High in Tagaytay

MANILA, Philippines - It had been a while since we’ve taken a family vacation in Tagaytay. Although we just spent a few days in Siargao last month, the wedding of an associate at work was alibi enough to book ourselves at the storied Taal Vista Hotel.

I had written about the place a couple of years ago when I helped write the heritage mural on Taal’s history, which graces one wall of the main ballroom lobby. Since then the facility has grown in size and amenities, with an additional wing and ballroom. It is now a favored venue for weddings, grand and intimate, with enough rooms to hold a large wedding entourage and parking to accommodate day-tripper wedding guests from Manila and surrounds.

Taal Vista Hotel started over 70 years ago as Taal Vista Lodge. Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon wanted to create a summer capital that was high enough to be cool but nearer to Manila than Baguio was. He found the right site in Tagaytay, accessible in three and a half hours by motorcar over good pre-war macadamized roads.

The lodge was completed in 1939 and was fully open for visitors the following year. It was managed by the Manila Hotel. I can imagine how it looked like then, with nothing but the ridge greenery and its magnificent view of—as an old tourist brochure described it—“ …a small lake within a volcano within a lake in an island in the Pacific.”

President Quezon even had a small golf course built, as he had taken up the sport. It was sited on what is now the Development Academy of the Philippines and the park in front of it. The president had his planners do a master plan to create a second capital city. I found evidence of this fact from the Chicago Library and Museum that contained the archives of a firm called Bennet, Parsons and Frost. Harry Frost was the principal planner of Quezon City (assisted by Juan Arellano, AD Williams and Louis Croft). Unfortunately I could not find a copy of the master plan they apparently produced and presented to the president.

After the war, the lodge continued to be the only major destination at the ridge all through the 1950s and ‘60s. It was a favorite spot for fashion shoots. My collection of tourist brochures from the ‘40s to the ‘70s all put Tagaytay and the lodge on its must-visit list for southern Luzon treks. In the ‘70s, the ridge was a favorite for college kids to motor to for beer, pulutan and all the crazy stuff we were into then. We could not afford the lodge then.

After a steady decline from that point to the ‘90s, the property was acquired by the SM Group and redeveloped based on its original architecture and allure. Today the expansion has made the hotel the top destination on the ridge. An affiliated company is developing the neighboring Sky Ranch, which has partially opened with theme park rides and a huge Ferris wheel. I recommend you take the ride during the day or at dusk when the views are most dramatic.

My family and I enjoyed the stay immensely. We got a room at the wings with the lake view. The views from the balcony alone are worth the slight premium of the room but anywhere in the property is fine as the hotel has kept the original huge lawn and expansive view deck that the lodge had built.

Tagaytay is booming today in terms of tourism and real-estate development. The place had recently been top ranked by CNN Travel as one of the coolest destinations in the Philippines. Infrastructure improvements have made it more accessible. Some traffic builds up on portions of the ridge but government is embarking on highway expansion and bypasses to solve this.

Art and culture is alive and well in Tagaytay. On this trip I also visited the soon-to-be-opened Orlina Museum. Yes, the indefatigable glass sculptor Ramon Orlina is opening a gallery, museum and a sculpture garden overlooking Taal. This just makes the ridge even more prominent. Maybe Ramon (who is from nearby Taal) should also design new streetlights for the city!

Tall Vista Hotel is tops at the top of the ridge. The panorama of the lake and volcano still generates a natural high. The whole area (as seen from aerial photos courtesy of LIPAD aerial photography) has retained its drama as a destination. With APEC coming in 2015, the city and this hotel will surely provide a welcome treat for the surge of visitors.

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Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the author at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com. Form more information on Tall Vista Hotel log on to www.taalvistahotel.com. For more information on LIPAD Aerial Photography services, contact them at lipad.aerial@gmail.com.