With this trend, Belle Corporation, a part of SM Investments Corporation’s portfolio companies, has seen the growth of investments by families looking for new normal homes at Tagaytay Highlands, its mixed-use mountain resort development at the heart of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas.
“Tagaytay Highlands is no longer a secondary home but a primary home with more families seeing our properties as more than just a perfect getaway. Even with a treasured history of more than two and a half decades, the estate continues to adapt and transform and promises to be a place of recreation, connectivity, and learning,” Tagaytay Highlands founder Willy Ocier said.
Developed in 1989, Tagaytay Highlands is poised for the future with its ongoing digital modernization. This entails increased wi-fi connectivity to facilitate a work-from-home lifestyle and remote schooling.
To take advantage of the growing demand for unconfined areas in the new normal, 40% of Tagaytay Highlands residential communities’ total development area is dedicated to open spaces, thereby allowing its residents plenty of room for recreation, wellness and communing with nature while having a majestic view of Taal Lake. Tagaytay Highlands, which has a sprawling land area of approximately 1,500 hectares, also has dedicated areas for biking and pedal go-karts, and is known for its Tagaytay Highlands and Midlands golf courses.
The Midlands, a 594-hectare themed residential enclave also featuring wide spaces and is situated in Talisay, Batangas City with panoramic views of Taal and Mt. Makiling, has been touted as a bird sanctuary offering bird watchers and enthusiasts a welcome respite from work and an avenue for their passion.
The pandemic has also cultivated ‘plant therapy’ enthusiasts (In the vernacular: “Plantitos and Plantitas”) who now happily tend to their flourishing home gardens to manage stress.
Newest project developments at Tagaytay Highlands
Belle’s latest development, The Grove at Plantation Hills in the Greenlands, provides ample green space for nurturing plants. This 22-hectare leisure farm community is master-planned to be a residential and farming concept-in-one.
The Grove at Plantation Hills
The Grove’s Orchard Lots range from 750 to 1,300 square meters with 65% of each lot cut ideal for growing fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables in the comfort of one’s own backyard. Its Garden Lots, with lot sizes ranging from 450 to 600 square meters, enable future residents to build their dream farmhouses and surround these with an abundance of greens. Here, they can grow all the fresh produce they want for a farm-to-table lifestyle—plus bright-colored flowers and ornamental shrubs.
Tagaytay Highlands brings green spaces close to its residents to allow exposure to nature and promote active lifestyles. This is in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation that people should be able to access these outdoor spaces that are within 300 meters’ linear distance of their homes, a mere 5-minute walk.
Meanwhile, Highlands Prime, Inc., co-developer of Tagaytay Highlands and a subsidiary of SM Prime Holdings, Inc., recently expanded the condominium developments at The Midlands with The Horizon Terraces.
The Horizon Terraces, which offers the Garden Suites and Garden Villas, dedicates over 70 percent of its land area to recreational and garden space. Blending beautifully with the natural landscape, the Central Garden at Horizon Terraces inspires leisurely pursuits such as a stroll at the Garden Courtyard with Sundial; young children to romp and play at the Sensory Garden; seniors to spend quiet moments at the Pocket Gardens; and the entire family to take a dip in resort-inspired swimming pools.
