Maya-Maya Heights: At the heart of the Nasugbu
Philippine Land Marketing and Development
Corporation Pacific Building 1325 Filmore Avenue Makati, Metro Manila
Philippines
The Nasugbu
coastline area, with Maya-Maya at its center, is among the most beautiful
settings in Asia, with its high, bush-covered hills overlooking white sand
beaches and coves fronting clean blue water.
Maya-Maya is centrally located on a corridor of major tourism and
residential property projects along the Nasugbu and Cavite coast – probably
the biggest under way in this sector in the Philippines at this time,
covering thousands of hectares of prime coastal real estate close to the
capital Manila.
Maya-Maya is about 155 kilometers or 2-1/2 hours’ drive from Metro Manila
via the existing main route through Tagaytay. Access to Maya-Maya will
improve further in 2008 when a new express highway opens from Manila along
the Cavite coastline via Maya-Maya to Nasugbu. This will reduce driving time
from/to Manila to just over 1 hour. Fast-ferry services are also planned to
the area from Manila.
Most indicators suggest the Philippine economy is on the upward swing of a
major growth cycle. The country’s international ratings are now stable and
positive; both foreign and major local investments are surging; the
political situation is stable with a strong government. Two particular areas
of business – home-owner property buying and tourism – are early
beneficiaries of the upsurge and have been specified by the government as
priority sectors. Investors in these priority sectors are often entitled to
substantial tax incentives.
Further enhancing the Maya-Maya area’s appeal, Philippine
President Gloria Arroyo recently issued an Executive Order (No. 647 dated
August 3, 2007) creating a Nasugbu Special Tourism Zone. This pledges
government priority for planning and undertaking support projects and
programs to preserve the Nasugbu and Maya-Maya area’s development and
attractiveness as a tourist destination.
With improvements to the roads and infrastructure, the natural attractions
coupled with their nearness to Manila have won sudden new attention in
recent years. Major developers have moved in and there have been brisk sales
to oceanside home buyers, many of them affluent individuals who are building
multi-million-peso beachfront and hillside homes. Following the success of
that phase, the developers are now turning to condominium projects which are
selling well. Amidst the ongoing development, property values in the area
are soaring.
Maya-Maya Heights is a small, exclusive community at the center of all this
new development.
Maya-Maya’s neighbors are:
• Peninsula de Punta Fuego, an 88-hectare residential estate developed by the Landco Pacific and Roxaco Land group with a golf course, clubhouse, and boating marina. The 641 residential lots there sold out quickly.
• Terrazas de Punta Fuego, a 42-hectare sister community to Peninsula de Punta Fuego with 313 residential lots, many of which have been sold. Newest phase to go on the market here is Amara en Terrazas, a complex of 95 condominium units.
• Hamilo Coast is a project of the big SM group, which will eventually encompass 5,700 hectares with private homes, condominium buildings, hotels, golf course, clubs and other resort-oriented facilities. The initial phase at Hamilo Coast is the 40-hectare Pico de Loro Cove, with 11 six-storey condominium buildings.
• Kawayan Cove, a 61-hectare residential development with overall site development nearly complete, healthy sales reported, and homes under construction. There are 183 residential lots here.
• Canyon Cove represents the rebirth of the former Evercrest Beach Resort, a major hotel project which was foreclosed part-built and uncompleted several years ago, because it was ahead of its time and under-funded. This has now been relaunched by the developers of the successful Canyon Woods complex in Tagaytay – primarily as a condominium hotel/resort.
• Tali Beach is a similarly long-established community adjacent to Maya-Maya with about 75 private homes.
• Nasugbu town itself (population about 103,000 according to the last government census for 2004) is the fastest growing center in the area – already almost a city with an expanding residential and commercial population.
• The nearby Sanctuary Spa at Maya-Maya remains the only full resort in the area and only Maya-Maya Yacht Club offers major boat repair facilities in the area. A multi-million-dollar upgrading and expansion of the resort is planned in the near future.
Maya-Maya resort’s existing facilities and amenities
include 14 cabanas; a spa complex an extensive al fresco restaurant & bar
area; a casual family lounge area with satellite television, pool table,
table-tennis and other games and recreation amenities; Wi-Fi internet
connection for guests with laptop computers; airconditioned conference and
function facilities for 30 people; a large central swimming pool set among
extensive gardens; a storm-protected boating marina with wet berths for up
to 45 boats and repair and maintenance facilities including a 50-tonne
marine travel-lift for large yachts. This is the only full boat repair yard
in the area (nearby Punta Fuego has a boat marina but only limited repair
facilities).
Above all this soars Maya-Maya Heights, an exclusive corner of the Nasugbu boom