Meet you at the Summit

Movies at home are always fun, but nothing could be more enjoyable than watching your favorite flick with your friends and loved ones under the stars!

Armed with fleece blankets, members of the print media braved the cool Tagaytay breeze and joined other guests who camped out by the pool area of Summit Ridge Hotel to witness how Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) helps free six Americans who’ve escaped the besieged US embassy in Tehran and are hiding out at the Canadian embassy there.

The movie was intense, the movie “snacks” — superb!

Pasta basta: Eat healthy with unlimited soup, salad and pasta plus bottomless iced tea at Summit Ridge from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

Instead of the usual soda and popcorn, chef Yvette “Bee” Luciano of C2 Classic Cuisine at Summit Ridge Hotel let us sample C2’s Whole Food Weekend Power Menu, which consists of Mid-Morning Pickings, Afternoon Bites, Luncheon Delights, and Evening Fare prior to the screening.

“You can even create your own menu by selecting items from the four food categories,” explains chef Bee, who prepared a four-course tasting menu especially for our group.

Intended as a mid-morning snack, the vegetable crudites (veggie sticks) with mint aioli dip and tomato-mozzarella quiche are way healthier than heavy sandwiches and chips. It’s for those who want something light, flavorful, and refreshing for Lent. But those who prefer greens can opt for the citrus vinaigrette-dressed mesclun greens with tropical fruits and nuts. The veggies and fruits, which are all sourced locally, exude freshness.

The Afternoon Bites consists of Asian vegetable wrap with smoky peanut sauce (chef Bee’s version of lumpiang sariwa); mango and pomelo on lettuce melange with soy-calamansi vinaigrette, and chicken liver paté on crostini with caramelized onion jam. Except for the liver paté, most of the items on the menu can be enjoyed by vegetarian diners as well.

And to enhance our dining experience, chef Bee and Ed Bautista, marketing manager, Glaemssall Enterprise, distributor of exclusive Italian wines, picked the wine to go with each dish.

We were already full by the time the main course — Luncheon Delights (little bites of seared mahi-mahi fillet, Hainan chicken, tuna loin yakitori, and rosemary-roasted chicken) and Evening Fare (roasted pork loin with maple gravy, grilled teriyaki chicken, Hawaiian fish stew and boeuf bourguignon) — was served.  If not for the wines, which helped with digestion, we wouldn’t have enough space anymore for the delectable roasted pork loin.

C2 Classic Cuisine’s Whole Food Power Menu, which is offered until May 31, may be too heavy a snack for the movies, simply because it wasn’t actually developed for that purpose.

“The menu, which consists of healthy snacks and meals, is designed to complement the wellness program of Summit Ridge Hotel this summer. And the movie under the stars is just one of the activities our regular guests look forward to,” explains Pops del Rosario, hotel manager, Summit Ridge Tagaytay.  

The coolest getaway

Owned and operated by Robinsons Land Corporation, Summit Ridge Tagaytay is set at the highest and coolest part of Tagaytay with the famous volcano as its backdrop.

All rooms come with a balcony, giving each guest the pleasure of gazing at the best view of Taal volcano. 

This summer, Summit Ridge Tagaytay not only lets you enjoy the cool weather as it also puts together a Health and Wellness package — just what you need to rejuvenate. Upon check-in each of us was given a survival tote bag, which contains reading materials, a water bottle, a small towel, and shawl to keep us warm. By this time, we already had an idea about what was in store for us over the next two days.

Not only does Summit Ridge want guests to eat healthy — with the Whole Food Power Menu offered at C2 Classic Cuisine — it also encourages them to be active and shed those unwanted pounds by joining the Zumba dance-exercise session every Saturday afternoon. We had no idea how fun Zumba is until we tried it for ourselves.

Gold’s Gym instructor Paolo Sason, who conducted the sessions, helped us burn calories on the dance floor with every groove!

Paolo also led the yoga classes, which Summit Ridge’s guests availed themselves of for free on the mornings of March 28 to 30.

Those who have “two left feet” can check out the hotel’s other wellness facilities like the gym, badminton and basketball courts. And for deep relaxation after a tiring workout, there’s the SeriAsia spa and wellness center on the second floor. What more could you ask for?

So eat, be merry, and watch a movie under the stars this summer at Summit Ridge Tagaytay, the coolest getaway in the metro.

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Summit Ridge Tagaytay is at Km. 58 Gen. Aguinaldo Highway, Maharlika West, Tagaytay City. For reservations, call 240-6888 and 922-8526800.