MANILA, Philippines - With a whole year full of events and promos, Taal Vista Hotel celebrates its 75th anniversary. “We put together a selection of different activities,” says area general manager Walid Wafik. These include room packages and promos; guest chefs at Café Veranda; and a touring exhibit showcasing highlights in the history of the hotel, which is touring six SM malls.
Earlier this year, lucky visitors got the chance to stay for just P75. Culinary Gems, on the other hand, is an ongoing event at the hotel’s Café Veranda which brings guest celebrity chefs to Taal Vista, showcasing their own unique interpretations of Filipino cuisine. Leading the pack is chef Edwin Santos, executive chef of Taal Vista, showcasing dishes from his childhood in Bulacan. Through Santos, heritage cuisine has become well known in Café Veranda. He has also come up with creative dishes including stuffed lechon, durian panacotta, longganiza tartlets, halo-halo crepes and sampaloc crème brulee. Likewise, the guest chefs of Culinary Gems have been putting their own twist on Filipino classics. In September, chef and restaurateur Fernando Aracama and chef Sau del Rosario made their way to Taal Vista. Former Malacañang executive chef Babes Austria prepared a feast fit for presidents and dignitaries in October. In November, Asian Food Channel host Bruce Lim and chef couple Rolando and Jackie Laudico will be at Café Veranda.
November also sees the hotel’s Christmas tree lighting and its grand anniversary celebration, an appreciation night for loyal guests and supporters of Taal Vista.
Wafik, who has been with the hotel for more than two years, says, “When I first joined the hotel, when I looked at the volcano and the view… No picture can express seeing that view in person. Taal has become very close to my heart. It’s special.”
The general manager adds one of the things that sets Taal Vista apart from any other hotel or accommodation in the area is its view. “Tagaytay is full of beautiful places, but we are situated in the best angle to view the volcano, it allows a lot of people to be on the ridge. I don’t think any other hotel has such a good and direct view.”
The ridge is also known as Ilong Kastila by the locals because of its angular shape that resembles a nose.
“We see that this place means something special to the Filipinos,” says Wafik. “Everybody has been here at one point in their life… either they’ve come for a meal or they’ve passed by the ridge to take pictures of the volcano, or they celebrated an occasion here.”
He goes on, “Everyone has been here, so we continuously want to take care of the place, develop it more, expand it, make it bigger and attract more people.” He encourages those who have not been able to visit in a long time to come back and see all the improvements that have been made through the years.
Looking toward the future, he says, “At the moment, the focus to move forward for us is the service and what we are providing the guests… Our owners are really committed to maintaining this jewel that we have.”
Taal Vista Hotel is located at Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City. For inquiries, call 917-8225 or visit www.taalvistahotel.com .