Tagaytay Summer Trip

UPDATE: If you ever come across this post, I’d like to apologize for the blurred photos. They weren’t like that when I first posted this blog. These were during the days when I was just starting as a blogger and have no idea how properly upload photos the right way.

Summer season has come. It’s funny that these days, I seem to notice the season’s changing not because of the increasing temperature, but because I’m starting to see people on Facebook posting about their #summervacation journeys. Then it just starts to sink in once I feel the climate actually changing. It’s that season again where people would start planning their trips to go to the beach and enjoy different activities as they welcome the summer heat. In my case, it’s the season when I start to get pissed off after realizing that it could get even hotter than other days. It feels like there’s no end to this rising temperature and I keep sweating even when I’m just in front of my computer, sitting very still. So instead of welcoming the blazing sun on the beach, I dread it, and I run from it(Yeah, you heard that somewhere).

My girlfriend had been bugging me to have another staycation probably somewhere with a cold climate which I also thought was a good idea. I wasn’t thinking of going too far, though. We thought maybe we can go back to Sea Residences in Pasay, Manila from our last staycation then we can hang out at the seaside behind MoA. The cool breeze there is already enough for me to relax and enjoy the place. However, we wanted to have a different experience so we tried to look at other options, and we decided to visit Tagaytay. I just didn’t expect that we’d go the very next day after agreeing on it. That’s how excited my girlfriend was.

You can also read about our staycation at Sea Residences here.

Wind Residences is located at J.P. Rizal Street, Tagaytay, Cavite

Since we didn’t plan our trip very well, we kinda suffered on our way. Actually, not kinda, we really did. We took a bus in Cubao and got caught in a heavy traffic, as usual. It took us about three hours before arriving at a terminal somewhere in Laguna(I forgot exactly where), and then another hour jeepney ride to, Olivares, I think, and then another one at a terminal I don’t know where ’cause I just don’t care anymore. Then we were picked up by the caretaker of the unit.

At this point, I was already sweaty and my mind was just totally drained I wanted to just go to sleep once we arrived at our destination. But just like the last time, all the stress were suddenly gone after seeing the place we’d be staying at. I also remember it was after we got past BistroVille that the wind suddenly started to get cold. During the whole trip, I was thinking that the weather won’t be any different since it’s summer, so the drop in temperature was somewhat reassuring, and refreshing.

Our rented unit was on the 19th floor of Wind Residences where we got a nice view of the city from our room, especially since it’s facing the famous Taal Lake. It’s also an ideal location for people who would like to visit the Sky Ranch which is only around five minutes away if you ride a jeepney.

The unit was pretty much the same like the previous one, just that it didn’t include free snacks, toiletries, cable TV, and free wifi.

Anyhow, that wasn’t much of a trouble since we didn’t plan on spending the whole day inside.

There was no balcony but you can still get a good view of Taal Lake through the glass window. (Are we shooting a commercial or something?)

You can easily see the “Sky Eye” from the Sky Ranch since it’s pretty close.
Just be cautious when opening the glass door/window in your room, especially when you’re with kids.

Robinsons Mall, Tagaytay

After getting freshened up, we went outside to go to Sky Ranch. When I saw the Sky Eye from our room, I thought we can get there by foot so we tried to walk our way there until we reached Robinsons Mall. We didn’t explore it that much but it seemed like a nice place to hang out as well.

Sky Ranch

I hope I could share more photos of this place, but my son kept running around so much so I had to look after him. There were several videos, though, but those were videos of him just running around and playing with other kids. Obviously, he had a great time at the Sky Ranch and so did I and my girlfriend. It was fun just watching people screaming on some of the rides and joining different games. I also got my son to ride the Flight-something(I forgot what it’s called). It’s just one of those rides where you just spin around while going up and down. It was my son’s first ride and he was scared at some point. I thought he was gonna panic totally but he managed to finish the ride. Good job! Actually, I was surprised because I got a little dizzy after that ride. Yes, a ride for little kids got me dizzy. Probably because I haven’t done something like this in a while. It can’t be a sign of aging. Nope.

