Cintai Corito's Garden: Balinese Escape at Balete, Batangas

Flowers are in bloom, pastures are green as ever, different species of birds chirping and clucking and trees swaying along the refreshing breeze brought by the nearby Taal Lake – it feels like I am dreaming my great Bali dream, but actually, I am not. Everything was real and the only thing I was asked to do is savor every minute of my stay at Balete, Batangas' Cintai Corito's Garden.

If you Google the word “Cintai” (pronounced as Chin-tai), you'll see how this word is related to romance, passion and love. In Indonesia, where this place got its inspiration, Cintai simply means love. A place that is actually made out of love – the love of the children to their mother and the love of a husband to his wife – Cintai Corito’s Garden is overflowing with love that is set to captivate every guest’s heart, soul and mind.

When I visited the place with some friends a few days back, we were surprised to see such beauty exists just around 2 hours away from Metro Manila. Specifically located at Sitio Pandayan, Malabanan Balete, Batangas, Cintai Corito's Garden is currently managed by Paramount Property Management Company, the same group that handles Microtel Philippines.