Situated a few minutes drive from the town proper of Lucban, Quezon, stands a paradisiacal land, a getaway home, a private retreat, a cozy, safe haven, a place to steal away named Villa Elma, backgounded by the pensive and misty mystique of Mount Banahaw. Villa Elma is an enchanting beauty with its picturesque display of peaceful religious and romantic delights.
Entering Villa Elma, one can feel the warm and welcoming ambiance as well as the deep sense of serenity, peace and privacy. Exploring this 10-hectare hideaway, one is greeted with plenty of majestic and picturesque views of natural landscape and man-made structures. Inside Villa Elma, enjoy its tropical breezes, fiery sunrises and pastoral sunsets. Feel the warmth and glimpse the natural color of traditional log cabins wherein structure, texture and materials combine to make a perfect and intuitive designs. As you walk in its meandering ribbon of pathways along the river that catches the spring water a few kilometers above Villa Elma and traverses its backdoor, listen to the water trickling from the rocks, the cackling of the birds in the trees and the snicking of the animals in the bushes. From the top of the hanging steel bridges, view the tropical vistas of the floral varieties – wild ferns, anthuriums, birds- of- paradise, bromeliads, campbells – in all shapes and sizes, the playful lagoons, the breathtaking gazebos and the Mahiwagang Paraiso that gets more mysterious with every attempt of its exegesis. Pray to the artful affinity of blending religious icons and elements of towering dimensions by Eduardo Castrillo (the next major sculptor after Napoleon Abueva). Vis-a-vis the large stabiles of welded bronze, chrome and plexiglass of biblical structures by Castrillo, Rey Paz Contreras sculptures in nature, with its inexhaustible variety of forms, textures and tones adorned various places of Villa Elma. There is also a plethora of objet d’arts by the local artists everywhere that pay homage , panache and spatial order to the natural settings that abound and surround Villa Elma. If there is statue of Jesus Christ , Christ the Redeemer (98 ft. tall) on top of Corcovado mountain ( elevation of 2,329 ft.) created by Polish-French sculptor Paul Lewandowski overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Villa Elma is very proud of its Holy Trinity Statue, sculpted by Eduardo Castrillo, overlooking Mount Banahaw de Lucban (elevation 7,119 ft.) and the town of Lucban, Quezon. There are three words to describe Villa Elma: Beautiful, Elegant and Exquisite, a piece of heaven on earth, so pleasurable to enter and offers an exhilarating feeling of satisfaction to return and to belong! E N D BY: BAYANI B. ELMA, MD. : JULY 21, 2016
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My Loved Ones and Friends,
With you, I have loved ardently, laughed heartily and cried poignantly. No words can say how much we have meant to each other and the memories we have shared together. We remember moments, not days. . . So let us enjoy the enchanting beauty of Villa Elma at the foothills of mystical Mount Banahaw. Here, my quest for paradise begins. View the breathtaking landscape, scenic wonders and matchless artistic creations. Walk in its meandering pathways, singing a happy melody. Hear the medley of sounds – the whistling winds, humming trees, gushing stream, splashing waterfalls, tweeting birds, buzzing crickets and crowing cocks. For your thoughts of me today, I pray that life shall bring all the best of everything. The time will come for me to say goodbye, but my spirit will not be far away. God bless us all. . . Justice MAGDANGAL B. ELMA September 7, 2004 |