Tagaytay

Tagaytay, located to the south of Manila via the expressway, takes you to a cool, high-altitude retreat. Tagaytay is situated on a high mountain, approximately 650 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by lush pineapple and coconut plantations, colorful flowers everywhere, and breathtaking scenery. Visitors to Tagaytay will recognize “Taal,” the world’s smallest volcano, which is located in the center of a massive lake. It sits at the center of the high ridge, offering a rare and breathtaking panoramic view. Tagaytay immerses you in an atmosphere of continuous leisure. Restaurants serve popular dishes made from fresh ingredients straight from the local farms and fields. Tagaytay offers numerous spa sites, allowing relaxation in warm waters, even as temperatures drop outside. For those in need of pampering and rest, there are hotels overlooking the magical volcano at the center of the lake.

Tagaytay

Is one of the most popular vacation destinations for Manila residents due to its pleasant climate, with temperatures ranging from 22-25 degrees Celsius. It’s only a 2 to 3-hour drive (depending on traffic) from Manila’s metropolitan area. With its pleasant weather, Tagaytay is an excellent weekend getaway for both locals and foreign tourists, seeking to escape the intense heat that prevails in Manila, especially during the summer.

Transportation Options:

You can easily reach Tagaytay by taking the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and exiting at Sta. Rosa. Another option is to take the bus at Uniwide Coastal Mall in Pasay City or the bus terminal near Buendia in Pasay City. Alternatively, you can take a shuttle van for a quicker and more convenient journey, departing from Star Mall Mandaluyong or Metropoint Mall near the Taft EDSA MRT station. If you’re not planning to travel to the area in your private vehicle, the main mode of transportation in the area is tricycles, which are widely available throughout the Philippines. Taxis and tourist sites are few and far between, so taking a tricycle is the most common local method.

Attractions:

Tagaytay’s Picnic Grove: A park that offers breathtaking views of the picturesque and dramatic Taal Volcano. Families can relax and unwind here, enjoying the beautiful scenery and breathing the fresh, clean, and cool mountain air. In addition, you can find several family-friendly activities in the park. One of them is riding horses for a tour of the area or trying the new addition – a 250-meter zipline, soaring 30 feet above the ground while enjoying the unique and breathtaking view. For the more adventurous among us, though still relatively mild, you can take a cable car ride, enjoying those wonderful views but without the special thrill and excitement that comes with the zipline.

For enthusiastic hikers, an ecological trail is also available. It consists of a series of walkways that traverse the outskirts of Picnic Grove, offering even more accessible and impressive views of Taal, known as the world’s smallest volcano. There are also numerous gift and souvenir shops that offer a wide range of mementos, including keychains and t-shirts.

Sky Ranch, Tagaytay, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City Rising to a height of 63 meters, with 32 interconnected gondolas, the giant Ferris wheel in Tagaytay, known as Sky Eye or its official name “Sky Ranch,” is Tagaytay’s top attraction, drawing crowds of people who want to experience a much broader perspective of the area. It is the tallest Ferris wheel in the country, easily surpassing the giant wheels at Mall of Asia in Pasay and Enchanted Kingdom in Laguna, which reach heights of 55 and 40 meters, respectively. While it may be shorter than the Singapore Flyer (located in Singapore, of course), which reaches a height of 165 meters, and the Nanchang Ferris Wheel in China, which soars to 160 meters, when considering that Tagaytay itself is situated at an elevation of 610 meters above sea level, the highest point on the Sky Eye is at 674 meters above sea level.

At Sky Fun Park, you can also find the giant carousel (Merry-Go-Round) and the large Viking ship (Super Viking Ride), both of which are fun attractions in their own right and provide an excellent opportunity for family enjoyment and fun.

People’s Park in the Sky – This site was originally intended to host a visit by then-President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos. They began building what was supposed to be a palace in the sky to welcome then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan and his wife. However, the construction was never completed, and the planned visit never materialized due to internal issues during Marcos’s presidency. Subsequently, Marcos was ousted from power during the 1986 People Power Revolution, and he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives in exile in Hawaii. The unfinished palace in the sky, located on Mount Sungay, Barangay Dapdap, in Tagaytay City, received its current name, People’s Park in the Sky, but it was never completed. If it had been finished, it would have offered a breathtaking view of the majestic Taal Volcano.

Convent of the Pink Sisters (Monasterio de Santa Clara) – Officially known as the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, it was founded by Mother Maria Michaela of St. Francis in the Netherlands in 1896 but is more commonly known as the Pink Sisters due to the pink habits worn by the nuns. The Pink Sisters arrived in the Philippines upon the invitation of Alfredo Versoza, the first Filipino bishop of Lipa, in 1923. Initially, they stayed at the Convent of the Blue Sisters before returning to their own convent in Lipa. The Pink Sisters relocated to Baguio due to difficulties coping with the hot and humid climate in Lipa, where many of them fell ill. Besides Baguio, they have convents in five other locations, one of them being the Convent of Divine Mercy in Tagaytay, which is open to the public.

Puzzle Mansion – Here you’ll find the world’s largest collection of puzzles, as recognized in the Guinness World Records. Puzzle Mansion is, in fact, the summer house of the Lacuna family, where you can see Gina Gil Lacuna’s extensive collection of puzzles. You can visit the mansion for a modest entrance fee, and the best time to go is when Gina Lacuna herself is there to personally guide the tour. She loves children and believes she can be an inspiration to young people, encouraging them to strive for higher goals and achievements, such as setting their own world records. Puzzle Mansion even has a puzzle shop that sells all kinds of puzzles, from simple Disney puzzles to much more complex and intricate ones, as well as souvenir shops on-site. Take your time to visit this place, especially if you are with your family. Puzzle Mansion is located on Cuadra Street, Purok 4, in the Asiana district. It’s a truly magical and wonderful place where you can visit and even stay for a while, as they also offer accommodations and a swimming pool.

Good Shepherd – The Good Shepherd community is run by the Religious of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic community that has been in the Philippines for over a century. The Good Shepherd House in Tagaytay is most famous for its Good Shepherd store, known for homemade delicacies, especially the highly popular Ube jam and a variety of delicious pastries. The store offers high-quality food products at reasonable and friendly prices. It’s always, and I mean always, packed with people during its peak season. The store has recently moved to a larger location with nearby parking to better serve the influx of customers. It is situated along the fast-growing Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay highway. Originally, the store was established to help marginalized individuals, such as the disabled, and now, with its larger capacity, they can employ more workers. The Good Shepherd nuns believe in providing quality food at lower wages but with quicker returns.