Tagaytay Staycation
Happy Friday! Today’s blog post has to be my favorite since my Palawan posts for the year. It is definitely top 3 so far and that’s because I just got back from the best staycation ever! If you are wondering where I’ve been for the past week I have been taking my time off and enjoying a fab stay at a hotel. I did schedule a week’s worth of blog post to not have total radio silence on my end but I haven’t exactly been resting as I’ve been working on blog posts I shot at the hotel. This is the first of many blog post I have planned from my hotel stay and the most important as it is the overall review and my experience of the stay.
I was kindly offered a free 3 day and 2 night stay at Estancia Hotel Resort in Tagaytay. It is about an hour away from where I live and my family and I frequently travel up there once a month or so. I’ve always wanted to stay up there for a staycation so I made it a goal this year to stay up there for a weekend and I can happily cross that goal off my list. The last staycation I had was in 2012 and I was a fairly new blogger back then but I did manage to write a bit about it which if you want you can read here. Just like back then I took my parents with me for the staycation. I wanted to treat them and wanted them to relax and all three of us spend time together. So on Saturday afternoon the three of us and my cousin who drove us and dropped us off went off to Tagaytay to enjoy our fabulous stay and I’m here to tell you all about my experience and what I got up to on my weekend staycation at Estancia!
Stay
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Estancia Resort Hotel Tagaytay
My stay was very memorable. I enjoyed it so much. I spent Saturday to Monday there and the whole stay was so pleasant for my parents and I. We got there about 3pm to check in and as soon as I walked in the lobby I was in awe. The decor and the whole vibe was super relaxing and so aesthetically pleasing. The views are stunning and the windows everywhere brought in so much light which my camera was really liking. The front desk and where you have breakfast are in the same place. After check in we were led to our rooms. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, an entertainment room and other activities they offer. Also they do a lot of events and would be the perfect venue just for that. All the amenities are stunning and as I toured the property I was in awe the whole time and loved each second of discovering and looking around while I was there. I took so many pictures but of course I limited it for this blog post to not go overboard. Everything about the stay was worth it and I can’t recommend staying here enough if you are looking to get away from the city and stay up in the mountains for cool air and a relaxed atmosphere to really enjoy your time away from regular life.
The staff were extremely friendly and super helpful. Of course staff members are required to be and it is their job but they went above and beyond to help my mom. My mom has hip and foot problems so it is a bit harder for her to walk. I took her and my dad to getaway and relax for the weekend. It was quite the walk and climb to get to our room but the staff made sure she could handle it and helped her. Even with the food and the service everyone was so nice and took all my concerns for my parents to be as comfortable too. The front staff who we saw every morning loved talking with my dad and he loves telling his stories so they were happy to listen and hang out. All of them were super nice and I made sure to comment that with the feedback form.
The way to our room is quite an adventure. The lobby is at the top and then you are escorted down a series of hallways and led down a few flights of stairs outside where there are gardens. You pass the entertainment room and the outdoor pool. Going to to the rooms it has great views and when you reach the bottom you have the option to take a golf cart to your room as there is a long pathway ahead. Our room was located in a building that held 4 rooms in each. It would be great for families and have the whole building to yourself. It is very quiet and we didn’t even know if we had neighbors or not. It reminded me of apartments rather than a hotel room which made it feel more homey and I liked that kind of vibe it gave. It was like a mini home away from home. We were located on the first building, second floor and room 53 if you were curious.
Look Inside
The room we stayed in was their Executive Suite. It has two queen size beds that are super comfy and I sure had a great nice sleep. Honestly I’ve always wanted to stay at a hotel with those towel swans and as soon as I saw them I got so excited. It’s really the little things I get most joy out of. The comforters were super soft and I had the right amount of pillows and blankets. I got the bed next to the balcony and my parent’s got the one by the couch and closets to the bathroom. There’s TV with cable and my dad enjoyed that flipping through the channels and watching those old movies and history documentaries. The desk area was my personal work space for a few days and it made me want my own desk for my own room one of these days. It was pretty spacious and for three people all of us had our own space without getting into each others way and could move around freely. I was really happy with our room choice.The Executive Suite is 6,900php a night.
The bathroom was the classic style I am used to in a hotel. The one I stayed in Palawan was Filipino style. I’m glad this had a bathtub as I missed having one and haven’t had a soak in that bath for forever. I wish I would have bought and brought some Lush bath bombs with me but I wasn’t sure if they did. Now that you know I suggest bringing some but they do provide their own small bottle of bubble bath. I unfortunately didn’t have one but if I brought some bath bombs I would have. They do have hot water which is free and comes from the facet. You don’t have to pay any extra for it. It does take a while to warm up and you have to leave the water running for a few minutes but once it warms up it will stay warm. It isn’t too hot but the perfect temperature and it is so great after being sat on the balcony in the cold writing for a few hours. Overall it was a nice spacious bathroom and had great amenities.
