Long before it was Starbucks Tagaytay at KM58 along the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, it was Domicillo Design Hotel. A cozy, 8 room hotel known for its beautiful design that featured Philippine crafts and furniture. It was also in the Brutalist style with bare cement walls.
Rene Alcala, the owner, has a love for European small hotels and this was his inspiration in building Domicillo Design Hotel. It’s close to nature and uses mainly organic materials. It only has eight rooms: three Deluxe suites that opens to the garden, two Superior suites that has a lake view and three Premier suites at a lower floor which is bigger, has a mini garden, and a veranda that affords sweeping views of Lake Taal.
Each accommodation type has rooms designed by well known Movement 8 designers: Deluxe by Tes Pasola, Superior by Milo Naval and Premier by Budji Layug. The bed and furniture were custom designed and each of these designers were given a free hand in conceptualizing their assigned spaces. The garden and elsewhere around the property has works from notable artists.
From my langyaw.com post
It has a Japanese restaurant at the top floor, Aozora, a Japanese restaurant and cafe that offered a delicious bulalo ramen, perfect for the cool weather. They have now transferred to Ayala Serin. Below it was La Finca,a farm to table restaurant. Sadly, the hotel has ceased operation. It became the Hotel 8 and currently, Starbucks Tagaytay which affords great views of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano.
I stayed here for a night way back in 2017 and was able to photograph the place inside and out.
