Excuse me for a moment, I told my companions after looking through one of the floor to ceiling windows of Seda Hotel Nuvali’s Club Lounge. The sun has set without fanfare but I was still itching to shoot one of the most handsome structures that have recently mushroomed at the Nuvali Complex. I quickly raced down, hoping to capture it during the blue hour. The weather has been quite erratic the whole day and as I set my tripod near the hotel’s pool area, it started to drizzle.

Seda Nuvali is a four-star, 150-room hotel situated at the heart of Nuvali, an eco-city complex in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. It sits right beside a man-made lagoon and is bordered by numerous trees, art installations, restaurants and shops.

The complex has been around for quite a while now, but this is actually the first time I’ve visited it.

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From the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City, it took us around an hour and a half to travel to Seda Nuvali. And from our van, we immediately recognized the hotel, with its signature brown and white minimalist façade.

Entering its lobby, I can see that we’re in for a weekend treat.

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After some welcome refreshments, we quickly trooped to our rooms. I was surprised to find that I’d be staying at a De Luxe two-queen sized Bedroom, and I have it all to myself. Wow. If I’d known beforehand, I’d have invited a friend to stay over, the thirty square meter room was simply too huge for me!

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My room is located at the sixth floor of the hotel and the view was just fantastic. It looks out at the EvoLake, a man-made watercourse created by the developers of Nuvali. There’s a bay window-like seat where you can enjoy the view with your complimentary coffee or tea.

The room has the usual 40” flat-screen cable television, water heater for coffee, a work table with multiple charging ports for Apple and Android gadgets, an electronic safe, a closet, and most important of all, free and fast Wi-Fi.

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The room’s en suite toilet is also quite nice. The toiletries provided are more than enough for an overnight stay and hot water is available. There’s no bathtub, but I really don’t mind. The addition of a bidet would’ve perfected it for me though.

After settling down, our group was invited to tour Seda Nuvali’s premises; their fitness center, spa, e-lounge, game room, and children’s playroom. My favorite among these is their game room which has Playstation, Wii, and X-Box consoles—it’s something I haven’t seen in any hotel I’ve been to.

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I love how the whole hotel has all sorts of local art installations infused at every corner. The hallways are set with prints from travel photographer extraordinaire, Paco Guerrero. The lobby has a sculptural furniture and the stairway has a quirky sculpture, both from Ann Pamintuan.

Our tour culminated at the Club Lounge, an exclusive hall at the 10th floor of Seda Nuvali. Snacks and cocktails are available and we treated ourselves to plates of spring rolls, dimsums, wine, and beer while enjoying the afternoon view of the lake through its huge windows.

After an hour, we converged at Seda Nuvali’s Misto Restaurant. Time for dinner!

The restaurant serves international cuisine and this is where we also had our buffet breakfast—which is complimentary for hotel guests, and lunch. The place is spacious and looks out over the hotel’s pool area. There are also seats outside if one prefers to dine al fresco.

Their food is superb, especially the Japanese set they served us for lunch the next day—from the veggie rolls, to their chicken teriyaki, tonkatsu, and ebi tempura. My fave was their veggie rolls, which is a combination of fish and some leafy stuff. I was wont to try it at first, raw fish not really my favorite, but I was instantly hooked on first bite.

After dinner, everyone agreed that it’s not time to go to bed down just yet. Everyone converged to N’s room and a deck of cards was laid on the bed. Beers were popped and crisps were spread, it was time to get down and dirty with Cards Against Humanity!

The next morning, I swam at the hotel’s pool, walked along the lake and explored the nearby restaurants and stores.

At Seda Nuvali, I experienced the comfort of a luxury hotel, the fresh environment of a rural town, but still, with the modernity and access to numerous cafes and restaurants. Seda Hotel Nuvali has perfected the art of staycation, this is how it should definitely be.

Seda Hotel Nuvali ►ROOM RATES
Address: Lakeside Evozone Avenue, Nuvali, Santa Rosa City, Laguna
Contact Numbers: (049) 255-8888 | (049) 5433788
E-mail: nuv@sedahotels.com | Facebook
GPS Coordinates Map: 14.238361, 121.059472

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