WELCOMING THE HOLIDAYS WITH LIGHT, FOOD, AND WINE

The late afternoon's sudden outburst of rain brought thick fog mixed with low clouds, which obscured the spectacular view of Taal Lake from my hotel room balcony.

Although this passing squall subsided, it left the gardens and the surrounding grounds totally wet.

Just before dusk, a more-than-just-a-breeze pushed away the mist and haze to reveal a brief glimpse of the lake within a lake, coupled with the majestic sunset seen from Taal Vista Hotel, the historical and storied everlasting sentinel of Tagaytay, perched on the cliff overlooking the volcano.

This prelude to the evening's Christmas tree-lighting ceremony provided a magical reveal to the event. Themed Season of Lights, the ceremony was led by regional director OIC Marites Castro of Department of Tourism IV-A, SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation (SMHCC) president Elizabeth Sy, SMHCC executive vice president Peggy Angeles and Taal Vista Hotel general manager Ramon Makilan.

Together, they switched on the imposing all-capiz tree specially made by Pampanga craftsmen.

This instantaneously set the lobby and grounds ablaze, paired with an outdoor Christmas tree and lanterns, with shrubs and hedges providing further illumination.

In the spirit of the season, the beneficiaries of the evening were the children of the Augustinian Sisters Servants of Jesus and Mary.

The guests were then ushered to the Grand Ballroom with a canopy of Tivoli lights and tables full of fresh flower centerpieces by Julius Villamante, and a five-course dinner by executive
chef Jayme Natividad was paired with several curated wines from Don Revy Philippines led by Jojo Vega.

The Trio of Tagaytay mushroom crepes with parmigiana cream with caviar amuse bouche was paired with Hahn Estate Chardonnay 2020, USA. The crisp salad of cinnamon-roasted squash with arugula, romaine, and barley with citrus vinaigrette was coupled with the Hahn Estate Chardonnay 2020, USA. The sorbet of ginger, chamomile, and mint provided a palate cleanser. This prepared us for the deuxieme entrée: Fillet of beef roulade sous vide, gratin potatoes, sauce au poivre, a duet with Maxwell Silver Hammer Shiraz 2018, Australia. And finally, the Panna cotta with Don Papa rum and pineapple-mango compote dessert was topped off with La Gioiosa Moscato NV, Italy.

We were then entertained by solo renditions of pianist Jon Joe Ayala Mercado and the jolly Christmas carols of the De La Salle University — Dasmariñas Chorale under the direction of John Angelo Diamos, a Philippine Madrigal Singers alum. The affair concluded with a power crescendo from the duo of Bianca Lopez-Aguila and Keiko Cressida Cayanga of The Nightingales.

The evening was curated by Nestor Jardin, consultant of SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. and former CCP president.

Taal Vista Hotel is along Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City 4120, Philippines. For inquiries and reservations, please call +63 (2) 7917 8225, +63 (46) 413 1000 or +63 917 809 1254.