Twin Lakes is perfect if you’re planning a relaxing, no-pressure weekend break

For a quick weekend getaway, Tagaytay is always a good idea. Despite increasing traffic, the city’s cool weather and relative proximity to Manila has made it an easy choice for harried urbanites to relax and recharge. 

There’s a wide array of choices of lodging places if you want to stay a night or two in Tagaytay, but how many can say they offer a heated pool on top of balconies with gorgeous views, they're near some great dining options and have an overall ritzy ambiance?

Twin Lakes should be familiar to anyone who frequents Tagaytay. It first opened as a commercial center with restaurants, cafes, shopping stalls, a supermarket and even a bank. But last month, the Megaworld-owned property opened the Twin Lakes Hotel just a few meters down the hill.

Driving down the steep road leading to the entrance, it’s immediately evident that developers spared no expense trying to turn the property into something like a European hideway. After the gated checkpoint, it doesn’t even feel like you’re still in the Philippines.

Check in is a breeze, and instead of going up, attendants will direct you to go down to get to your room. The Deluxe room I stayed in (about Php8,000 per night, including taxes) had a bathtub, a queen-sized bed and a balcony overlooking a field that resembled a tiny version of the Banaue rice terraces. I found out later that the property is looking to cultivate grapes here that would someday turn into an actual vineyard.

The view also includes an infinity pool, which is common in most upscale hotels, but not in icy cool Tagaytay, where temperatures often drop to jacket-wearing levels.

Clearly hotel officials knew how to address the issue. It may have been counter-intuitive to build a swimming pool in a place with cool weather, but not if it’s heated. The warm water coupled with a view of the green hills and Taal Lake farther out felt amazing, even when a cool and steady wind made it difficult to put my shirt back on afterwards.

Twin Lakes Café serves a wide selection of eats, but regularly scheduled shuttle vans can take guests up to the Twin Lakes shopping village for more dining options. If guests are feeling up to it, the walk up the hill will take no more than 10 to 15 minutes.

But Twin Lakes is the kind of hotel where you might as well forget any kind of physical exertion. With the cool weather and unbeatable views, the best thing to do is stay in, maybe order room service and watch TV or Netflix. It’s the best kind of weekend if you’re going back to the reality of work-related pressures on Monday morning.

Originally written by Paul John Caña for www.esquiremag.ph

Source:

https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/lifestyle/the-infinity-pool-is-heated-at-this-new-tagaytay-hotel-a2056-20190120?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20190120-fbnp-culture-the-infinity-pool-is-heated-at-this-new-tagaytay-hotel-a2056-20190120-fbfirst