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Puerto Azul – an abandoned oasis

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.

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.

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). Learn more by reading here.

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.

Keep your eyes out for future development

As far as playing golf there, I’m not too sure what the process is however, this seems set to become a fairly major development in the next decade. With the new Sangley Airport expected to be finished by 2025, this could well become a very hot location in the near future. Keep your eyes open for this development.

  • Puerto azul beach front

    The beachfront of Puerto Azul Country Club is quite nice considering it obviously isn’t maintained. There is a lot a potential.

  • Puerto azul ocean view

    You can see here how overgrown the shrubbery is in this area between the beachfront and the Clubhouse.

  • Puerto azul ocean view clubhouse

    The potential for this beach is massive. It is really hard to below it is totally abandoned and just collecting waste.

  • Puerto azul clubhouse

    The part of the Clubhouse is also totally abandoned. The swimming pool is massive yet sits here totally unmaintained and unused.

How to get there

Puerto Azul is about 65kms from Makati via the Cavite Coastal Rd. There is fairly clear signage for Puerto Azul so its pretty easy to find using Waze or Google Maps.

Depending on the time of day, which influences the traffic, it should take no more than two hours.

 

I wouldn’t recommend taking a bus to get there. I haven’t seen too many buses or even jeepneys on this part of the route. The other problem is getting around the compound. Due to security, entry may be denied unless you have a private vehicle.

Dezza´s Tip

If you want to go and check this place out, you can get into the compound by just telling the guard you want to look at the golf course. There is ample signage in the compound and you can also check out Paniman Beach while you are there. However, this is a totally deserted area so its worth a look, but don’t plan on spending too much time there.