Lovely views, dated hotel.

The current version of the Taal Vista was built a good 40 years or so ago and it is really starting to show its age. It is, however, positioned so that you get some beautiful views of Taal Lake and the volcano, and is pleasant enough if you are just staying in Tagaytay for a couple of nights.

Getting to the Taal Vista from Manila will take you about 2 hours by car if you leave when there is no traffic. If you head out at rush hour, then you can expect to be stuck on SLEX for a further hour at least.

Checking into the hotel was relatively painless. There was a bit of a queue, and considering how large the lobby is, the actual number of check-in desks seemed a little low.

The premier king lake wing rooms are extremely spacious and give you a fantastic view of the lake and the volcano right from your window and balcony area. The bathroom is equally spacious, but the shower is absolutely terrible with the bath being so narrow that it can sometimes be difficult to stand whilst you wait for the water to drip out.

Unless you have kids who are itching to swim, then I would avoid the pool entirely. It is small, old, in the shade, and crowded.

Whilst we didn’t try the buffet, the ala cart lunch at the restaurant was decent enough, with a nice selection of sandwiches and light bites that you’d expect on a lunch menu.

The hotel is situated across from the “casino”. I have put that in quotes because it is more of a private Baccarat club than a casino, which serves no drinks at all and doesn’t seem very keen on having foreigners bet there. There is a McDonalds situated right next to it though, so you can at least grab a burger before bed.

Checkout was simple enough but be warned that you are going to get caught in heavy traffic trying to leave Tagaytay if you checkout between 11 am and 1 pm.