My family and I have made it a point to travel together more this year. Since we live in different households with my parents based in the province, we’ve had a lot of catching up to do. This is the first year since the pandemic that we’ve been able to celebrate milestone celebrations together like birthdays.
My 5-year old nephew Enrico (Enri for short) hasn’t had the chance to travel much or spend time with the grandparents because of the lockdowns so we’ve been having staycations in the city combined with eating out in restaurants and going on family-friendly activities like museum visits when folks are in town.
Those looking for a family-friendly place for a hotel staycation near Metro Manila can consider Seda Nuvali, a resort-like hotel in Laguna that caters to business and leisure travelers.
Art and I previously stayed in Seda Nuvali when it first opened in 2014 for a bike-centric staycation, but the hotel recently expanded with a second tower earlier this year and now has a huge new swimming pool that kids will enjoy.
Seda Nuvali also launched new family rooms perfect for parents with smaller kids who want to take quick breaks away from the city. The hotel has kid-friendly features like a Kids’ Playroom and Game Room and simple nature activities to do nearby, making Nuvali worthy of a revisit, especially with the coming holiday season.
Seda Nuvali is just one of the 12 branches of the urban lifestyle hotel chain under Ayala Land Hotels and Resort that you can find around the Philippines. In Metro Manila, Seda also has a branch in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig, Vertis North in Quezon City (which my family and I have stayed in several times including last Holy Week), Residences Makati, and their newest property Manila Bay in Paranaque.
In Visayas, there’s Atria in Iloilo, Ayala Center Cebu, Central Bloc Cebu, and Capitol Central Bacolod. In Mindanao, Seda has Abreeza in Davao City and Centrio in Cagayan de Oro. There’s also the luxurious Seda Lio in El Nido, Palawan.
Table of Contents
Location
Seda Nuvali is located in an eco-city in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, with lots of green spaces, gardens, and scenic views. While known as a popular stopover on the way to Tagaytay, Nuvali offers a good destination on its own.
What’s great about the location is that guests can enjoy simple activities in a natural setting but still have all the modern conveniences like a comfy hotel room, swimming pool, fast WiFi, lots of nearby dining options and stress-free shopping at nearby malls.
Guests can have picnics on the grassy banks by the lakeside, feed koi fish, go on a boat ride, go jogging, or bike along the designated trails. With new Skyway connections, the property is approximately just 45 minutes from Makati and the Ninoy Aquino International airport and very easy to get to.
It took most of us in the family (traveling at different times over the weekend) roughly just an hour from Quezon City to get to the hotel, which is comparable to the travel time going to Makati or Pasay.
Accommodations
Seda Nuvali has a total of 356 guest rooms that offer refreshing views of the lake and greenery for a serene, resort-like environment. Aside from the first tower which opened in March 2014, Seda Nuvali launched a brand-new tower on November 14, 2022, with 206 new hotel rooms and enhanced amenities for families.
Since we were traveling with seniors and kids, we opted for the Family Suite (60 sqm), which comes with a Master’s bedroom with a writing desk, big bathroom with shower and tub, separate children’s room with a double-deck bed, and living area.
The space is ideal for 2 adults and 2 children, but families with more kids or companions can opt to add an extra bed in the Master’s bedroom or share the King-sized bed with smaller kids.
Enri loved the bunk bed room and immediately climbed to the top bunk when he saw it, while Eli preferred to stay in the lower bunk and catch up on online gaming with the fast WiFi. This cozy little room is decorated with a playful, kid-friendly touches and has a bean bag and its own TV, so kids feel like it’s their own space.
The room has a clear glass door, and is soundproof, so other members of the family could be watching TV in the living room area and master’s bedroom, while the kids are watching cartoons in their own room. The rooms from the second floor upwards provide a refreshing view of the surrounding greenery.
The Family Room has a mini kitchen area, with a ref, microwave, and kettle for making coffee, or instant noodles. The room is so spacious, that Enri insisted playing hide-and-seek several times.
Right across the Family Suite, Art and I stayed in an Executive Suite, which has the same floor space (60 sqm) minus the kid’s room, and which had a great view of the resort-like pool and lake.
The Master’s Bedroom has a writing desk and multi-purpose table, a living and dining area, and bathroom with both a shower cubicle and a tub. Some Executive Suites may be connected to an Executive Deluxe Room if you’re traveling with extended families and want separate rooms.
Standard in-room amenities include an LED HDTV with cable channel, Media panel with HDMI, USB and audio-visual connectivity, IDD phone, Complimentary WiFi and internet access, Coffee & tea-making facilities, Executive/Multi-purpose table, Safety deposit box and Iron and ironing board (available upon request).
Swimming Pools
One of the main attractions for families traveling with kids is the swimming pool. Seda Nuvali has a new huge new swimming pool that adds to the hotel’s resort-like atmosphere.
The bigger pool was 4 ft deep, while the shallower kiddie pools allowed children to play safely in the waters. For those who just want to lounge without swimming, there are pool chairs and tables available all around the pools in different corners, so you and your family can fully enjoy a family-friendly staycation.
My dad, Art, and I enjoyed an afternoon of swimming with Enri, while my mom and El just lounged on the deck chairs.
Playroom
Aside from the kid’s room, another spot my nephew loved in the hotel was the Kids’ Play Room. This area is sure to keep smaller kids occupied so that the rest of the family can enjoy some quiet time in the rooms.
