The Henry at the beach? Yes. You read that right.

The Henry Hotels and Resorts may be well-known as a premier Filipino boutique hotel brand that showcases grand heritage properties but who would have thought that they would also launch and open a cooler, much more relaxed and laidback sibling to these properties?

RESORT ENTRANCE. It’s The Henry but with a tropical, laidback vibe in Laiya. The old framing of the existing gate was retained but to give it a Filipiniana or local feel, the contractor “weaved” each piece of metal strips individually to make a weave pattern. Courtesy of Grace Diez

Welcome to The Henry Resort Taramindu Laiya in San Juan, Batangas. Explore a 16-room boutique beach destination with rooms that open to an outdoor lounge affording the guests with the cool sea breeze and awe-inspiring al fresco view of the resort from sun up to sun down. Similar to the other The Henrys, the landscape is well thought-out and designed with a landscape that’s not just visually pleasing but is also refreshing for the soul, mind and body. The unique highlight of the resort is the towering tamarind tree, believed to be 100 years old, where the building was built around.

TAMARIND TREE. The resort’s “Taramindu” name is derived from the tamarind tree, believed to be 100 years old, which was preserved in the resort. Courtesy of Grace Diez

“Just like what our tagline says, ‘like no other,’ every Henry property is unique. Hindi sya talaga cookie-cutter. If you look at the Henry properties be it in Manila, Dumaguete, Quezon City and this one—it’s all different. Even the [soon-to-be-launched] Boracay property will also be different,” August Samala, The Henry Resorts and Hotel COO (Chief Operating Officer) notes.

“Because of its proximity to Manila, we also refer to it as a quick beach escape,” he adds.

The Henry Hotels and Resorts founder Henry “Hanky” Lee III explains that it’s all about the sense of place.

The Henry's First Ever Beach Resort - RESORT ENTRANCE.It’s The Henry but with a tropical, laidback vibe in Laiya. The old framing of the existing gate was retained but to give it a Filipiniana or local feel, the contractor “weaved” each piece of metal strips individually to make a weave pattern.Courtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach Resort - SEAVIEW DECK LOUNGE.“The mural at the second floor lounge is the ‘red accent’ that’s consistent with all The Henry Hotels and Resorts. Being by the beach front, we wanted a feature wall that a lot of people would recognize and want to take photos with,” Alix of C.A. Design House says.Courtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach Resort - The Henry Laiya Pool.During the renovations, the pool was retained but the landscape has been enhanced. Some plants added were tall plants such as bamboos and tobacco intended for privacy. Palmeras, Philodendrons and Sensations were added to add greens in shaded areas, and some sun-loving plants such as Crinums and Birds of ParadiseCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach Resort - BEACH SIDE THE HENRY.The Henry Resort Taramindu Laiya is The Henry’s first ever beachfront property.Courtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach Resort - LOUNGE 1-LOUNGE 5.The seaview deck lounge is the common area which doubles as workstation as well where you can enjoy the ocean view and the cool, sea breeze.Courtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach Resort - Studio Queen Room. “For the interiors we added a wall accent that carried onto the ceiling as a cove to provide indirect light for the guests while they’re lounging in bed. This, combined with the unique hand-painted murals to the walls, provided the headboard for the beds. We also kept the existing bed frames and cladded them with the wood laminate to reuse them into something that ties into the tropical and beach aesthetic. Other than these, we introduced the various side tables, mirrors, and wall decors, as a way to be more playful with the interiors so that it would feel more like a beach resort,” Alix describes the work on the rooms.Courtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach Resort - THE HONEST HENRY, HONEST HENRY 2, HONEST HENRY 3.The Honest Henry store supports social enterprise like Boho Manila. The items, board games and books on display at The Honest Henry area are from the founder’s personal collection.Courtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry's First Ever Beach ResortCourtesy of Grace Diez

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“If you’ve been to other properties, itong Laiya, like no other talaga ang itsura nya. What’s the sense of the place? It’s really about the beach lifestyle. It’s where you can relax and chill by the beach and by the pool. Because of the intimacy of the property having 16 rooms, para kang nasa bahay ni Henry and guest ka nya,” Hanky says, smiling.

Truly, while the other The Henry gives you the cottage core or Regency era feels, this Laiya resort gives you the liberty to be at your most comfortable whether you’re in shorts, shirts, swimsuits and even in just your sandals or flip flops.

