Resort Review: The Cocoons at Club Laiya (San Juan, Batangas)

Date of Stay: September 14-15, 2022

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: ********

Rooms: ********

Condition and Cleanliness: *********

Staff Performance: *******

Room Comfort: ********

Food and Beverage: ********

Other Amenities: ********

Value for Money: ********

The Cocoons at Club Laiya

Since its first-ever iteration in the world (the Capsule Inn in Osaka, opened in 1979), capsule or pod hotels (from solo-bed boxes to full-on small-sized rooms) have been around as an accommodation option, spreading to other countries and cities. Here in the Philippines, they always offer something new.  An interesting example is the Cocoons at Club Laiya, part of Landco Pacific Corporation’s 24-hectare development managed by Millennial Resorts, its hospitality arm.

 

The Cocoon area

Here, they converted and utilized large, repurposed large drainage pipes and trailers refurbishing them into experimental, unconventional and cylindrical sleeping pods for an intimate and cozy overnight stay. Built one on top of two (the upper pod is accessed by a steel stair),  they have vibrantly painted beach-themed murals on its exterior celebrating the diverse marine life of Laiya.  Now Instagram-worthy accommodations complete with modern conveniences, robust Wi-Fi for Work from the Beach (WFB) is part of the set-up.

The Cocoon interior

 

The 33 iconic, 10 sq. m. (108 sq. ft.) Poolside and Garden Cocoons have queen-size beds (good for 2 pax), pillows, a comforter, blackout curtains and modern facilities such as window-type airconditioning, a wall-mounted flat screen cable TV, mini fridge, coffee and tea making facility and a safety deposit box for personal belongings.  The interior is designed with star-like lights on the ceiling. There are no phones in the room but staff are nearby to assist with anything.  Instead of magnetic card keys, we were provided with RFID (radio frequency identification) magnetic bracelets to access our pods.

 

RFID magnetic bracelet

Most cocoons have no room for a toilet and bath inside but modern communal bathrooms, just a few steps away, have lockers, lavatories, toilets and spacious shower rooms.   Towels and toiletries are provided.  There are, however, individual cocoons with a toilet for those who wake up at night to pee. For those who want to go to the resort for a day tour, they also have cabanas for bigger groups.  

Club Laiya's white sand beach

 

The Cocoons, a perfect mix of luxury minus the monotony of hotels and the inconvenience of outdoor camping, are a no-fuss, small-sized and a value-for-money place to stay. Cocoons are also available at the 15-hectare Calatagan South Beach (CaSoBe), Club Laiya’s sister cocoon resort. Rates range from Php3700 to Php5,800.

 

The tropical Asian style Laiya Beach Club

By November of this year, a one-of-a-kind beachfront experience will be made available to glampers - two “Camperisti.” Located along the powdery white sand beach, these airconditioned, Airstream-style, 30-ft. aluminum travel trailers can sleep up to six people.  Made in China, it features a bedroom, a bathroom, a U-shaped dinette (with a versatile dining table that makes into a queen-size bed) and a kitchenette with induction cooktop and microwave oven.  

 

One of Club Laiya's two Camperisti

The tropical Asian-style Laiya Beach Club, overlooking the infinity and lap pools and the private white sand beach and its cobalt-blue waters, houses a 24-hour Front desk and the Sands Restaurant (open 7 AM to 6 PM) at the second floor. The all-day Sands Restaurant offers a modern range of Filipino dishes (bulasing, tofu bagnet sisig, hickory porkchops, Chinese-style fried chicken, fish filet with mushroom cheese sauce, etc.) and desserts (mango cheesecake, etc.).  Prices range from Php250 for a plated breakfast, Php229 to 279 for snacks, and Php450 for main course dishes.

 

The beachfront, pirate-themed Captain Barbozza Restaurant and Bar

The beachfront, pirate-themed Captain Barbozza Restaurant and Bar, named after the fictional Hector Barbozza of the beloved Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) serves, on tables-on-barrels, whiskey and beer, hearty chicken and ribs and all manner of hearty cuisine, from noon to sundown. It also has bean bags for lounging around.

 

The infinity swimming pool

The resort also offers jetskiing (Php2,500 for 30 mins, Php4,000 for one hours), parasailing (Php3,000 for 15 mins. for two persons), flying fish (Php1,500-1,800), banana boat rides (Php1,500-3,000 for 15 mins.), speedboat  (Php6,000 for one hour for 6 persons), dragon boat (Php300 for 15 mins. per person) and the disco ball UFO (Php400 for 15 mins. per person). You can also book a sunset cruise on board the Naya, a 46 ft. long catamaran.