Bulalo Experience

We’ve spent quite a good time at the Sky Ranch. I started to feel hungry after smelling food from a nearby KFC. But, come on, you don’t wanna go to this place and just eat at a fast food restaurant. One of the restaurants just outside of Sky Ranch is Leslie’s Restaurant which, according to my girlfriend, is one of the famous Bulalo(Beef Marrow Stew) restaurants in Tagaytay, so we went there to eat. It was a perfect moment for a warm soup since the night was getting colder, too. Though one thing we didn’t know is that they don’t serve single meals, just a big one that’s good for 4-5 persons and there’s only two of us and a toddler. I thought we were hungry anyway, so I guess that won’t be too much. That’s what I thought.

When our meal arrived, I noticed there was only one bone marrow so I thought I was right when I said it wasn’t that much. Then we checked the meat and to my surprise, there was a huge beef shank hiding underneath the soup! The waiter should’ve said something like, “I crap you not, it’s for 4-5 persons.” That could have convinced me to think twice. But no problem, still. After giving up on my Man versus Food challenge, we just took home what’s left, which there were still plenty for us two for the next morning.

It was around 9:00 PM when we headed back to the condo. I don’t know if the jeeps around here get back in the garage early, but there doesn’t seem to be any one passing by as we waited so we just took a tricycle. It was pretty boring in our unit when we got back because the TV only had a couple of channels available. They were using ABS-CBN TVplus and the only channel you could get is, of course, their own channels. No signal for GMA. Nice move. So we just decided to go to sleep, and then talk about our next activity in the morning.

Next morning, I woke up at around 5:30 and witnessed a fascinating sunrise across Taal Lake. When my girlfriend woke up, we talked about what we we’re gonna do for the remaining time that we have. We thought about going to People’s Park, but it was a bit far from our location, so we just decided to go to Picnic Grove. We arrived early at the Picnic Grove and had to wait a few minutes because they don’t open until 7:00 AM, but there were already people outside offering us a horseback ride. We were just planning to get a quick view of the place and weren’t interested in any activities so we passed.

Picnic Grove

Photo source: http://wikimapia.org/25595667/Tagaytay-Picnic-Grove

Okay. I’m borrowing this above photo from Google since I didn’t take a lot of pictures inside. When we got in, we just walked around until we reached a spot where you could see a better view of the Taal Lake and Volcano.

Yeah. He’s not in the mood for a picture.

That was it. After walking along the platforms, we reached the cottages and then walked up the stairs, giving us a little cardio exercise on our way back to the gate. I’m sure there’s still a few other places we could’ve visited but we only had a few hours left for our stay at the condo, so we just went right back there. We just used the remaining hours to take a little rest, and reheated last night’s Bulalo for lunch. Then took a shower and prepared to leave.

He’s making the most of his stay by just staring out the window.

Before taking a bus back to Manila, we visited one last place that is also worth adding on your list, the Dreamland Arts and Crafts Cafe. A Hippie-themed restaurant near Olivares, Tagaytay which has more to offer than just food and drinks. Once you get inside, you’ll be welcomed by their fancy wall arts and reggae music, making it a cool place to chill with your family and friends. I also noticed some books that you can read if you have time to spare.

By the appearance of this place, anybody could find it Instagram-worthy. And guess what? I wasn’t able to take a picture of any parts of it. No, not a single one. I had to keep chasing after my son who kept running around going to other groups of customers while my girlfriend ordered drinks for us. Thankfully, the other customers found him cute and just played and had fun with him. At least he knows how to pass along the good vibe which is what the place is all about.

After finishing our drinks, we immediately left, then we went to Colette’s Store and bought their famous Buko Pie. I also bought a “I Love Tagaytay” shirt, not to have something to share on IG, but because I was already drenched in sweat and so I can change clothes. After a few minutes, we got on a bus and we were on our way back to Manila. This time, we just dropped off in Baclaran, then took the LRT going to Victory Mall bus terminal, and we’re home bound.

Thanks for reading! I have another trip coming up, and I’ll make sure to make a better story for you, with a lot more photos to share. Promise!