Hacienda Isabella

A friend, who was a little heartbroken, asked me for an advice on what to do with someone she likes but feels doesn’t return the same feeling. I laughed and said to just listen to James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful, which started playing on my tablet as if on cue. The last line pretty much sums up what to do when reality takes over a dream.

I added that the serenity and green salad at Hacienda Isabella will also help her move on. I promised.

A sprawling 4.5 hectare bed and breakfast place and event’s venue in Indang, Cavite, Hacienda Isabella is a beautiful weekend get-away and a perfect venue for those who want to celebrate special personal milestones and occasions. The hacienda, which used to be a coffee plantation and farmhouse, is owned by the Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma and was named after her only daughter Isabella.

I am quite fascinated with the natural greenery of the hacienda – the trees, lawn, flowers and plants. They are not only relaxing to the eyes, they also evoke romance. No doubt it has become one of the most sough-after garden wedding venues among the affluent members of the alta sociedad.

The main house of the hacienda has gorgeous living and dining rooms with terracotta tiled floors and adorned with wooden furniture, chandeliers, and stunning artworks and pieces. I got enamored with the eroded Mona Lisa, which looks even more mysterious than the one originally painted by Da Vinci.   

Aside from the main house, there are several villas (Marrakech, Agua, Constantino, Woodhouse, Chinois, Rosa, Alto) with over 50 Filipino-Balinese-Moroccan-inspired guest rooms that are spread over the hacienda. They are mainly to accommodate big groups, especially when there is a wedding ceremony. 

Daybeds are ample too. Anytime, anyone could sleep around anywhere.

The dining experience at the hacienda is like going to war. One will most likely surrender. This is because the quantity of their gastronomic food good for two is enough to feed a family of five. Their healthy and delicious green salad alone with Caesar dressing is enough to make one believe in love again. I actually clapped in glee the moment I saw the attractive salad presentation.

Make your own green salad

  

Pasta with Amatriciana and tinapa sauce, roasted herbed chicken, and fish fillet

Camote fries

Since Kuh isn’t only a chanteuse but also an artist, expect to find more paintings, vintage luggage, old cameras, antiques, heirloom decors and creative designs in every corner of the hacienda. She simply has that eye for beauty in objects that others might find already outdated or broken.

Behind the main house is the pool area. It is surrounded with real sands to give it an almost beach-like feel. It’s refreshing to just swim and momentarily forget all my work deadlines.

But beyond its nostalgic elegance, what makes Hacienda Isabella endearing is how it pays homage to God. The Bible passages, religious quotes and sayings I’ve seen inside gently reminded me that only three things endure in this world - hope, faith and love. Definitely not LV, iphone or Lamborghini Veneno Roadster. 

And If I humbly follow the way of God, maybe someday everything will fall into place. 

Hacienda Isabella

#8 Carasuchi St., Brgy. Carasuchi

Indang, Cavite

Tel. No.: 0917-8139065