 

Beachside cabanas

Cocoons at Club Laiya: Club Laiya, Brgy. Aplaya Laiya, San Juan, Batangas.  Mobile number: (0917) 894-7013 and (0999) 225-3333.  E-mail: inquire@clublaiya.com. Website: www.cocoonc.clublaiya@millenialresorts.com.    

How to Get There: Club Laiya is a three-hour drive from Metro Manila via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road) Tollway and the San Juan-Laiya Road.

"Disrupting Wild Echoes" Exhibit (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

"Disrupting Wild Echoes" Exhibit

The "Disrupting Wild Echoes" by Sarah Ronald Exhibit, opened last March 17, 2022 at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum and curated by Yukiko Stranger-Galey (with Chris Stinson as Scientific Curator),  was initially inspired by the artist’s real and unintentional encounters with coyotes, bears and raccoons in her own backyard and, later, by thoughts about the animal’s experiences before, during and after their encounters with her. 

Check out "Beaty Biodiversity Museum"

Landspeaker (X) - 2021, soft pastel and colored pencil on drafting film

Ronald, a Canadian BFA graduate of Okanagan University College now living in Port Coquitlam, explores themes of wildlife conservation through her hand-drawn animations of wildlife.  Her diverse upbringing in the rural Okanagan shaped her future as a multi-disciplinary nature artist and aspiring creative writer.  To present wildlife and climate concerns beyond the traditional art spaces, she sees installation art and projected animation becoming a significant aspect of her practice.

 

Landspeaker (XII) - 2021, soft pastel
and colored pencil on drafting film

The exhibit, designed by Derek Tan and Evan Craig (with Lesha Koop as fabricator), runs until September 25, 2022.  At the exhibit, we explored the artist's beautiful drawings inspired by the visual language of nighttime captures by trail cameras, whose use becomes an extension of her hand-drawn visualizations.

 

Intuitors - 2021, soft pastel and
colored pencil on drafting film

It offered us an opportunity to relearn and rejoin the natural world, in an ecologically beneficial and holistic way, to consider and connect more wholly with the experience of wild animals.  Using art, Sarah made us explore what it could feel like for an animal to encounter humans in the backyards that we share.

 

Landspeaker (XI) - 2021, soft pastel
and colored pencil on drafting film

Naturally developed into chapters with titles such as “Territory (I), (II), (III)” and so on, the nighttime portraits of animals (which Ronald calls “landspeakers”) captured in the wild include an intrigued, innocently goofy and surprised raccoon, a wolf sniffing the ground and an unsuspecting fox (with fear in his eyes) carrying off a recent kill.

 

Phantom Neighbour - 2021, soft pastel
and colored pencil on drafting film

They are blurred forms with implied movements, unnatural lighting, heightened contrast, muffled darkness and seemingly foreign landscapes.  These emotionally charged depictions mirror human experiences like fear and curiosity, making us relate to these four-legged creatures much more.

Arching Portal - 2021, soft pastel and
colored pencil on drafting film

“Disrupting Wild Echoes” Exhibit: Beaty Biodiversity Museum,  2212 Main Mall, Point Grey, University of British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, British Columbia.  Tel: 604-827-4955. Fax: 604-822-0686.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM.  Admission: C$14 (regular), C$30-45 (Family)  and free (students, staff and faculty).  E-mail: info@beatymuseum.ubc.ca.  Website: www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca.   Coordinates: 49.2636°N 123.2514°W. 

How to Get There: Take the 99-B Bus going straight to the University of British Columbia.  The museum is a 10-min. walk from there.

"Preventing Extinctions: Architecting the Accretocene" Exhibit (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

Preventing Extinctions - Architecting the Accretocene” Exhibit

The “Preventing Extinctions: Architecting the Accretocene” Exhibit, at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, is an exhibit on habitat restoration and rewilding that has been a decade in the making. 

Palmyra Atoll

Conceived by conservation photographer and Beaty Biodiversity Museum supporter Dr. Andrew S. Wright, it celebrates the successes that Island Conservation has had across the world in saving species from extinction on remote islands.

Check out "Beaty Biodiversity Museum"

Gwaii Haanas (Haida Gwaii)

Opened last May 19, 2022, this exhibit features the success of Island Conservation on five islands  - Gwaii Haanas (Canada), Okinoshima (Japan),  Kaho’olawe  (Hawaii),  Palmyra Atoll (Northern Line Islands, South Pacific ) and Isla Floreana and Seymour Norte (Galápagos Islands).  The exhibit runs until March 26, 2023.

