Off the beaten path

The holidays are coming and the Christmas shopping season, despite all that’s happened, looks like it’s starting early. I hate the traffic this produces and look forward to escaping from the city. Like most people, I now prefer not to burn too much carbon with long car trips or airplane flights if I can help it, so Tagaytay, which is only about an hour’s drive away, is one fine place to go to for the weekend.

The good news is that in Tagaytay today, there are more places to visit, restaurants to try, and hotels to stay in. One recent find for me and the family is tucked discretely on the ridge road, off the main access junction in the direction of the DAP and Picnic Grove. This new facility is One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites and it sits just behind a low podium that houses its ballroom and shops. This buffer shields the hotel from the bustle of the main road, perfect for those who value privacy and quiet.

The hotel is a development of Atlantica Realty Development Corporation. They engaged the services of key designers to make sure the hotel would meet superior standards. The architectural design was by architect Jose Siao Ling of Jose Siao Ling & Associates. The hotel’s contemporary modern interiors were by architect Joel Songsong of Songsong+Periquet Architecture Interiors.

One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites is managed by Genesis Hotels & Resorts Corporation, headed by the incomparable Señor Miguel Cerqueda of the old Manila Hotel fame. A major player in the local tourism industry, Genesis runs a number of quality hotels and resorts in Manila and nationwide, including Astoria Plaza, Boracay Gold Cowrie, Mt. Malarayat Hotel & Suites, and Bellarocca Island Resort and Spa in Marinduque.

Check-in was a breeze. We had the pleasure of meeting the hotel’s general manager, Karl Velhagen, who welcomed us and enticed us to try their new menu at Azalea restaurant. My wife Twink and our two boys now have a favorite paella restaurant in Tagaytay! The rest of the menu isn’t bad either. Try their version of bulalo for a main dish, and for dessert, you must order their yummy orange-crowned cheesecake.

Our suite was roomy and comfortable and had spectacular views of the Taal Lake and Volcano. Designers Joel Songsong and Ogie Periquet are friends of mine and must be complemented for their design. Their international experience and extensive practice in the Philippines make them among the preferred design consultants of choice when it comes to hospitality projects. The pair also designed the interiors of One Tagaytay Place’s Aurora Grand Ballroom, a popular venue, which by the way is hosting the Pacquiao-Cotto fight in November.

 The hotel’s other amenities include a fantastic infinity-edge pool on the ninth floor with commanding views of the surrounding countryside. There’s a fitness center, a spa and soon, an al fresco bar and lounge on the podium deck called The Tower Lounge.

The hotel is already gaining popularity as a wedding reception venue and a great place to hold company events and seminars. I like it because it is family-friendly and well away from the more traveled and more traffic-prone side of the Tagaytay ridge road. Halloween’s coming and GM Karl informs me that they have a special package for trick-or-treaters.

For inquiries, call 584-4111, 584-4156, its sales office at 818-8318 or 818-8319, or visit www.onetagaytayplace.com or www.genesishotels.com.

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On the Ondoy and Pepeng articles of the previous three weekends, some updates: First just a minor correction for the Oct. 10 article on the forum held at the Ateneo School of Government (not Governance). The speaker who presented for the school was Atty. Eunice Agsaoay-Sano (not Cruz). That forum was very well received and attended. The organizers now feel that a series is necessary to further thrust the relevant issues and possible solutions. Therefore, the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners and the Ateneo School of Government are holding the second forum on Monday, Oct. 26, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Firmalino Hall, ground floor, School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of the Philippines.

The facts about the Metro Plan as well as the relevance of the unimplemented components of the plan under current conditions will be presented by former DPWH Undersecretary Teodoro “T.E.” Encarnacion, who served as its project director in 1975. The public is invited. For information, call Liza Marie Pulumbarit-Elum at 0917-8322050/0922-8549735.