Checking In: Our New (and Probably Our Only) Favorite Luxury Hotel in Tagaytay

In the past, it has always been a personal challenge finding modern, five-star hotels/resorts in Tagaytay. There are more than a dozen hotels in the city for sure, however, most of the hotels we have there lack the overall luxury experience that you can possibly find in Metro Manila or outside the country.

My family loves weekend staycations. We’ve checked in at various overpriced hotels and BnBs in Tagaytay, and yet I always find a particular element during my stay missing: whether the hotel lacks a proper hotel pool or the rooms/bed linens/curtains weren’t that impressive.

As most people say nowadays, the definition of “luxury” in hospitality has already evolved as it no longer equates to just opulent architectures and excessive interiors. Luxury can now also be found in smaller boutique hotels which, on the other hand, give unparalleled five-star services while offering unique and remarkable details that make the hotel stand out from the rest.

THIS IS WHAT I CAME FOR.

The opening of Anya Resorts Tagaytay (Buenavista Hills Road, Barangay Mag-asawang Ilat Tagaytay, Philippines) earlier this year is a welcome addition to the Philippines’ burgeoning luxury hospitality industry. Stepping into the property is an experience on it own — I don’t think there is any other beautiful resort in Tagaytay which offers such high level of exclusivity and privacy.

We were greeted by the resort’s very amicable General Manager, Mr. Peter D’souza, at the reception area who then gave us a quick tour of the property. Mr. D’ Souza is no stranger to top quality hospitality services as he was at the forefront of various international luxury hotel brands such as Anantara, One&Only, Kempinski, and the Burj Al Arab/Jumeirah group in the past. He has now settled with his family in the Philippines to run the full show at Anya.

At the heart of the resort is the outdoor pool area which provokingly invites guests to take a dip any time of the day. Despite the heavy temptations to jump right in that day, I still resisted anyway. I used the limited time I had in the resort to enjoy my stay at the royalty suite: i.e. sleeping and rolling on my bed.

You can’t imagine the joy I had upon seeing my room: I was prancing around like a little boy. The suite was humongous (!) and was divided into three main sections: a living room area, a bedroom with a veranda, and the most spacious hotel shower/toilet area I’ve seen by far. Amazing amount of space here. I couldn’t be any happier; the suite was too perfect for me!

Aside from my room, what I liked most about the resort was the intricately-designed Library corner. It’s the living room of my nerdy childhood dreams: bookshelves with carefully arranged, color-coordinated books of varying genres.

The resort also offers personal “butler” services and they are ready to assist any of the guests’ needs (it can be varying from massage services, city tours, to even arranging morning yoga classes).

Anya also has three dining outlets and the food they served from breakfast till dinner was nothing but exquisite and delicious. At Samira Restaurant, our dinner experience was exceptional. Samira’s menu was designed by Singapore-based celebrity chef Emmanuel Stroobant and this fine-dining outlet boasts a farm-to-table concept using organic produce and locally-sourced ingredients presented in unique, tasty dishes.

BOOK NOW: Anya’s pre-opening promotional rates lasts until October 2017 — so make sure you get to book at their resort now.