Taal Vista Hotel Review – Tagaytay Travel

Taal Vista Hotel is in my bucket list of hotels for our family to experience. A birthday and a wedding anniversary celebration were worthy reasons for us to cross Taal Vista from our list this year.

We got a lake view room through Agoda for around P8K. Was it worth it? Yes.

The Taal Lake View

The view from our room was how I expected the Taal Lake would be. It was magnificent. The balcony was just big enough for us to have a clear view of the active volcano within the lake. There were tables and chair for us to relax on while enjoying the view. If we were given more days, I can spend an entire day just sitting there.

The Temperature

We were there first week of April and the temperature was slightly lower compared to Manila. But the difference is that the atmosphere is more fresh, the sun not that stingy, and everything is almost green. There were short episodes of rain during midnight so it was a little bit wet in the morning.

The Room

The room was not as big as in advertised photos but it was big enough for us. The 2 queen beds were just big enough for us couple and the sisters. Compared to high-end hotels like Ascott and Novotel, the room was not modern and lacked decorations but we did not mind at all because the room had everything we need: mini-ref with complimentary can of sodas and juices (not bottled water compared to other hotels), thermal pot, and and working hot-and-cold shower. The only downside for me was the bathroom which doesn’t smell nice. The exhaust may not be working that efficiently so when someone used the loo, it takes a while before the scent disappears. Fortunately, we were out mostly during the day and just returned to change clothes so we could ignore it.

The Food

We all enjoyed the buffet breakfast which came with the room package we got. We paid 50% of the rate for each of the kids so they could eat with us. The spread were typical of the buffets we’ve had before but I loved the breads (pandecoco) and the other pastries and the fresh fruits and vegetables. The ambiance was fresh and warm with the sun shining over the garden just outside the buffet area.

The View Deck

Taal Vista is very popular because of its view deck and the landscaping. The deck is a huge area where you can take photos of the taal lake with the whole family. The landscaping was also made perfect for photo shoots. We visited this place last year, just to get a feel of the hotel, and I remember we were looking at the balconies of the rooms while we were on the deck and we promised that we would be staying at one of those rooms, and that day we did!

Sky Ranch

If you are a guest of Taal Vista, you only pay P75 instead of P100 as entrance fee to Sky Ranch. There is a direct entrance from Taal Vista to Sky Ranch at the side of the lake wing where you don’t have to go out of the hotel vicinity. The shortcut was great because you don’t have to pass the long line of visitors. You just have to go to the ticket booth to buy your ride tickets. I’ve almost got RAYC (ride-all-you-can-tickets) in MetroDeal but I was thankful I didn’t. Most rides at Sky Ranch were for small kids while the extreme rides were not preferred by my teens. They rode the galleon or what they call Vikings and the four of us rode the small catterpillar roller coaster.

There were several restaurants outside Sky Ranch and we picked Savory to take out our dinner. Before that, we ate merienda of banana split and mashed potatoes at Kenny Rogers. Because everything were basically within our reach, we were able to maximize our time and enjoy the hotel.

Swimming Pool

This was the part of the hotel which we were not able to try. The pool are was in the opposite part of the hotel where we stayed. It was in the mountain wing and was quite isolated. If we had more time, we might have tried swimming. The pool was moderately sized and looked inviting. Maybe next time.

Souvenirs Store – Kultura

Inside the hotel is a Kultura store where we were able to buy nice Tagaytay shirts and pin as souvenirs. We got the shirts for P199 each which I didn’t expect. They were the same price of shirts in Kultura stores in Manila. There were also Filipino snacks, Filipiniana bags, and accessories for sale.

Taal Vista is a little bit old but its charm is still there. We are definitely going back maybe to see the hotel in a different light, maybe during Christmas or Valentines Day when it is much colder and the hotel is dressed better. Tagaytay is the nearest sanctuary for us Manilenos who want to stay away from the crowd from time to time. Taal Vista will be one of our preferred places to stay during those moments.

Taal Vista Hotel : taalvistahotel.com
Address: Kilometer 60 Emilio Aguinaldo Hwy, Kaybagal South, Tagaytay, 4120 Cavite
Phone: (046) 413 1000