My husband and I got married in Tagaytay. It was a summer wedding. Cocktails were served at a garden beautifully bedecked with ribbons, and fireworks signaled the sumptuous dinner at cozy Gourmet’s Café. We then spent our first night as husband and wife at Taal Vista Hotel.
The wonderful thing about having an out-of-town wedding is that it makes it so easy to create a family tradition. And that’s exactly what my husband and I agreed to do every year – to go back to Tagaytay around the time or exactly on our anniversary.
We visit “our” church and stay at one of the bed-and-breakfasts or hotels there for one night. For this year, we had the chance to stay at Taal Vista Hotel again. It’s so lovely and perfect for young families in need of a quick getaway!
Though there are now so many options of places to stay in when you’re in the so-called Resort Capital of the Philippines, Taal Vista occupies a pedestal all its own. I recently wrote an article about picking the best family hotel for your vacation and I used this 75-year-old hotel as my reference point. It’s a place you can go back to year in and year out – perfect for creating family traditions and memories.
So why do I consider Taal Vista a perfect place for our family’s annual trek to Tagaytay?
Hotels are usually just tall, vertical buildings these days. Family hotels, though, should have grounds for walking or running around outdoors. Taal Vista’s sprawling grounds at the back are perfect for little ones to explore, to enjoy fresh air, and to marvel at Taal Volcano.
The new herb garden is also a great place to visit with the kids.
Unless you’re just planning to stay in your hotel room, accessibility to other points of interest is also a must when choosing a hotel. Exploration means more family memories!
Knowing that we were going to be in the vicinity of Ilog Maria’s Bee Farm, I planned a lesson using The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco. Going to Taal Vista after our rendezvous with the buzzing bees was a breeze! There are a lot of other areas of interest near the hotel, such as the amusement park Sky Ranch, puzzle museum Puzzle Mansion, and petting zoo Paradizoo.
You shouldn’t forget, though, that Taal Vista is a place of interest in itself! Built during President Manuel Quezon’s time in which he urged the development of Tagaytay as a tourist destination, it has hosted presidents of our country and other honored guests. The hotel’s “history hall” filled with old black-and-white photos gives a glimpse of this fabled past.
More importantly, Taal Vista’s viewing deck gives all guests a good view of world-renowned Taal Volcano. I made sure, then, to bring Magic School Bus Blows Its Top, a fun science book about volcanoes. Here’s my daughter’s picture reading a book about volcanoes in view of an actual volcano!
A nice swimming pool is something that all kids look forward to. Taal Vista does not disappoint in this area. Little Sir loved the kiddie pool, which is just two feet high, while Little T enjoyed the slightly deeper pool with her dependable swim ring.
Any parent with fussy-eaters will tell you that a child-friendly restaurant is one of the first things that you should consider about a hotel. Café Veranda’s breakfast buffet has the usual-but-delicious spread of Asian and Continental fare. I enjoyed myself a lot and ate several rounds of breakfast. The picture below was my third, I think, after a bowl each of champorado and goto. 🙂
We were the guests of Taal Vista that time, together with Michelle of My Mom Friday and her family, and we were treated to an al fresco four-course dinner. The kids had fun running about while waiting for the food (and at some point while eating too).
Taal Vista Hotel
- Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City, 4120 Philippines
- (632) 917-8225 / (6346) 413-100 / +63917-8091254.
- www.taalvistahotel.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/taalvistahotel
- Twitter: @taalvistahotel
- Instagram: @taalvistahotel
