Quick Romantic Getaway at Tagaytay

We had difficulty reserving a place to stay in for our first year anniversary since it fell on the peak season of December. All places were either full or double their normal rates. And then we chanced upon one of the metro’s deal sites – they were offering a 50% discount in one of the bed and breakfasts in Tagaytay City. However, upon inquiring the deal is not applicable on their peak season, but at least they still had vacant rooms for December 23. I grabbed the place immediately...

Tagaytay City is the nearest vacation spot from Metro Manila. It is approximately two hours away via car. The air is still fresh there and it has a wonderful view of Taal Volcano, which is the smallest volcano in Asia. Due to its proximity to the metro, it was just perfect for a quick romantic holiday. The place is also now getting known for lovely bed and breakfasts and sumptuous meals at restaurants one can only find there.

We stayed at T House at Calamba Road, Tagaytay City. Upon arrival at the hotel ,the receptionist greeted us warmly while a staff was called to assist us to our room. The exterior design of the place was welcoming, but we found the interior very simple (small TV and unfinished floors – or was that supposed to be their design?). It did have the basics though – clean sheets and towels, hot shower, toiletries, TV with cable. Oh, and the best part was their free night tea and cookies before bedtime, which was a good touch by the hotel. Another plus point for us is that it was right beside a Catholic church. Every Christmas we celebrate the dawn novena masses and our anniversary falls right at the last day of the nine days of the novena mass

We had a fancy dinner at Chateau Hestia which had a signage around two minutes away from T House. In reality, it was 10 minutes away from the main road and we almost thought we were already lost. The restaurant was beautifully set in the middle of a garden and had an antique collection and paintings for sale. Our meal was a full set course with wine - 1) Soup: Vienesse Potato Soup, 2) Salad: Hestia Green Salad with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette, 3) Entrée: Apple and Prune Pork Roulade, 4) Dessert: Okstkucher/ Fruitcake. I loved their salad and main meal; although I was quite surprised that I didn’t enjoy their dessert considering that I am a certified sweet tooth. After our meal we were given a free taste of their home made Limoncello and Vin d' Orange.

The next day we had our inclusive breakfast at T-House. There are lots of choices in the menu but a lot were also unavailable. My order was Italian sausage with scrambled eggs and two hash browns. Brewed coffee was unlimited. There was an interesting show on cable about how cherubim look like and I was glued in front of the television for a while until we had to check-out of the place.

We decided to have a sumptuous lunch at Sonya’s Garden. Their meal was composed of unlimited servings of 1) organic salad and different types of toppings such as cheese, eggs, and anchovies with their ‘special’ dressing; 2) main meal of pasta with a choice of either red or white sauce and toppings such as mushrooms, salmon, olives, and capers; 3) dessert of fried banana and sweet potato. Although I was already full after the pasta, I just couldn’t resist the simple, but yummy sweet potato. Definitely leave some room for it! Along with the meals was an unlimited serving of freshly squeezed dalandan (local orange) juice with mint. We also bought our favorite cheese hopia (crusty bread) and Spanish bread at their panaderia/ bread shop.

We went home just in time to pick-up my cake order for our Christmas Eve dinner with our family. It was a short but sweet anniversary :)

Other Options for a Romantic Getaway at Tagaytay: Nurture’s Spa, Sonya’s Garden, Discovery Country Suites