Puerto Azul: A Half-Built Oasis Close To Manila

Puerto Azul is located in the municipality of Ternate in Cavite. For years I had driven past the entrance of Puerto Azul and had never really bothered to look inside. A good friend of mine told me that he played golf there many years ago and that it was actually a good golf course (apparently designed by Gary Player). Being located right next to Manila Bay, there were some nice views of the ocean and all of the facilities there were very good.

However, this was a decade or two ago. We weren’t even sure if non-members were permitted to enter now or what the situation was. On the many occasions that we had driven past, it certainly didn’t look like it was derelict. However, there didn’t seem to be a lot of activity either. So one day on the way home from my friends holiday house in Maya Maya, we decided to have a look inside Puerto Azul.

Okay, so a quick heads up, I went in December 2017 so everything on this page is how I found it back then, and a fair bit may have changed since.

Let The Discovery Mission Begin

When we arrived at the guardhouse, the guard told us to look for Caysubic Clubhouse. We were starting to get excited thinking that this would be a nice clubhouse overlooking the ocean with some sort of resort set up with a swimming pool and restaurant. However, when we turned up to Caysubic Clubhouse we were absolutely stunned by what we saw. Yes, there was Puerto Azul golf course. And yes, there was actually one group of people playing on the golf course. However, to me, it seemed like they were the only people playing at the time. The whole place had an eerie quietness about it. It was what we saw next that blew us away.

The Abandoned Clubhouse

Here was a clubhouse that was completely abandoned. Yes, I’m talking completely abandoned. It looked like it hadn’t been used for at least a decade, maybe two. It almost looked like a modern version of a temple from Siem Reap. All of the neighboring shrubbery was overgrown and it really did resemble a barren wasteland. What is even more amazing is that there was an area next to the clubhouse in which they had a sensational large swimming pool with a small restaurant nearby.

The pool obviously doesn’t get cleaned on a regular basis, but it did have water in it. However, you certainly wouldn’t catch me swimming in there. We walked around to the small restaurant in which there was a couple of people behind the counter there. All they had to drink there was a few sodas and some very basic snacks, and that was it. We were in search of a beer, but our hopes were quickly dashed.

Where Are The People In Puerto Azul?

These two people were more or less caretakers, but obviously there to service the odd golfer that came through the place. After asking a few questions, we found out that the whole resort had been abandoned for some years and was previously owned, or controlled, by a former governor, or a governmental official of some sort of Cavite. He had apparently not been re-elected and therefore, decided that he was not going to maintain this area anymore (so the story goes).

From what I was able to understand the plan was that another conglomerate has taken over the lease of the land for the next 25 years and within 12 months are expected to start renovating the entire facility. I must say that being a golfer myself, I was actually surprised at the condition of the golf course. It was far from being in pristine condition, but it was certainly good enough to play on. Unlike the rest of the resort, it didn’t seem to have been completely abandoned.

Has It Changed Since 2017?

Since I went, the land has changed hands, with Bloomberry Resorts agreeing in April 2023 to buy about 279 hectares there for an integrated resort with a casino, a hotel and a new golf course, and a commercial stopover called Puerto Azul Gateway broke ground in Ternate in September 2023. I haven’t seen any of it, and I can’t tell you what is open, so treat this page as a look at how it was.

Dezza’s Tip

A friend has since stayed in an Airbnb there, so it has clearly changed a fair bit since I went. With the land having changed hands, I’d check before you drive down so you don’t turn up to a closed gate.

How To Get There

Puerto Azul is in Ternate, Cavite, only about 43 kilometres from Manila, and depending on the route and the traffic you can do it in somewhere between 80 and 100 minutes. We came in on the coastal road on the way home from Maya Maya, and I’d use Google Maps to find the entrance. When we went, the guard at the gate told us to look for the Caysubic Clubhouse. I can’t tell you anything about access or costs these days.