Apart from being The Henry’s first ever beachfront property, the resort also boasts of being The Henry with the most water activities one can choose from given its location.

Compared to its counterparts, The Henry in Laiya offers a wide range of fun activities such as boating, banana boat ride, jet-ski, UFO ride, fly board, fly fish, Disco boat, Band Wagon and even speed boat rides and kayak rentals. One can also opt for an indoor relaxing activity and pick either a Swedish or Shiatsu massage room service.

For digital nomads and “work from anywhere” guests, the Seaview Deck Lounge workstation is the place to be as you drink in the majesty of the sea while working responsibly. Each floor of the resort is thoughtfully equipped with 500 Mbps of hi-speed WIFI to fulfill the guests’ internet needs.

LOUNGE The seaview deck lounge is the common area which doubles as workstation as well where you can enjoy the ocean view and the cool, sea breeze. Courtesy of Grace Diez

Savor summer—The Henry style!

Though each of The Henry property is unique, there is certainly something on brand with the way the property makes you feel through its overall aesthetic theme and direction.

According to the C.A. Design House, the architects and interior designers commissioned by The Henry, there were several factors they had to bear in mind. The team was led by Alix De La Fuente and Carla Lim and was composed of Tina Sunga, Renee Obligar, Darrel Orcajada, Rayleo Trinidad, landscape architect Inez Dizer and Ideasmith contractor Anton Garcia.

“The Henry Hotels and Resorts are all about being contextual. With this identity in mind, we grabbed elements from the existing hotel structure and combined that with what we can find around Laiya and the greater Batangas area,” Alix De La Fuente begins.

The Laiya Pool. During the renovations, the pool was retained but the landscape has been enhanced. Some plants added were tall plants such as bamboos and tobacco intended for privacy. Palmeras, Philodendrons and Sensations were added to add greens in shaded areas, and some sun-loving plants such as Crinums and Birds of Paradise Courtesy of Grace Diez

“The building being gray is significant to the branding of The Henry Hotels so we wanted to keep that. Rooms were decorated with some locally sourced pieces accented with the painted murals. We were also inspired by the old Tamarind tree located at the heart of the resort – which then became the inspiration for one of the mural themes in the rooms,” she continues.

Implementing renovations to achieve a certain look and feel and still be true to The Henry brand and stick to budget they have to work with wasn’t a walk in the park for the team considering that these were all done during the pandemic lockdowns. Considering these factors, the results were amazing.

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As soon as the guest alights, the reception area would pique one’s interest as it boasts of a small slither of a high ceiling area which the designers maximized by using droplights from Zambalay interiors and coupled it with furniture pieces from @solihiyaandmore and matched it with an earthy area rug from Karavan PH.

RESORT LOBBY The reception is locally themed not only with its sourced pieces of Filipiniana furniture and lighting. Courtesy of Grace Diez

The Henry Resort Tamarindu Laiya resort experience starts from the drive to the resort where the main gate welcomes the guests. The old framing of the existing gate was retained but to give it a Filipiniana or local feel, the contractor “weaved” each piece of metal strips individually to make a weave pattern.

“We asked for faulty local pots that would have otherwise been thrown away to make this recycled statement piece. You’ll notice that it’s patterned after a sun with eight rays, similar to our country’s flag with Batangas being one of the places that the rays symbolize. The sun also represents life, energy, and positivity, which is what we envisioned this place to inhibit, having been reimagined and given new life. The rays are carefully arranged to piece together from the main point, the sun, to the outermost perimeter. Not only does this provide contrast from the sun, but it is also meant to signify the growth from fragmented pieces – the idea of rebuilding and becoming whole,” Alix pensively explains.

In the lobby, the broken potted art piece mural reflecting the clay pottery industry of Laiya, Batangas. Courtesy of Grace Diez

Beside the reception area is The Honest Henry, an honesty store present in The Henry properties which partners with social enterprises. In this resort, you can buy earrings and statement neck pieces from Boho Manila which benefit women and mothers who are in need of livelihood. Interestingly, the space was also marked with books and items from Hanky’s personal collection.

“It’s something that could help fix the place. The giant chess pieces, the sungka and the board games are for aesthetic and also for use. Naisip ko people can also play chess and it also doubles up as accessories. People can also read the books on display,” Hanky says.

