Splendido Taal Country Club

Doc B Lapa (skysenshi)6 months ago

3/5

This is going to be a difficult review to write because in all honesty, I really like the staff. They're friendly, quick, efficient, attentive, and easy to talk to. Hubby and I even had a nice conversation with one of the bell boys about fitness and step count. (Take note: hubby and I are both introverts, so we don't usually talk to people F2F.) However, when we booked Seda Nuvali this year, it was at the same price point so there is a base line for comparison. 1. Check-out was fast, but check-in took more than 30 minutes. Not just for us, but also for the people that came before us. It was a Thursday, so it shouldn't feel like a Saturday. 2. No floor rug for the bathroom. Tissue had to be requested via room service (to be fair, they responded quickly). 3. Walls are kind of thin. We could hear the titas' discussion in the other room. At 7.30am. 4. Our biggest disappointment: the food. The hotel is situated in an area where Balay Dako, Charito, La Creperie, Antonio's, Marcia Adams, and Mary Grace exist. It is almost unforgivable to be serving mid-tier breakfast that's twice the price of a dish from any of these restaurants. Our buffet experience with Seda Nuvali immediately came to mind when our sad breakfast was served (remember, same price point). To be fair, the staff arrived earlier than expected, full of smiles, so that was a good thing. (Oh, friends, who saw the photos, did ask why the food came in looking like Food Panda delivered it. I will side with the hotel on this because it came from the clubhouse. It's not convenient for the staff to plate and carry them if they're coming from a different building.) We may be paying for the wonderful views, amenities (gym, pool, coffee making facilities, toiletries), isolation, and all that, but, again, Seda Nuvali had all of these, too. Plus none of the negatives I mentioned here. The only thing Seda cannot offer was the majestic view of Taal. That's about it. P. S. Parking area is probably the best we've ever encountered. It's on the 2nd floor, and it has a 360 view of surrounding lush areas. It's also very breezy. This beats underground parking lots by a whole mile.