TRAVEL | What Places To Visit in Tagaytay?

For the last weekend of August, my colleagues and I decided to take our good friend J. to Tagaytay to have a change of atmosphere. I have only been to Tagaytay once. Not until this visit did I realize that Tagaytay was a part of Cavite and not Laguna. I can still remember the pineapple in Palace in the Sky- which we deliberately avoided since there is nothing special there anymore with all the vandalisms done in the place. We decided to proceed immediately to Picnic Grove. On the way, I saw the Taal Lake. 

The view was simply majestic. I felt that surge of awe with what I have seen. I never imagined Tagaytay to be this beautiful. Back on my first visit, I never really appreciated Tagaytay as much as I have now. With the clear skies I saw the lake and the infamous volcano. It was just like what they say, a lake within a lake. I’m so proud of this piece of treasure the Philippines has. It’s not difficult to say that our country is such a gifted one.

TIP:

You need to leave Manila or anywhere early so you can see the beauty of the Taal Lake in the morning when the sun is still shining. The sun in the afternoon is quite high and doesn’t foster basking under it. Tagaytay’s weather for the most part is hot. Traffic’s bad in the afternoon to early evening so better go back home before rush hour (4pm – 5pm) or after rush hour (9pm – 10pm).

1 | PICNIC GROVE

It was not difficult to find this place, although we still got lost owing to the fact that the place has no sign and all. The only way you can recognize the place is with the sign saying that it has zipline. To me, it was like an old park needing some more renovation. Cars have to pay P35 and people P50. Inside there are so many locals offering horseback riding and boat riding, each overpriced. I wonder how the local government can tolerate this kind of business activity. 

TIP:

Never bite into horseback ride offers nor boat riding. Most of them are really overpriced. They charge you P1500 but you can get it for as low as 800-1000, haggle as much as you can. 

2 | ZIPLINE

Ziplining is the act of crossing a ravine suspended in air by a zipline. The ride costs 200 (which is higher than Enchanted Kingdom’s rides). Thinking it was exciting, we eagerly tried the ride. There are two options with the ride- one way and two way. One way, you cross and don’t come back. Two way, you’ll come back. But seriously it was not worth the money. The one way is too boring enough. You won’t feel any excitement. Plus, the fact that the people there are taking photos for P100. Imagine, just one photo for a hundred bucks. Simply laughable. 

TIP:

Don't choose the two way if you don’t want to waste money. The photographs are not worth the pay too.

3 | PICNIC AREA

Restaurants in Tagaytay are just overpriced so we decided to bring our own food. It was an excellent decision. We brought fried chicken, steamed fish, adobong pork, cooked rice, some rice cake, soft drinks, and water. We only had to pay P150 for the cottage. The view was spectacular minus the tall grass and garbage lying around.

The picnic area is quite crowded also so better get used to many people talking and chatting around. There are delicacies sold by locals around. I didn’t ask for the price because I was not so fond of sweets. Then there are massage people offering their service for a minimum donation (usually P50). There are also souvenir shops at the exit of the picnic area so one can easily buy “pasalubong.” The prices of the items are quite reasonable.

TIP :

Not a good idea to roast/grill food in the picnic area although there are provided places for roasting. Bring a garbage bag too. The garbage bin can be so full.

4 | MUSHROOM BURGER

The night before the trip I was reading about Tagaytay and I was intrigued by this Mushroom Burger house they say the trip to Tagaytay won’t be complete without a visit to this special place. So after Picnic Grove we proceeded to this old house. I tried to hold my expectations down and good thing I did that. For people who say Mushroom Burger is extraordinary, well I’d like to say that “to each his own.” I never found the burger anything special. It did taste like real burger but I was never a fan of burgers so it wasn’t so great for me. I’m not really disappointed but I’d say it was not worth the trouble.

TIP:

Not exactly a place to include in your itinerary unless you’re a vegan in search of alternatives to your eating burgers.

5 | BAG OF BEANS

If I was with my girlfriend/s or some boy friends then it would have been nice to stay for a while in this coffee shop but most of the people I was with were quite disinterested in drinking coffee so we chose to buy some coffee products instead of drinking at the coffee shop. They have different kinds of coffee from Robusta to local Kapeng Barako. I brewed some at home and it was great. I’m just happy we passed by the place. I’m such a coffee addict.

TIP:

If you are a coffee lover, visit the place. Price is quite high, but Starbucks is still the undisputed overpriced coffee.

6 | MAHOGANY MARKET

This is the haven for mothers and old women. With all the cheap vegetables and fruits, one cannot help but spend a lot in this market. What’s more is that you can still haggle with the price. I think as I grow up, I’m developing the art of haggling which is important for budget conscious people like me. In addition, there are medicinal/herbal plants sold in this market. One of my fellow workers was really into herbal medicines she was amazed to see all the cheap plants here. With all the cheap vegetables and fruits, one cannot help but spend a lot in this market.

TIP:
Save your money so you can bring home lots of vegetables and fruits from this place. They say meat is also cheap here but I didn’t ask for the price though. I’m just not the market type of person.