Take a peek inside some of the celeb's cool and refreshing pools and lanais!
Uploaded: January 30, 2009
Bored one day, Ruffa Gutierrez's irrepressible mother, Annabelle Rama, had the swimming-pool area of her White Plains residence redesigned and the pool itself redone. She had a Jacuzzi installed in one corner. "Para kay Eddie," she smiles. A cascading fountain dominates the other corner. She put in ferns and hydrangeas to offset the brown-and-blue environment. Ruffa, who prefers traveling to lounging, gamely posed by the pool anyway.
A very elegant Dawn Zulueta by the Malayan House! The two-story wooden structure is one among many in Nenita Farm the business managed by Anton Lagdameo, Dawn's husband of over five years. Dawn occasionally shuttles from Davao, where she lives with Anton, to Manila to fulfill commitments. Clearly, the actress will not trade Davao's quiet for Manila's bustle. Says Dawn,"I love it here. Everything is fresh. Everything is big. Feeling ko nasa 'Fantasy Island' ako!
Currently, the Cuneta-Pangilinan pool is not in use, as is the rest of the house. Sharon Cuneta, KC's mom, has embarked on a one-year campaign to solve major and unwanted architectural glitches. But even after the major repairs, the pool stays. Sharon describes the pool thus: "It's an infinity pool, edgeless, six-to-seven feet at its deepest with five steps with a seat from edge to edge on one short side in its shallow side. KC and Frankie are the ones who use it.
Christopher de Leon had the roof of his lanai extended using see-through and lightweight polycarbonate roofing to be able to entertain guests here, rain or shine.
On the floor: a birdcage, sculpture, and basin make for interesting decor and conversation pieces.
Kuya Boy—as most people in showbiz are comfortable calling him—is particularly proud of this trellis, an original fixture in the property. "Dati, kahoy ang mga suporta nito," he says. "Sa sobrang lago ng mga halaman, baka 'kako hindi makaya. Pinagawa kong bato ang mga paste, na pinaarte ko na lang na mukhang trunk ng puno. Ginawa siya in such a way na bindi ginagalaw ang mga halaman."
Boy, who says he's into nature, collects rare plants, some of which he acquires from garden shows. "Award-winners ang iba diyan," he says with pride about his obviously healthy plants.
TV host Boy Abunda's bean-shaped swimming pool, here seen at night, got its shape because the friendly owner is just as friendly to the life forms that were original inhabitants of the place, such as the grown bushes that serve as markers of the pool's curve. "Kami anq nag-adjust," he says with his trademark hearty laugh.
A self-confessed religious person, Kuya Boy Abunda made sure his Sto. Nino statue would have its own shrine on his property.The shrine, located just beside his now-famous treehouse, is almost hidden by the thick foliage of his exotic flora, but is easily found at night when the shrine and garden lights are on. A fountain powered by electricity runs just beneath the shrine and flows directly to a mini lagoon.The water, in turn, flows directly down to a river below, creating the look of a real waterfall.
It took almost three months for Rustom Padilla to renovate his back yard, which encompasses this rectangular pool and garden. The fellow, whose marriage to actress Carmina Viilarroel was annulled last 2002, has been lapping up the single life.
"At least nabigyan ako,ng chance na to be independent, to be by myself, to enjoy everything.
Still, he looks forward to the day when he will have his own family and see his own kids running around in the garden and swimming in the pool.
The Magdangals bought half—or about 500 square meters—of the lot (seen in the background) adjacent to their property. But no, they're not bulding a pool in it to replace this Jacuzzi, now idle because Jolina, who wanted it in the first place, is too busy to use it. Jolina's father, Jun Magdangal, says the plan is to maintain the newly acquired property as open space: "Para may space kami pag may parties and other social occasions. Ipapa-landscape namin, saka siguro yung spare, added garahe."
In 2002, when Pops Fernandez redid the Ayala Alabang home she used to share with former husband Martin Nievera, she decided to extend the renovation outdoors. At the time of the YES! pictorial, work on the cabanas beside the pool was only halfway through.
A trellis (still under construction during the YES! shoot) by the tall concrete fence completes the mini-resort look of the area. Made out of used lumber that Mr. Prats got from the provinces, the pool trellis is similar to the one that shades the master bedroom terrace overlooking the pool, only longer.
Mr. Prats has planted yellow bells beside the trellis posts. He hopes these will provide the much-needed shade in the area once they are fully grown.
The pool is linked to the dining and kitchen areas where Mrs. Prats, an excellent cook, never fails to whip up delicious meals for her family's almost daily picnic. "Lalo na ngayon summer, siguradong magbababad diyan ang mga bata. Konting langoy, gutom,"she laughs.
Vic Sotto's lanai, accented by two round tables, is directly adjacent to the formal dining room.The rectangular pool was built for his kids, Danica and Oyo Boy, but now that the two are just as busy as their parents, the pool is mainly idle. "Dito ako umuupo, titingin-tingin so paligid habang nag-iisip-isip," Vic says with that half-smile that leaves you wondering, as usual, whether he is serious or taking you for a ride.
The entire area surrounding the old pool was landscaped with new plants and huge slabs of garden rocks, and a cascading waterfall was added to the pool. "Talagang pinaganda namin itong pool area, kasi dito tumatambay ang buong pamilya e," Lani Revilla says.
