This is where you should’ve stayed the last time you went to Tagaytay.

This is where you should’ve stayed the last time you went to Tagaytay. 

Escala Hotel Tagaytay

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The initial plan was to leave BGC at 06:00H, but my two friends and I couldn’t resist the thought of relaxing by the pool overlooking the Taal volcano.  That’s exactly what we did upon arrival at around 12:00NN. We had booked this room over a month ago but it was moved free of charge due to unforeseen circumstances so I would have to thank Escala for being flexible with the reservation. We stayed over

Escala hotel is a clean-cut, glass enclosed modern building situated just before you reach Sky Ranch in Tagaytay with panoramic views of the lake and the volcano. Upon arrival, we were greeted by large doors that paved the way to the open air lobby connected with a large terrace featuring a partial view of the Ferris wheel in Sky Ranch simulating a view of the iconic London Eye. 

1.    The room

When we arrived, we were assigned the family room with a panoramic view since we were supposed to be four guests. The room was large. It had a lounge/dining area, four double beds, separated bath and toilet and most of all a balcony with a view. The room was nice although the view was unpleasant because although it had a view of the volcano, it was under the pool leveled with the lowest point of the hotel. We immediately asked for a switch and we were told that there was availability at the penthouse level but it would be a downgrade. We saw the room and took it immediately. Here is how it looked like:

2.    The pool

The main decision factor for most of us would probably be the gracious infinity lap pool wherein you would feel as if you were swimming in the skies. It was an absolute amazing experience. At the edge of the pool, you can directly ponder on the beautiful views of the lake. For a second, I thought to be in Santorini, Greece.

Amazingly, the pool sparkles like the Eiffel tower at night but instead of getting only 5 minutes per hour like the latter, you get this for the entire night. I believe it continued up until 2:00AM. The darkness of the surroundings and warm colors of the building illuminated the fairytale like sparkles of the infinity pool.

Oh the pool is not heated though.

3.    What to do?

The hotel is still finishing up its other amenities but once completed, it should have an equipped gym and spa. After spending some time promenading through the pool deck, we headed to Balay Dako for late lunch. The famous Antonio’s group caters it so it was a delightful Filipino comfort food experience with crisp cool air on their terrace. We headed back to Escala just in time for sundown and opened our first bottle on our terrace. It was sangria. We watched kids swim, people lounging on the deck and the skies turning red as the sun came down. Exactly how I envisioned the day to end. As it was getting cooler, we took out our playing cards right before we had our late dinner at Breakfast at Antonio’s.  Dinner was amazing although, they really weren’t kidding when they named themselves Breakfast at Antonio’s as I found myself having angus tapa, rice, scrambled eggs and granola for dinner.

We went back to the hotel and continued to lounge at our balcony. The clouds were getting lower but were quickly moving. We wanted to see the stars, so we headed to the main terrace at the lobby level. We lay with throw pillows on the floor and stargazed through the cool night. I saw a falling star. I made a wish to come back to this place. That was the end of the night.

4.    Breakfast

I immediately praise hotels that include breakfast into their package although I am aware that the cost has been accounted for the room rate already but still. We woke up at 06:30H to catch a great spot for consuming our breakfast. The food choices were mostly Filipino and extensive. I was really full. An hour and a half later, we went back to the room and slept again before waking up prior to check-out.

5.    Service

The staff in Escala are very attentive and really knows customer relationship management by heart. They never hassled us even when we wanted to move rooms. There were no useless and exaggerated security guards meddling with your business. I felt very safe both physically and with regards to my privacy.

Before heading back to Manila, we stopped at Sonya’s garden to buy fresh produce and to explore the gardens.