Weekend escape to Tagaytay

Definitely one of our favorite places is Tagaytay in the Province of Cavite in Southern Luzon. It provides us with a weekend destination to escape the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila though we also live in a suburban community in Antipolo. In the past years, we must have gone to Tagaytay quite regularly (every other month?) even considering it usually took about 2.5 hours of travel time not including the stopovers for meals or toilet breaks. Nevertheless, once reaching this city located at the ridge formed by the eruption of an ancient volcano, you are greeted by its cool fresh air that automatically switches your mode to one of rest and recreation.

There was no particular occasion on this most recent of our trips to Tagaytay, as with most of our trips there. We came to enjoy the pleasant climate and the food offered by many of the nice restaurants in the city. Some of these restaurants are Tagaytay originals and may not have branches elsewhere though many popular restaurant chains have established branches in the city. Perhaps one place that we have always made a point to visit and eat at every time we are in Tagaytay is Bag of Beans. The original branch, or at least the one which our friends directed us to years ago, is located along the national highway just past the junction to Mendez town. It now has another branch near the intersection (rotonda) with the Aguinaldo Highway. Their breads are delightful and their meals take advantage of the fresh ingredients that are readily available in this the city and from the farms in its surrounding towns.

We particularly like to just hang out and have coffee or hot chocolate while enjoying pastries on the side. Last Saturday, the Clairvoyant decided to have some cinnamon rolls and a cup each of hot chocolate as we relaxed after the second part of our long drive from Antipolo. This was the part driving from Paseo de Sta. Rosa, our usual stopover prior to Tagaytay.

Hot chocolate and warm cinnamon rolls at Bag of Beans

With the Clairvoyant currently based in Singapore, this is only our first trip to Tagaytay this year. This one though is practically an escape as a typhoon blew by Northern Luzon over the weekend and sprinkled some rain on Metro Manila and Antipolo. We figured we'd rather be somewhere where we could relax and not think about work, and Tagaytay is that place for us. We did take note of the more recent additions to the restaurants and hotels in the area and would probably try out another hotel or bed & breakfast next time. We do try different accommodations every time we visit, though our personal favorites are Sonya's Garden and Nurture Spa.