Tagaytay Tourist Spots for Weekend Getaway Trip

Tagaytay in the south is indeed a very popular place to a quick weekend road trip and staycation for people living in nearby provinces and even from metro manila. May it be sembreak, valentine’s day, lent, or the long summer season, the place has lots to offer. Maybe it’s because of the strategic and very accessible location, plenty of fancy restaurants, and hotels. A whole day getaway trip or two will scrape the stress out of your body from the daily grind you are getting into. Rejuvenate yourself from the fast pace metro this weekend. Here are some picturesque Tagaytay tourist spots for that quick trip to this cold and unwinding city.

Picnic Grove

This is the mainstream tourist spot in Tagaytay, as most travelers have probably visited here first before any other in their lifetime. The beauty and scenery it has are worth seeing every time you come back in this city. There are plenty of activities here that can cover your whole day:

Zip line is at P300 per person for a two-way ride. That includes a free photo souvenir of you while gliding. Horseback riding is also fun. At P350 per hour, you can ride those horses and take pretty travel videos and selfies. It’s not per pax, both of us rode and the fee remained at P350. Just talk nicely to the owners and haggle. Trips to the lake via boat are also being offered, although I have not tried it yet. There is also a huge area for kite flying.

Details:
Address: Tagaytay Picnic Grove Complex, Tagaytay-Calamba Road, Brgy. Sungay East-End, Tagaytay City
Operating hours: 7 AM to 7 PM
Entrance fee: Php 50

Sky Ranch

This small park offers a great view of the Taal Lake. It has a cheap entrance fee (see prices below) but has P50 flat-rate parking fee. There are a couple of rides that are mostly for kids and young-at-hearts, but note that many of them open at 3pm onwards. One noteworthy attraction is the ferris wheel which is the 2nd tallest in the Philippines, wherein you can view a 360-degree breathtaking view of Taal lake and Tagaytay. There are also tiangges where you can buy cheap souvenirs as well.

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Details:

Address: Tagaytay – Nasugbu Hwy, Kaybagal South, Tagaytay, Cavite
Hours:
Monday to Friday: 10AM–10PM
Saturday and Sunday (+ Holidays): 8AM–10PM

Entrance Fee on Weekdays (Monday to Friday) – Php80.00
Entrance Fee on Weekends (Saturday & Sunday) and Holidays – Php100.00
Free entrance for children 3ft and below

Twin Lakes

Although a little bit tucked away with the rest of famous destinations in Tagaytay, Twin Lakes has become my favorite. It’s location, at the stretch of the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway, is far from the usual slow traffic in the city especially on weekends. This commercial strip features many cozy restaurants and cafe. My favorites are Bag of Beans and Starbucks. In fact, Starbucks here is dubbed as “the most beautiful Starbucks in the Philippines.”

Twin Lakes is on its early phases but the potential is absolutely there. In the future, there will be a European-inspired  Hotel & Spa, Universities and themed villages.

Mahogany Market

What’s special with Mahogany market? Well, it houses the most delicious Bulalo in Tagaytay. Yes, there are plenty of fancy restaurants that offers Bulalo but this market has the cheapest and most tasteful of them all.  A bowl of bulalo costs P350 and that’s good for 3 to 4 hungry tummies. You can also find tawilis, a Tagaytay lake delicacy. Free small bananas, or what they call senoritas, are also a signature of this restaurant strip.

It caters a wide selection of fresh fruits, vegetables and plenty of beefs (it’s cheap here). There are also wide variety of plants (like our favorite–sunflowers), herbs and coffee beans.

Details:
Address: Mahogany Market, Mahogany Ave., Brgy. Kaybagal South, Tagaytay City, Cavite
Opening hours: 8am to 8pm. (some stores closes at 9pm)

Puzzle Mansion

Once a family rest house before, the mansion was developed by a puzzle collector, Georgina Gil-Lacuna. In November 19, 2012 she was proclaimed by Guinness to be the new holder of the biggest recognized puzzle collection, with 1,030 puzzles finished at the time of the proclamation.

The mansion is fully packed with puzzles of different sizes, shapes, themes – both flat and 3D. It is divided in two floors wherein the upper level has a shop portion where visitors can buy puzzles. You can even a buy a customized version with your own photograph printed on the puzzle.

Details:
Address: Cuadra Street, Brgy. Asasin, Tagaytay, Cavite
Phone: (02) 661 0019

Entrance Fee: P100

Instagramable Restaurants

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf – Crosswinds

One of the most interesting design of a coffee place is found at Crosswinds Tagaytay. The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s structure features a windmill-like motif that adds to the refreshing feeling the place offers. The area is peaceful and quiet as the location is quite far from other Tagaytay tourist spots.

The coffee here has a nice feedback from frequent folks but during our visit, we had pastas and salads as we were craving from a different brand of coffee-based goodies. The serving is more than enough and the taste is satisfying. The interior design has a modern and artistic touch, good for laptop sessions while sipping coffees. Definitely worth coming at.

Just a walk down the road, you will find a walking trail where pine trees similar to those in picnic grove stands high. We took a couple of great shots with those towering trees in the background.

Details:
Crosswind Brgy, Iruhin Central
Tagaytay City 4120
(063) 257 8800
Operating Hours: 8:30AM – 7:00PM

Bag of Beans – Twin Lakes

“Travel back in time as you dine, wine and unwind in Bag of Beans located in some of the most relaxing locations South of Manila.” – BOB’s website.

I was like starstrucked upon entering the restaurant. The branch located at Twin Lakes, West Lake, is just one out of the four branches in Tagaytay, each of them having their own theme and design. West Lake has a clean, white, classy look. There are hand-crafted furniture and vintage items that adds character to the place.

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If you love both food and nature, then you’ll be hooked with this place. We sat near the window where a panoramic view of taal can be enjoyed. There are also seats outside at the veranda if you want to feel the cold breeze.  The meals are a little bit expensive but I think it’s worth it as they all suited our tastes. We liked blueberry cheesecake the most, a must try! Some recommends their barako coffee. I think I’ll check it out also next time we visit here.

Details:
Address: Twin Lakes Shopping Village, DayapItaas, Laurel, Batangas
Contact Number: 046-460-4146
Operating Hours: 6:30AM – 12AM

There are also fancy hotels and condos that are great for staycation lovers! We’ll cover them soon.