Bag of Beans: Dining with Style on a Budget
This is my last article in a series of posts about Tagaytay and all the places to see and things to do in this town. And this time, let’s talk about food. Let’s talk about Bag of Beans Tagaytay, a quaint coffee shop right at the heart of Tagaytay. My friend had already been to this place before, but in another location—another part of Tagaytay, near Sonya’s Garden. It was the one that we were supposed to visit after our Sonya’s Garden exploration, but we had a mistake looking at road signs and directions and before we knew it, the jeepney that we were riding on already passed by the place. It was a good thing that we had already seen another branch of Bag of Beans in Olivares, Tagaytay so we decided to try that one out instead. The place is not too big, more like it was designed for private dining and conversations [...]
People’s Park in the Sky: On Top of the World!
Or that’s how it would seem when you reach the place and see the scenery below and all around you. When we visited this park, it felt like we really were on top of the world. Freedom! The People’s Park in the Sky is formerly named as the Palace in the Sky, an unfinished mansion of former president Ferdinand Marcos. It was built as a guesthouse for former US President Ronald Reagan and his wife, but their visit did not push through. Today, it has become a popular destination of people who are looking for some sightseeing and who want a good view of the Taal Volcano. The place is located in a remote part and the highest point of Tagaytay, but there are jeepneys going to the place so travel should not be a problem. During our visit last time, we asked around for directions and were directed to a jeepney terminal around the [...]
Sonya’s Garden: A Perfect Place for a Silent Retreat
My previous post about Tagaytay and my experience during my last visit (which was also my first, by the way) provided some general information about the town, enumerating a few of the places that travelers like you can check out in case you plan to visit the place. In this post, we are going to explore one of the treasures of the town—Sonya’s Garden, a paradise located in the outskirts of Tagaytay (it is actually already a part of the neighboring town, Cavite). From Olivares (the town proper), it’s a 30 to 45 minutes ride. Both my friend and I were not familiar with the place, so we had to ask for directions. We were told to look for a jeepney that’s bound for Nasugbu and to tell the driver to drop us off at Buck Estate. Upon reaching the place, we saw a tricycle terminal. All of the drivers knew where Sonya’s Garden was, [...]
Visiting Tagaytay
While the idea of relaxation and fun in the Philippines will usually bring to mind the beaches of Palawan or the mountains of Sagada, places that are quite far and time-consuming to visit, there are actually a few ideal destinations near the city for people who are looking for, say, a weekend of fun without the hassles of long transportation. Tagaytay is one of them, one of the nearby vacation destinations that I had the chance to visit just recently. The place is approximately just 1.5 hours away from Manila depending on the means of transportation used. One option is to drive and bring a car to Tagaytay; the scenery is refreshing and there isn’t much traffic, so driving is not a hassle. Many also take public transportation. The most common is by bus. There are different bus terminals around Metro Manila, with buses going to Tagaytay. There are bus stations in Taft Avenue near [...]
