An authentic beach residence that needs virtually no care or maintenance, and can be left alone by its owner.  That sounds impossible, but busy executives now have the option of owning such a hassle-free seaside home only 90 minutes from Manila.

Tucked away in idyllic Pico de Loro Cove at Hamilo Coast are two-bedroom lofts such as this one that comes with direct access to the beach.

The lofts are about 100 to 106 sqm in size but feel twice as large, owing to extra-high ceilings, open patios, and sliding glass doors that frame stunning views of the seaside community’s gardens and lagoon.

Architect Michelle Odulio designed the loft unit, and said it was Mount Pico de Loro and the surrounding sea that inspired her approach.

“I am a scuba diver myself, and when you look at the sea here, it is so vast, so majestic, and I wanted to capture that sense of lightness and spaciousness,” said Arch. Odulio.

With a sea-inspired motif in mind, she chose hues of aqua-blue, white, light green, and sand beige to furnish the loft, taking care to use attractive but trouble-free materials suitable for the beach home’s intended use.

“Everything you see here is no-fuss,” Arch. Odulio explained.  “Some of the chairs are made of resin or hard PVC that can repel water, and the fabrics used to upholster the chairs and sofas are waterproof, so you can sit on them even if you are wearing a wet bathing suit.”

She added: “Even the tiles are no-fuss.  The floors can easily be mopped and cleaned if people — whether adults or kids — walk in from the beach with wet or sandy feet.”

The loft’s sliding glass doors are her favorite feature, because they give the home an airy, “transparent” feel.

“From the moment you walk in, you see the sliding glass door of the ground floor at the opposite end,” she said, “You can see the green of the gardens and the lagoon right away. On the second floor, sliding glass doors instead of solid walls are used to delineate spaces, so the bedrooms are kept separate without making them feel dark.”

On the ground floor, Arch. Odulio opted to use no barriers or dividers.

“The people who will use this home will often have friends, relatives, and children coming over, so I made the ground floor a one-space area, with the living room, dining room, and kitchen all interacting together, making the place perfect for entertaining,” she explained.

The loft, she said, reflects the best of two worlds.

“This garden loft is like a cross between a bungalow-style beach house and a condo,” she noted. “You get the advantages of a condo because you can simply lock the place up and leave it without needing to hire a caretaker, but at the same time, the loft is a real beach house because you can walk straight out into the beach and the sea without having to take an elevator.