Vivere Azure, Batangas: A Well-Kept “Secret” Getaway
We were able to discover and try yet another interesting and relaxing summer destination not too far from Manila. In Anilao, Batangas (just a 2-3 hour drive from our metro) is a 13-suite boutique resort hotel called Vivere Azure, run by the very same management and team behind the lovely Vivere hotel in Alabang.
We only stayed a night but we vow to return with family and friends since it was such a refreshing and invigorating experience for us.
It was actually a blessing that during our stay, it was a rare moment for the resort that, apart from a handful of people having a seminar in one of the rooms, we were the only guests in the entire place! It gave us a chance to really maximize the pool and enjoy every little nook and cranny. Normally it really is filled with guests, especially during the summer season.
Their reception area is lovely, right in front of an edge pool overlooking the vast sea, with lots of wooden and bamboo furniture.
Apart from the lulling sound of gently crashing waves against the shore, you get to hear the tinkle of chimes, and the steady beating of your heart as you relish the calm and quiet in this really nice place.
Their bean bags and soft cushions are inviting, and they have a selection of books and a few magazines for you to enjoy if you decide to hang around by the pool.
We were welcomed with chilled glasses of freshly-squeezed dalandan juice upon our arrival. Though we originally picked the Sapphire room (on the second floor overlooking the ocean), the kind and gracious manager, Miss Elvie suggested that we try the one on the ground floor after seeing we had a little child (our toddler-daughter) and would probably want to do without climbing up the wooden bamboo steps up to our room. It was a good recommendation, and our room was just as pretty as the others.
Our room was on the ground floor, just a few steps away from the beach.
This is the view if you choose a 2nd floor room.
The resort is a remarkably compact edifice, with just a handful of rooms that guarantee utmost privacy. Here’s a shot of the rooms from the beach.
Their edge pool (which had freshwater that was warm, great for dipping after a swim in the ocean) gave a breathtaking view of the sea since it is overlooking the beach. My husband and daughter and I enjoyed this the most.
At night, the place looks romantic. Miss Elvie shared with us that it can actually be arranged for couples to go on a guided/accompanied star-gazing trip on the beach, in one of their rafts, complete with cushions.
The view of the beach from our room.
We were led to a well-appointed room with two beds and a daybed…When they saw that we had a little girl, they added a huge queen-sized cover mattress so that we would have just one huge bed to share.
Lovely and clean bathroom.
The basket of toiletries that was in our bathroom was well-stocked, and I was happy to note that they use toiletries from Ilog Maria Bee Farm (a plus for me!)
They even have a breakfast nook with a view of the sea, a nice place to snack and laze about.
We opted to have breakfast by the pool.
The beach (let’s face it, this is Batangas, not Boracay) was alright, a bit rocky but it was okay for a short trip. It’s really more of the view and the swim that you’re really after, and the place is perfect to just soak up every little beautiful thing you see.
There’s even an enchanting little treehouse right by the reception area where you can have private talks or intimate conversations with family or friends.
And they do have the perfect chairs for sunbathing.
My personal raves for Vivere Azure:
Customer Service was SUPERB. The food they served was good!
- My husband and I were taken with the way they gave us such personalized and friendly service. The staff was always accomodating and generous with suggestions but never overbearing, whether it was to offer us to wear some booties to protect our feet from the rocks on the shore, or suggest that we try their seafood specialties (their grilled prawns with lemon butter sauce were really lip-smackingly tasty).
When we asked if it would be possible for them to prepare pasta and soup for our little girl (my Drian isn’t too fond of seafood just yet), they happily obliged and prepared for her a tray of her own with pasta carbonara, mushroom soup, salad, dessert, and juice.
I tried their Salpicao, and it was also well-seasoned and tender. It was a relief for me that most (if not all) the food we tried at the resort was filling and well-prepared.
Their afternoon snack (turon with chocolate, with vanilla ice cream on the side and iced tea) was yummy…The turon was cooked with ube inside that melted in your mouth at every bite.
Miss Elvie, the hotel’s manager was very friendly and genuinely warm and kind. She offered to show us around, and also asked if we wanted any special arrangements made for a tour, like island-hopping, stargazing. She also shared with us that all of the members of their staff annually update and go through Red Cross Training for safety measures and CPR just in case any of the guests would need assistance in the water. A great comfort, especially for a mom like me, to know that there are always lifeguards around. All of the people in their staff (Ariel, Edison, Erwin, Mickey, and even all the others we may have forgotten to mention) were always there to offer a helping hand, a cold drink, and would even go and inflate a water/swimming pool toy for our child.
- We liked that Vivere Azure offered packages that included meals. It was a relief not have to pull out our wallets all the time after consuming a meal, except to offer a generous tip. And like I already mentioned, the meals served were good!
- Like most boutique hotels, Vivere Azure has very few rooms, that way we knew we would never have to stay or worry that we’d be stuck in a crowded place or pool.
A RANT OR TWO ABOUT VIVERE AZURE:
- There honestly isn’t much to rant about this lovely place, but we do have just a few constructive comments: For an overnight or a two-night stay, the delicious meals in their menu would suffice, but it would be great also if they could expand their menu further, not just highlight seafood specialties, but also other kinds of cuisine, like Japanese food (sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki) or Spanish (arroz a la cubana, or tapas) or Hawaiian BBQ (baby-back ribs) that I feel would make a lot of guests happy. A wide range of choices always pleases guests.
- We were happy that they had a selection of DVDs to watch on the flat-screen TV we had in our hotel room. The only problem was one of the DVDs that we were watching stopped right in the middle of the movie (“Shawshank Redemption, specifically) so we felt kind of disappointed and had to request another movie be brought to our room.
Other than these two comments, we absolutely have nothing to complain about in this beautiful place. The beach, we have to admit, wasn’t a pristine-white sand kind of beach, but we knew that when we drove to Batangas. It was enough to be able to swim for a bit in the beach but it was truly more of an enjoyable and soothing moment to just lay back on their sunbathing chairs, go for a leisurely dip in the edge pool, inhale the sea breeze at their cabanas, and just revel in the summer experience of being out of town.
We definitely will be back with family and friends. VIVERE AZURE is really a nice place to steal away to that isn’t too far from Manila, but is warm and windy enough for a bright summer beach day. Hope you all enjoy just as much as my little family did, or even more!
For more details, check out the following links:
6 Responses to “Vivere Azure, Batangas: A Well-Kept “Secret” Getaway”
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Hi how much was your budget? can you bring in food like snacks?
Nope, we didn’t bring food or snacks because they had meals there.
feel free to check out the Vivere Azure website. 
So sorry, I don’t remember how much our budget was at the time. 
For sure you’re going to have a wonderful time there!
Hi there! May I know the name of the room you got? We also have a little girl with us so we’d prefer to get the rooms on the first floor too. Thanks!
I’m not sure if we got the Aqua or the Ultima, but you can just ask the manager and request for a room on the first floor, they have a couple of choices. Enjoy!
Ohhhh lovely!!!
Thanks very much!