THE HONEST HENRY. The Honest Henry store supports social enterprise like Boho Manila. The items, board games and books on display at The Honest Henry area are from the founder’s personal collection. Courtesy of Grace Diez

For the landscape of the resort, Architect Inez Dizer brought in her vision and skills to reimagine the garden space without straying from its roots given its location. During the renovation and maintenance work, the pool was retained but the team breathed new life to the outdoor space.

“The vision for the landscape was to mirror the seascape and resort vibe of Laiya. We added layers of textured materials using a tropical plant palette and used plants that are resilient to salt water and sun exposure,” Alix explains.

“The goal of the landscape was also to make the open spaces more functional – to maximize views, improve the flow of walkways, and to add privacy plants to ensure the safety and exclusivity of the guests staying in The Henry. Some plants added were tall plants such as bamboos and tobacco intended for privacy. Palmeras, Philodendrons and Sensations were added to add greens in shaded areas, and some sun-loving plants such as Crinums and Birds of Paradise,” she says.

For the rooms in the resort, the team spruced it up in such a way that it would suit the sense or the “personality” of the resort while working on a set budget.

“With this in mind, the most we could play around were with the color and texture scheme of the existing structure along with the selection and blocking of fixture, furniture and décor. For the interiors we added a wall accent that carried onto the ceiling as a cove to provide indirect light for the guests while they’re lounging in bed. This, combined with the unique hand-painted murals to the walls, provided the headboard for the beds. We also kept the existing bed frames and cladded them with the wood laminate to reuse them into something that ties into the tropical and beach aesthetic. Other than these, we introduced the various side tables, mirrors, and wall decors, as a way to be more playful with the interiors so that it would feel more like a beach resort,” Alix says.

STUDIO TWIN ROOM “For the interiors we added a wall accent that carried onto the ceiling as a cove to provide indirect light for the guests while they’re lounging in bed. This, combined with the unique hand-painted murals to the walls, provided the headboard for the beds. We also kept the existing bed frames and cladded them with the wood laminate to reuse them into something that ties into the tropical and beach aesthetic. Other than these, we introduced the various side tables, mirrors, and wall decors, as a way to be more playful with the interiors so that it would feel more like a beach resort,” Alix describes the work on the rooms. Courtesy of Grace Diez

At the Seaview Deck Lounge on the second floor common area, art takes centerstage.“The mural at the second floor lounge is the ‘red accent’ that’s consistent with all The Henry Hotels and Resorts. Being by the beach front, we wanted a feature wall that a lot of people would recognize and want to take photos with,” the designer notes.

The muralist drew inspiration from various places in Batangas and collated them all into one beautiful piece. We added in some accent pieces to make it interactive – the swing chair from Zambalay Interiors is one of them together with the various banigs, floor cushions and other local items from House of Natives. We also wanted to draw people into looking out into the beach and that’s why we have a bar seating area facing the ocean where people can work while relaxing,” Alix narrates.

SEAVIEW DECK LOUNGE “The mural at the second floor lounge is the ‘red accent’ that’s consistent with all The Henry Hotels and Resorts. Being by the beach front, we wanted a feature wall that a lot of people would recognize and want to take photos with,” Alix of C.A. Design House says. Courtesy of Grace Diez

With the situation and the conditions they have to work on, there is a great sense of achievement for the team behind the interior and exterior enhancements now that The Henry Resort Taramindu Laiya has been formally launched.

“We are always keen with working with firms that promote the Philippine landscape and The Henry Hotels is one of them. We were approached by them for several hospitality projects over the years but this was the first one that has come into fruition since the pandemic. The first one who approached us was Hanky, of course, then we worked closely with their amazing team to come up with the design we have today,” Alix shares.

“It feels great to have achieved what we have considering the limitations and constraints with time, budget, and existing building. This project allowed us to see that there’s beauty and character in old buildings, and that there’s always room for reimagination,” she states.

All of these exterior and interior aesthetic and design elements coupled with resort amenities and services make for a truly unique, “like no other” and remarkable The Henry Resort Taramindu Laiya experience.

“The market is about millennials, the Gen Zs, the digital nomads and young families so we wanted it to be young and fresh [without losing its] sense of place,” Hanky concludes, and just like with the other The Henry properties, he and his team are certainly hitting the mark.

Book your beach escape at The Henry Taramindu Laiya at https://laiya.thehenryhotel.com/.