Published on Thursday, 08 November 2012 00:00
Written by ALBERT CASTRO [ Malaya.com.ph ]
Vista Land and Lifescape, Inc. will
soon have its tourism-estate, Crosswinds, replicated elsewhere.
The company is set to implement this
pioneering project in Tagaytay, Cavite to other parts of the country.
Company founder Sen. Manuel V. Villar
said a second tourism estate may break ground by the end of 2013.
Villar refers to the pioneering
Tagaytay Crosswinds as a prototype.
Vista Land would apply lessons learned
in this venture to future tourism estate projects.
The 100-hectare Tagaytay Crosswinds is
a Swiss-inspired township project, boasting of its own swath of pine trees
planted by the company since its inception in the mid-1990s.
“We’ve been planting five pine trees
(every year) imported from Australia. We probably have 22,000 to 23,000 pine
trees now,” said Villar.
“This is probably one of a kind in the
Philippines. I don’t know of any place in the Philippines where you can get
these many pine trees.
It’s not fair to compare this place
with many other (places),” he added.
Since starting the Tagaytay Crosswinds
as a lots-only development in 1996 through sites like Montreux Ville, Pine
Grove, Peak View and Cedar Grove, the project has evolved to include four
enclaves for residents and visitors.
The Swiss Quadrilles is composed of
quad units constructed on wide lots, built to follow the natural contour and
curves of the hills.
“Each of the four units features two
floors and a balcony, for a more intimate appreciation of the pine-scented air
of Crosswinds,” a description of the project posted on Crosswind’s portal page.
Swiss Quadrilles units have two
bedrooms and provisions for an attic.
Grand Quartier meanwhile is a
medium-rise condominium, offering a “breathtaking view of Tagaytay’s lush
landscape.”
French for “Great Quarters,” the
five-tower, nine-storey, condominium project is constructing its fourth tower.
This also houses Vista Land’s first hotel business, Crosswinds Resort Suites,
managed by hospitality firm Hospitality International, Inc.
Grand Quartier offers one-, and
two-bedroom units, each with a balcony for an “intimate and closer view” of
Crosswind’s panorama.
Deux Pointe meanwhile is a row of duettos, or two-home Swiss chalets,
located at the highest point of the property. This vantage point earned Deux
Pointe as the “Christmas Village” of Crosswinds.
To accentuate the Christmas feel,
Vista Land constructed a “Santa’s House” at the entrance of the site to greet
residents and visitors to Deux Pointe.
The latest addition to Crosswinds is
the seven-hectare Alpine Village, which will be a cluster of residential and
commercial buildings patterned after the “quaint” Swiss towns in the Alps. It
will be located at the entrance of Crosswinds.
Pioneering the development in Alpine
Village is the three-tower eight-storey Alpine Towers.
The first tower, Alpine Tower One,
will offer 142 units sold at a price range of P4.7 million to P8.7 million.
This is set for completion by 2015.
The commercial area meanwhile is eyed
for completion by the last quarter of next year.
The Alpine Towers will be “reminiscent
of the chalets of Switzerland,” according to Vista Land. Each building will be offering
just 18 units for every floor.
Alpine Village will also house the
second hotel of Vista Land the groundbreaking of which is eyed for end-2014.
Villar said the development of
Crosswinds, ongoing the past 15 years, is a “personal” endeavor.
Crosswinds has been getting interests
from buyers of second homes, families and retirees, who wish to spend vacations
and weekends away from the city.
It also attracts balikbayans and
foreign nationals, which at present comprises 20 percent of Crosswinds’ total
sales.
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