two helipads.
“Balesin Pines is like one building inside that village [Alphaland Baguio Mountain Lodges] but it serves as [a place] where the Balesin Key member can access. The idea really is when you have a Key membership, you're able to have these luxury-type vacations that are very different. You can do the city, right? You can do sports, you can do business there, socials. You can do the island, which is the beach. And you can do Pines, which is mountains. So, with one membership, you have different flavors. With one membership, you have three different experiences,” Ongpin-Duarte said
At the three Balesin properties, there may be subtle but unmistakable unifying hints like the color scheme of the interiors or the choice of décor that make them distinct.
“So, you can see there are signature elements to the design, but it's more of the service and the experience. Balesin is so unique in the sense that where can you find a membership that gives you access to three properties, right? And our flagship, Balesin Island, it's so unique in the sense that it's only 30 minutes away from our bay. But when you arrive there, it's like 500 hectares of so many different varieties and villages,” said Ongpin-Duarte.
The island has seven restaurants with different smells such as Indonesian, Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, and Greek.
“So, it's very unique in that sense that you can do so many things, and there's so much variety. So, you can stay a whole week, two weeks, without repeating a restaurant. Or even if you’ve been repeating it, you won't get tired,” Ongpin-Duarte assured.
“So that's the difference between Balesin and maybe going to a luxury resort in Cebu or in Palawan where normally it's one resort, one hotel with just three or four restaurants,” said Ongpin-Duarte. “But normally, these island resorts have only one restaurant. And just after two or three days, you’ve done everything. In Balesin, after one, you haven't done everything.”
