FOR all the modern technologies that now inform our personal and professional lives, these ostensibly help us simplify our day-to-day and thereby allow us to enjoy the nurturing company of family and friends, survey after survey appearing in magazines and newspapers reveal a global society that has never been more stressed-out.
Perhaps our current stresses can be traced to the continued meltdown of economies that once seemed invincible, and the job insecurities that inevitably result from this unnerving reality, and the all too typical human reaction in the face of such insecurity that have your average and not-so-average office grunt biting off more than he or she can chew in an attempt to become indispensable in the workplace.
No wonder the wellness industry continues to enjoy solid growth numbers besides the bearish global economy, their sunny outlook a reflection not so much of widespread disposable income but more of a market valiantly battling the bleakness with everything from massages to acupuncture to aromatherapeutic candles.
For some, however, the best way to destress is to literally remove oneself for a day or two from the toxic environment of the city and the stressors that run amok in it, and indulge in the sights and sounds and experiences atypical to one’s daily routine.
A favorite destination for what the British would call a mini-break, and what we have come to call as the long weekend in this country of moveable feasts and public holidays, is Tagaytay, that second-class city in the province of Cavite where foreign and local tourists alike flock during the summer because of the marvelously temperate climate it enjoys on account of its high altitude.
For us, however, Tagaytay is incredibly magical not so much during the summer, when the influx of tourists make it unnervingly like Manila, but right about this time of the year when storms big and small visit upon this archipelago. In the rain, Tagaytay assumes a different character—lush, romantic, moody, mysterious and altogether complex. The colors of vegetation become even more intense as they contrast with the gray skies that director Karel Reisz would have found more than suitable for his adaptation of the John Fowles novel The French Lieutenant’s Woman. The rain-soaked Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway glistens with the retro-futurism of Blade Runner. And then there is Taal Volcano—that temperamental diva that has caused so much death and destruction throughout generations—which on a stormy night is impenetrable in its dangerous mystery.
We have had the good fortune of experiencing Tagaytay in the middle of a howling storm, and it was nothing short of magnificent. Of course, our opinion of those two stormy nights may have turned out vastly different were we not cocooned in the cozy and comforting confines of Summit Ridge Hotel and Promenade, a development of Robinsons Land Corp. which spreads out at reputedly the highest point of the city’s famous ridge.
Since its opening in 2009, the hotel—which is attached to a promenade that features destinations for shopping, dining and other similarly leisurely pursuits—has become the favorite destination for us rats in the city in search of a respite from the race that often brings us this close to going mad. There, those looking to a long—or short—weekend of wellness can indulge in the therapeutic beauty of Tagaytay within any one of its 108 nicely appointed modern Asian tropical-styled rooms that each provides a spectacular view of Taal Volcano and Taal Lake.
Beyond the visual feast that every Summit Ridge guest wakes up to every morning, there are indulgences to be had beyond the confines of one’s room, including the culinary delights offered at the hotel’s premier restaurant, Annie’s, which is operated by the esteemed culinary experts behind The Cravings Group and specializes in great American comfort food. For those for whom exercise is like religion, the hotel has a fully decked-out fitness center, along with badminton and basketball courts, and an infinity pool for bracing good fun.
Given the never-ending pursuit of wellness these days, Summit Ridge has also added a full-service spa to its list of sublime offerings: the beautifully appointed SeriAsia, a Filipino-owned and -operated spa and wellness company that specializes in the compleat spa experience for its guests—its range going from cosmetics and food supplements to skin-care products that use only natural-based ingredients from botanical origins all imported and manufactured from Malaysia. SeriAsia is a subsidiary of DNG Corp., one of the leading manufacturers of generic pharmaceutical products, traditional herbal medicine, cosmetics and health food in Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Its menu of services run the gamut, from the usual Swedish or Shiatsu Massage to untangle those tense muscles, to signature treatments that can firm and whiten the skin (SeriAsia Signature Facial Treatment) or even firm up breasts that are beginning to yield to gravity (Breast Firming Treatment). For our own indulgence, we had the SeriAsia Signature Massage, a full 90 minutes of steady massage strokes that alternated seamlessly between solid and strong to this close to featherlight, sending us deep into a revitalizing slumber.
With this latest addition to Summit Ridge Hotel and Promenade’s amenities, along with the natural magnificence that this pocket of Tagaytay offers, whether there’s a beautiful storm raging outside or not, stressed-out minds and bodies may have found the ultimate in wellness for the weekend.
