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It is our 15th wedding anniversary and I thought that since we only had the weekend I have to find the most romantic getaway that won't be too far away. My frenetic search on the net led me to DOMICILLO, a design, boutique haven offering one of the best and widest view of Taal Lake.
Because of work, errands and the horrendous traffic (4.5 hours instead of 2 hours to Tagaytay) to get out of Manila, we arrived at Domicillo at 7:30pm. I was almost in tears. Hehe because we paid a premium plus our anniversary is too hurried. Uwaaah it's not a happy anniversary anymore.
But truly, when we stepped into Domicillo, the warmth and charm of the place reminded us what we were here for - a relaxing, intimate getaway to celebrate 15 years!
The place was just as the pictures promised it to be. Understated elegance.
We got the best room in the 8-room boutique hotel, the middle Premier Room with a Lower Lake View in the 3 room lower deck. It has the view of the lake, a small garden patch and a lone dried up tree that adds more character to the already majestic view. At night the presence of the tree illuminated gently in yellow light is lyrical. A complimentary bottle of a very decent Cabernet Sauvignon also welcomed us. Since it was already late we chose to eat dinner in our room but the hotel has very good restaurants with equally beautiful views, Aozora Japanese Cafe + Bistro and La Finca International Cafe. To up the anniversary ante, while enjoying our wine, I played F**K Tracks by Wesley Oliveira from Spotify, the track goes well with the industrial and modern atmosphere. After a few hours our masseuses came as scheduled and gave us an hour of relaxing massages. Tip: Book your massage in advance (I booked ours a day earlier). The one hour couple's massage also came on the house.
Our room was beautiful at night and simply breathtaking by day. The sun washing our room, kissing us with its splendor is just invigorating. We chose to sleep with the floor to ceiling windows open so the sunrise can wake us up. And it did, slowly and beautifully. We stepped out into our garden patch and breathed in all its beauty and its hope for more sunrises together, full of love and kindness.
Our modern, minimalist bathroom.
We had the complimentary breakfast at La Finca at 7am. Guests can also choose to have breakfast from Aozora but service starts at 9am.
After breakfast we explored the hotel and every nook and cranny is filled with tasteful and understated design by the country's talented designers namely, Budji Layug, Royal Pineda, Tes Pasola, Milo Naval, Kenneth Cobonpue, Maricris Brias, Ann Pamintuan and Eric Paras. The whole concept of converging these top designers was from the man from Manila Mirrors fame, Rene Alcala. Every head turn is a visual feast! We love the mix of concrete, wood and greens all over. It's so modern, yet warm.
The hotel has four levels, first and top level houses Aozora Japanese Bistro and the roof deck with the magnificent view of Taal Lake.
The second level has the reception and La Finca restaurant.
The third level has the lounge where you can chill and relax. It also has the garden view guest rooms.
The fourth and lowest level houses the Premier Lake Rooms with a view of the Lake plus their very own garden patch.
And the chairs, we loved the chairs!
The service is efficient and inconspicuous, respecting guests need for privacy and alone time. All room rates are inclusive of free minibar in all rooms, organic bathroom amenities (bring your own toothpaste theirs won't keep your breath fresh), daily newspaper and breakfast for two at the hotel’s La Finca restaurant. For Superior Rooms, a 30-minute head or foot message also comes on the house. While Premier Rooms comes with complimentary bottle of wine, a one hour whole body massage for two, plus a choice of breakfast between La Finca or Aozora Japanese Bistro. The rooms comes with free Wi-Fi and cable TV but who would want to watch TV with this view?:-) The Wi-Fi is not consistent because of the steep terrain though so download your music beforehand.
Overall Review: I would highly, highly recommend Domicillo for couples who want to spend a relaxing and intimate together-time, like we did. The rates may be a little bit pricey, but worth the experience. As for families, I wouldn't really bring my 3 kids here until they have mastered the art of quiet and solitude;-)
Domicillo Tagaytay
Km 58, General Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Maharlika East, Tagaytay City
(A few meters Past Serin Mall)
Telephone: +63 46 413-3552
Mobile: +63 917 672-8182
Facebook: Domicillo Tagaytay
Parting shot with creative genius behind Domicillo, Rene Alcala.
Disclosure: TheGoMom paid for full room rates and did not receive any sponsorship from Domicillo.
