Paradores del Castillo — Hotel in Taal

Lovely weekend spent at Paradores del Castillo with extended family. The recent rumblings of Tall volcano and the threat of rains due to Auring had us worried for a bit but the hotel staff assured us that it was OK and indeed it was! Lots of sun all through the weekend with nary a hint of Taal's explosive power. The weather was pleasantly cool with hardly any humidity-perfect walking weather. Sadly most of the museums were still closed due to the pandemic but we still caught a glimpse of this heritage town's old grandeur admiring the elegant old houses from outside. It's likely that many tourists opted to stay away as the town's main attractions were void of large groups of people which was a plus. Now about the hotel itself, what can one say? A charmingly elegant heritage house lovingly restored to its former grandeur. We were fortunate to have this opportunity to stay and enjoy this wonderful hotel with a perfectly cool weather to match. The icing on the cake would have to be the hotel staff. From the time we inquired about booking , making the reservations for the rooms and the restaurant, our actual stay to the time of our check-out, we had a 5 star experience all thru out , thanks to the hotel's staff for making this a pleasant experience overall. Our main contact person was Sir Leomar who impressed us with his professionalism , kind demeanor and overall enthusiasm for the job. No less impressive were the rest of the mostly female staff who answered all our questions with unfailing courtesy and obvious deep love and respect for their town's history , culture and traditions. Maraming salamat din po sa restaurant staff (Ma'am Princess) for organizing our dinner and dealing with the numerous revisions, additional requests etc due to changes in the guest list. I have to say that the food was an absolute winner and very reasonably priced for its quality and serving size. Even the parking staff went out of their way to fetch one of our family members from the basilica when his car's battery conked out. What we're saying is we fell in love with this hotel and the staff and we would be back in a heartbeat but we need to replenish our travel fund first so maybe next year ulit Sir Leomar? Maraming maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. To the hotel's management, congrats on the excellent job training and motivating your staff to always reach for excellence! They deserve a good raise or bonus once business picks up...

Pros:|1. Location - walking distance to everywhere, church, market, cafes, parks and tourist sites.|2. Design/Architecture - Old Spanish (bahay na bato) houses converted to a hotel, the owner was able to preserved the structure, well kept and maintained. The hotel is very charming and nostalgic. It will definitely bring you back in time.|3. Rooms - nice interior and very clean. They do disinfect everything A LOT! Well selected furniture and accessories, the 4-post bed is the highlight of most rooms. The bathroom is very clean. The bathroom fittings specially of the shower are very impressive. They used matte black vintage accessories. Towels are soft and smell fresh from laundry. They even provide you complete toiletries.|4. Food - very good specially the Famous Pinoy Dishes. We loved the bagnet, chicken adobo sa dilaw, super crispy pata and sinigang. Even their Pinoy meriendas are yummy, please try their suman with tsokolate-E! Unlimited kapeng barako during breakfast.|5. Open spaces and common areas - since pandemic, having a lot of open spaces count and now a big consideration. Paradores has a lot! They have Al Fresco Bar and Dining, a nice garden, roof deck, overlooking pool and living/dining halls. Social distancing is not a problem at all for they have SO MUCH space.|6. Last but not the least..the STAFF!!! They are reason why we enjoyed our Holiday. Special mention to the following people: Arleth, Jersa and Marianne. Everyone warmly welcomed us and made sure we are comfortable (and safe). Yes, we had some concerns during our stay but Paradores team is so great in addressing all of them and making up for it. Thank you very much for your excellent customer service. ||For improvement/suggestions:|1. Food - add more Taal specialties to the menu such as sinaing na tulingan or tawilis, Batangas Lomi, goto or arroz caldo. More selection of fruits, such as banana, mango, pineapple and watermelon. |2. Do not allow personnel to use their outside shoes inside the guest rooms. Provide slip-ons as footwear to personnel for easy wear/removal. |3. Maybe provide a safety/hygiene kits (masks, alcohol and disinfectant spray) in...

Painstaking attention to detail is put into Paradores del Castillo to help transport guests to a time when the Ilustrados’ thoughts turned to something far more important than themselves. Its terrific pasta & halo-halo are timeless though.|Don Juan Boodle House is a can’t-miss foodie destination in a surprising locale. Get ready to fight for delicious sinaing na tulingan, adobong dilaw & crispy tawilis.|And in a nod to Spain, the paella, chipirones & gambas at Cuchara y Tenedor were superb.|To complete the trip, one should drop in at Taal Tees Souvenir Shop.|All these are a convenient walk from Paradores. Like its accommodation costs, food & item prices at said places were reasonable.|The owner’s passion to keep alive the family heritage & promote Taal’s rich history & culture makes the whole experience possible.|Impressive also are the staff who take pride in what they do. Special mention to Manager Suzette & Tour Host Jersa whom my...