BLISSFULLY BLESSED AT CASA AMARA
Casa Amara allows its guests not only proximity to nature and a retreat from the vagaries of urban living, while offering the basic amenities and conveniences that we always want
With the pandemic limiting one’s options to have a dream wedding, anyone who plans to tie the knot has to look far or make do with what is available, which could be right in one’s own backyard if one did not think it too common.
My friend, Gemma Luz Corotan Kolb, who journalism a long time ago lost to the world of enterprise, owns a large, splendid home in San Juan Batangas, not in the crowded touristy strip, but tucked somewhere where one can enjoy the magnificent view of the sky, mountains and the sea. And this is where I would recommend couples to exchange their marriage vows — in nature’s splendor.
A family home (okay, make that “a large family home”), Casa Amara allows its guests not only proximity to nature and a retreat from the vagaries of urban living, while offering the basic amenities and conveniences that we always want, even if we go out and far to the wilderness.
In this case, it is not wilderness that is jungle-like but one that’s just a few kilometers from town, while responding to guests’ need for exclusiveness, seclusion and tranquility.
The interior of this sprawling villa is primarily homey, with trimmings, frames and bric-a-brac that encourage one to feel comfortable in an ambience that is both understatedly grand and familial.
Gemma even assures the couple and their well-wishers that they can have all the place to themselves because it is actually a home. And if Gemma promises to reserve every nook, cranny and hall for you, that is exactly what she means, including rooms for your guests too, granted, of course, you do not exceed the allowed number given the IATF protocol. Anyway, the place has enough space to allow guests to socialize and dine one meter apart, thanks to the generous dimensions that the owner-couple, Klaus and Gemma, insisted from day one of planning the structure.
The interior of this sprawling villa is primarily homey, with trimmings, frames and bric-a-brac that encourage one to feel comfortable in an ambience that is both understatedly grand and familial. Think traditional European chic with modern and millennial thrown here and there. The result is both luxurious and simple, quite a contradiction but is possible when the decorator, in this case Gemma herself, goes for balance and harmony while creating an occasional dramatic corner or wall for guests to behold and marvel at, like an assemblage of modern and antique artifacts as well as home-crafted figurines and frames, obviously Gemma’s handiwork.
The practical side of this venue is that it is not expensive compared to the five-star reception venues and accommodations in Metro Manila. Moreover, one can either dress for beachy comfort and informality or, if the theme or motif so demands, dress elegantly as though in a reception in a stately yet groovy mansion.
Finally, of course, the couple need not travel for their honeymoon right after the reception. They could just retire to their room, stare at the starry evening skies, with the moon saying hello to them and after the flirting, they could just dive into the bed and savor life’s pleasures happily ever after.