Fire, Salt, and Silence – A Soulful Escape to Nuuk Taal Lake
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 19
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 22
Rich Nollen is one of the most respected healthcare business development professionals in the US and a global thinker, known for creating strategies that drive growth. As founder and CEO of Innovare HP, he specializes in demand capture and pipeline acceleration, helping healthcare brands forge meaningful connections and create lasting impact.
You don’t just go to Nuuk Taal Lake, you arrive. And when you do, something shifts. Something in your breath, your pace, your shoulders that have been carrying the weight of emails, deadlines, and the chaos of modern life.
It was a quick escape with Team Innovare HP, Roy (our business consultant with a gift for finding peace even in numbers), Cheryl (our Chief Marketing Officer who brings her whole heart to everything), and me. We were craving something different. Not just rest. Something restorative.
Nuuk Taal Lake delivered that. And then some.
Beauty in the bare and the bold
Set against a cinematic backdrop of sky and water, Nuuk Taal Lake doesn’t scream for attention. It whispers. The architecture speaks with a quiet confidence: Scandinavian in soul, Filipino in spirit. Stone walls softened by natural light. Clean lines. Furniture that feels more like sculpture, smooth, low, unfussy. Wood tones that whisper calm. Everything serves a purpose, but nothing shouts for attention.
It's that Nordic minimalism, honest, thoughtful, grounded, but with the tropical edge of Batangas heat and the rumble of a nearby volcano to remind you that you're far from home. And somehow, it works. A fusion of restraint and wildness.
We walked in and immediately felt safe and seen. The welcome wasn’t rehearsed. It was warm, like being wrapped in a blanket that smelled faintly of smoke and sugarcane.
And then, the bathroom, yes, the bathroom. A damn architectural marvel. Walls that opened up to the sky. A soaking tub facing a private balcony with the breeze blowing in like a quiet conversation. I never thought I’d write about a toilet with reverence, but here we are.
Poolside reflections and seaweed tales
The infinity pool is the kind of place that asks nothing of you. It just lets you float above a lake that holds stories of old gods, fishermen, and families who live off the tide.
In the morning, we watched a boat glide by with a local fisherman sorting his catch. He waved. We waved back. Later, people would walk down and see fresh seaweed drying on baskets, their emerald strands crisping in the sun. Not curated. Just life. Honest and uninterrupted.
Filipino breakfast, served with a smile
The mornings were our favorite. Silog meals that didn’t need to be fancy to feel like luxury garlic rice, eggs with yolks like sunrise, perfectly crisped bangus, and rich, freshly brewed coffee that could wake the dead. We ate slowly, as the clouds shifted and the sky stretched in hues only Batangas can pull off.
Inside, there’s a little indoor library, barely the size of a walk-in closet, but curated with thought, a quiet nook with just enough light and just enough soul. It’s where I set up my laptop and joined a Zoom call with David Myers of The Medical Team Hospice, beaming in from San Antonio, Texas.
There I was, in Batangas, lake breeze on my back, volcano in view, talking strategy and hospice care across time zones. The space didn’t feel like an office, but it worked better than one. Coffee in hand, camera on, and a calmness I hadn’t felt in months. Somehow, it all made sense.
The living room, open, breezy, and dotted with local art, became our meeting place. A sacred
pause. A place where business talk casually gave way to laughter and questions like, “What if we never left?”
Tagaytay tangents and bulalo dreams
We weren’t ready to head back just yet. So we took a drive up to Tagaytay, chasing the promise of seafood and steam.
We stumbled upon Ka Rey Seafood sa Kubo, where our table was graced by a surprise dance crew.
Not a gimmick, just joy. Plates of calamares, seafood broil, and a fresh fruit platter straight from their backyard. There’s something about watching people dance for you while you eat that brings immense joy to the surface.
Then, of course, the holy grail of comfort: Balay Dako's bulalo. Hot, slow-simmered beef broth, marrow you scoop like treasure, served steaming against the cool mountain air. We capped it off with fresh piaya, sweet and flaky, a bite of nostalgia you didn’t know you needed.
What remains: Nuuk Taal Lake
Nuuk Taal Lake isn’t just a place. It’s a feeling. It’s the peace that finds you between conversations. It’s the moment you realize the volcano hasn’t moved for hours, but you have internally.
It reminded me that luxury doesn’t always mean excess. Sometimes it looks like silence. Like smoke rising from a backyard grill. Like water that doesn’t crash, but simply is.
We came to Nuuk Taal Lake to rest. We left restored.
And long after the last bite, the last dip in the pool, the last laugh, the place stays with you, quiet as a memory, loud as a feeling.
Read more from Rich Nollen, BSN, RN
Rich Nollen, BSN, RN, Healthcare Marketing and Strategic Growth
Rich Nollen is a nurse turned entrepreneur and the driving force behind Innovare HP, a healthcare marketing agency that's transforming how providers connect with communities. After transitioning from bedside to boardroom, Rich’s journey has been nothing short of wild, fueled by a passion to spark ideas, share stories, and empower others. With a growing presence across multiple states, including Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and California, Innovare HP is committed to making healthcare more accessible and impactful. Rich’s message: If a nurse can dream big and invest in change, so can you.
