Our family was invited to attend the wedding of my husband’s niece in Tagaytay one December. The wedding was in the morning. Thus, I thought that it was a perfect excuse to book an overnight stay in Tagaytay. 😉 It is also my second child’s wish that we’d be able to go back to Tagaytay because it is one of his favorite places to visit.

If you have been following my blog, you know that I have three young boys. It’s no joke to wake them up early enough so we could make it to the wedding in Tagaytay on time and well-dressed!

So, I got to convince my husband to book at overnight stay at an affordable hotel near the wedding venue.

One of the hotels that we found to match our budget and our requirement which is to include free breakfast and should have a swimming pool is Villa Marinelli.

I was sure that our boys would still want to swim even in December in a cool place like Tagaytay.

We booked a room with a queen-sized bed and added an extra bed for our two older kids. The room that was given to us was near the front desk. I suggest that you book a room with a garden or pool view.

Our youngest still breastfeeds from me and co-sleeps with me and my husband.

We had lunch at Bag of Beans near the Tagaytay roundabout before checking in.

We went swimming the same afternoon that we checked in even though it was chilly. We had the pool to ourselves! hahaha

We just ordered dinner from a fast-food restaurant because the kids were tired from swimming and we need to sleep early so we can wake up early the following day.

The hotel as a restaurant and coffee shop also but of course the food is a bit more expensive. They have an indoor and outdoor breakfast area. Too bad that we were in a hurry to eat breakfast because of the wedding that we needed to attend. Maybe we will check in again next time and enjoy an unhurried breakfast at the veranda overlooking Taal Volcano and Taal Lake.

They also have a grand piano in their restuarant. My eldest child would have loved to try it out if we had more time. Another reason to go back here. =)

Before we went to bed, we advised the staff that they need to send our breakfasts to our room early because we are attending a wedding early in the morning.

We chose from their menu of plated breakfast and informed them what time they need to send the food to our room.

The hotel staff did as we instructed.

We quickly ate our breakfast and left for the wedding. The serving portion was big enough to be shared by all 5 of us. (Our kids are light eaters during breakfast.)

It was a good thing that they have a hair drier in the room. I got to blow dry my hair after taking a bath.

The wedding ceremony was held at the Chapel on a Hill and the reception was held in an events place in Tagaytay also. When we got there, the wedding has not yet started. It was really a good decision that we booked a room in Tagaytay.

It was also a good thing that we got to request for late check-out because the wedding reception program was quite long.

As soon as we got back into the hotel, we changed our clothes and packed our bags.

While my husband was settling our payment and checking out, the boys and I had some photos taken.

We took some more photos with my husband before we left.

Villa Marinelli has a game room with a pool table, billiards table, and a chess table. Too bad that we were in a hurry to get home. You can see some photos here.

We went to The Gingerbread House (also in Tagaytay) for afternoon snack before heading home. I also recommend that you visit this place when you are in Tagaytay. I’m sure the kids would enjoy this place.

My verdict: Villa Marinelli is a good option for short-term stay in Tagaytay.

I would recommend this hotel to families with children who love to swim who like to play billiards, pool or chess and enjoy the view.

There are also many eating options in case you do not want to eat at the restaurant at the hotel and save on food expenses.

If you want to save on hotel fees, I recommend that you try booking through Airbnb. You can easily create an account if you do not have one yet. Click here to create an account and to save as much as P2894 on your first trip!