Yesterday was our anniversary (Happy Anniversary, mommy!) and we went to our customary Tagaytay trip. I was actually planning a surprise drive past the Sta. Rosa exit (the expressway exit to Tagaytay) and proceed all the way to Batangas and then Laiya. Unfortunately, last minute events led us to  just go to Tagaytay.

We first tried Discovery Country Suites (where we stayed for our wedding). It was fully booked (Note to self: Book for next year already). We then went to Moon Garden (where we had our wedding reception). Again, it was fully booked. Michelle researched for other hotels and we ended up at Lake Hotel. Good choice. Nowhere near as good as Country Suites in my opinion but still quite good.

The Lake Hotel is not too big so it’s not as busy as, say Chateau Royale. But there’s a good range of rooms to choose from. Some even have a view of Taal. But even if your room doesn’t, you can simply go to the lobby or the pocket garden for a good view. The staff was nice, friendly, and very accommodating. There’s also WiFi (common these days) in the rooms and lobby, but it’s slooow (also common unfortunately). Overall, the hotel has that nice and upscale feel.

For dinner, Michelle, suggested Bag of Beans which has branched out to more than just coffee and dessert. It’s actually rated quite highly in some reviews but personally I found the food (we ordered porterhouse steak and pink salmon steak) to be just average and the crew not very well-trained in protocol (e.g. how to inform the customer that a table has a time-based consumable rate without sounding condescending). Transition pains, maybe.

Back to the hotel, buffet breakfast is complimentary and they let kids below 5 years old for free. There’s a wide choice of good dishes to choose from and you can eat to your heart’s content. Unlike, say Chateau Royale :P

Overall, it was a good weekend. Tagaytay remains one of the best places to spend a weekend. Probably even one of the best places to settle down. And I’m not the only one thinking that: Fully booked.