 

Okinoshima (Japan)

Since 1994, Island Conservation has teamed up with local communities, governments, and conservation groups in their effort to save species by removing invasive species from fragile ecosystems to protect native biodiversity.  Their efforts focus on the environments where species are the most vulnerable.

 

Isla Floreana and Isla Seymour Norte (Galapagos Islands)

As a part of a global effort where people contribute to the health of the world’s environment, they work together and  have successfully restored 65 islands worldwide, benefiting over 500 species.The recovery work, requiring determination and endurance, has outcomes that are profound and spectacular to experience.

 

Kaho''olawe (Hawaii)

“Preventing Extinctions: Architecting the Accretocene” Exhibit: Beaty Biodiversity Museum,  2212 Main Mall, Point Grey, University of British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, British Columbia.  Tel: 604-827-4955. Fax: 604-822-0686.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM.  Admission: C$14 (regular), C$30-45 (Family)  and free (students, staff and faculty).  E-mail: info@beatymuseum.ubc.ca.  Website:
www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca.   Coordinates: 49.2636°N 123.2514°W. 

How to Get There: Take the 99-B Bus going straight to the University of British Columbia.  The museum is a 10-min. walk from there.

Restaurant Review: Cactus Club Cafe Bentall (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

Cactus Club Cafe Bentall

Cactus Club Cafe Bentall, a Vancouver institution, is part of a chain, founded in 1988 by Richard Jaffray anf now owned by the Fuller family (who also owns Earl’s Kitchen + Bar) that has grown to 32 locations (seven in Vancouver including a couple on the waterfront) all over Canada as of this writing. 

 

Outdoor dining area

It boasts award winning service and offers a menu that is crafted with fresh, local and sustainable ingredients, designed , since 2008, by Canada’s first Iron Chef America Champion Rob Feenie.

 

The vaulted glass wall at the interior

Cactus Club Cafe's culinary vision is led by the Test Kitchen, a team of world-class chefs. The chefs in the Test Kitchen are always looking for inspiration to make food people love, and they work relentlessly to create recipes that will be cherished by our guests, using fresh, local ingredients.

 

Mezzanine Level dining area

They proudly support Canadian farmers and partner with leading organizations such as Ocean Wise and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef to promote continuous improvement across the food supply chain.

 

View of dining area from mezzanine

The massive, two-storey restaurant at Bentall 5, with a great, upbeat atmosphere and a casual and sophisticated vibe, is located in a beautiful building, with vaulted glass walls at the front, at Vancouver’s Financial District.  The seating inside consists of a nice mix of square and round booths, a bar, a lounge and a heated patio. As we brought along our dog Luffy, we were seated at their outdoor patio, a perfect people watching spot.   

 

Wine rack

For starters, Grace ordered the Ravioli + Prawn Trio (CAD17¼), Chef Rob Feenie’s signature and fabulously luscious pasta recipe with butternut squash and mascarpone ravioli (Feenie is renowned for his ravioli), truffle butter, sautéed jumbo prawns, pine nuts and crispy sage. Kyle wanted the Chicken Tenders (CAD18¾), panko-breaded chicken with sea salted fries and honey mustard dip.

 

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Cheska ordered the vibrant and perfectly balanced Thai Curry Prawns whose spiced green coconut curry draws from traditional Thai ingredients such as lemongrass, ginger, shallot, kaffir lime, steamed bok choy, spinach, peppers, sprouts and fresh herbs, all sprinkled with crispy ricefor a little crunch.

 

Cheddar Bacon Burger

We also tried out the Cheddar Bacon Burger (smashed certified Angus beef, aged cheddar, smoked bacon, red relish, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sea salted fries, CAD22). For dessert, we tried out the Chocolate Lava Cake (CAD11¼), molten dark chocolate cake with Tahitian vanilla ice cream.

 

Chicken Tenders

Although a bit pricey, the food was excellent and really delicious. The waitress serving was also kind, courteous, polite and professional, checking on us, from time to time, to make sure everything was okay. 

 

Thai Curry Prawns

Chocolate Lava Cake

Cactus Club Café Bentall 5: 588 Burrard St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 0A8 Canada.  Tel: +1 604-682-0933. Open daily, 11 AM – 12 AM.  Website: www.cactusclubcafe.com/location/bentall-5/.

Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh (War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward (Vancouver Maritime Museum, British Columbia, Canada))

 

Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh (War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward)

The “Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh (War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward),” a temporary multidisciplinary exhibition at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, ongoing from September 16, 2021 to August 15, 2022, showcases Canoe Cultures, a program that promotes canoe pulling and builds new traditional Indigenous canoes through an apprenticeship program (led by seventh-generation canoe builder Mike Billy Sr. who has the Squamish name Lemxacha Siyam).

 

Ho’-ku-melh is a Chinook Jargon (a trade language that was used in what is now known as Alaska, British Columbia and Oregon) word meaning “to gather.” The 20 indigenous artists and knowledge holders in this expansive and multi-sensory journey share their gifts as they celebrate the resilience of indigenous communities and explore climate change, food security, displacement, ongoing colonialism and more while celebrating the history of the war canoe on the West Coast. 

The exhibition gathers together many voices and much wisdom about Salish canoes through stories, poems, textiles, murals, illustrations, and photographs as well as actual canoes (old, new and as works-in-progress).

 

Canoe Moon (Gerry Sheena - Interior Salish)

Curated by Roxanne Charles (a mixed media artist, contemporary storyteller and a member of Semiahmoo First Nation in Surrey, British Columbia), Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh also honors the long history of canoe culture on the West Coast. 

Canoe Cultures Carving Tools

The canoe, a vital element to coastal indigenous life and to mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health, has enabled indigenous communities to travel the highways of their ancestors since time immemorial.

 

Cedar Hat (Crystal Stogan)

Through war canoe or racing canoe stories, this exhibition honors the beautiful culture of Salish peoples; recognizes the strength, resilience, stewardship and generosity of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and acknowledges the traditional village site of Sen̓áḵw (meaning “The place inside the head of False Creek”).

 

Creator, Take Us Home (Caitlin Aleck)

We entered the exhibition, under a cedar archway, into a series of vibrantly colored rooms and we were greeted by the scent of cedar shavings from the work of the Canoe Cultures program in a room filled with art.

 

Jacket with canoe-themed adornments (Christie Lee Charles)

Highlights of the exhibit include:

• A triptych of feltings by Cease Wyss that represent Indigenous life prior to contact
• An illustration called “Ôsi :: The Canoe,” by Caleb Ellison-Dysart, depicting and exploring his personal connection to the canoe and references the story of how Rabbit came to be on the moon.
• A weaving, by Caitlin Aleck, titled “Creator, Take Us Home” in which the artist interprets the events surrounding the remains at residential schools and how the children can now travel back to their Creator in canoes.
• A mural by Jessey Sue Tustin that addresses the loss of personal connection to history that many Indigenous people experience
• A beautiful jacket with canoe-themed adornments by Christie Lee Charles
• A massive photograph of the delegation of Indigenous chiefs who petitioned the British King and the Canadian government to repeal the restrictions imposed through the Indian Act.
• A poem by Wil George celebrating the canoe
• Mitzi, a 70-year-old racing canoe from the Squamish Nation North Van Canoe Club, that has gone through many developments over the years and was the first dugout racing canoe on the coast to receive a carbon-fiber coating. 

Mural (Jessey Sue Tustin)

There’s also a room dedicated to the ongoing challenges Indigenous cultures face from industry and climate change. It also explores historic wrongs such as residential schools. The room features information and artistic responses to issues. 

Stories From a Long Time Ago (Cease Wyss)

Before leaving the exhibition, a display invites us to consider how they can act as an ally to Indigenous people and communities.

 

Photograph of the Delegation of Indigenous Chiefs 

The combination of evocative art and historical background tells an inspiring story of the strength and resilience of Indigenous cultures plus the use of the canoe as the focal point makes this an accessible and enjoyable exhibition. 

Self-Paddling Gliwa (Paul Windsor)

CBC provided the media sponsorship while  Fortis BC, Concord Pacific, Vancity and London Drugs provided support for this exhibition. 

Salish Beauty (Chris Tait)

 

Reflections (Ocean Hyland)

Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh (War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward): Vancouver Maritime Museum,1905 Ogden Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6J 1A3.  Website:  https://vanmaritime.com/ho-ku-melh/ and www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission: $13.50 (adults), $11.00 (seniors and students), $10.00 (ages 6-18 years old) and free (children 5 years old and under).  Coordinates: 49.277507°N 123.147265°W. 

How to Get There: The museum is located within Vanier Park just west of False Creek on the Vancouver waterfront.