Tagaytay | Where to Stay
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So this time, we wanted to go farther away from Metro Manila for our staycation. We were looking at different options and only Twin Lakes Hotel offered on-site antigen testing among other Tagaytay hotels, which is one of my personal preferences when vacationing during this pandemic. Besides a fantastic view, it was also near Breakfast at Antonio's and Bag of Beans West Lake which used to be my favorite hang out places when I'm stuck in Tagaytay. If you would like to book a room at the hotel, here are the sites that you can visit: 2021 SAFETY UPDATE Rapid Antigen Test results are required upon check-in. On-site testing is available from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm daily for a fee. Prior reservations are required. Please be advised that those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity, or other health risks and pregnant women are strictly not allowed until further notice. 
View of the hotel facade from the Twin Lakes Cafe (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
We got their Blissful Promo package for P9,888 per night inclusive of breakfast, f&b consumable credits worth P1,000 per night and a choice of either 1-hour massage or antigen test per night. Since we had two nights, our total consumable credits was P2,000 and we got the free antigen test for the first night and 1-hour massage for the second night. Totally worth it! You can check their ongoing promos here: Twin Lakes Hotel Promos 
Check-in process was a breeze as expected. Security personnel at the gate lead us to the basement where we need to get our antigen tests done. It took us only 10 minutes to wait our turn and another 10-15 minutes for the test and for the result. After getting the results, we headed upstairs to check-in. Unlike other hotels, there's no downpayment required during reservation and you can just pay upon arrival. Oh and from the parking lot, you won't have to carry your stuff as the bellhop will just bring it to your room once you've checked in. We were placed in a room right below the concierge floor and that's the highest a Deluxe Room can be. I know this is odd but let me try and explain the storeys of this hotel. As it is located in a downhill slope, this hotel's ground floor is at the topmost level of the hotel, right at the same level where the main entrance and driveway is. This level also has the concierge, front desk, main bar, restaurant, banquet halls, and its most expensive rooms. One level down is our Deluxe room with the best view of the sunrise. The lower you go, the lesser view you have and I guess the cheaper the rooms will get. At the bottomost of the building, you have your pool, gym, playroom, botanical garden and the entrance to the vineyard. 
Hotel's main lobby (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
Zabana Bar with the view of Taal Lake (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
Our room was spectacular as they have described it -- with its perfect view of the sunrise glistening over the vineyard. What's nice about it is that the sunrise is to your left and not in front of you so you don't get overwhelmed by the sun. And even as the sun goes up, it doesn't flood your balcony with too much sunlight so it doesn't get too hot and you can still hang out there throughout the day. Whenever you open the sliding doors, the air conditioning automatically turns off and it turns back on only when you close the doors. Pretty neat! :) Let me show you some of the views of our room throughout the day...  Our balcony taken during sunrise (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
View from our balcony at lunchtime (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
Nighttime shot from our balcony (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
In terms of room amenities, I would say you'll have what you need for your stay. You'll have your usual toiletries, hygiene kit, towels and hairdryer in the bathroom. You'll get two packs each of coffee, sugar and cream, and two small bottles of water. And if you need more than two bottles of water everyday, they will charge you for it. There's a refrigerator but there's surprisingly nothing in it so if you need anything, you'll have to ask room service for it. I also specified during the online booking that our preference would be a King bed but for some reason, when we checked in, there were no Deluxe King rooms available and we were given a room with two twin beds. Maybe you have to send them a reminder by calling their number to ensure you get your bed preference. I guess it's not as 5-star as you expect it to be but nothing major to complain about. 
Our Deluxe Room (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
Room service was generally okay. The staff are really nice and friendly. There were just times when they were not able to take note of our orders completely. During our first night, they gave us 1 cup of rice when we ordered 3, and they also forgot to give us a complete set of utensils. During lunch the following day, the Tanigue Steak which usually comes with sauce/condiment did not have any. Maybe it really didn't come with anything at all but the room service staff was nice enough to take note of our request and came back with our preferred toyomansi (sauce soyce with calamansi) in just a matter of a few minutes. During breakfast the following day, we decided to order room service, which the front desk confirmed that we can. We tried to reach them but couldn't so we requested for a callback through an automated feature in the call. After 30-40 minutes of waiting, we just decided to check-out. I suppose they were understaffed and it was also Father's Day and there were really a lot of guests who checked in the previous day so I guess they were extremely busy and couldn't accommodate everyone's request. If you are interested in the room service menu, check our the screenshots of the menu below or go to their menu site here: Twin Lakes Hotel Room Service Menu The activities that you can do are limitless and the facilities available for you are definitely 5-star. They have an infinity pool, gym, game room with board games and a pool table, and a kiddie playroom. We used the gym but never got the chance to use the game room. And here are the activities that you can do:
During our second afternoon (that was a Saturday), there were too many people at the pool so we opted to just walk around the botanical garden and vineyard. 
Entrance to the vineyard from the botanical garden pathway (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
Hotel's infinity pool (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
We, of course, availed of the free 1-hour massage at the L'Uva Vineyard Spa. There are several types of massages that you can choose from and we availed of the Relaxing Massage. It was worth P2,300 for 1 hour which was a bit pricey so extremely happy that we got it for free! Our massage room had a tub but I was no longer able to take a photo of it and it was overlooking the infinity pool. 
Lobby of the L'Uva Vineyard Spa (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
Our massage room (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
Buffet breakfast was included as part of the package and it was served at one of the hotel's banquet halls. Food was okay, nothing to get excited about but enough choices to fill your stomach. We only had breakfast for one morning since there were several guests walking around and getting food without their masks on and it made us feel a bit unsafe. Good thing we got there first. I wasn't sure if it was a rule to wear masks whenever guests leave their table so we didn't say anything. But I did bring it up thru their Facebook page and learned that masks were required when getting food and they promised to advise the chef about it for everyone's safety. The guests just needed to be told and the staff were just too nice to say anything to them. 
Breakfast at one the banquet halls (Photo © iHeartPH 2021)
Overall, I would rate this hotel 8.5 out of 10. I would have rated them a bit lower but I totally understand that they were understaffed due to the pandemic and there were more guests than they had probably anticipated due to Father's Day. There were lapses in their service but it was totally compensated by how nice the staffs were and the magnificent views of the Taal Lake and the vineyard. For those who are interested to stay at Twin Lakes Hotel, they are located along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu highway just behind the Twin Lakes Shopping Village. You can drive or hike down from the shopping mall to the hotel. Here is a map from the hotel's website... 
Twin Lakes map (Photo © Twin Lakes Website)
If you would like to book a room at the hotel, here are the sites that you can visit:
Agoda offers their rooms at the cheapest prices but when booking through the hotel directly gives you more value for your money. The direct booking is more expensive but it includes a lot more services that you would probably be availing of and paying additional anyway like the antigen tests and massages. Before you book, it's best to compare what's included in the package that you're getting and know how much those services are. Address: Twin Lakes Hotel, Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, Laurel, Batangas
Phone: (043) 302 1515, (043) 302 1515 Mobile: 0917 846 1389 / 0917 853 7468 Email: reservations@twinlakeshotel.com.ph, sales.reservation@twinlakeshotel.com.ph Official Website: https://www.twinlakeshotel.com.ph/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinlakeshotel/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twinlakeshotel/ |
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