Before the property was developed into Kawayan Cove, the twin headlands and the pristine land in between that constitute it was a verdant wilderness. The natural harbor of Bamboo Beach helped keep it private and secluded.

The romantic lore of Bamboo Beach was born in World War II. When Filipino and American forces were under relentless siege and bombardment by the invading Japanese forces, and running out of food, Colonel (then Captain) Jose Razon, on a special mission approved personally by President Manuel Quezon, sailed by banca from Corregidor to Nasugbu, to obtain rice and other provisions for his beleaguered comrades. It has been said that Bamboo Beach was where he landed and hid the banca, until it was time to depart with the supplies that loyal civilians had helped him gather.

After the war, Col. Razon was awarded the Gold Cross Medal, the second highest decoration of the Philippine Army.

For relaxation, Col. Razon and his friends, Enrique Brias and Jose de Mendezona, purchased some land adjacent to Bamboo Beach, which with Col. Razon’s intimate knowledge of the Nasugbu coastline, he knew to be the best swimming beach in the area.

The youngest of Col. Razon’s three daughters, Isabel (Bingle) R. Puyat, now a grandmother, remembers that at her father’s beach parties, a simple batya, loaded with beer and softdrinks under mounds of ice, would be floated out to guests while they were still in the water. Meanwhile, amongst the shady trees beyond the beach, a lechon and a huge tanguigue would be roasting side by side on spits, to be served for lunch, together with pesang manok, juicy prawns and freshly cooked rice, on a long bamboo table covered with banana leaves.

Several generations went on to celebrate nature in this rustic retreat. There was no electricity then; neither was there a road to Bamboo Beach. To get there, one had to ride a small banca from Nasugbu’s Wawa wharf. Once, visiting from his Calatagan ranch, Enrique Zobel landed his helicopter right on the beach. Andres Soriano Jr.’s yacht, the Seven Seas, often dropped anchor within the cove. Although his family owned thousands of hectares in Nasugbu, including coastal lands, Don Eduardo Roxas preferred Bamboo Beach as his weekend retreat, maintaining a cozy native-style resthouse on land he leased from Mr. Brias.

Over the decades, Bingle and her children were able to acquire the lush hillsides around the cove. They consolidated their holdings with those of Mr. Brias and the other Razon heirs. Meanwhile, Mr. Mendezona had sold his portion. Luckily, the buyer decided to resell it, and a company headed by Bingle’s husband, Jose G. Puyat, and his brother, Aristeo, lost no time in buying it, making Bamboo beach whole again. Today, the prime property that is Kawayan Cove completely surrounds Bamboo Beach.

At the start of the 21st century, the time had come for kindred spirits to share in the romance of Bamboo Beach. Mr. Mendezona’s World War II-vintage Quonset hut had crumbled and could not be saved, but Don Eduardo’s nipa-roofed resthouse has been preserved, as a cool and welcoming haven for those who respond to the call of Bamboo Beach.