Old experience (3 years ago to be exact. You've been warned LOL) but I just want to share this. I remembered with my recent post about The Peninsula Manila so I figured, why not share the other hotels I've been to. You may want to proceed with the idea that the experience was 3 years ago so there might have been changes. 

It was my first time at Las Vegas, but I'm in charge of booking everything for the trip. So after several days of googling, and checking the budget, I finally decided on The Stratosphere. Jie also agreed, especially when we saw the cost of Php 9,800 for 6 nights. Who wouldn't be tempted? We booked through Agoda for this trip. (I checked the rates just now, and for the same period, Agoda gave me Php6,500 for 6 nights! Wow.)

So how was this hotel given the price? Hmmm :)

Stratosphere from afar

Stratosphere is located at the south of the Strip, opposite end from the Las Vegas welcome sign. If you want to be part of the nightly action, then  you may want to reconsider staying in this hotel. All the other famous ones (MGM, Mandalay, Linq, Harrah's, etc) are in the opposite side. Stratosphere is quite a long walk away. Though Las Vegas is the city that never sleeps, we felt that we were not in the center of the action.

How far from the previous hotel

According to Wikipedia, Stratosphere is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States. It stands at 1,148 ft so it is still an experience to stay here.

The room we booked through Agoda was actually nice. It came with a king size bed, tables and chairs in case you would want to dine in room. The bathroom though is quite different as the sink is inside the room, not in the bathroom. So expect your room mate to see all your nightly rituals LOL

Sink just beside the bathroom

A big feature of the hotel is their attractions on top of the tower.

Air Bar
Air Bar is located at the top, before reaching the observation deck and the rides, yes the rides. The Air Bar is at 896 ft high above the air where you would be able to look at the Vegas Strip while getting drunk.

They encourage drinking and riding the attractions

one of the tables in the bar

One of the doors announcing how high you are where you are currently standing

The view

Us, enjoying our drinks

On top of the Air Bar is the open air observation deck. This also the way to the rides on top of the tower.

The view. You can see from the far right one of the rides

I am not very sure of the names of the rides because I did not even consider riding.  But I know you can try bungee jumping from the tower, plus the other 2 below.

One of the rides

All in all? Staying at Stratosphere is an experience. The hotel is a more affordable option when staying at The Strip. There are buses along the boulevard so getting to and from the other locations is not that hard.

We recently renewed our membership with The Peninsula Manila. We initially decided that we would no longer renew this, but when our agent called us again to inquire, we decided that the perks are still worth it. 

The package recently came and I just want to share the perks of being a member of this luxurious hotel. 

Package arrived in a black box, and inside contained a leather card holder. It contains the Peninsula Card, Global Privilege Card and all the discount coupons that came with the membership. 

With welcome remarks from the general manager

Coupons!

Below are the privileges of being a member*:

1. To dine in any HOTEL restaurant on a complimentary basis on the condition that he/she is dining with at least one other person.
2. A twenty percent (20%) discount off the total food & beverage bill in Salon de Ning.
3. Special rate in a Superior Room, inclusive of buffet breakfast for two (2) adults and two (2) children at Escolta.
4. 20% discount off the total Food & Beverage bill at The Bar.

It was one of those weekends where we had a spur of the moment decision to go to Tagaytay. I immediately went to my go to booking site Agoda and checked available hotels for that weekend. We decided to book 2 rooms at Splendido because it was cheap at Php2200. The room cost came with buffet breakfast for 2.

Going to the hotel that Saturday, this was our landmark. It was a steep drive down going to the hotel.

The Country Club

The lobby contains sofa sets so guests can be comfortable while waiting.

The bathroom came with a tub.

Toiletries were made from Australia

The 2 rooms we got had balconies with mountainside view. There is also an option to get the one with the lakeside view. We also realized when we booked again later on that not all rooms have balconies. So perhaps it can be requested during checking in, though we never asked.

The balcony

View from the balcony

The country club can be seen from our room's balcony

All the amenities were in the other building. One can request to be brought there and the staff will bring you using their cart. One can also opt to walk but be sure to ready your leg muscles. It would be a steep walk.

The swimming pool for those who want to brave the Tagaytay breeze.

The cart that would bring you to the Country Club and back to the hotel

We guess the only downside to the place is the lack of options for restaurants. One may choose to dine there but options are limited. We had to bring the cars and drive back up to the city proper for dinner.

All in all, Splendido is a cheap staycation option when in Tagaytay. Of course, this assumes that booking is through Agoda. One can also book through their website : www.splendido.ph/ though when I checked, price varies from Php 3,800 to Php 5,500 per night. I suggest to check both options or other booking sites.

Keep in mind though that the place is for those who have their own vehicles as it is quite a drive going to and from the hotel.