The hills around Lake Taal are covered with pineapple plantations and coffee shrubs with flowers that perfume that air, Estancia Resort Hotel is on Tagaytay Ridge, the coastal road that goes around a part of the lake. The resort is obscured by vegetation, but offers spectacular views of the lake and the volcano. Because of the altitude, the climate is delectably cool and the mist, which shrouds the lake at certain times of the day, gives it an air of a hill station.

The swimming pool stretches around the garden like a river. A wooden ridge spans the pool, much to the joy of children. Between December and February, the water can get quite cold.

One part of the rooms is housed in the main but though they are quite comfortable, they are less pleasant than the nipa huts clinging to the foothills. It is recommended to stay here to take full advantage of the site’s beauty. The huts, linked by little pathways, can be reached, either on foot or in a little vehicle resembling golf cart – a quite convenient way to get to the more remote huts at the edge of the forest.

The style of the huts is typical traditional Filipino structures with bamboo walls, capiz windows and nipa roofs. The interiors are spacious, showcasing he different ways of using bamboo – little slats for the floor, thick poles for the walls, and plaited bamboo strips for the ceiling. The furniture is made of impeccably finished pale rattan and bathrooms are made of marble. Each hut has a terrace, furnished with chairs and tables where you can enjoy the view of the lush forest mirrored in the lake.

The design of the restaurant plays with contrasts. Large, semi-circular picture windows, accented by capiz, open in a spectacular fashion onto the forest and the lake. The rattan furniture warms the bleak glass and stone walls and floor. You feel relaxed in these surroundings where th4e only thing missing is a warm fireplace.

The place is ideal for relaxation – and for escaping the overwhelming summer heat of Manila. It can als be a stopover on the way to the beaches of the Calatagan Peninsula, Nasaugbu or Anilao. Not to be missed are the trip across the lake to visit the crater of the volcano and the visit to the town of Taal and its old houses You can also buy fruits and vegetables in the roadside stalls on your way back to the capital.

Rates:

Amenities and Services:

• rooms with airconditioning

• cable TV

• hot and cold running water

• telephone

• mini-bar

• Indoor and outdoor pools

• jacuzzi

• sauna

• billiards and dart hall

• children’s playground

• Dine al fresco

• Taal Trekking Tour

• Spa Service