My favorite part of the room was the view. Look at how pretty the view was from our room. Out of many hotel rooms I stayed in this so far has had the best view. I spent so much time on the balcony wither in the mornings taking care of some business, eating lunch or dinner and watching the sunset from the table and chairs that were on the balcony. On some days there was no fog and you can see the lake and volcano clearly and some there is this foggy haze that makes things so calm and tranquil. It is the perfect setting for a relaxing getaway and you’re surrounded by trees and natures. Since you are in the middle of a forest the downside is the bugs. There is a screen with the sliding door to prevent them but of course a few come in. The weather combined by nature there are mosquitoes in the evening. I bring mosquito repellent lotion everywhere when I travel so that is covered and I don’t worry but a little warning if you plan to visit is there are a few bugs that can accidentally fly into the room and if you plan to stay outside long apply mosquito repellent lotion to be on the safe side. One day there were a lot and the next there was none so it sometimes depends but a little reminder because of the area.
Food
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Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The food was amazing. We ate at their restaurant as well as got room service. Another first for me was getting room service delivered to the room. In the US and here whenever I went to a hotel I went out to a restaurant as I wanted to explore and see what there is out there. Since this was a staycation and I just wanted to relax and since I’ve explored Tagaytay and a lot of the sites before there was no need to leave. For breakfast you hike up to the lobby and that is where you are served breakfast. I did have my mom’s delivered to her as she couldn’t walk that far so in special cases in case you have someone who requires more assistant and can’t go up to the lobby. As I said they are very accommodating and handle your needs very well. We were offered two complimentary breakfasts for three. You’re given a menu and it has Filipino breakfast options or regular breakfast options and you can choose bread or rice which I liked. I got so tired of rice when I visited Palawan and the breakfast options so I’m glad that these options were much better. Also breakfast was from 7-11am which is a far better time and I got to do some work and get dressed before going to breakfast. I like there is a time slot given for when you want to eat. The staff serve right away and make it fresh for you. My dad says the coffee was good and make it right there and I had the hot chocolate and it was very yummy and just how I liked it. I don’t always have breakfast in the mornings but this made me want to eat breakfast.
As for the room service food it was also very delicious. We ordered lunch and dinner and with these meals I tried to ordered something different every time unlike breakfast as I loved my breakfast. So the first night we had a late lunch/early dinner so I got a chicken and cheese quesadilla with a side of fries and a banana shake as dessert. My dad got cheese and bacon chowder soup with a club sandwich which he split with my mom and she got chicken noodle soup. He also got a pineapple shake for him and some hot tea. On the second night I got carbonarra which is my go to order everywhere. I quite enjoyed it and it was creamy. It came with bread and butter too which I love having bread with my pasta. My dad and mom split a tuna melt and it came with coleslaw and a salad which was quite big meal. I tasted the sandwich and if I was staying one more night I would have ordered one myself. There are different options and a variety of food which is just what I want when I’m not sure and staying somewhere for the first time. The prices are very reasonable for a hotel too which my dad was surprised by. He usually says hotels charge so much but this wasn’t so it won’t hurt the pocket if you stay. I forgot to mention for breakfast I had the Mexican omelet with toast and I loved it so much and its the perfect breakfast for me. Now looking back and seeing these food options I would go back just for the yummy food.
The best part of the staycation was I vlogged it! I have a vlog up on my Youtube channel showing you what I got up to and you can see everything in motion instead of pictures. I really enjoyed vlogging this trip and now have something to look back on. I will have another video as well of what I wore and my morning and night routine soon so stay tuned for that. There will also be a few blog posts coming up to of different aspects of my staycation too. So you can view the vlog of my hotel stay here or down below:
That was my review and experience I had at Estancia. I hope I covered most and if you are looking for a stay in Tagaytay I recomend you head here. I know I am going to head back there if I need a weekend away and want to get away from all the hustle and bustle. I’ve always loved going to Tagaytay but now I want to go back even more and spend more time there. I was so happy with my stay and couldn’t wait to write about it. Let me know if you’ve been on a staycation or want to go on one. It is such a nice getaway and lets you come back so inspired and motivated to do things. I don’t have plans this weekend but I’m going to relive my stay and watch the vlog again. I hope you have an as exciting weekend like I did!
*Disclaimer: I was kindly offered a free stay in order to review their hotel. I was not in anyway paid or my review of the hotel was influenced by the free stay. All opinions of my stay are my own and I am grateful for the experience to review this hotel.

What is your favorite place to go on a staycation for the weekend?

This place looks amazing, those views are incredible! XOLee Annewww.lifebylee.com
Wow, look at that view! What a lovely place to stay. I definitely need a staycation :p
Okay, what a gorgeous hotel and incredible view! I need to go!!Laurenhttp://www.basicbabelauren.com