Tagaytay Weekend: Best View of Taal Lake Ever!

Summer in the Philippines has yet to officially start as per ‘PAGASA‘, but the cool winds of Tagaytay beckoned our travel-hungry spirits to revisit this nearby town.

Weekend @ Tagaytay

Tagaytay is not a new tourist destination in the Philippines but it is a favorite among urban dwellers from Metro Manila who wants a quick weekend getaway that’s not too far from the metropolis.

Only an hour away from the Manila south (excluding rush hour traffic), Tagaytay is also a favorite for its high elevation’s cool climate serving as an escape from the heat of Manila. It’s continuos development stood witness to budding home-grown restaurants, hotels, and communities.

It’s been almost a year since we last visited summer of 2016. And we’ve been hoping for a quick Tagaytay trip for sometime now. Fortunately, we finally found an escape even just for a night.

By default, we’ve thought of staying at a usual bed-&-breakfast type of accommodation, or maybe even in a hotel, in character of a usual itinerary for most visiting travelers to this summer destination.

However, it came as a pleasant surprise when we discovered about SMDC Wind Residences‘ multiple options for Airbnb units which offered breath-taking views of the famous Taal Volcano, the smallest active volcano in the world, and the alluring Taal Lake surrounding it, beset in between the laid-back provinces of Cavite and Batangas.

SMDC Wind Residences

A real-estate community project by SM Development Corporation (SMDC), the Wind Residences commands a grand visual architecture of mid-rise vertical villages with country-club amenities.

Currently comprised of five towers (with five more towers soon to rise) situated along Aguinaldo Highway, the SMDC Wind Residences is one of the biggest properties in Tagaytay with 15.45 hectares of land.

SMDC Wind Residences TagaytayIn addition to revisiting Tagaytay, we included a little food trip in our itinerary including restaurants we haven’t been to and having a taste of Tagyatay Bulalo (bone marrow soup) the town is famous for.

Add to that spending quality time together as a couple since we’ve been quite busy from recent work.

Modern and Elegant Rooms

This was our first time to visit SMDC Wind Residences Tagaytay. Entering their reception area seemed like entering a hotel lobby – a welcoming staff received us.

We mentioned our Airbnb unit number and we were asked for an ID card for proper identification and security. The in-house Airbnb manager also received and accompanied us to the elevator and our unit on the 21st floor.

Upon entering the room, the 3pm afternoon daylight clad the white walls, ceiling, and floor of what we call the “White Room“.

Yes, it was a white-washed enclave with classical in-tone furniture, white-linen bed, and living room accented by grey-themed throw-pillows, vases, jars, and white flowers. Even the curtains and bedding was such a treat. The furniture designs were carefully matched each other with a dash of class and elegance.

A huge artisan wall clock served as a center-piece atop the bed headboard while two crystal-clad chandeliers hinged from the ceilings.

The kitchen corner was complete with cooking facilities including a cooker hob and hood, a mini refrigerator, microwave oven, an induction cooker, and an electric kettle as well.

The bathroom (toilet) tamed a bit to grey-scale interiors. It had the basic toiletries and clean towels except for a toothbrush set.

No need to worry though as a number convenient stores and restaurants are located at the 1st floors of all the 5 current towers of SMDC Wind Residences.

Furthermore, SMDC Wind Residences Tagaytay is just a few minutes away from the many unique restaurants like Antonio’s, The Bag of Beans, and Lime and Basil among others.

A quick #TagaytayWeekend read from #SMDCWindResidences. #SeatsForTwo #SeatsForTwoTravels #WomanInDigital #BloggerManila

A post shared by Mr. & Mrs. Uy (@seatsfortwo) on Mar 26, 2017 at 4:25am PDT

a complete relaxation

You can say that the seemingly luxurious 32sqm room had everything you might need. By the way, our room is located at Tower 3, a stone’s throw away form the clubhouse swimming pool.

The Best Tagaytay View

But the best part is yet to be revealed!

Our bedroom offered a majestic view overlooking Taal Volcano and Taal Lake! The best view of Tagaytay from a room we have ever stayed-in!

We spent the rest of the afternoon appreciating this view from the cozy veranda and from the comfort of our bed until the sunset.

You could say that ever side and corner of the room was Instagrammable! 🙂

We also found a perfect spot to have coffee and Batangas hot tsokolate, perhaps for the morning, and to enjoy a delicious wine later that night.

Anticipating a good massage that night, we didn’t go far and had a quick dinner at Ersao Taiwanese Restaurant which is located at the ground floor of tower 1.

We finally ended the day with a home service massage from local-townsfolk therapists for only Php 300  (Us$6-10) each. For such services, you can pre-arrange with the SMDC staff to help you connect with one. In the future, a spa or similar service establishment might be one of Wind Residences‘ tenant, who knows! For the business minded, that’s a business opportunity!

Tagaytay Sunrise

Wifey woke up early to catch the Tagaytay sunrise and jogged alongside the cool and windy breeze of the morning around the country-club.

Although, there’s no option for a breakfast buffet like in hotels, you can always order from nearby establishments and have them delivered at the comfort of your rooms.

If you’ve got a nice one such as ours, who would want to leave? 🙂

We got a brown bag of breakfast fares from Bag of Beans consisting of raisin bread, something sweet, fruits, and a freshly brewed coffee from our lessee’s kitchen.

Waking up late and having #breakfast in bed at #SMDCWindResidences. ☀💑 Follow us @seatsfortwo #Tagaytay #TagaytayWeekend #SeatsForTwo #SeatsForTwoTravels

A post shared by Mr. & Mrs. Uy (@seatsfortwo) on Mar 25, 2017 at 7:51pm PDT

#PillowFight before #GoodNight 💑 #TagaytayWeekend @ the #SMDCWindResidences! 🏢🏬🏥 . #SeatsForTwo .com #SeatsForTwoTravels #WomanInDigital #BloggerManila

A post shared by Mr. & Mrs. Uy (@seatsfortwo) on Mar 27, 2017 at 4:50am PDT

Swimming Pool

One of the things we look forward to in our accommodations is the swimming pool. In this case, there’s not only one, but three outdoor pools and one indoor pool!

The country club also houses the adjacent wellness park, kid’s playground, darts room, and courts for different sports including basketball, tennis, and badminton!

#Lovers in #Tagaytay, amazed by the breathtaking view of #Taal #volcano! ❤❤❤ #SMDCWindResidences. More ig stories so follow @joneluy @livingmarjorney #SeatsForTwo #SeatsForTwoTravels #WomanInDigital #TagaytayWeekend

A post shared by Mr. & Mrs. Uy (@seatsfortwo) on Mar 25, 2017 at 4:04am PDT

Summer Festival at Wind Residences

As a community, events and activities are also on a sprawl, specially during the summer time. One of which is the upcoming Wind Summer Festival!

This coming April 22–23, Wind Residences invites families and the ‘barkada’, practically everyone, to a weekend of good food and aerial shows at the SMDC Wind Summer Festival!

Guests can participate in the kite flying festival, shop in an organic weekend market and more! For the millennials, there will also be a live performances from your favorite OPM artists. Know more about the summer festival at their Facebook Page here.

SMDC Wind Residences
by SM Development Corporation
Brgy. Maharlika West,
Tagaytay City, Cavite

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We hope you will enjoy this video.

SMDC Wind Residences seemingly has all the convenience of a relaxed modern living back-dropped by Tagaytay. Aside from being an ideal destination for a quick weekend escape from the city, Seats For Two believes it’s also a good retirement heaven. We’ll certainly be back soon!