Tagaytay Adventure

In this busy world, relaxing is a very expensive word and last weekend, we went to a place where we can find some. A place that is known for it's cool weather plus fresh fruits and veggies - Tagaytay City. If you're thinking of a very budget friendly 2 day out-of-town trip, here's our itinerary!

The Foggy Entrance of People's Park in the Sky

Tagaytay City is part of the Province of Cavite and was very popular because of it's cool climate and beautiful scenery. From Manila, it's just 1.5 hour travel via coastal road if you will ride a bus from Pasay Rotonda. And if you're looking for an escape from the Metro, this is a nice spot.

Upon arriving at Tagaytay, we checked-in at Hotel Dominique located along Aguinaldo Hi-way which is near Olivarez plaza and Tagaytay Rotonda. We found the hotel nice with friendly staff and good service. Their Cabaña is good for 4 people and is worth 6,000 Php but through a group buying site, we just bought it for 2,800 if I remember it right. The Cabaña is complete with stuffs like refrigerator, an LCD TV with cable, a nice sofa, some storage space, nice shower room and toilet (I enjoyed the toilet throne) with towels and toothbrush, 2 beds and a larger bed at the upper level of the place. The hotel also has amenities like recreational room with videoke and billiard tables (which is not included on the payment) and a swimming pool that we never tried to experience because of the very cold weather that time. 

Hotel Dominique

Tagaytay is not Tagaytay without the steaming hot Bulalo and Mahogany Market is one of the best. From our Hotel, it's just one jeepney ride, just tell the driver to drop you off to Mahogany Market. There are many Bulalo stores and you can choose wherever you want. They do Bulalo the same. One order is good for 3-4 persons and it only cost 300 Php that comes with unlimited banana but unfortunately, due to high public demand, we didn't have the chance to enjoy their special freebies. We also ordered Crispy Fried Tawilis that cost 80 Php. For our dinner, we only spent 440 Php or 110/person. Not bad and the Bulalo is just so good. It's perfect to sip some hot soup with Tagaytay's cool weather. There are also vendors of Espasol and other native delicacies. The regular price is 3 for 100 Php but I suggest don't buy with that price. Do some "tawad" moves and if they don't want, just look and wait for other vendors. I guarantee you that they will be chasing after you. But if you're not good with "tawaran", it's ok, just buy with the regular  price. We bought 8 Espasols for 100 Php only. Another good deal.

Hot Bulalo

Crispy Tawilis

After dinner, we pampered ourselves with a 1 hour massage at Banahaw Heals spa which is located at the Rotonda. They have special offer for first-time customers. 250 Php for a 1 hour massage. I really want to have a massage to let my tired body be pampered and I was not disappointed with the service of Banahaw Heals Spa. After spa, we have a coffee at the 7-11 beside Banahaw then we returned to our hotel for a restful sleep.

Day 2. We took our breakfast at the hotel restaurant which is also included on the accommodation package. You can choose from American, Continental, and Filipino dishes. The food was great except for the very salty bacon. After breakfast, we rented a tricycle to bring us to People's Park in the Sky. We paid the driver 120 Php. Upon arriving at the People's Park, we found out that the entrance fee was already 30 Php from 15 Php last November of 2011 but it's evident that there's still no improvements on the park. That's just the thing that made me sad. I hope the local government will do something to restore and improve this tourist spot. After paying the entrance fee, there are jeepneys waiting at the gate to get you at the top of the park. The road is kinda stiff but for me, it's more fun to just walk up and enjoy the scenery with your loved ones. 

After enjoying the cool breeze and very relaxing weather, we walked down and bought some fresh fruits and veggies outside of People's park. The goods are very cheap and so fresh so I bought some pineapples that're abundant in Tagaytay and some fresh lettuce. I bought 4 pineapples for 50 Php and 1 plastic of lettuce for 35 Php.

We rode back to our hotel via tricycle and our driver shared many stories of Tagaytay. He's a native of Tagaytay and went to Manila during his teenage years but then returned to Tagaytay after several years and told us that he will not exchange Tagaytay for anything. Tagaytay is a very quiet and peaceful place he told us. The Barangay Police are the ones who secures the city because there are few National Police assigned here. He is also a Barangay Police. According to him, most of the crimes in the city are caused primarily not by the natives but by outsiders. With our short talk, I appreciate Tagaytay more because of kind people like manong driver. 

All in all, we spent approximately 1500+ each for our weekend getaway and we surely enjoyed our stay. 

I hope this blog helped you planning a budget friendly weekend date. Please follow this site for more of our adventures in the Philippines and I encourage you to start you own adventure too! 

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