Hacienda !sabella , Celebrate Life!

" You need a getaway. And fast. What's holding you back? You don't want to feel as if you were far, far away from the city.

You want to pay good money for a nice place. But somehow, every other resort feels too generic. Same old cabanas, same old bungalows. As if it would hurt to have just a little more uniqueness and style.

You need to feel refreshed and recharged after, not tired out and exhausted. You've realized that taking a break is as much a need of the spirit as it is of the boy. It isn't about running away and spending all your money and burning out. It's about coming home to a place that allows you and your family to be the best people you can be, in a place where the true luxury is that of choice.

Hacienda Isabella... The possibilities are endless... Dream Weddings, power team buildings, intimate parties, fabulous events and enchanting moments.

Welcome to the World of Hacienda Isabella!"

In the past, when Republic of Malate was burned down, I remembered Kuh Ledesma opened her Pasay home for dinner reservations so that the chef(s) @ Good Earth would continue to be employed despite the closing of the restaurant. It is too bad, I was still not blogging back then. We ate there when it opened and Kuh's place has a relaxing zen feel to it (Have you eaten @ Kuh's place before?). Kuh would sometimes go down to greet and meet with the guests but we never had a chance to meet her. When OAP was born, I was wondering if I can feature that place but I heard they don't operate anymore.

So imagine how happy I was, when I saw Hacienda Isabella in Tagaytay which is Kuh Ledesma's Tagaytay Residence. It has been opened to the public for two years now for weddings, team buildings. This is strictly- by-reservation lunch/ dinner (reserve 1 week in advance) only. It has exactly the same look and feel that I was looking for. It is just far from the main Tagaytay highway. After Bag of Beans, you need to turn on the first right (you should see the sign to Hacienda Isabella) and drive for 8kms (about 20 minutes by car). I was telling my brother that this was just perfect for a wedding and if I was going to be married now, I would make the reservations immediately.

Only issue I see with this place is that it is far from the main highway and you can piss off some of your guest. Parking would be an issue and you need to park your guest's cars outside the Hacienda along the road. They have their in-house chef named Joseph who cooks for the Ledesma family. I'm not sure how good the food is, but it should be great because they are charging P650/ head (Anyone of you who has been or tried Hacienda Isabella before? Do share your experience!).

For weddings, they charge P1,300/ Head + 12% VAT which already includes the venue, the food, and the three rooms on the second floor which can be used by the bride and immediate family members for the night. They have 19 villas that you can rent out for your guests and have an all night party with your close friends and family. My kind of wedding place.

Let me tour you around Hacienda Isabella....

After entering the main door, you would see the main dining table on your right .

To your left, would be a series of group tables for a party of 8-10 people. Hacienda !sabella is strictly by reservations only because the main chef comes from Manila and they plan the meal based on exact number of people.

The stairs leading to the bedrooms. Can't wait to see the rooms!

As you walk up the stairs going to the 2nd floor, if you pause for a while and look behind your back, you would see the entire scene above. For a Sunday lunch, the place looks empty and they are waiting for only one group for lunch that day.

As you walk up to the second floor, you would see this space for entertaining your guests (if ever) and this is just outside the three bedrooms included in the wedding package.

Here is a top view for the second floor of the main dining area. Check out the cute lamps.

A sneak preview of the romantic couple's bedroom. Aidan beat you to it!

The couple's bed. Isn't it just great? It looks so inviting!!! This room is only reserved for the bride.

Here is the bride's bathroom where you can stay for hours!

Another bed inside the couple's bedroom. Maybe for Kuh's daughter, Isabella. The opening on the left side of the photo leads to the bathroom.

This is the middle bedroom in the second floor. This room is quite small and the only room that does not have an aircon.

The third bedroom. I like the way they had set up the rooms where all are for sharing, bonding with family and friends.

This one's also nice. Definitely a room for everyone else! Located downstairs. This is not included in the wedding package but can still rent this room for P5,000+ (I believe). They offer the room with breakfast.

Look how vast the lot is for the reception area! I wonder how will they transform the place into a dream wedding reception.... Searching through the web, you would see a few concept on how other couples transformed this place into a romantic dinner event.

I walked around the Hacienda and tried to capture the sceneries to give my brother a feel of the ambiance.

There are a lot of big paintings around which really enhances the serenity of the place.

A room by itself. Kinda spooky when it turns dark though. There are 19 villas/ rooms around the hacienda.

One of the villas you can rent out. If this was my wedding, I would ask my close friends and family to stay over and make the wedding an overnight affair.

Here is a view of the main house.

Old stuff?

I want this painting!!

Hacienda !sabella
(contact person: Jojo Jacob)
#8 Carasuchi St. , Indang Cavite
Tel. No. (02)551.7253 to 55
Mobile No. (0920) 953.9488; (0917) 813.9065; (0920) 565.9635; (0919) 301.9525
Site: www.haciendaisabella.com
Email: jo2_jacob@yahoo.com, reen15shey@yahoo.com, verymalo@yahoo.com