Tagaytay Day Tour

Last May 1, 2012, my bf and I celebrated our 1st year anniversary. I’ve been researching here and there just to come up with the perfect place to be on that special day. In the end, we agreed that it’ll just be a day tour so we opted to spend it in Tagaytay. I went through several blogs and listed all the possible places we could see. But when that day came, it didn’t matter where we’re going or what places we would see. I just wanted to spend the day with him. So, in short, we were only able to go to very few but mostly recommended places in Tagaytay.

Going to Tagaytay via public bus: 

Since we’re coming from the North (Quezon City), we rode the MRT from end to end (Php15: from North station to Taft/Pasay station). Then cross the street, look for a McDonald’s and there you’ll find buses going to Nasugbu or Balayan. Just ask to be dropped off at Olivarez – that’s like the main center where you can find jeepneys or tricycles that will bring you to places in Tagaytay.

First Stop: Josephine Restaurant

The bus left Pasay at around 9:30am and we arrived at Tagaytay at around 11:30 – just in time for Brunch! We rode a jeep to Josephine (Php10). Drivers know these most visited places so it’s easy to go from one place to another even if you are just commuting. Josephine Restaurant has a buffet lunch every weekends and holidays. Good thing it was a holiday so we availed it. ^_^

The buffet area is separate from the ala carte, which was in the air conditioned area. But the buffet area was set up like a wedding reception in the open air. I think that made us decide to go for the buffet. The buffet food was nothing extra ordinary. It was okay. There were enough food so you get to taste each and every cuisine that they have whether you come in early or late for the buffet.

The lunch buffet costs Php395.

Second Stop: Bag of Beans

After consuming a lot on the buffet, we wanted to go somewhere we could just sit down and let all those food be digested. What better place to go than a coffee shop and one of the highly recommended coffee places in Tagaytay is Bag of Beans. It was my first time to dine in there and it was a very pleasant experience for me. The place was cozy and relaxing. We ordered 1 blueberry cheesecake, 1 house blended coffee, and 1 barako coffee. The combination of the coffee with the cheesecake would make you crave for more days just like that. I’m not a fan of cheesecakes but theirs is really good.

There are 2 Bag of Beans in Tagaytay. We visited the one in Olivarez. It was just one jeepney ride away (Php8.50). Our food costs Php363 total. I also bought their ground coffee for Php140 only.

Third Stop: Picnic Grove

Now we wanted to go somewhere we could just stay and chill. We took a tricycle (Php50 for both of us) going to Picnic Grove. Entrance fee is Php50 each. There are several activities that you could do here a few of which are horseback riding, kite flying, and ziplining. There are separate fees for these of course. Since we both been there a couple of times, we just wanted to sit where we could admire a view.

Last Stop: Leslie’s Restaurant

After an hour or so just sitting and admiring the view in Picnic Grove, we decided to have an early dinner so we could travel back to Manila early too. We rode a tricycle back to Olivarez (Php60 for both of us) then rode a jeepney (Php8.50) to Leslie’s Restaurant. But since it was kind of early, we strolled over to Cliff House. It is also a place to dine, a bit on the expensive side though. It also has an overlooking view of Taal and we spent a few minutes there before we headed to Leslie’s.

I know that Leslie’s bulalo is a must-try but since I’ve tried that and a Php500+ viand that’s good for four people doesn’t seem to be a sound choice. We were also still a bit full from our buffet brunch but we needed to eat as we’re travelling back to Manila. We ordered 1 liempo, 1 molo soup, and 2 rice. I think our dinner was between Php500-600.

There’s also an area for an overlooking view of the Taal in Leslie’s. There’s also sort of a band that goes from one table to another to keep you entertained. And some pasalubongs are also sold here.

Going Home from Tagaytay to Manila:

It’ll be easier to ride a bus if you’re at the Olivarez area, in front of Tagaytay Country Hotel. Just ride any bus that’s going to Manila. Fare will depend where you will get off.

Why Tagaytay?

• one of the nearest places out of town
• can easily travel whether through private or public transportation
• lots of good places to EAT!!
• has a cool climate
• lots of places to stay overnight

Summary of Expenses:

Itinerary	Cost (per person)
MRT from North to Pasay Taft	15
bus from Pasay to Tagaytay	78
jeepney ride from Olivarez to Josephine Resto	10
buffet lunch at Josephine	395
jeepney ride from Josephine Resto to Olivarez	8.5
coffee and cheesecake at Bag of Beans	181.5
tricycle ride from Olivarez to Picnic Grove	25
entrance fee at Picnic Grove	50
tricycle ride from Picnic Grove to Olivarez	30
jeepney ride to Leslie’s Resto	8.5
dinner at Leslie’s	300
bus ride from Olivarez to Baclaran	77
TOTAL	1178.5

Climbing Mt. Batulao

From a random suggestion, me and 4 of my colleagues decided to climb Mt. Batulao. We’re not exactly hikers or trained climbers. We just wanted the outdoors. So off we resolved to climb. Searching through the net gave us an idea on what to expect during the trip – long walk/climb. Who wouldn’t be enticed to climb/walk just to see these?

  

Unlike my previous adventures, this time, I took note of the timeline. We had to be at the Bus Station going to Nasugbu, Batangas at 5 am. Some of us, including me, just came from a 1PM to 10PM shift the night before so imagine how much we lacked sleep then. But I guess the excitement gave us energy the whole day. We arrived at Evercrest at around 7:30am and took a tricycle going to the base trail. There’s an abundance of tricycle and guides when you get off the bus. We had a hard time deciding which guide to take as there were several kids wanting to be our guide. It’s an extra income for them. We took 2 guides and 2 tricycles.  The tricycle driver gave us his number so we could text him after the climb and transport us back to where we got off the bus.

It took us 2 hours to reach the registration area. We actually thought that was the climb already but it was only part of the climb. We were thirsty upon reaching the registration area. In fact, on our way to the registration area, we already took some rest and drank buko juice and water.

  

    

    

As you can see from the pictures, it was quite a challenge. And to think that Mt. Batulao is for beginning climbers! Or maybe we were just not in shape. ^_^

We reached the summit at around 11AM. I don’t know if we were just too tired to eat or the water and chocolate bars were enough to sustain us throughout the climb. After some more sightseeing, we headed down the trail and back to the base where the tricycle drivers await us.

    

  

It was quite an adventure. We were all perspiring and tired. We all wanted a bath. Good thing that some houses at the drop-off area allow tourists to take a bath in their place for a minimal fee (so minimal I forgot how much!). After we freshened up, we had a feast at Leslie’s in Tagaytay. We were all famished!

  

  

How much did we spend for this unforgettable adventure? Here’s a breakdown per person:

Bus from Pasay Terminal to Nasugbu – Php 106

Tricycle – Php 40 (to and from the base trail)

Registration – Php 20

Jeepney fare to Leslie’s – Php 15 (estimate)

Bus from Olivares(Tagaytay) to Pasay – Php 78

TOTAL of Php 259 excluding the feast we had at Leslie’s. ^_^