The Playroom comes with a mini-kitchen, mini-carpentry station, a couple of slides, Duplo blocks, and other toys for kids to play with. There’s a small seating area for guardians to stay and keep an eye on the kids. He played on his own here and made some new friends with other kiddie guests.
Game Room
Right across the kid’s playroom is a Game Room that will appeal to teens and older kids. There are two gaming spots here with an XBox and PS5, a foosball table, air hockey table, and a few computers loaded with games like Roblox.
To avoid game items being lost, guests need to leave an ID at the front desk to borrow the air hockey paddles, the ball for the football table, gaming controllers, and actual PS5 and Xbox games for the game room.
There are also a few board games like Jenga, Scrabble, and Chess in case the family wants to enjoy a game night.
Dining
Misto, Seda Nuvali’s main restaurant on the ground floor near the pool is currently being renovated and is temporarily located on the second floor spread out in function rooms. The all-day dining restaurant serves a mix of international and local dishes that can be enjoyed indoors or al fresco at the poolside.
For complimentary breakfast, there are a lot of food choices from rice meals, salads, cheese and cold cuts, bread, pastries, fruits, waffle station, eggs, and even fresh taho. Kids are notoriously picky eaters, but there’s sure to be something they can eat given the wide selection.
For lunch and dinner, guests can order from the a la carte menu, which Art I did for our first day, when the rest of the family hadn’t arrived yet.
I highly recommend the Grilled Salmon and Risotto and Japanese Steak Rice bowls. They have a few good Japanese dishes on the menu.
The restaurant also offers mains for family-style sharing. Larger groups can avail of the Filipino Bundle Feast of classic Pinoy favorites like Lechon kawali, Kare-Kare and pancit, which are always safe dishes for hungry teens.
The seniors and adults in our group liked the healthy and comforting taste of the binakol, which is like tinola but cooked with buko juice, lemongrass, and coconut strips.
For business travelers, Seda Nuvali is a good place for a workation with the fast WiFi and refreshing surroundings, though working inside the hotel room made us feel sleepy because the bed was just too inviting. In case you need to catch up on work, you can avail of afternoon promos at the restaurant. From 2-5 pm daily, the hotel offers Coffee-nectivity, where you can order free flowing coffee with a basket of sweet and savory pastries to keep you energized. This is good for business meetings, adults who want to catch-up with friends while kids are occupied, and remote workers.
In the afternoons and evenings, you can opt to take your meals at the Poolside bar while enjoying live music.
A highlight for families is Barbecue at the Poolside, where you can order Pork Liempo, Beef Kofta, Chicken Nonya wings, Chicken Thigh, Sausage, and Corn on the Cob fresh off the grill. This is best paired with other appetizers, thirst-quenchers, and beer.
If you just want something to snack on during the day, Seda Nuvali also has a small shop to buy on-the-go sweet and savory treats, fresh fruits, bread, muffins, chips, and drinks.
Other amenities
Aside from the kid-friendly features Seda Nuvali also comes with other amenities, like a fitness center overlooking the swimming pool. The gym is the ideal place for parents to work out before or after a long day with kids. The area also includes high-quality equipment perfect for body conditioning, stretching, and other fitness routines. In case you want to be pampered, an in-room massage can also be arranged.
For those planning to host events like business meetings at the hotel, there are several function rooms, while a large ballroom can accommodate destination weddings and other celebrations.
Verdict
Seda Nuvali offers a good option for business and leisure travelers, especially families. The hotel is kid-friendly and wheelchair-accessible for those traveling with elderly guests. Everything you need can be found at the hotel, so there’s no need to go far. The nearby mall and outlet shops also offer stress-free shopping without the usual mall crowds in the city.
Nuvali is a good alternative if you don’t want to deal with the traffic and parking problems of Tagaytay. Parking is usually limited in the most popular restaurants in Tagaytay and requires long waiting times just to be seated.
Since we wanted to enjoy quality time with the family, we didn’t bring our bikes for this trip, but the hotel is bike-friendly. There’s a bike rack right in front of the hotel and I spotted several bikers in the area. Nuvali is a popular cycling destination since the roads here are quiet and scenic with less vehicles. From here, there are interesting cycling routes you can tackle like the main Nuvali Loop or challenging Revpal up to Tagaytay.
How to get to Seda Nuvali
Seda Nuvali is located at Ecozone Avenue, Nuvali Boulevard, Santa Rosa, Laguna. By private car, the hotel is accessible through several exits along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), including Greenfield City/Unilab/Mamplasan (secured access), Biñan CALAZ before the secured access, Sta. Rosa, Eton City-Greenfield, Silangan, and Calamba.
International and domestic travelers can also avail of Seda Nuvali’s convenient airport and city transfers.
Nuvali is also conveniently connected by P2P buses from One Ayala Terminal, with bus trips leaving on a regular schedule and taking just one hour. The convenient transport hub is connected directly to the Ayala MRT station. Trips are also available from Circuit Makati. Trips are only available from Monday to Saturday, with no operations on Sundays and holidays.
If you’re coming from Quezon City on weekdays, you can also take a P2P from UP Town Center to One Ayala (a new route) and transfer to the P2P bus to Nuvali.
TIP: You can bring bicycles for free on P2P buses in the cargo compartment, so this is something we’re considering doing in the future.
Seda Nuvali is located just a few minutes from the Laguna Technopark and Nuvali Techno Hub, Monochrome Events Place, outlet shopping, dining, and other modern lifestyle options.
For more information and to book rooms, visit https://www.sedahotels.com/. #ThereIsNothingLikeSeda
Additional photos from Seda Nuvali