T-House at Tagaytay

Continuing on the subject of Tagaytay, I failed to talk about T-House in greater detail in my previous post. I must say, T-House, standing for "Tranquility" House, for the most part, is a great find.

I first found out about T-House in Anton's blog when I was researching on a great and unique hotel to stay at for a weekend in Tagaytay. Our other options were Sonya's Bed and BreakfastThe Boutique Hotel. It was a real toss-up. But for a completely new experience, and not to mention, their cheaper rates, we opted for T-House instead.

Since they only have 15 rooms available, it was a good thing that we decided to reserve way ahead of time. You see, when we got there, another couple who tried to check-in on the spot, had to be turned away because they were fully booked! Anyway, to reserve a room, you'll be asked to make a P2,000 deposit to their bank account. And when you check-in, you'll just have to show them the deposit slip and you're good to go. I must admit, it was really difficult for Jojo and I to find the time to go to the bank to make that deposit. As you know, banks here close at around 3 or 4 pm. That's exactly when I finish work and Jojo finishes much later. Just so we can make that deposit, Jojo had to make that trip to the bank during his lunch break. Long line ups are expected during lunch -- especially on Fridays. So that's my beef with that. I wish T-House has a better system. We were willing to give them our credit card number. Just like how it's done in most hotels right? But T-House, I guess, is a bit of segurista. By the way, for cancellations, you can only get your deposit back if you call them a week in advance. If not, you'll have to say goodbye to your P2,000. Just like that.

Despite this, I'm still recommending T-House to everyone. The place is just beautiful! It's perfect for a relaxing getaway since the place aptly has "Tranquility" written all over it. ;-) All of its design aspect is Zen-inspired. Walkways are lined up with trees (from durian to mango to makopa trees) and the water fountains all around gives you that soothing and peaceful ambiance. When you walk in a bit more, you'll see a few canopies with pillows and white curtains billowing along with the gentle breeze.
As for the room that we got, it was in the Water Cluster. The other clusters are Fire and Earth. We asked for just a standard room. So we had the most basic room -- ie: no bathtubs or receiving area for us. The design is very minimalist. The walls were plain white and really, the most colorful thing in the room is the headboard. It had alternating white and stripes of blue in different hues. On the wall is a 19" Samsung TV (exactly like the one we have at home!) The lamp is also built into the wall. There's one end table and on top is the phone and a vase with one (or maybe two?) long leaves. ;-) It's a nice simplistic touch. ;-)

We had windows on one side and beside it is a nook. You have the option of putting your luggage there or using it as a place to sit and read. ;-) The bathroom is quite simple too. The only different thing about it is that that's where they place the rack and hangers for your clothes. I found it a bit odd. With its close proximity to the shower area, your clothes could easily get wet when hung there.

When it comes to service, I must say, the staff of T-House deserve an A+. They're always all smiles. They're very accommodating and attentive too. We felt really pampered during our stay there. I forgot to mention that before bed, they also give you tea and cookies. The tea was too too "organic" for my taste. I don't think they used dried tea leaves for it. I peeked into the pot and it was some indistinguishable plant or leaf or some other. Anyway, it didn't taste good at all. As for the tiny oatmeal cookie that you get, it was really yummy. Too bad you only get one tiny one. ;-) All this given in such great presentation that I wanted to take the whole thing home! The teapot was cute and the ceramic cups...Hmm. I wonder where they got them. By the way, I was able to stop myself from putting them in my bag and sneaking away with them just so you know. ;-)Before bed, we really wanted to get a massage. T-House has a mini-spa and you can choose to have the massage done in the privacy of your own room too. It was the perfect plan. It's just unfortunate that they only offer massages until 11 pm. So in other words, since they have one-hour massages, you'll need to have the massage started at 10 pm at the latest. It was already 11 by then and we didn't want to go out anymore for that massage. It was just too bad. We were really looking forward to trying their massages as per the recommendation given by Anton in his blog. ;-(

Accommodation comes with a free breakfast for two. So bright and early the next day, Jojo and I were off to their little cafe. Breakfast is a la carte and they have a list of selections there. Jojo went for their Filipino breakfast with Boneless Bangus. I went for the longganisa one. Straight away, they give you a plateful of bread -- raisin bread, white and whole wheat pan de sal, and others. They also give you a small plateful of fresh fruits -- papaya, pineapple, and watermelon. I thought a free drink like coffee or tea would come with it. But unfortunately, it didn't. I thought that was weird. They didn't even ask us for drinks. Hmmm. Maybe they don't have a whole selection??!?? The breakfast, in itself, was good. Jojo commented that it's "healthy" tasting. Whatever that means. ;-) Hahaha! ;-) That's a good thing right? What I am raving on the most is their raisin bread. I looooooved them so much that I requested the kitchen to make me a whole batch that I can purchase. They only charged P5 per piece. Yummy! You absolutely can't miss this one when you go to T-House. Trust me. Very reminiscent of the famous raisin bread in Baguio (Camp John Hay Manor is it?)


That was a real awesome weekend! While in Tagaytay, make sure to take the time to shop for fruits, plants/flowers, and Mr. Moo's fresh milk and kesong puti as well. More on that in my next entry. ;-)