Thursday, February 28, 2019

Long Weekend at One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites

Tagaytay has been one of the top picks of Manila dwellers for quick getaway. With it being just an hour or two away from the city, this place has been favored by many for weekend road trips and staycations. Though most prefer to go on day trips, staying for the night is also a great idea. And last weekend, R and I visited One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites. 

Hello, One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites
One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites has been operating for over a decade now and it continues to be packed with tourists. In fact, it was almost fully booked last Sunday. 
The hotel which also manages residential units has four room categories-- Deluxe, One Bedroom Suite, Two Bedroom Suite, and Three Bedroom Suite. We got a Deluxe Room with breakfast (PHP6,800 published rate, PHP3,500 ongoing promo).
Our room is equip with a double-size bed, sofa, cable television, electric kettle, and basic toiletries.
It would have been nice if the room has a hair dryer, a bigger (and longer) bed, and more spacious bathroom considering the price point. A TV program list would also be a nice touch.
I called front desk to arrange our dinner reservation at Amacena before taking a short nap. Sadly, it wasn't relayed to the restaurant at all. Thankfully, Michael, the hotel manager, was around and saved the night. 
For dinner, we tried Dinakdakang Chicharon (PHP510) and Pineapple Sinigang (PHP805). We also got Mango and Apple Shake (PHP90 each) for drinks and Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert. Expect your food to be served in 20 to 30 minutes. 

The Dinakdakang Chicharon is one of Amacena's bestsellers and one bite made us understand why. 
Rich and chunky with every spoonful, this dish is intensely heavy in flavor. Great as beer chow, I prefer to pair this with rice to tone down its bold flavor. 
The bowl of Pineapple Sinigang is pretty good too. It had a generous serving of veggies and pineapple chunks. The big bagnet slices also makes this dish good for sharing. I just hope that they tone down the saltiness of the dish. 
Our Chocolate Lava Cake was served fresh and hot from the kitchen. Though the chocolate filling did not ooze out, we enjoyed every bit of this sweet treat. The hot chocolate and cold vanilla ice cream combination never disappoint!
Our drinks were good too. Both were refreshing and great thirst quenchers. 

We also scheduled a spa visit at O Spa that night and tried its Deep Tissue massage (PHP780/1 hour). 
Since we find the bed in our room rather small, R and I decided to head down to the ground floor to have our spa treatment. 
The dimly lit spa was empty when we dropped by. We were told that many do avail of its spa services but the guests prefer to have it at the comfort of their rooms. R and I got a couples room which is equip with a bathroom. The massage beds have drawers for us to keep our belongings. 

The massage was relaxing but I couldn't get to fall asleep as the room was too cold especially when you're down to just your underwear. It would have made the spa experience more relaxing too if there was music or chime sounds. 
Breakfast the next morning took place at the hotel's ballroom on the third floor. 
Selection is limited but good. It would have been better though if they kept the dishes warm. I was told that the chafing dishes were at low heat hence the food gets easily cold once placed on the plate. 

I love that there's an egg and pancake station though and that they serve hot chocolate for non-coffee drinkers. 
We headed back to Amacena for lunch and had Smoked Bistek and Sizzling Bulalo Steak (PHP660). 
Smoked Bistek is served on a sizzling pan topped with onion rings. The thinly cut beef strips swimming in rich thick gravy tastes a bit similar with Dinakdakang Chicharon, only it's not as chunky and salty. 
If there's one thing you have to try at Amacena, it's Sizzling Bulalo Steak. 
This plate of tender beef covered in mushroom sauce with potatoes on the side is stellar! One bite of the succulent meat is enough to make anyone fall in love with this dish. And what I love most about it is that the dish is not cloying at all. 
For dessert, we had Crispy Leche Flan with Ube Ice Cream. I like that the leche flan was not overly sweet and that the wrapper was crisp giving it a lovely contrast in texture. 
Do check out Amacena's cocktail selection too to kick start the night. I tried its Gin Tonic (PHP140) and it was good too.
As we were about to end our meal, I was surprised with a birthday cake. 

Thank you for the surprise and for having us!

One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites is located at 445 Tagaytay-Calamba Road, Barrio Sungay West, Tagaytay

Amacena - One Tagaytay Place Hotel Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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